Welding table framing question.

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I am going to purchase a piece of 2'x4'x1.5" thick piece of plate off of a guy this weekend.  My question to you experts is what would be the best material to use to frame out the table?  I have plenty of 1 1/2"x1/8" steel tube to use, but think that may be a tad light considering the weight of the top.  I also have a 10' stick of 2.5" schedule 80 pipe which would be enough to make the legs.  My buddy has a few sections of 3"x3"x1/4"angle iron which could be used to help secure the legs to the top.Second question is does it take alot to get the square tube properly notched to fit on the round pipe?  I was going to use it to support the legs, and I don't have a notcher.    My last question is what does it normally cost to have a piece of steel that size milled down (I believe I've heard it called blanchard ground )?Last edited by toomanytoyzz; 05-02-2012 at 02:37 PM.
Reply:weld the pipe legs direct to the plate, use the angle or the tubing  from leg to leg as a brace 6" off the ground..put a shelf on it...anything you can do with a notcher you can do with an angle grinder...they are very dangerous tools so be careful with them...
Reply:I agree about the 1/8" being too light. imoNo such thing as too heavy, until you have to move it. To fit them, you could cut the ends with a torch or plasma cutter and then touch them up with a grinder. Flat is great, but does it need to be as flat as all that? Once you weld under it, it will pull toward the welds. You would want to weld under it intermittently. What happens when you spatter all over the top from welding?Last edited by tanglediver; 05-02-2012 at 03:01 PM.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:1.5" thick should not warp when you weld the legs and bracing.  I would use 1/4" thick angle or square tubing.
Reply:Originally Posted by tanglediverFlat is great, but does it need to be as flat as all that? Once you weld under it, it will pull toward the welds. You would want to weld under it intermittently. What happens when you spatter all over the top from welding?
Reply:Yes pix please!Miller diversion 165Miller mig 211Hypertherm pm 30Milwaukee 6230 14 inch chop sawMd 45 mag drill (RIP; fell on its head)New MD 45! Thanks to the esposa!Finally got an O/A setup
Reply:http://weldingweb.com/album.php?albu...pictureid=5011Hear Is one I built frame is 6" Jr I 4.4, legs are 3x3 square tube top is 4x8x1/4 haven't had time to put lower rack on
Reply:Originally Posted by DockMan30817http://weldingweb.com/album.php?albu...pictureid=5011Hear Is one I built frame is 6" Jr I 4.4, legs are 3x3 square tube top is 4x8x1/4 haven't had time to put lower rack on
Reply:Originally Posted by toomanytoyzzThat's a nice stout looking table.  What size plate did you use for the top?
Reply:http://weldingweb.com/album.php?albu...pictureid=5031I built a tray for soapstone and hooks for c clamps  to hang on also put a 2" lip around outside edge for clamping
Reply:No matter how thick your top is, it will still distort if you weld on it. The less you weld on it, the less it will distort... but it will to some extent.Best thing, in my opinion, you can do is make an independent frame with the top as flat as you can (can be hard if you don't have another flat surface to work on, say another table) and then just drop the plate on top of it and secure with a few bolts (drill and tap). Bolt them from the frame to the top, use the closest length screws and if they still protrude a bit, grind them down. Make the holes in the frame a bit oversized so you don't have problems aligning them all.If you ever get tired of that top, or find a deal on a better plate, or just thrash it, you can always remove it just unbolting it. No need to grind on the frame or anything.If you are going to have that plate blanchard ground is because you intend to make some kind of precision work on it... And to do that you will need some ways to clamp down stuff. If you plan on having slots cut, holes drilled, or evend drilled and tapped in whatever pattern you choose... Do so BEFORE having the plate blanchard ground.Good luck and keep us updated,MikelPD: If you think your tube might be too small (which I think it is not by any means), and are determined on buying something stronger, try to buy square tube with bigger dimensions (bigger web)... but don't increase the thickness of the wall. That way you will be able to keep the weight down.Last edited by Mikel_24; 05-03-2012 at 08:36 AM.
