Building welding/work table?

[NOTV8]

Hopefully I ask on the right forum. Anyway... I wanted to build a welding table and just have a newbie question. I wanted the size of 36"x72" but not sure on the thickness I should go. I am thinking of 1/2", 3/4" or 1". I already bought the legs of 4"x4"x1/4", 2" horizontals and 2" angles. Is there a different grade/type I should be looking for? I am getting A36 by the way as of now. This is just for home project use. Still undecided if I will mount my vice permanently or use it now as it is on a 2" receiver, ON and OFF my table. I will also try to put some tool drawers under it to put some tools and my helmet. Man... this welding hobby is getting expensive . Good thing I have all our bills online and my wife never see it. I just paid it as soon as I get the email... She did asked me though when I got the welder when she came in one time and saw me in the garage doing some welding... and I said that was her x'mas gift for me this year together with the 14" chop saw....

Thanks for any input.

 

[troutsqueezer]

I can't imagine what a 1" thick piece of 3' X 6' piece of steel would weigh. Do you have a crane to lift it? Even .5" will be too heavy for you to lift unless you do it in smaller sections. Thickness will depend a lot on your supporting structures. For home usage, I would stick to 3/8ths. With good support, 1/4" works.

I tack weld my vice onto the table top. If it gets in my way, I grind the tacks off and move it.

 

[lostcause]

Hopefully I ask on the right forum. Anyway... I wanted to build a welding table and just have a newbie question. I wanted the size of 36"x72" but not sure on the thickness I should go. I am thinking of 1/2", 3/4" or 1". I already bought the legs of 4"x4"x1/4", 2" horizontals and 2" angles. Is there a different grade/type I should be looking for? I am getting A36 by the way as of now. This is just for home project use. Still undecided if I will mount my vice permanently or use it now as it is on a 2" receiver, ON and OFF my table. I will also try to put some tool drawers under it to put some tools and my helmet. Man... this welding hobby is getting expensive . Good thing I have all our bills online and my wife never see it. I just paid it as soon as I get the email... She did asked me though when I got the welder when she came in one time and saw me in the garage doing some welding... and I said that was her x'mas gift for me this year together with the 14" chop saw....

Thanks for any input.

as far as material grade goes, a36 is the standard grade for light angles. for plates over 1/2" you're likely to see it being a dual certification a36/a572gr50. a lot of places are rolling to a dual standard so they don't have to carry two separate lines.

I can't imagine what a 1" thick piece of 3' X 6' piece of steel would weigh.

for reference, that would be about 735lb for a 3x6 sheet of 1" plate. as far as what thickness you want, it's up to you. anything 1/2" and over is going to be fairly solid, but you'll want to use angles under it to stiffen it up so it's not springy. also, no matter what they quote you per inch of thicknes, remember that steel is sold by the pound when you break it down. you're going to pay 2x as much for 1" as opposed to 1/2". buy whatever you need, but if you oversize, you overpay.

 

[rjmack]

i would say 3/4 better than half, 1" better than 3/4.

also, one thing a lot of guys miss is they just weld the legs to the bottom of the table, and they weld the snot out of them. this results in a table with a crown radiating from the center out to the corners... really not very good.

if you light stitch some channel iron, angle, hss (channel probably best) or whatever you have as long as it is straight, around the perimeter... anywhere from 4"-8" back from the edge, it will form a strongback to weld the legs to. you will end up with a flat table, and when it comes to fabbing steel... that's something you really want.:thumbsup:

also, if you have the room, 4'x6' is probably better than 3'x6' too.

using a vice on a receiver is something i never tried... sounds like it may be a good idea. again, you would weld to the strongback, not the table... or very little to the table.

 

[Shield Arc]

Here's mine, I haven't broken it yet! :laughing:

 

[cuoffroad]

I think these are very subjective questions and will get answers based on how others use their tables as opposed to how you will use yours.

Things to think about:

How much of a "hobby" is welding? I do it for a hobby as well but run a little 110v mig and weld nothing greater than 1/4". Therefore, when I built my welding table I used a 1/4" top and it works great for ME.

So, if your welding 1" thick plate as a "hobby" then I would build a beefier table. If your only welding 1/8" material you don't need a 1" top...ya know what I mean?

Good luck, post pics! :thumbsup:

 

[Thomas]

My welding table 4'x4'x 1/2" w/4 legs 3"x3"x1/4 and been strong enough over the year for abuse.

If your going to have outlets think about putting outlets in from but set them back so face cover not sticking out.

