Welding/Work Table

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OK I'm finally getting a good welder (Miller 211) and will be needing a heavy duty table, I want to be able to tack weld on fixtures and or what ever to hold parts on to be welded, then cut off and ground down again. Thick enough not to warp from heat, mount a tube bender on and not flex....... you get the idea.What thickness would you say I'd need, 1/4" or 3/8" or 1/2" It for me needs to be about 3 foot deep by say 12 foot long, 6 legs ?I'm in a wheelchair and need to be able to reach the back side, this is why only the 3 foot deep part, I need to get under it with my legs but yet have support for very heavy parts as in whole car axles etc.Whats yer ideas ?And no I'm not shouting with the bold text, just makes it easy to read.
Reply:I would think 1/2" would be the least for your specs. Good luck.
Reply:Here is mine (see comment # 22).  I did 1/2 inch and glad I did.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=29776The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:With a table 3 foot deep I'd definitely prefer having access from the back side as well. And I'm not in a wheelchair.Put that thing on casters to move it to the center of your garage when you need the full depth. You'll find that option priceless!
Reply:Originally Posted by chevyman_deWith a table 3 foot deep I'd definitely prefer having access from the back side as well. And I'm not in a wheelchair.Put that thing on casters to move it to the center of your garage when you need the full depth. You'll find that option priceless!
Reply:Originally Posted by mikestrikesI'm also thinking casters on the 4 outer legs and screw adjusters for the 2 center legs ?
Reply:You probably don't need a really heavy top for the entire length, the cost mounts up quick for thick material. The area where you are going to be mounting the tube bender should probably be heavier - like 3/4" to provide a stable base. The rest could be 1/2". Here is what I did to mount tools. I welded in a 2 1/2" x 1/4" wall tube in two corners and braced it against the legs. They bolt into the table top from the bottom. I have 6 tools mounted on    2" posts that slip in to the tubes and lock down with a 1/2" bolt. I can also bolt several power machines to the top. Something to think about.JimCut an MGB and widened 11" C4 Corvette suspension and LT1 Chevrolet power & 6 spd. Pictures here:Part 1http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,7581Part 2http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,22422
Reply:A 3' X 12' table made of 1/2' plate is going to seriously heavy. The top alone will weigh a little over 720#. Add legs and a good under rib structure to keep everything straight and you have a lot of weigh to move around on casters. It will also take some good casters to hold the weight without the wheels developing flat spots on the bottom.A very rigid table can be made using 1/4" plate with the proper bracing under the tabletop. And it will be a lot easier to move.All that said, every table I ever built was out of 1/2" plate and braced underneath. I still have two which have stood up to serious use for at least 35 years. They are still flat with no bends or warps and still used regularly but now a 4# hammer is about as mean as I ever get with anything. Of course I'm not in a wheel chair and had a hoist of some type to move them if needed. Just my two cents.
Reply:Jim, really cool, thanks for sharing with us!
Reply:I'm wondering if the center legs could be inset for better access instead of at the edges... legs at the corners with the center legs inset for easier access around the table? That would give stability to the table and still support the weight in the center and still allow receiver hitch type mounts to be used for the other tools rather than mounting them directly to the top. Receiver hitch type mounts attached to the legs would leave the top clear of obstructions and they could be mounted lower for easier access. Think diagonally (45*) off the corners...two or more receiver hitch mounts at different levels depending on usage requirements.Like Jim(nice bench) did above or have the hitch receivers mounted horizontally so the tools slide into the hitch like a truck hitch.If it's 12' long you might want to consider 4 center support legs and casters on all of them which would make moving it much easier. I doubt it's going to be very movable at over a 1000# but you could always add levelers/stabilizer bolts at the corners.These are just thoughts considering your requirements.....although they would allow anyone easier access to such a large table.Last edited by mudbugone; 05-04-2009 at 12:26 PM.
Reply:I really think a table 7 - 8 foot long would do and would be easier to handle. But that's personal preference. And I know that peole who like welding tend to like overbuilding as well. Good casters shouldn't have a problem, even with a half ton table. The 5" casters under my table are rated for 1100 pounds dynamic load and 2200 pounds static load. OK, my table has a weight of about a quarter ton, but a three year old child could push it on a flat clean surface. I can move it with two fingers, it rolls almost to good. Attached Images
Reply:5" 1000 lb capacity all steel casters....   Attached Images
Reply:Yep!A table top of 1/2"x3'x12' weighs in at 735#, add the support legs and you would be toping 1000# easily.As mentioned, a set of casters would definitely be in order if I where building it, even if I only planed on using it against a wall, imagine if some time in the future you decided to rearrange your shop layout, it would take at least a half dozen men and a boy to move it!#1. If you don't like what I wrote, or if it offends you, then don't read it!#2. I am living life the way I see fit, if you don't like the way I'M living, tough sh**!
Reply:Originally Posted by mikestrikes5" 1000 lb capacity all steel casters....
Reply:Originally Posted by chevyman_deSteel casters? Better not. Put anything bigger than a dead fly in front of them and you have a problem.
Reply:You can try them, if you're not satisfied you can still swap them for a different version. At least you should look for rolls with ball bearings.
Reply:Jim, nice work on that table.  How's the car project coming along?
