Welding benches

[mjncad]

welder table from Northern Tool + Equipment

the spec on this shows a max thickness of 2 mills. Like a garbage bag...

I'd say Northern's web-wienies screwed up on the thickness. It's probably 12GA sheet metal at best.

Now that VG has gone to china, its Grip on locking pliers for me now, I wont buy another from Stronghand when I can get Grip Ons for the same cost. GRIP-ON TOOLS: THE LARGEST RANGE OF LOCKING TOOLS WORLDWIDE Grip-on is also the OEM for Snap-on's locking pliers if they arent available in local stores. Snap-on Tools

I never heard of Grip-On until today. Thanks for the link to their website.

 

[daugen]

Wood Workbench - 60" Wood Workbench w/ 4 Drawers
I'm headed to HF today to check out their wood workbench, to see if it's heavy enough for me to put a
large vise on it. Expect I would have to reinforce it a bit to stand up to some friendly beatings.
I like the idea of the open center to vacuum under, but wonder if connecting those two uprights one more time at the very
bottom would help with sway. Also thought that enlarging the "feet" could help. And maybe once I turn on my new welder, perhaps
some reinforcing with steel welded and bolted would be just the trick. Actually if I could find a steel top for it, now that would be slick.
Just go right over the thick wood top and bolt it down.

Which brings up a few questions for me. If I do put steel on top of basically a wood butcherblock, what is the best way of attaching it while preserving a smooth surface above? Secondly, what size "shoes" should I put on these wood feet? Increasing front to rear size will certainly help
stability, but left to right, maybe not much other than strength. I just look at the picture of this bench and my eye immediately goes to suspiciously sized legs. In this case, I like my legs fat...

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

The NT table is probably about 2 mil. It's definitely not 12 gauge. It's about the thickness of store shelving material...but it's reinforced underneath. It's surprisingly stable and a decent beginners table. Not spectacular as I said, but it would definitely get most guys off the ground and welding and would always be something to fall back on later when other tables were full of projects. Watching the video of the cheap(er) strong hand table on the NT site, I saw it flex when a light weight was put on it. I don't think the NT table would do this with a similar load.

 

[Shield Arc]

what is the best way of attaching it while preserving a smooth surface above?

You could always place the metal top on the wooden work bench, drill holes through both. Cut the heads off some bolts, insert the headless bolts in the holes where the body of the bolt is just below the top surface. Tack the bolts, remove the metal plate, and plug weld the holes and headless bolts. Grind the plug welds flush with the surface.

 

[daugen]

Thanks Shield Arc. Please confirm what a plug weld is. Fill up the hole with rod metal?

My trip to HF was very disappointing. That wood bench is a fake! The whole reason I was interested in it was that it looked like a thick wooden top. It's not...The end pieces are like fascia board, and the main top board is less than an inch thick, either composite or plywood. No two inches thick or more for sure. Annoying, since it really is deceptive. And with one finger I could wobble the table from left to right ,granted it had been abused. Frankly it looked more show than go.

Back to my idea of building the strong one, but now I'm on the hunt for used tables too, either thick wood or metal, and since I'm not interested in a thin food service style metal table, a heavy thick wood table that I can mount a slab of steel on top of seems to be a good "first table" inexpensive solution.

 

[Shield Arc]

Here you go.
Plug Welds and MIG Spot Welding

 

[daugen]

Here you go.
Plug Welds and MIG Spot Welding

like filling up a sturdy mashed potato with some even sturdier gravy
ok, that makes sense to me.
But I got stumped at this; could you translate? Wasn't sure what I was looking at in the picture heat marks.

The heat marks indicate the weld has arced against the back sheet rather than at the side of the hole.
If you don't get these marks then consider a little seam welding just to be sure.

I ordered a second welding training manual, the first one never showed but my local librarian is tracking it down.
Maybe I'll ask a few less elementary questions when I finish reading it.
But I picked up my first rods today, and I'd like to get a little more reading under my belt. Besides the farm is a muddy mess so
I have some study time remaining.