About 6" back wall comes in handy when grinding.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Unless you plan to have it precision ground for a flat plane to do millwright work on, you wont need anything more than 3/4" and for that thickness, you wont need any angle stiffeners. You can run a car over 3/4 plate 6 feet long with a 5 foot span and not bend it. Unless you plan to use it for an anvil also, you could likely be better off cost wise to use 3/8 plate and build a subframe under it out of 2x2 angle that is stitch welded to the plate and legs attached in the inside corners. I would drop back about 6-8 inches from the edge and attach the subframe. Then on each long side, I would put a 3x3 angle in a V on the sides. This is handy to lay pipe or angle in when fabricating. The larger the angle iron the larger pipe you can lay in it, but for home use even 2x2 angle might be large enough. Place the angle lip flush with the top of the sheet metal and stitch weld in in place top and bottom. I would place a piece of angle on the top and use it to straight edge the angle iron tray. You dont want the outside lip of the angle to be above your table top. When finished, nothing should be sticking up above the top of the table. If you have a very flat surface, you can build the whole thing upside down and attach the legs then flip it over to finish welding the angle trays on the side. Depending on the load you think you may put on the trays, you may want to put a brace from the angle iron tray to the legs. That is the way we build them for fab shops but using 3/4 " or 1 " plate. Our work load on them may be up to 36" pipe so they needed to be heavy (your mileage may vary as they say)

 

[Scooby074]

Hopefully I ask on the right forum. Anyway... I wanted to build a welding table and just have a newbie question. I wanted the size of 36"x72" but not sure on the thickness I should go. I am thinking of 1/2", 3/4" or 1". I already bought the legs of 4"x4"x1/4", 2" horizontals and 2" angles. Is there a different grade/type I should be looking for? I am getting A36 by the way as of now. This is just for home project use. Still undecided if I will mount my vice permanently or use it now as it is on a 2" receiver, ON and OFF my table. I will also try to put some tool drawers under it to put some tools and my helmet. Man... this welding hobby is getting expensive . Good thing I have all our bills online and my wife never see it. I just paid it as soon as I get the email... She did asked me though when I got the welder when she came in one time and saw me in the garage doing some welding... and I said that was her x'mas gift for me this year together with the 14" chop saw....

Thanks for any input.

Good ideas so far

1/2 minimum for top.

Receivers are good too. I have one on each corner, plus 1 in the centre of one side for my brake too attach too (its narrower than my top). my vise is receiver mounted. Handy if you want to weld oversize things on the table.
Building a strong frame first then stichhing the top is the best method as mentioned.

4" sq should make stout legs.

might want to consider casters and leveling feet. the feet will only be used when your welding something critical. Casters allow for mobility (not easy mobility but you can push it with effort). Feet can be as simple as a 3/4 bolt and nut or proper feet out of a mcmaster(or equivalent) catalog.

metal catwalk makes a great area for cutting. This can be either inset into the 1/2 plate or add as an accessory, plugged into your receiver tubes., youll be surprised how handy this is. If you use the tubed you can make it like a drop leaf to fold out of the way,Plus it can add some square footage to your top without increasing the footprint of the table

 

[NOTV8]

Thanks guys. I decided to pick up the 1/2" plate and the money save is going for a floor drill press :thumbsup: or maybe a combination mill and drill press :drool:. Now that will be another question I will be asking later on.... If the weather gets warmer this weekend I will be building this.

 

[Red Horse]

Glad you made your decision, but how about it guys- what is wrong with say a heavy wood frame bench-say 2" planks (1-1/2") work surface covered with 1/4" plate (A36). I built such a bench with a 2' x 2' plate on one end. I welded four studs (each corner) then bolted it through the planks. I also have a very large -and old_ commercial grade vise bolted through in the right hand corner. Haven't burned the barn down yet!

 

[Harvey9]

Glad you made your decision, but how about it guys- what is wrong with say a heavy wood frame bench-say 2" planks (1-1/2") work surface covered with 1/4" plate (A36). I built such a bench with a 2' x 2' plate on one end. I welded four studs (each corner) then bolted it through the planks. I also have a very large -and old_ commercial grade vise bolted through in the right hand corner. Haven't burned the barn down yet!

That's close to what I have and it works for me .

 

[rjmack]

Glad you made your decision, but how about it guys- what is wrong with say a heavy wood frame bench-say 2" planks (1-1/2") work surface covered with 1/4" plate (A36). I built such a bench with a 2' x 2' plate on one end. I welded four studs (each corner) then bolted it through the planks. I also have a very large -and old_ commercial grade vise bolted through in the right hand corner. Haven't burned the barn down yet!

i guess it depends on what you are doing.

a large part of the reason for using a thick piece of plate is not just to prevent being bent from hammering down on it, it's to prevent moving around when you are hammering things at an angle. say you have something tacked to the table and you are swinging sideways with a sledge hammer... thats when the mass of the thicker table top comes into play.

you want to table to stay put, no matter how hard you wail on it.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I have a bunch of different work benches. My favorite right now is my Arc Station from Miller. It's only thirty by thirty and three eighths plate. But it's handier than a pocket on a shirt.....