Reply:Jim,I do not know how much room you have to work but if you have quite a bit, you may consider the following. I knew and OLD man that was no longer mobile. He called a few friends of=ver and they helped him build an I-beam laying horizontal on stands and he mounted all of his equipment on the I beam. Since it was not deep, he could wheel up and reach anything. Do what he needed and then take the part to a smaller table to do whatever else he had to do to the part.Would this be an option for you?My table is 4X5 approximately and is 1.25" thick and weighs a LOT. I am six one and 300 pounds and it takes a bit to get it moving. If I were in a wheelchair I don't know if I could get it to move since I also would be on wheels and my weight against a heavier object would seem difficult to move. Seems to me it could be hard to move.Being in a wheelchair, how do you move heavy objects? I have a few challenges and have difficultio moving heavy things, have you developed work arounds for moving heavy opbjects? Ihave great upper body stregth but my lower body is very weak.Good on you for not giving up.
Reply:Originally Posted by SpyGuyJim, nice work on that table.  How's the car project coming along?
Reply:Originally Posted by Bob WarnerJim, If I were in a wheelchair I don't know if I could get it to move since I also would be on wheels and my weight against a heavier object would seem difficult to move. Seems to me it could be hard to move.Being in a wheelchair, how do you move heavy objects? I have a few challenges and have difficultio moving heavy things, have you developed work arounds for moving heavy opbjects? Ihave great upper body stregth but my lower body is very weak.Good on you for not giving up.
Reply:in college we had a really good positioner it was a chunk of pipe inside a smaller chunk of pipe and you could move it in any direction i cant rember how it went together was very useful though
Reply:Originally Posted by mikestrikes[At one time I got a Dana 60 3/4 ton truck axle up on my bench.... lifted one end up on blocks using a 2x4 as a lever, then up on a bucket, then in my lap and up on the bench, slid it up on the bench more and lifted the other end and swung it around, I did have a few times I got worried, many times I was way over my head, but it took me about 30 min and a cold Mountain Dew and I was working on it.
Reply:Sounds like you could use one of those hydraulic hoists sold by Harbor Freight that's intended to be bed mounted in a pickup,but which can also be mounted to a receiver hitch and used that way.You could mount it at a corner of the table or even have it movable to any corner. It swings around on a pivot so you could lift and position an axle easily anywhere you need it without getting yourself in a dangerous bind. A small 110v electric winch would make it even easier.http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=1647
Reply:Originally Posted by mudbugoneSounds like you could use one of those hydraulic hoists sold by Harbor Freight that's intended to be bed mounted in a pickup,but which can also be mounted to a receiver hitch and used that way.You could mount it at a corner of the table or even have it movable to any corner. It swings around on a pivot so you could lift and position an axle easily anywhere you need it without getting yourself in a dangerous bind. A small 110v electric winch would make it even easier.http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=1647
Reply:I can only take partial credit for the idea... I was following a thread over at Shop Floor Talk on attaching one of those into a receiver hitch at the same time I was following this thread---The two ideas just sort of fit together after your description of lifting a rearend to table height for repair.http://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/...ad.php?t=19959I don't usually cross post to other sites,but this information might be helpful to you in configuring a setup that might serve your particular use. An engine crane might also work,but I find them cumbersome and awkward in a shop area. These smaller cranes can be handy and for your particular needs might be extra handy and keep you from getting injured fighting a rearend.... I tried to imagine lifting one to table height while setting...had to be a bear to accomplish..I don't want to arm wrestle you. Good Luck with your table design.Originally Posted by mikestrikesAt one time I got a Dana 60 3/4 ton truck axle up on my bench.... lifted one end up on blocks using a 2x4 as a lever, then up on a bucket, then in my lap and up on the bench, slid it up on the bench more and lifted the other end and swung it around, I did have a few times I got worried, many times I was way over my head, but it took me about 30 min and a cold Mountain Dew and I was working on it.If you say you cant, you'll never know if you could !
Reply:Originally Posted by mikestrikes
Reply:Originally Posted by SpyGuy"Let's see .... red wire to red wire ....... green to green ........ Hey, what does this thingamabob do? ............"Like you said, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, and I guess sitting on the engine is easier than laying across the top of the fender and/or radiator ..... Hmmm ...wo chairs, one guy ........
Reply:OK, getting 2"x2" 3/8" Angle Iron to make the legs and frame, 4 sheets of 4'x4' x 1/4" AR550 to top tables for a bench lathe, mill/drill and a 3'x8' welding table.And its CHEAP !Now I just hope I can weld it to the table frames with std Mig wire....
Reply:I would prefer 2"x2"x3/16" square tube over the angle iron. Same weight, but much stronger.
Reply:I pursed your thread quickly, no disrespect, it's late. I'm have a small shop, limited on space, so I'm constantly reconfiguring my shop to accommodated the current job. Don't create a table that has an impossible weight, but fab three or four tables that can be tied together an form one or remain independent smaller tables for mobility. Also, I'm not a fan of work tables on wheels. They seem to always move at the worst times. Create a sectional table, then create a dolly that can be installed when needed,(say with use of a floor jack), and removed to give a stable work surface.Miller TrailBlazer 251Miller HF-250-1Miller MaxStar 150 STLHyperTherm PowerMax 380 plasmaLincoln PowerMig 180Millermatic 252Miller Diversion 180
Reply:Actually, someone on here has built a foldup table kind of like a really big TV tray ...... unfolds for work, folds up and stores away when finished.  Pretty neat.  You might want to consider something like that, too.
Reply:a good set of saw horses and a sheet of plate work great and can always be taken apart or modified to fit your needs.