What steel plate and how thick for a welding table?

admin

I need to make a welding table, and I'm not sure what kind of steel plate to use or how thick I should go.www.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:I wouldn't go anything less than 1/2". I put a 3/8" top on mine but finally had to weld two pieces of 4" channel to the bottom side to get it flat.                               JMHO,                                           MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:I just went to the scrap yard and found a 2'x3' by 3/4" thick commercial stove griddle for $10 and put it on legs for a dandy little table with a lip on the back and left side. It makes 90* fit-ups easier.I've got another that's 2'x4' by 1" thick that was a free standing commercial griddle for a larger table with the lip on both ends and the back.I like them because they have a lip around them and a tray at the front that was intended for crumbs,but it works great for small tools/parts and as a slag catcher until I'm finished.Most everyone uses 1/2" to 1" steel plate in various sizes to suit their space or needs,but if you can find a big commercial griddle it usually a cheaper alternative.Good Luck!
Reply:Originally Posted by mudbugoneI just went to the scrap yard and found a 2'x3' by 3/4" thick commercial stove griddle for $10 and put it on legs for a dandy little table with a lip on the back and left side. . .
Reply:I could mount a torch under the top and cook burgers for lunch...That'll keep it from rusting upEverytime I find a large piece of steel plate the owner thinks it's made of gold,but no one wanted this old griddle I like it better than a piece of plate, although I'll have to eventually find some plate for a table if I want to clamp anything down without going thru some creative fixturing.It's great for the simple 90* things I've been building at the moment, since I just clamp the pieces to the corner lips and weld them up. It hasn't been an issue yet and may never be. I've got a 3'x5' table for other things(thin top-and not so level),but the little 2'x3' is inside and works great for fabricating the pieces for my fancy welding cart. I'm about 1/2 way thru building a large welding cart 38"x57" & 5'6" tall to hold my Lincoln 255 mig w/spoolgun at eye level as well as the HH140, the plasma cutter,the little DC inverter and all my mig wire storage containers,2-3 gas bottles,and storage cabinet. It's pretty large,but should serve several goals (1) Difficult to steal a 1000# contraption with everything secured (2) Keeps everything in a set place for use (3) brings all the welders up to a height that makes them easily usable. My spoolgun attaches at the bottom of the 255,but now it will be located at about 3' high instead of at 5" off the floor.I built a drawer under the 255 to hold the spoolgun so it can stay attached. All controls will be at eye level even the side panel for access to change wire spools.I started out with a 30"x 40" initial footprint design,but got the base frame from a generator shipping skid and decided not to cut it down. I just added wheels and started designing places for anything I could add to it...It ain't portable,but it'll be nifty and different
Reply:Thanks for the info guys, need to either A. find some plate, or B. buy it.. don't want to buy it. lol!www.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:Find a scrap yard... They almost always have pieces of plate. Around here they save things like plate steel for at least a few days...they know they can get a premium price for material over scrap prices.If you contact them ahead of time and ask them..they might call you when they get a suitable piece in... a 3/4" piece of plate gets heavy fast as it's size increases. This 3/4" griddle weighs about 180# the same thing in 1/2 plate would be around 130# for a 2'x3' piece.
Reply:I'm picking up a Ford ranger this week, so I guess I'll stop by the yard this weekend and see what they have.www.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:We always used tables made out of I beams with wide flanges milled flat. Good tables and easier to handle the piece components.really depends on the size of the items you're working on. I used to use a wood table with 16 ga steel top for small tig welding. Worked just fine.Welding EngineerCertified Scrap Producer
Reply:Originally Posted by MetarinkaWe always used tables made out of I beams with wide flanges milled flat. Good tables and easier to handle the piece components.really depends on the size of the items you're working on. I used to use a wood table with 16 ga steel top for small tig welding. Worked just fine.
Reply:I personaly like nothing smaller than 4 X 8 and no thinner than 1", with 2" being even better.6 Miller Big Blue 600 Air Paks2 Miller 400D6 Lincoln LN-25's4 Miller Xtreme 12VS2 Miller Dimension 812 4 Climax BW-3000Z bore welders Hypertherm 65 and 85Bug-O Track BugPair of Welpers