 

[daugen]

Vintage Work Bench

this is all I could find locally and it's pretty slim pickings. Since we are in a colonial area,
there were two listings for really old work benches, valued in thousands, not hundreds.
I need something to pound on, not be afraid of damaging. Now the portable welding table, that of course performs
its function, which does not include getting hammered on. A reasonable division of duties it seems.
I'm going to try to branch out geographically in CL and see how that works in my fishing expedition for someone else's
treasure that just has to go.

 

[Shield Arc]

But I got stumped at this; could you translate? Wasn't sure what I was looking at in the picture heat marks.

The heat marks indicate the weld has arced against the back sheet rather than at the side of the hole.
If you don't get these marks then consider a little seam welding just to be sure.

They just want almost 100% penetration is all. Want to see the back side metal is almost burned through.

 

[BukitCase]

Daugen, here's an easy to make bench I did a while back - a guy gave me the door, it had a doggy door in the bottom and they didn't want it anymore. I whacked off the bottom, took a scrap 2x6, ripped it to slightly wider than the door thickness, ripped 1/2" slabs off of that, and edged the raw particle board (from cutting the door down) -

I built a "bridge" with shelves, doors, for the back last week but that's another story.

Anyway, the bench could be made pretty fast if you have/can find an old solid core, slab-type door.

The drawing says it all... Steve

 

[CNC Dan]

My trip to HF was very disappointing. That wood bench is a fake! The whole reason I was interested in it was that it looked like a thick wooden top. It's not...The end pieces are like fascia board, and the main top board is less than an inch thick, either composite or plywood. No two inches thick or more for sure. Annoying, since it really is deceptive. And with one finger I could wobble the table from left to right ,granted it had been abused. Frankly it looked more show than go.

Back to my idea of building the strong one, but now I'm on the hunt for used tables too...

I had a friend that had just built a house an he wanted a workbench. We looked at the local hardware store that had one for about $150.
It was crap. I said "For $50 in lumber I could build a way better bench.", so we did.

Top was made of 2X4s on edge.
4x4s for legs. Thing weighs a ton.

 

[Scooby074]

Thanks Shield Arc. Please confirm what a plug weld is. Fill up the hole with rod metal?

My trip to HF was very disappointing. That wood bench is a fake! The whole reason I was interested in it was that it looked like a thick wooden top. It's not...The end pieces are like fascia board, and the main top board is less than an inch thick, either composite or plywood. No two inches thick or more for sure. Annoying, since it really is deceptive. And with one finger I could wobble the table from left to right ,granted it had been abused. Frankly it looked more show than go.

Back to my idea of building the strong one, but now I'm on the hunt for used tables too, either thick wood or metal, and since I'm not interested in a thin food service style metal table, a heavy thick wood table that I can mount a slab of steel on top of seems to be a good "first table" inexpensive solution.

I probably wouldn't go with wood. It can be done but its far from ideal for welding.

Do you have any scrap dealers local? If you do, go climb around there for an hour. Find the biggest piece of plate you can handle and go from there and build your own. You might even get lucky and find a ready made table in the scrap pile! I know at my local one, ive seen small steel platforms/tables in the pile. You might have to fix a leg or something, but its a whole lot easier to do that than build from scratch.

 

[mjncad]

The NT table is probably about 2 mil. It's definitely not 12 gauge. It's about the thickness of store shelving material...but it's reinforced underneath. It's surprisingly stable and a decent beginners table.

12GA steel is 0.1046" thick. 2 mil thick is on the order of aluminum foil. Maybe it's 16GA (just under 1/16" thick).

Check out this 12GA top. TENNSCO 1-1/2 Thick Steel Bench Top - 48x30 - Workbench Components - Workbenches & Workshop Furniture | C&H Distributors

 

[daugen]

Btw. Checked on your pedal. Seems someone forgot to pack it in the box in the rush of the big shipment arriving and 200 units going out a day. Looks like our shipping department is being pushed to the max with the new model units, but It's on the way now.

Thanks Mark. Never had a concern.
I've got to get some kind of a cart for it and a place to keep the rods and little stuff out of harm's way.
Then I'm going to get a buddy of mine to come over and we are going to walk through each part together and put the unit together.
and take it outside to mutilate some scrap steel. Been waiting to do this a long time. Welding in front of a suburban tract home should really bring the local kids in. Hey Mister, watcha doin'? or perhaps, waaaazzzupppppp. No, not our neighborhood...

