Making welding tables

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It makes a huge difference in the type of welding you do. I like a 4 x 10' table because I do a lot of ornamental metal. It has four end to end pieces of angle, clamp hangers, a couple of shelves underneath made of shopping cart material where I can toss my grinder, and hand tools between uses. I have a piece of 4' square plate that cam be put on top when I want a flat surface. A floor mounted table is good if you are welding something really heavy. Having wheels is handy if you have to move things around. So, as mentioned by several contributors, one table does not do it all, and sometimes the good choice is to have more than one if you have the space. A specialty table can get you more work done.
Steve

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You can always raise that table on 6x6s also.
i

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More like 12x12s.... lol

On Tue, 4 Dec 2012 09:28:39 -0800 (PST), jon_banquer
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Are you selling these or just helping the guy out by advertising them?

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Looks like a clever budget concept, I would say, not bad.
i

On Tue, 04 Dec 2012 20:52:21 -0600, Ignoramus13907
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Thats a VERY nice table indeed. Though $3,300 plus shipping might be a bit much for most folks here. Then one has to add the tooling which is additional.......
So is this one
http://www.stronghandtools.com/siegmundtables/index.php
I didnt bother to look up pricing...its made in Germany......
Gunner

On Tue, 4 Dec 2012 19:03:33 -0800 (PST), jon_banquer
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Given that I built my own welding table I reckon that $3,000 is way too much money - I think mine might have cost me $100 plus part of a day's work.
Been using it about 5 years so far and it seems to be working pretty well.

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I agree. Mine works pretty well, and it sure helps to know how to use the square, clamps, tape measures, and stuff that those expensive fancy tables do for you automatically. I'm kinda old school. Now, for making a Jessie James one off bike, I'd consider it for its accuracy. For making parts carts, I'll stick with my temporary weld on an angle iron jig stop, burn it off when yer done approach.
Steve

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The StrongArm and other Pro Welding Tables with the slots and threaded holes for attaching fixturing are $2,000 - $3,000 for a basic table, then you spend another $2,000 minimum for all the special fixturing and clamps - and that's to get started, I can see dropping $10K on fixturing one piece at a time.
And woe to the first person that grabs your torch without thinking and makes a huge burn in the face in the face of your $3,000 table...
If you don't need to jig something up and get tenths tolerances or better, I'll go for the "Chunk of heavy plate and weld on your own legs" table any day.
If you don't go crazy you can tack down and burn off a lot of stuff before it starts affecting the flatness of the table, especially if you put some bracing across the bottom to hold it flat.
Now I just need to locate a 2' X 4' chunk of 3/8" plate around here for inexpensive. Oh, and a 3X3 chunk of bar grating and an empty open-top 55-gallon drum for plasma and flame cutting.
I have lots of old light posts - 3" OD x 1/8"- 3/32" - 1/16" wall (except at the bottom foot where they rusted off...) to make a set of heavy legs. And the cross bracing can be any old mild tube.
The tricky part is making one leg telescoping to adjust for an uneven floor, Trailer Jack, perhaps? And finding a set of swivel casters for it - the only things heavy enough would be for Dumpsters.
--<< Bruce >>--

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I got four of those things masonry and concrete guys put in the ends of pipes to hold up 4x's on forms. About 1 1/8" diameter shaft, 6x6 top plate, and hefty t screw handle. Mondo heavy with coarse threads that are almost impossible to clog. I got all mine at yard sales for a couple of bucks. Have no clue what retail is, but much more, I'm sure. Used them many times during installation of headers, and temporary jacking. About 2' long overall, but could be shortened. Slides right inside a 1 1/4" round tube. (est) Handy for a lot of things.
Steve

Found it.
http://www.storesonline.com/site/1290335/product/J306
$20, but shipping would kill you.
Steve

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I suppose it depends on what you are doing. Most places I've been have a big old rusty table that you can tack stuff too for one kind of work and some nice clean tables with the 1/16" TIG torches hanging on them for other kinds of work.     and never the twain shall meet :-)

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Excellent vids, almost mesmerizing.... this guy can really weld, table/system is ossum, excellent tutorial value. If I were welding again, I'd watch every one of this guy's vids.
I suppose eventually, over time, those holes will get buggered, but it's nice that if any plate got really damaged, it's only one of a dozen pcs.
I'm figgerin that table is at least 36" tall. That whole system he got hadda be a few thou..... It also illustrates that you don't need one continuous surface for welding, that in fact a DIScontinuous (but flat) surface can have far more utility.