how thick of a steel work table do I need?

admin

I want to buy or make a steel work bench for my steel projects. It will probably be sturdy enough to be used as a back stop if I do any kind of pounding on a object with a hammer and such. I want it to be absolutely flat so metal can be welded square. What thickness of steel do I need? Or make a steel cable, and put a anvil on it.Thanks
Reply:I dont want to sound like an ***, but this has been covered a million times at this point.  I recommend using the search button because there is a wealth of information about thatMechanical Engineer
Reply:What sort of projects are you going to be doing on it? I've been in the process of building a table also. I came to a halt when i went to buy the table top.  I was pricing 1" just yesterday , and a used rusty ol' 4'x6' was $750.  just a little fyi. The metal ain't cheap. I'm up in the air about the size i am going to use, but i think 1/2" for the average garage hobbiest is suffice.
Reply:There is alot of info on this. I have a 3/8" table and wish I went 1/2". I'm just a hobby guy.Dave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:Originally Posted by ReebsThere is alot of info on this. I have a 3/8" table and wish I went 1/2". I'm just a hobby guy.
Reply:Originally Posted by lortech I want it to be absolutely flat so metal can be welded square.
Reply:1/2" plate is 20.42 lbs per sq/ft
Reply:I put a 3/8" top on mine. Wound up w/ a little convex bow, welded a couple of pieces of 4" channel under it. clamped the ends to the top and rigged up a bottle jack and chain to push the bow down then welded them in good. It's flat enough for what I build. Nobody's asked me to build a nuke plant on the table yet,LOL!!                                            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 built a table 3/4" 4x8, 2x2 legs 11ga,  45 braces in the corners 36"  Its a freaking rock solid beast!!    The 3/4" steel sheet was about $580.  I just got done using it to build a bunch of cast iron fencing.  That has been some fun welding on that stuff   Could not have done the project without the table I would go 3/4"Lincon Ranger 250 GXT, Lincoln 135plus mig, Lincoln 225 AC/DC cracker box, Hypertherm 45 awaiting arrival,  really want a plasmacam table!
Reply:As thick as you can afford is always good advice.  I got a 2 ft by 4 ft piece of 1" pretty cheap and I really love it. And like one of the posters said, use the search and put in welding tables and you'll have all the info you need.Lincoln Pro Mig 180Everlast PowerARC 200
Reply:I run a 3/8 top, 6'L x 4' W.  The frame and wheels will handle 3/4" top someday. I pound on this sucker day in and day out. I have numerous tapped holes for all my cutting tools to mount on it and it sees alot of twisting motion. No bows though, That frame is HD!!!
Reply:as thick as you can afford72 Chevy Cummins Project94 3500HD Welding Rig build Sold NOV 2011
Reply:I bought a used 4'x8'x1/2" table from a barn fabricator going under and advertising on CL for $50.  It wasn't flat since (I figure) the frame was welded on with the 1/2" plate on the floor and then it was inverted.  There was a 1/4" crown in the center.  I had to plasma cut the welds underneath the ends of the table and then straighten it by bending the ends up and reattaching them.  I then attached wheels to the legs, etc.  Now it's "pretty much flat" and ok for most purposes, but not perfect.ScottMiller XMT 350 CC/CV w/gas solenoid opt.Miller S-22A wirefeederBernard 400A "Q" gunMiller Spoolmatic 30A / WC-24C-K 200A torch/gas lensWeldcraft WC-18 watercooled torchHypertherm Powermax 30Victor O/A
Reply:I personally like a 2 inch thick table, but I do realize that 2" plate is rather expensive.  Just a few months ago I told my boys to make another table for the shop and told them to use 1" minimum thickness.  When I seen the table, they did use 1" but it was Hardox 450---very expensive plate, but it was 1".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
Reply:Originally Posted by LMironworksI run a 3/8 top, 6'L x 4' W.  The frame and wheels will handle 3/4" top someday. I pound on this sucker day in and day out. I have numerous tapped holes for all my cutting tools to mount on it and it sees alot of twisting motion. No bows though, That frame is HD!!!
Reply:Mine is 1" thick and really good for beating the bajeebers out of stuff when needed..The table must be thicker that what the pieces you will weld on a regular basis..If the table is 1/4" and the piece you are clamping/working on is 1/2" thick the table will give in before the workpiece does in a clamping situation..The more the merrier I always say....zap!Last edited by zapster; 07-16-2011 at 11:59 AM.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 CATCRACKERi Just built a table 3/4" 4x8, 2x2 legs 11ga,  45 braces in the corners 36"  Its a freaking rock solid beast!!    The 3/4" steel sheet was about $580.  I just got done using it to build a bunch of cast iron fencing.  That has been some fun welding on that stuff   Could not have done the project without the table I would go 3/4"
Reply:my designs use to be limited by what i could clamp on my tiny, solid surface welding table. being able to clamp in the middle of my table now allows me really unlimited ability. as soon as i can score a deal on some blanchard ground angle plates, i'll be able to work vertically too. That will come in handy. Pics from today.
Reply:Cant under stand why a welding table has to be giant sized and have a thick top.My table is 2x3 feet.The top is slotted built with small channel,Each piece is spaced 9/16 apart so my drill press hold down clamp can be used to clamp parts down.The last 3 channels a close together to give me a solid surface.A small vise is mounted on 1 end., it can be used to clamp parts on the table.2 lengths of 1x1 angle hold the channel pieces to gether.The top is bolted to the table so it can be replaced when its beat up.It handles my work fine.If I need a bigger table I use my cord wood trailer.My slotted top lets me clamp parts for welding.
Reply:Large tables with thick tops allow large projects to be laid out flat, square, and true and then clamped down so that they cant move during welding. Size your table to the work you need it to handle and go with as thick a top as you either can afford or have the ability to move should you think the need will arise.My table was built on a major budget, I managed to salvage a 4x8x1/2 top from a school remodel project from their shop and built a frame and legs from structural steel tubing 5x5x3/8. It came out more than flat enough for anything I plan on building and can handle a good beating, In the end it cost me about 4-5hrs of my time and a little thinking. I got paid to remove the materials from the building and had everything else I needed
Reply:My first table was 4' x 5' 1/4" thck.  That was good, but waaay to flimsy.  Then I found a table on Craigslist and it was a 3x6' 1" thick, and it's perfect.  I'd like to cut it off and get it blanchard ground and holes drilled and tapped for hold down clamps.---No good deed goes unpunished---
Reply:I have 2 4x8x1" tables and had them flat until I use them. I would like to have Jimmy_pop's table. That is a welders dream. People don't realize that it is what you do with all the metal (welded object and table) that makes the table flat. One of my tables sags 3/32 in the middle, and when I build custom lab tables on them I know which welds to make first where it will warp right into being square. So having the table warped helps me and makes clamping easier.A friend of mine had a perfectly flat 7'x20' piece of 1 1/2" thick table for building wrought iron railings. He hired a new guy and a few weeks into his short employment he was asked to straighten some material. He grabbed the torch and clamped it down to the table. 2 hours later my buddy no longer had a flat table. It became 3/16" bowed. He spent almost 2 days to get it within a 1/16 from end to end and gave up.