How to I make my welding table flat?

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I just built a welding table and I am having trouble making it flat. I bolted it to the frame with countersunk bolts. I was trying to tighten the bolts down on the 3/8 plate until it was as straight as a level but it never seems to be a perfect surface. Any tips or advice?
Reply:PicturesTO INVENT  YOU NEED A GOOD IMAGINATION  AND A  PILE OF JUNK'' - THOMAS EDISONMost Of The Time People Don't see The Quality of a Good Job Unitl they see a Bad Job !! -Scott Esplin
Reply:start with a flat piece of plate. It's hard enough to straighten out sheet metal. I can't imagine trying to do so to a 3/8 plate
Reply:What's the dimensions of top ? How many bolts and locations ? Loosen bolt at low spot and add shim. if it wasn't flat flat to start with it could be a pain. Picturewould help as stated.
Reply:If it's like mine, convex on top, I tacked a couple of peices of 4" channel w/ the side of the flange against the bottom of the plate. Ran a 1/4" chain around the top next to the channel w/ a bottle jack pushing up on the chain to push plate down against channel. Stitch welded channel to plate. For someone planning to build nuke power plant components on the table, better go w/ 1" plate.                                        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 wonder what adding heat to the low spot would do?bobs77vet/37ford4drEastwood digital TIG200HH190Lincoln Invertec 155sLincoln weldpak 100sears/craftsman (lincoln) 50a 240v buzz boxO/A rig Harris gaugesnexion cut 50 dxchicago electric (HF) 240v spot welder
Reply:take a look at this thread-http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=149431
Reply:How flat do you have to/need to/want to have it?  I would think that with a table top that thin, no matter what you do to get it "flattish" initially, ...... if you are then going to be welding fixtures to it, heating it up a good bit in spots, grinding on it (to remove rust, fixtures, spatter, blend in repaired areas), pounding hard on it, etc, etc,.....it's still gonna move on you.  Unless you've got some really elaborate stout adjustment system on a very stout base.   If you really need to have it quite flat and have it stay that way I'd think you'd need to start with a much thicker plate that was either flat enough to start with or surface ground flat to your requirements.