Reply:Speaking of precision.We had a shop build us some alighnment plates that lots of holes drilled into them for a custom piece of machinery.The cost was huge because the amount of holes.  Even though they drilled with cooling fluid etc, there was still enough heat in the plate that if you tried to drill all the holes at once it would distort by a few thousands here and there (or worse, contract back when it cooled).Bottom line, get a spec in your head.  Table flat to within... x realizing that if x is a point followed by zeros, the more zeros the more money.  And the money increases exponentially.  So you end up with a table that is so expensive you don't want to risk actually using it.If you search craigslist enough, you will run into some interesting stuff that lists as welding tables.  Some people have the 1" plate, but others have platten (which I think is german for 'plate') with hundreds of holes.  They look like they are cast iron.  They look 6" thick.  And finally, they look like they are 4 tons.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:Toomanytoyzz........ Sorry I can't answer your question because I've been  soo distracted by your awesome avitar!!!!!  Who else remembers Johnny Sokko and Giant Robot?!?!?!?"GIANT ROBOT, ATTACK!!!!"Man did I love that show as a small kid!  For what it's worth back in 1968, my money says that Giant Robot's welds were capped with 7018's.  : : : :Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:Originally Posted by toomanytoyzzThink it would be ok to use the 3"x1/4" angle iron on the top and the 1 1/2"x1/8" square tube to support the bottom and make a shelf with?  I may have some 2"x3/16" square tube lying around as well.I'll post up some pics during the build.
Reply:Originally Posted by SuperArcToomanytoyzz........ Sorry I can't answer your question because I've been  soo distracted by your awesome avitar!!!!!  Who else remembers Johnny Sokko and Giant Robot?!?!?!?"GIANT ROBOT, ATTACK!!!!"Man did I love that show as a small kid!  For what it's worth back in 1968, my money says that Giant Robot's welds were capped with 7018's.  : : : :
Reply:nice..to reiterate , that needs a frame like i need a second assssshol...
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadnice..to reiterate , that needs a frame like i need a second assssshol...
Reply:When I read the thickness of that plate the first thing I wondered was how you were going to move it around.  Still not sure how you got it off the bed and onto the cart.  That hole would be a good place to put a removable positioner.  Or a door knob.  Then you can count the number of seconds it takes for your friends who come over to say "WTF is that for?"  And you can reply "How else am I going to open it?"
Reply:Originally Posted by RodJWhen I read the thickness of that plate the first thing I wondered was how you were going to move it around.  Still not sure how you got it off the bed and onto the cart.  That hole would be a good place to put a removable positioner.  Or a door knob.  Then you can count the number of seconds it takes for your friends who come over to say "WTF is that for?"  And you can reply "How else am I going to open it?"
Reply:the nice thing is with that plate you don't need an anvil now.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:That hole will make itself useful in ways you won't see until the job is on the table.  I got a nice top from scrap with a few holes in it - these really bothered me until after I used them a few times to bend stuff and hold things.Hobart LX235Victor 250 Oxy-Acetylene Rig (welding and cutting)Bobcat 773F-350, 1999, 4x4, 16' 10K# trailerOutdoor Wood Burner - 10 cords/year
Reply:Even though the plate is very thick, I think you should have bolted it to the frame instead of welding it. And I would have made another frame that allows you to have a nice overhang all the way arround for clamping on all four sides.BTW, you could use that big hole in there to fix a big rotable clamp that would allow you to clamp stuff in the middle of the table. Take a look at the X-Clamps from Miller. Instead of having them run along a slot cut in the table, make it fixed in that hole and let it rotate.Good score anyway!Mikel
Reply:Originally Posted by Mikel_24Even though the plate is very thick, I think you should have bolted it to the frame instead of welding it. And I would have made another frame that allows you to have a nice overhang all the way arround for clamping on all four sides.BTW, you could use that big hole in there to fix a big rotable clamp that would allow you to clamp stuff in the middle of the table. Take a look at the X-Clamps from Miller. Instead of having them run along a slot cut in the table, make it fixed in that hole and let it rotate.Good score anyway!Mikel
Reply:Originally Posted by toomanytoyzzI would have bolted if, but I don't have a mag drill and my craftsman drill press is definitely not up to the challange.