Hello,I was hoping some that of you might voice an opinion on a purchase that I am planning.I have found a guy selling this cast iron hydraulic press bench, that I intend on using as a welding table. The price with frame and legs and delivered to my workshop approx $1600Size-approx 84"x42"x6.5"Weight- around 5500 lbsProsblanchard ground surface (currently with some surface rust)t-slots and holes for clampingprecise dimensionsmassive steel will not deform if it gets hit with flame or from very hot weld jointscast iron should deflect weld bb'sConsHeavy- PIA to move around shophas some surface rustnon-standard hole size for clampsHere are a couple of pictures.Any comments greatly appreciated- any reason not to buy this?Thanks!
Reply:Originally Posted by pjkHello,I was hoping some that of you might voice an opinion on a purchase that I am planning.I have found a guy selling this cast iron hydraulic press bench, The price with frame and legs and delivered to my workshop approx $1600Size-approx 84"x42"x6.5"Weight- around 5500 lbsnon-standard hole size for clampsHere are a couple of pictures.Any comments greatly appreciated- any reason not to buy this?]
Reply:Grab it. If you can't figure out clamps........
Reply:Originally Posted by BonzooGrab it. If you can't figure out clamps........
Reply:Good for clamping maybe but forget tacking stuff to it. (I probably do this as much if not more than I clamp assemblies before welding.) Seems like a lot of $ for what you get to me...not sure what this table does that a 1/4" or 1/2" steel welding table could do cheaper and just as well. I could find a lot of better ways to spend $1600. YMMV.Last edited by Kelvin; 05-18-2018 at 07:24 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by KelvinGood for clamping maybe but forget tacking stuff to it. (I probably do this as much if not more than I clamp assemblies before welding.) Seems like a lot of $ for what you get to me...not sure what this table does that a 1/4" or 1/2" steel welding table could do cheaper and just as well. I could find a lot of better ways to spend $1600. YMMV.
Reply:Originally Posted by KelvinGood for clamping maybe but forget tacking stuff to it. (I probably do this as much if not more than I clamp assemblies before welding.) Seems like a lot of $ for what you get to me...not sure what this table does that a 1/4" or 1/2" steel welding table could do cheaper and just as well. I could find a lot of better ways to spend $1600. YMMV.
Reply:Originally Posted by HT2-4956That's my thinking also. If I was wanting a table that size I'd rather have a piece of 1/2" hot rolled plate for a top. Along with some 2" square x 1/8 wall tubing to make a base from I'd think you'd have less than $500 in it.When it comes to being "spatter resistant"....a new piece of hot rolled plate with a good layer of mill scale left on it would be a lot better than that ground cast iron surface.
Reply:pjk,While I think that's a pretty sexy chunk of iron I just don't see it being all the great of a general purpose fab table. For certain things it could be just what you'd want but in my experience those situations would be the exception rather than the rule.
Reply:What type of work do you do? Massive tables are great for repairing weldments where you have to clamp them to the table and work them over with a sledgehammer or portapower. But if you don't have a crane over the table, you aren't working on pieces that need that large of table.I have Acorn tables. Sometimes the holes are great, other times they are a pita.
Reply:Originally Posted by bentWhat type of work do you do? Massive tables are great for repairing weldments where you have to clamp them to the table and work them over with a sledgehammer or portapower. But if you don't have a crane over the table, you aren't working on pieces that need that large of table.I have Acorn tables. Sometimes the holes are great, other times they are a pita.
Reply
epends on what type of work you do. You can build a heck of a table for $1600.00. You can choose the dimensions that fit your needs. You can also consider making two square ones like 4' x 4' and same height and spread out if needed. My tables are solid plate top with 2" overhang. I have more use on clamping on perimeter . I would price out what you can make for that money.
Reply:what does the under side of the table look like ,can it be flipped over if the T slots are of no use to you?Besides you can always make Clamps to fit the holes and Tee slots . My vote is try to knock down the price and go for it
Reply:I'd try to talk him down a bit, but I think that would make an awesome table if it's still nice and flat.My name's not Jim....
Reply:As one alternative, take a look at some of the welding tables discussed on this forum that are made from heavy C-channel...they always looked pretty slick to me.The gaps give you somewhere to use a cutting torch, as well as to anchor home-brew clamps, plus, if you tear up part of it, you can replace the damaged piece of c-channel without having to fix or replace the whole top.Syncrowave 250DXMiller 330 A/BPMiller Big Blue 251D
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmI'd try to talk him down a bit, but I think that would make an awesome table if it's still nice and flat.
Reply:Originally Posted by KelvinAs one alternative, take a look at some of the welding tables discussed on this forum that are made from heavy C-channel...they always looked pretty slick to me.The gaps give you somewhere to use a cutting torch, as well as to anchor home-brew clamps, plus, if you tear up part of it, you can replace the damaged piece of c-channel without having to fix or replace the whole top.
Reply:Fair enough. One last thought, just to make sure you don't have any misconceptions: Some people seem to think that if you clamp something down to something that's flat/planar before welding it, that the welded structure will be free of warpage/distortion. That has not been my experience. In most if not all cases, after welding, the welded structure still gets warped/distorted, but you just don't see the warpage/distortion until you unclamp the clamps and it "unsprings," climbing up off your nice flat table in all its twisted glory.This is one reason I have never really cared if my welding tables were absolutely flat/planar (also because their "flatness" / degree of warpage changes every time I tack something to them or beat on them with a sledgehammer, etc.)Let us know how you make out, please. I'll be interested to hear how you like it. It's definitely a beast!
Reply:Originally Posted by KelvinFair enough. One last thought, just to make sure you don't have any misconceptions: Some people seem to think that if you clamp something down to something that's flat/planar before welding it, that the welded structure will be free of warpage/distortion. That has not been my experience. In most if not all cases, after welding, the welded structure still gets warped/distorted, but you just don't see the warpage/distortion until you unclamp the clamps and it "unsprings," climbing up off your nice flat table in all its twisted glory.This is one reason I have never really cared if my welding tables were absolutely flat/planar (also because their "flatness" / degree of warpage changes every time I tack something to them or beat on them with a sledgehammer, etc.)Let us know how you make out, please. I'll be interested to hear how you like it. It's definitely a beast!
Reply
1600? Not a chance. What price were you able to agree on? As mentioned, you can build one hell of a welding table for $1500, and still be able to easily move it around. 5500lbs, unless you have a decent sized forklift, isn't easily moving once you get it into position.
Reply:I'd buy that in a heartbeat - get a set of finger clamps and steps from MSC, a bunch of bessey F clamps for clamping around the edges and your in buis.
Reply:I did buy the table. The frame and legs that came with the top are good and the delivery was uneventful. It did take me a couple of hours to get the table in place. Rust removal and general clean up was another 4-5 hrs.So- here it is:I have made a sample clamp to fit in the holes in the table. It looks like it will work just fine:An unexpected benefit of this table is that the holes are also great mig torch holders:The table top used to be the bed of a 500 metric ton hydraulic press, probably from the 70's. The table has some dings, but nothing that causes any trouble for welding. The table is absolutely flat, without any sag whatsoever. The corners are square. So far, no bb' s have stuck to the cast iron. Still need to make some fixtures that fit in the T-slots. So far I am really satisfied. Hopefully this will be my last welding table!
Reply:Your gonna want a set of these - and a T slot cleaner
Reply:Originally Posted by cloudmanYour gonna want a set of these - and a T slot cleaner
