Where can you buy metal?

Like... if I needed a piece of mild steel for making a welding table.. and I needed it maybe uhh... say 36" x 48" x 1" for the top. I am pretty sure I could buy the 'legs' at home depot or Lowes.. or any other hardware store.. the wheels as well. But I'd need at least 1 flat piece for the top. I could make an "X" connecting the 4 legs to help solidify the structure. Where could I obtain the flat piece? Any ideas? Thanks!

-Mike

-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo) Hi-speed fan switch

255/60R-15 rear tires Subframe connectors Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant
Reply to
<memset
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Also wondering how much something like this would cost (just for that top flat piece)... thx.

-Mike

-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo) Hi-speed fan switch

255/60R-15 rear tires Subframe connectors Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant
Reply to
<memset

Curious, you tried looking in a phone book yellow pages under "steel" yet ???

Reply to
PrecisionMachinisT

**Bloody!** That'd be some battleship of a welding table.

I'd like to see you carry it home.

-- Jeff R. (me... I'd settle for 1/4" thick)

Reply to
Jeff R.

When you find that little piece of steel for the welding table and put it in the trunk of your Stang please take pictures :) Best guestimate is that it will weigh about 525 Lbs. 3/16" would probably be more manageable and do fine for a welding table that size. Your local steel or salvage yard should be able to help you out and the legs will be much cheaper there than the hardware store.

Reply to
Glenn

Mine is 4 feet x 8 feet with a 3/8" plate top.

Only took 3 of us to get it out of the trailer and set up. Though I did use my Simplex jack to lift the ends when leveling it.

Want a picture? Im rather proud of it...chuckle

Gunner

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Reply to
Gunner

Heck - why not? (I love dirty pictures!)

BTW - (just wondering) - how would you feel if I (or some other visitor) struck an arc across your table? (hehehe)

-- Jeff R. (safe - 12,000 miles away)

Reply to
Jeff R.

My weld table is that size, but made of 3/4" steel plate, not 1". That very well could be overkill. Steel is at a relatively high price right now, so you might want to reconsider the thickness. 1" plate should run 40/lbs square foot and you're likely to pay at least 60¢/lb. right now, considering market prices. Could be more or less, though, I haven't made any inquiries of late. .

I see talk of thin tables, but I'm not convinced it's a good idea. A had a friend make mine, a friend that was a part owner of a large commercial weld shop, and I let him make the decisions where materials were concerned. Too thin won't serve you well and is more likely to distort over time. What good is a buckled table? You rely on the flatness for assembling things. So far my 3/4" one has been very stable and reliable.

Check in your phone book for steel suppliers in your area, and give serious thought to buying everything from them, even is you have to pay them to make the cuts. You're likely to be charged three times more than the value when buying from retail stores such as HD or Lowes. If they want more than

75¢/lb, run like the wind. Before price increases, you could buy structural metal for around 34¢/lb.

If all else fails, check with a local weld shop and talk to them about the material you need. You might be surprised that they would be willing to supply you at a reasonable price (or not!). Worked for me!

By the way, you might check HF for wheels. Great prices, and likely the same wheels you'd get elsewhere for more money. My table sits on the floor and doesn't move (no wheels). I like it like that, so make sure you get locking wheels if you choose wheels for yours.

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

emailed

Doesnt bother me a bit. In fact, I often tack weld metal down to it. Makes for mighty rigid fixtureing when you stick the angles etc to the bench top and then weld em up. Warpage is minimal.

I clean up the welded places with the ever popular 4.5" Horrible Freight angle grinder.

Thats why you use a steel topped welding bench, isnt it?

Gunner

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, nonaddictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or the secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious or secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

May you have a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2005, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make the world great, and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, political belief, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is under warranty to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and the warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Reply to
Gunner

The only way I would consider buying that thickness would be from a scrap dealer or at auction. Current prices take the fun out of fabricating! I do have my eye on a 4" round by about 36" piece of magnetic stainless at the scrappie- just not sure what I would do with it yet.

Reply to
ATP

Thats 490lbs don't use home depot legs

Reply to
TLKALLAM8

I got mine out of the plant salvage sale. 5'x5'x1/2" top, 4" I-beam frame with 4" pipe legs. I can scoot it around with a big pinch bar, but it's pretty stable.

Pete Keillor

Reply to
Peter T. Keillor III

Reply to
RoyJ

LOLOLOLOL.... I was just giving a rough guess. I'm new to all of this & figured it'd be interesting to make a table for welding projects. I'll look into a 3/16" piece. Thanks lololol...

-Mike

-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo) Hi-speed fan switch

255/60R-15 rear tires Subframe connectors Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant
Reply to
<memset

recommend aluminum plate that way your stick welding spatter will not stick and it's easy to clean up, plus acts as a good conductor for your ground connection. Lighter too. quarter inch thick is all you need even for a motorcycle on it.

Wayne

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Reply to
Wayne Lundberg

Some good ideas. I appreciate it. I'll definitely look into less than 1" steel LOL..

-Mike

-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo) Hi-speed fan switch

255/60R-15 rear tires Subframe connectors Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant
Reply to
<memset

snip----- I do

You could send it to me if you'd like!

There's a good chance it's 17-4PH, a material I very much enjoy. It's not fun to saw on small saws, but it sure is nice for making components that you'd like heat treated.

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

it's 260 pounds @.25 a pound a little too big to turn on my heavy 10 and probably a bitch to cut as you suggest. A nice looking hunk of metal, though.

Reply to
ATP

lol.......... for a motorcycle on it LOL.. sorry, that was just hilarious the way you put that ;). I'll definitely go with something smaller LOL.. thx.

-Mike

-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo) Hi-speed fan switch

255/60R-15 rear tires Subframe connectors Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant
Reply to
<memset

I agree w/ ATP... check out your local metal recycling yard -- they will have all kinds of industrial scrap for a lot less $/lb than buying new. David

Reply to
David Malicky

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