Yet another Welding Table Question

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New here and been lurking a while and have a few questions.  I would greatly appreciate you guys taking some time to provide some answers and opinions if possible...I want to put together a welding table/quarter midget race car assembly and setup table.Requirements:     -needs to be 4 X 8     -needs to be mobile     -would like top to be plenty sturdy, so I guess 1/2" sheet?     -be able to bolt a vise, a 4' brake, bead roller, pipe bender etc to it when tool is needed.  I have  hoist to raise and lower everything.  So if i wanted to bend, roll the brake to hoist, lift brake, roll table under, bolt brake down, get to work.  Same with race car or whatever else.I know it will be very heavy - anybody know how much a 4 X 8 sheet of 1/2 cold rolled weighs?  Then the frame would be pretty darn heavy duty also.  What size square tubing should I be looking at?  4"?I was thinking about heavy duty casters with brakes so it didnt move around when beating banging bending etc.  But it will prob be so heavy it wont budge.  Or maybe just 2 wheels on 1 end, and have a motorcycle floor jack on the other end to lift and roll it that way.I have a decent size shop (24 X 32), so there is room for it, and it would not have to be moved too much (just to pull in a vehicle)  but everything in my shop is mobile - just like it that way. I thought about doing a normal size welding table and using a 4 X 8 sheet of good plywood on horses (which could be broken down and put aside) if the big table would be too much.  A normal welding table, and the plywood deal for race car setup.  But i will prob end up fabricating the cars later - a lot of welding on a 6' long chassis, and then where do i put the brake, roller, etc.And how much should I expect to pay for materials for this sucker?Any comments, suggestions, or criticisms are welcomeThanks
Reply:Steel is .2833 lbs/cu/inch so the 1/2" plate will weigh about 650 lbs.  If you build a good rigid frame of square tubing, you can use 1/4".  The frame is more important than what is on top.  I'd use 3x3 .125 wall at minimum for the legs and crosspieces.  Get it square and level then just lay the sheet on top and tack it all around - no need to continuously seam weld it.  I have also seen setups where some of the tools bolt to a plate and hinge up when needed.  In other words, a vise is bolted to a good plate and fastened to a heavy hinge on the edge of the table.  It flips up and is pinned for use then flips underneath and pinned to get it out of the way.  You can also put two pieces of angle iron in a corner on hinges if you want to have a square corner to work from.  The angle flips up or down on hinges like the tools.  Can't help on materials other than tell you to get at least three quotes from steel distributors if you have them in your area.Get it hot and hit it hard...
Reply:We have a table in the shop that has jacks on either end to push down heavy duty casters to pick the table up and move it around.   On one side, two of them are mounted on a piece of channel that has two guides and the jack is in the middle.  Then you just lower it down to the tables legs for your stability.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Reply:http://www.weldingweb.com/tools.shtml Free Metal Weight CalculatorWeldingweb.com ™
Reply:Thanks for the help - the calculator is great - I knew the top would be heavy, but whoa.I will be doing what you explained with the jacks and casters Brain, thanksIf I went with 1/4", how far apart should my crossbraces be (max)?  Maybe no more than 1'?  I dont want any warping from welding as the table should stay pretty flat because i put the car on 4 scales - 1 under each wheel to set it up
Reply:12-16" is good, aslong as you aren't doing more than tacking things to the table you most likely won't have a warping problem on your handsStangnetShop Full Of Stuff. Joey