 

[oc3crwler]

I have a 5' by 5' 1" thick top on my table(sorry no pic's) at home, got wheels and a hitch to pull it with the tractor. Been using it outside for 2 years and in the summer heat when I build jigs ontop, then heat and bend thick steel I get some bounce out of it. With 3" wide and 1/2" thick bracing every foot and running full lenght on the bottom. I got 4" sch 120(think not sure might be thicker) for legs, the only thing I paid for was the top. Everything else was scrap that I found or was given to me. If I do it again Im gonna try and find 2" or 3"thick. Got a 3" thick table at work and with a 20lb sledge the welder and I can get it hopping.

In another forum I read a few years ago, they said to get as thick as you can handle, and afford. And I to started out wanting just a hobby welding table, I thought mine was overkill. But that went out the window as my skills, knowledge, and desire grew.

 

[not2old]

1/2" plate is a good choice for the top. I also used 4"x4" for the legs and have adjustable feet made with 1" bolts and some homemade washers with thin rubber glued on. The supporting structure is all 3/8 x 3". This was my first project with my big welder and I went a bit overboard, warping the top a bit. It hasn't caused any problems using it over the last 15 years, but pride of workmanship would have preferred I hadn't warped it. Be very careful. I wish I had asked for some advice before starting the welding. The bottom rails are 2x2 and easily support the bench for moving with a dolly and floor jack or pallet mover. Please excuse the junk in the pictures as I just recently moved here and everything is still piled wherever it would fit. I have a truck motor I usually store under this and the combination weighs 1300 lbs. I can do anything I want with hammers, pry bars, etc. and it's as solid as a rock. One of the most useful projects I've made. Size is 30x60

 

[mojoinco]

Get the drill press first -- a good one though. Chuck should be a morris taper of some sort. And as slow a speed as you can get, floor mount of course. The mill/drill is slower to use, not as versatile.

I ad a too small floor model (wood worker sized) then go the drill/mill. Later found a much better (cough -- HF even-- cough) drill press. MT taper (#2 I think) chuck, almost as slow as I wanted.

 

[lostcause]

Thanks guys. I decided to pick up the 1/2" plate and the money save is going for a floor drill press :thumbsup: or maybe a combination mill and drill press :drool:. Now that will be another question I will be asking later on.... If the weather gets warmer this weekend I will be building this.

i had been looking for a decent used drill press for ages, and i came to the conclusion that finding one was like finding a needle in a haystack. everyone has a sears or lowes/home depot bought press on craigslist, and while they may be great for wood, they are a little on the light side for metal. i found a nice jet that i liked, but the $750 price tag put me off, and then i found the harbor freight version of it (part number 39955). i just looked it up and it's now $569 on sale, plus shipping. i would have sworn is was $398 plus shipping this summer. but anyways, while i was looking at the dealer that sold jet, i saw the mill drill combos. i ended up looking at them and for the heck of it i did a craigslist search for the surrounding states, and found a used enco one for $550 about 3 hours away. it's a 2hp, 700lb machine, and the new version (including stand) sells for $1500 and up. i also got a tote full of tooling. mostly end mills, but nearly all appear new or hardly used, and they are almost all usa made trw ones. i'd think they probably cost as much as i paid for the mill.

i can drill large holes through thick steel with no pilot hole, and i've got a very heavy piece of machinery for not much more than the cost of a mid-grade drill press. i've used the milling capabilities on a few occasions, and while i'm not trained with it, i have been able to produce the desired results. i'm sure the machine isn't super precise, and i know i'm not, but let's face it, if we're building tractor parts, we aren't dealing with 1/10000 of an inch. if you can get one for cheap, i can guarantee you'll find uses for it you never thought of.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

The Harbor Freight Drill presses are pretty stout. You can get nice floor length models. I have used mine extensively for 4 years and no problems. Of course, I have my little HF table top close by that my dad bought in 1984.

 

[LD1]

I am glad you went at least 1/2" top but I would still drop back 6-8" underneath and do the subframe as already mentioned. That way it is not springy.

I would advise aginst wood with metal top. At least for what I do. I'd end up burnign the wood. I tack stuff to the bench, and lay parts on the bench to heat with the torches all the time.

But I personally like the heaviest bench I can. I want to KNOW it is solid when I am putting heavy parts up on it, pounding on it, etc. We had a monster in the maintence shop where I used to work. It was 4'x8' with a 2.5" top with the vices mounted, legs, shelf underneath, it weighted about 4100lbs. Needed a forklift to move it, but it was rarley moved.

Reciever is a great Idea for the vice too. We did the exact same thing. TSC has the 2.5x2.5 seamless tube with the hole already in it. All you have to do is supply a peice of 2x2 heavy wall and a flat plate to bolt the vice to. We did this for 2 reasons, 1, you can get rid of the vise and have a open table to if the vise is getting in the way. 2. we use a granberg file jig to sharpen the chainsaws. A vise is almost a must for sharpening. Now we can just throw the vise in the back of the truck and have it at the woods whenever we need to sharpen.