welding table

Start with a piece of 1/4" steel sheet on sawhorses, or just sitting on any bench top with spacers to give an air space under it. Going heavier on the sheet makes it more stable. My shop is pretty fancy but the main welding table is still just a loose plate that stands upright when not in use.

For years I've used a 30x30x3/8" piece of plate steel and a 55 gallon drum. When I'm welding I set the plate on top of the drum. When I'm not, I lean the plate against the wall and turn the drum upside down. Every now and then I brush off the rust and wipe the plate down again with some boiled linseed oil. It doesn't rust much anymore. Works real well, but someday I'm going to build a real table.

By the way, don't kill yourself on trying to get a flat surface. Few weldments are really flat. Settle for what looks straight. On a 30" square frame I'm happy if everything's square within 1/32".

Grant

Adriaan Gerber wrote:

I agree that a 1/4" steel top sheet is the way to go, size it as you think you need for your size of projects.

I recommend using a hand grinding wheel on the whole top surface of the table for two purposes- first to get the scale off for better conductivity, but just as important, this operation puts some texture on the table, which makes parts tend to stay where you put them rather than sliding around when you're trying to weld them.

I welded up a subframe of 1-1/2" angle iron to support the 1/4" top with 1" square legs to the floor and 1" square tying the legs together about 8" from the floor to stabilize it, except in the front where my feet go. If its not strong enough or sturdy enough after your first shot, just weld in some more cross pieces until you're happy with it.

On mine its easy to remove the top- this allows you to put large irregular pieces (auto rear ends for example) on just the subframe for welding.

You'll find that you'll customize your table as you go, adding holders, etc.

Making the whole thing more portable- other than making the top easy to remove, I guess you could make parts of the frame bolt together, or have the legs bolt on to the upper subframe but if you really want it to be sturdy I'd avoid that if possible.

Good luck-

Paul T.

The handiest welding table I have is a 48" square piece of 10 ga HR. It is quite square and I find that real handy for laying out and clamping material to be welded. I use the sheet on top of two saw horses with a couple of square tubes for added support. Steve Peterson Kettle River Ironworks

This link is to a welding newsletter. Look to Page 8 for plans for a welding table.

Agreed on the 1/4" steel plate, although mine is 12x48 on angle iron frame with wheels. Bench grinder on one end, 6" vise on the opposite end. Does not take up much room and it's always ready to use.

My welding table is sort of L shaped. It is made of about 12 gauge steel with bed frame angle iron all around the outside and some as stiffeners across the middle. It has a piece of pipe that acts as a socket and sets on a tripod that has a vertical pipe in the center that can be adjusted for height. I sit or stand in the inside corner. I guess each leg is about 36 inches long and about 14 inches across. There are some vertical pipe sockets for arms to hold things in place. I welded nuts on the outside of the sockets and have thumb screws to secure the arms at whatever height I want. I actually don't use the arms much. The top lives inside, the base stays outside.

Dan

If the table needs to be portable, have a look at this one. You can build a similar one quite inexpensively,

I just wanted to say thanks for all the helpful replies. There's an old book called Nomadic Furniture where you get to build all these funky knock-down stuff and it reminded me of that. Now, where to get

1/4" steel sheets...

Thanks again Adriaan Gerber -->

I have three weld tables... One is a five ft. round by 3/8" table that turns... This way I stand still and my work comes to me... My second table is 14 ft by 9 ft by

1/4" thick... This one I use for making yarn racks (creels) ... My third table is a 3/8" steel plate that slides on my fork lift to load heavy stuff and lift up to a comfortable working hight... Love them all...

The turning table sounds like a great idea. Are you using a "lazy susan" type bearing?

On Sat, 22 May 2004 07:07:25 GMT, "AL" brought forth from the murky depths:

If so, you had better remember to ground the TOP plate when you weld. ;)

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Right, so current doesn't pass through the bearings. I knew that.

Regarding the original poster asking where to get 1/4" plate, have a look at metalexpress.net. You might live near one of their stores and can save on shipping.