Welding Table(s)

admin

Okay, so I now have a whole bunch of stuff to make a flaming mess with in my dad's garage. he's getting sick of tripping over everything, even though I have it stored away as much as possible with the limited space we have (the smallest "2-car garage" [if you want to call it that] you have ever seem. think of a closet with 2 garage doors. I can't even fit my little Hyundai in there. Anyway, I have thought about building a 2'X4' welding table/cart with heavy duty caster on the bottom. Throwing on some shelves and lockable drawers (little brothers love shiny tools) would be in order I believe. What else should I put onto it? I plan on making a tilted shelf to mount my LE 100HD onto, and a heavy-duty electrical outlet strip on the side of the table top with at least 10 (probably 8) gauge wire for a power supply. I plan on mounting a torch holder (2" exhaust tube about 4 inches long) on the side, a small vice (4") and a halogen work-light that we have laying around that currently has no base, so my dad said I could have it. a couple hooks on the side of the table for cord/wire storage, a "back-splash" type deal for clamp and misc. storage made with expanded metal (possibly 10/11 gauge sheet... which ever is cheaper). I plan on making it all out of carbon steel. I could get 304/316, but that's WAY too expensive for what I plan on using this for, plus my welder can't handle it without an upgrade, which I’m not quite ready for yet. the legs will most likely be 1.5" or 2" square tube, the top will be 1/4", 3/16", or 1/4" plate (depending on what is available from work), and the cross supports will be either 1.5" or 2" flat stock or angle, and I plan on putting in some 4x4 triangle gussets at the corners. I know this is going to be WAY over-engineered, but I have no idea what all my dad will put on top of this thing (probably an engine block and transmission) and I don't want to have to re-build it after he crushes it. Does anyone have any ideas on what else I should put onto the table for convenience/practicality? I am too new to welding to understand what all I will/may need in the future and I’d really like to make this thing once, in an organized fashion, and not have to upgrade it every time I go to do another project. I have found that if I try to just put stuff on later, trying to find space can be an issue, as well as trying to figure out how to move one thing over 1/4" just so another piece can fit, leaving me with holes and messes to clean up.Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Pictures of ideas even more. "Cough, cough". In short, what would be the ideal welding table if someone like Zap were to build one?Thanks!Later, Andy
Reply:2x4 is not a bad size.  Two thoughts:I would NOT put a "back splash" on it since it will limit you in allowing thimngs to hang over and you will not be able to clamp on that side.Also make the top from plate as thick you can afford 3/8min...Me!
Reply:Originally Posted by Me!Also make the top from plate as thick you can afford 3/8min...
Reply:It's more stable and will not bend, you also want the edged to over hang the supports so you can clamp things.Me!
Reply:Conductivity, thermal or electrical, really isn't a concern.  For the most part.Strength and stability from bending or warping, from thermal or clamping or BFH factors, are usually more important concerns regarding the thickness of the top.It is pretty rare to hear someone say "Gee, I should have used a thinner plate for my welding table."I'd say to make the table a work table and put the tools in a tool cabinet.  A bit of clamp and grinder hanging on/under the table is fine, but for the most part put the tools in a tool chest/cabinet.  IMO.  2x4 ft sounds like a decent size for a general-purpose home table.Most tables seem to have the frames recessed (or the table tops overhanging the frame) to allow clamping inward from the edge at least a little bit.I also say "no" to the backsplash idea.  It limits project overhang.
Reply:great ideas and input. as soon as i get some plans drawn up, i'll be sure to post them. i'm not planning on making it for another month or so (short on cash, baby comming, tution due, car breaking, etc. etc. etc.), so i have some extra time to fine-tune the plans. like i said before, i want to make it right the first time out. i don't want to have to hack stuff up later to change something i wish i would have thought of before. i will definately take the no back-splash idea into account. i never thought about needing extra room for larger projects (that's why i posted the thread). it also never dawned on me about warpage of the top due to heat. i don't knwo why... it's pretty obvious and simple. i definatly don't want my top to get wavy and warped. once i get the plans up and running, i'll post them before i buy any metal... i want to make sure it's a good set-up before i get too much metal (as if ther was such a thing... hehehehe ) or not the right kind. i will be absolutly sure to post pictures when it's done too. if anyone has any other ideas/input, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!! i am always open to hear someone else's opinion(s). thanks again!Later,Andy
Reply:In short, what would be the ideal welding table if someone like Zap were to build one?