And under the close eye of my wife, who will likely "supervise" from a second floor window above, I will try to produce enough
sparks smoke and excitement to satisfy all in attendance. I really will try to make the first weld properly though. Angle, depth, amps, etc
And maybe I'll take a picture of it for your inspection. The slag will just disappear, the puddle will flow with even precision the entire length and
after cooling, the surface will be so smooth I can see my face in the weld. Well, a man can only dream...:dance1:

Then haul it over to the farm and set it up properly on top of heavy gravel.
Do mice like to eat these things? Open shed... never thought about that.
Though I always have to check the various motors for nests in the beginning of the season.
Mafia mice, maybe I should pay them their vig in birdseed, on the other side of the shed...
where's a feral cat when one needs them?

 

[daugen]

12GA steel is 0.1046" thick. 2 mil thick is on the order of aluminum foil. Maybe it's 16GA (just under 1/16" thick).

Check out this 12GA top. TENNSCO 1-1/2 Thick Steel Bench Top - 48x30 - Workbench Components - Workbenches & Workshop Furniture | C&H Distributors

well, I figured right away the steel itself wasn't going to be an inch and half thick...need an excavator to bring it in...
This product is a reskin process where you cover wood or something with metal. Problem is hit the top with a sledge and seems likely one might
have a dimple in the metal of some sort. I was leaning more to a thicker metal top installed on top of a heavy, very heavy wood table. Not going to weld on this table, but I want to work with metal on it.

I haven't found anything worth looking at on Craigslist. Now I'm on the hunt...
Somewhere out there some guy has this humongous wood table his father passed on to him,
out of some wood shop or car repair place, wherever. It would be good if his wife really didn't like it...
And if I get lucky and that table is steel, well I won't dally going to see it. Just don't want a SS food prep table, which is likely
the largest number of metal tables out there.

 

[daugen]

Do you have any scrap dealers local? If you do, go climb around there for an hour. Find the biggest piece of plate you can handle and go from there and build your own.

Now that sounds like a fine adventure for my strong backed buddy and I to do.
thanks

 

[IslandTractor]

Do you have any scrap dealers local? If you do, go climb around there for an hour. Find the biggest piece of plate you can handle and go from there and build your own.

Now that sounds like a fine adventure for my strong backed buddy and I to do.
thanks

Don't forget the metal recycling pile at your local dump either. I get lots of stuff to practice with there and occasionally find very useful material like pipe or tubing or angle iron. Speaking of angle iron, old bed frames are great material and often found discarded. Once you start scrounging for metal you will have all sorts of ideas and projects pop into your head. I enjoy the hunt more than simply ordering from the metal distributor though for something very specific like a welding table top that is likely your best bet. I have come across small pieces of 1" steel in the metal recycling area of our local transfer station but bigger pieces are most likely sold as scrap rather than dumped.

 

[Scooby074]

Do you have any scrap dealers local? If you do, go climb around there for an hour. Find the biggest piece of plate you can handle and go from there and build your own.

Now that sounds like a fine adventure for my strong backed buddy and I to do.
thanks

It IS a great adventure:thumbsup: But bad too, it's hard to leave a lot of the stuff behind if your a pack rat like me. Im forever seeing various parts and thinking "I could really use that in "X", I should grab it while im here" Things like big sprockets, motors etc... Im still kicking myself over the nice gearbox I left behind a few months ago, and the nice (but slightly dented) Justrite Flammables cabinet I had to leave behind at the same time.

One thing, not all scrap yards will let you roam, some are scared of the liability. Im lucky that locally I have one that doesn't care. I think they let you roam as a community service.. it generates a bit of good will.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Just got mine assembled. All found metal. No casters at this point as the property doesn't really have any concrete anywhere.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Just got mine assembled. All found metal. No casters at this point as the property doesn't really have any concrete anywhere.

Not going to be fun welding on or around that galvanized. If you feel sick, you'll know why. Good idea otherwise.