Slats Welding Table

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Now that I have upgraded my welder, I am building a new welding table to upgrade from my wooden table.  I bought a Hobart Ironman 230 and I love it so far.  I am building a welding table that is going to be 28" x 74.5" and about 37-40" tall.  The slats are 3/8" x 8" flat bar cut to 28".  Each slat is spaced 1.5" apart. The sub frame is made out of 3/8" x 4" flat bar.  I was planning on welding angle iron to the slats and tapping the 3/8" sub frame to make the slats removable.  The legs are 2" x 2" x 1/8" square tubing.  I bought all the steel at my local steel yard for $350 with a drop sheet of 11 gauge that is 2' x 4'.  Let me know what you guys think.  I am open to suggestions.  ThanksLast edited by Br4denJ; 02-14-2015 at 12:14 AM.
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Reply:Try not to get too crazy with welding the slats, you'll warp them pretty quickly. I'd recommend welding angles to your frame so you can through bolt the slats down to it.
Reply:Yeah that is what I am worried about.  I would have to get really thick angle if I wanted to tap it otherwise I could just put a nut and bolt.
Reply:Originally Posted by Sharon NeedlesTry not to get too crazy with welding the slats, you'll warp them pretty quickly. I'd recommend welding angles to your frame so you can through bolt the slats down to it.
Reply:Originally Posted by Br4denJYeah that is what I am worried about.  I would have to get really thick angle if I wanted to tap it otherwise I could just put a nut and bolt.
Reply:Thanks for the input.  I want to keep the top as flat as possible.  I really do like Hobart welders.  I welded the crap out of my HH125 so when I upgraded I decided to stay with Hobart.  I am actually running C25,  I didn't really have it dialed so it looks like a flux core weld.  I actually started with an open root in the horizontal position and then I did a cover pass going downhill.  I know downhill does not get as much penetration but I believe I got sufficient penetration for its purpose.  I am not going to do any heavy fabrication hence the reason I got 3/8" vs 1/2"Last edited by Br4denJ; 02-14-2015 at 01:05 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by wornoutoldwelderNah, just counter sink the holes in slots and use  appropriate bolts and nuts in standard angle iron...nice thing about that is you can easily remove/replace slats...by having ability to remove slats, you can easily adapt table when required to deal with oddball shapes and sizes in middle of table
Reply:I'm jealous! That's the kinda table I wanna build but .5 or 5/8 thick. Sounds like you got a good deal on the steel.
Reply:Don't hesitate to stop at this point and replace those straps with c-channel...you can turn the open side of the c-channel outwards to maintain nice corners inside for your legs to weld too, plus also make it easy to reach nuts below slats.
Reply:I was going to go with 1/2" but decided against it because I never really do any heavy fabrication.  Just side jobs.  The nice thing is if I want to put thicker slats on later I can.  My local steel yard is less than a mile away and they have really good prices.
Reply:Originally Posted by wornoutoldwelderDon't hesitate to stop at this point and replace those straps with c-channel...you can turn the open side of the c-channel outwards to maintain nice corners inside for your legs to weld too, plus also make it easy to reach nuts below slats.
Reply:The water jet guys will give you a good deal on steel if you have them cut holes in the steel. Where are you from?
Reply:I am from Minnesota
Reply:Originally Posted by Br4denJSo if I follow what you are saying, abandon the subframe I have made up and make a new one out of c-channel?
Reply:I appreciate the input wornoutoldwelder!  I guess I should have said that I am cutting the angle into 6" sections and stitch welding it.  I will take that information into consideration when I build my next table.  I might sell this one and build a bigger one.  Thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by Br4denJI appreciate the input wornoutoldwelder!  I guess I should have said that I am cutting the angle into 6" sections and stitch welding it.  I will take that information into consideration when I build my next table.  I might sell this one and build a bigger one.  Thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by Br4denJYeah I think I will weld the angle to the sub frame and just counter sink a hole in the slats with a flat head allen bolt into a nut on the bottom side of the angle.  Thanks for the input.
Reply:Got some more progress done on the welding table.  I drilled all the holes in the slats and counter sunk them to fit my bolts.  Then I cut all of the angle iron I needed and proceeded to weld them to the sub frame.  Once I had that done I put both out end slates on and squared them up and drilled the holes through the angle iron flanges.  I then spaced all the slats and drilled them and bolted everything together.  Once everything was bolted together, I flipped to top over and stitch welded the angle iron to the sub frame.
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Reply:Young man, you got it going on! I'm thinking you'll never be tempted to sell that table, where if you do I want to bid on it.
Reply:Looking good Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:What is the best spacing for slats?
Reply:I don't really have a good answer for that. I have seen 1", 1.5" and 2". Really whatever your clamps work with. You could try looking at the stronghand tables and match their spacing Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI used 1 1/2" gaps...it works great.  The other issue is clearance under the slats for the clamp...make sure they can work along the edges.
Reply:Tarmstrong, I really like how your slats are adjustable.  How did you secure it to the bottom of the slats?
Reply:I welded the type 8 9/16 4" long bolts to the bottom of the panels.  The trick is...that I assembled everything...bolts and top pieces ...clamped it all in the finished alignment...and then tacked the bolts.  I made a jig of the panel bolt pattern...removed the panel...inserted the bolts ends into the jig and then welded them into final condition.  I knew the damn bolts would move when I welded them up they would move...so the jig held them pretty close.  I still had to ream a few holes but it worked great....
Reply:Here is another shot with some ideas...add trailer receiver hitches lots of places...I have a vice mounted on a 2x2...and this photo shows my adjustable extension that can be used on either end, front or back...and out the front.  I made 10 ga. Drawers on 200 lbs. slides to hold clamps and grinders...
Reply:I would think matching strong hand is a good idear
Reply:Finished to table minus some paint.  Check out the pictures.  I have used a Diablo metal cutting blade for a circular saw to make every cut on this project.  I use a square clammed to the work piece and run the fence of the saw along the square to make straight cuts.
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Reply:The shelf is to top of my old welding table cut down to fit between the legs.  It is screwed to some 2" angle iron welded to the legs.
Reply:That's looking great! (My list of build projects continues to grow!)DB
Reply:Very very cool.   I need to build one of these.  I have a small table on wheels which has a flat table wher I can not clamp in the middle.  The other table is bigger with a wood top for fence making.   I need a table like you built and your photos have got me thinking!   Thanks for sharing and when I get to making one I will share them.   Anything you would do different?