Reply:See zap, in your case it's not the length but the thickness that matters.   The 'best' table is the one that works for -you-.  Some folks weld large/long things (railings, etc) so they need a pretty big or long table.  For others, a smaller dimensioned table is just fine.But like I said, almost nobody ever says they wish the table top was thinner.
Reply:"Does anyone have any ideas on what else I should put onto the table for convenience/practicality? I am too new to welding to understand what all I will/may need in the future and I’d really like to make this thing once, in an organized fashion, and not have to upgrade it every time I go to do another project."Keep the top open and flat, There is no welding table too thick! Our top is 1/4" and it ain't flat no more! the edges were made with too much over hang, the legs and supports were made too heavy, yes too heavy, the top is far too thin. It is wide and long enough at 3' x 6' approximately. And I am constantly sanding, filling and cutting useless crud off of it, normally with the O/A torch. But this table has been in use far longer than I have been working here.You can tell a lot from this picture. Yes those are I-Beams!! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Here is something else you can do..Since that thread I have made a very handy vice addition for it also..http://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread...ighlight=TableI put another reciever on the opposite side of the table for the vice when "not in use"...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by tanglediverthe edges were made with too much over hang
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterHere is something else you can do..Since that thread I have made a very handy vice addition for it also..http://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread...ighlight=TableI put another reciever on the opposite side of the table for the vice when "not in use"...zap!
Reply:Well mine is on legs...But there is no motion while beating the crap out of something.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I like a shelf on the bottom to pile heavy stuff.  It makes the bench not move when I am bending stuff in the vice. I also have a piece of 3 X 3 X1/4" angle welded to the end of one bench.  Its as long as the bench is deep welded in a V with the top flush with the bench.  If I have something round its a nice place to clamp it to weld it straight.  The heavier the better.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:A weldor is like a gold fish, we won't out grow our workspace. Bigger is better, I have worked on everything from high$$$$$$ plantens, to nice 3/4" plate tables, to my truck tailgate, to the dirt. Make your self a nice HD table with room to grow. Zap has "reciever hitches" on his table for versitility. Think in the 4th dimension when your building a table, not about what you want to to now, but down the line.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Originally Posted by aczelleri plan on supporting the top with 2"x2"x1/4" (possibly 3/8")angle stock, with plenty of cross-bracing. does this seem practical for a 1/4" top. i bet i can get a 1/2" plate from work if i really wanted to.
Reply:I have added a bench grinder and wirebrush to a plate and tube to use with my reciver under my bench,also a small 6" vise. this makes it easy to remove when not needed. then a holder for them down and out of the way to store them
Reply:the more and more i think about it, the more and more i like the whole receiver hitch idea. i currently have a grinder mounted to it's own stand, out of the way and close to my designated "torch zone" (for some reason my dad doesn't like molten metal and showers of sparks all over his fine woodworking), so i don't think i'll need one for a grinder... YET. as soon as i move out (about 6 months i hope), i will need one. i have a feeling that i will put one on there now, at least for jigs and holders (like zap's... I LOVE the stuff you do man!!!!), until i get a grinder. just out of curiosity, what are the dimensions for the receiver hitch and the insert? i notice they fit together very well. i am guessing 2"x2"x 1/8 for the receiver and 1 3/4"x1 3/4"x 1/8" for the insert?thanks for all the great ideas guys. i can't wait to get this thing built! later,Andy
Reply:The overhang on our table is close to a foot. 1/4" plate will bend easily at a foot wide, 4 to 8 inches would have been better. The framework is as stout as a semi-tractor frame, it needs a thicker top! Even still, I can not move it (far) without a forklift! I hate that these guys stuffed this table into a corner like this, which I have told them!!  Oh well, I'm just the new guy, what do I know?.  If you do a search here, there are other designs that guys have come up with that are very cool. City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:okayhaveyoudoneasearchofweldingtables?  notthisone.http://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=12566WeldingWeb forum--now more sophomoric banter than anything else!