First welding project--welding table. Couple questions.

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A little background first.  I picked up a used Thermal Arc 211i a couple months back and managed to wire up a 220 outlet in the garage without burning the house down, so I can get the full output from it.  Right now I can only run stick on it (only came with stick leads), but later on I'll be picking up everything I need to do MIG, and then even farther down the road, TIG.  So for my first real welding project, I'd like to make a welding table.  I managed to find a 54" x 46" that's .225" thick piece of galvanized plate at the scrap yard.  That was really the only piece that was feasible for me at the time.  All of the other steel plates there were massive, 700+ pound slabs of steel that just wouldn't work for me at the moment (too big, heavy, and expensive).  I plan to cut the piece that I got in half so I have two 27" x 46" pieces.  So I have a couple questions about this.1.  Can I weld the two halves together so I have a table that's closer to a 1/2" thick, rather than not even 1/4" thick?  Or would a table a little less than a 1/4" thick be adequate enough for a hobbyist table?  If I don't weld the halves together, the plan is to use the other halve for a storage shelf down below the table top.2.  I was thinking about using four pieces of 2" square tubing that's 1/4" thick and 36" long for the legs.  The steel table top weighs 143 lbs.  Would 1/4" thick legs be too much, too little, just enough?  And I'm guessing I won't have to worry about the top sagging with a table this small and 4 legs?3.  Can you ever really grind off all of the galvanized coating?  I have a box fan I can use to blow the fumes out of the garage door, and a respirator with a P100 2297 filter I can wear under the hood to play it safe.  So I'm wondering if it would be worth it to even try and grind off the galvanized coating, or if I should just plan on using the fan and respirator all the time and not bother grinding it?  Obviously the best choice here would have been to not use galvanized steel for a welding table, but it's all I have at the moment.Thanks in advance.
Reply:If I were you, I would leave the top the size it is now and not cut it. You will learn to apreciate having a larger top as you use it more, and may wish you had a BIGGER table later on. The thickness you have should be adequate for most hobbiest work, and 2x2x1/4" legs will be fine. That is the size I have on my table with a 3/8" top, but that is what I had left over at the time from another project. You might want to use expanded metal for a bottom shelf so it doesn't collect dust and debris.
Reply:Originally Posted by BistineauIf I were you, I would leave the top the size it is now and not cut it. You will learn to apreciate having a larger top as you use it more, and may wish you had a BIGGER table later on. The thickness you have should be adequate for most hobbiest work, and 2x2x1/4" legs will be fine. That is the size I have on my table with a 3/8" top, but that is what I had left over at the time from another project. You might want to use expanded metal for a bottom shelf so it doesn't collect dust and debris.
Reply:I suggest you either Grind or sand away the galvanizing where the welding will be done (heat effected zone) so the zinc will not contaminate your welds.I offer three choices: Good, Fast, & Cheap. You may pick two.Hobart AC/DC StikMate LXHarbor Freight AD HoodHarbor Freight Industrial Chop SawDeVilbis 20 Gallon, 5 HP Compressor
Reply:Originally Posted by nadogailI suggest you either Grind or sand away the galvanizing where the welding will be done (heat effected zone) so the zinc will not contaminate your welds.
Reply:I never tried vinegar on anything that large but does work on smaller pieces depending on how much galvanizing there is and the process used . Buy a gallon and set one corner in it for a couple of days and see what happens.
Reply:Originally Posted by BD1I never tried vinegar on anything that large but does work on smaller pieces depending on how much galvanizing there is and the process used . Buy a gallon and set one corner in it for a couple of days and see what happens.
Reply:Just grind off what you can and weld it up. You can always use 6010/11 and weld right over the galvi also. Galvi metal is not the best metal to be welding on if your an inexperienced stick welder.  It hisses, spits and pops as your welding it. First pass anyway.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeJust grind off what you can and weld it up. You can always use 6010/11 and weld right over the galvi also. Galvi metal is not the best metal to be welding on if your an inexperienced stick welder.  It hisses, spits and pops as your welding it. First pass anyway.
Reply:I do plan on grinding off as much of the galvanized coating as I can, and also taking the proper safety precautions about the fumes.  And as soon as I can set aside enough money for a better plate, I'll end up upgrading the table to something that's not galvanized/thicker.  Good to know that it might spit and pop at me while I'm welding it though!
Reply:Originally Posted by KrazeSo for my first real welding project, I'd like to make a welding table.  I managed to find a 54" x 46" that's .225" thick piece of galvanized plate at the scrap yard. I plan to cut the piece that I got in half so I have two 27" x 46" pieces. I should have mentioned in the first post that no matter what I do, I have to cut the table size down.  There's just not enough room in the garage for it at full size.
Reply:Originally Posted by BistineauYour garage must be about 4'x5' for this size table not to fit well. That's barely big enough for a riding mower.
Reply:I wouldn't agonize over the galvanized. If you are just welding on practice plates lying on top of the table, you can put the practice plates atop another piece of scrap, or a couple pieces of square tubing.Angle iron is easier to cut and keep square when welding, at least for me. That is why I used it for the legs on my table.Are you planning on having a cross-piece or two of angle/ sq tubing spanning the width, supporting the center of the top?Hobart Beta-Mig 2511972 Miller AEAD-200LEMiller 250 TwinNorthern Ind. Hybrid 200Longevity Stick 140Longevity Migweld 200SThermal Arc Pak 3XR
Reply:Originally Posted by geezerbillI wouldn't agonize over the galvanized. If you are just welding on practice plates lying on top of the table, you can put the practice plates atop another piece of scrap, or a couple pieces of square tubing.Angle iron is easier to cut and keep square when welding, at least for me. That is why I used it for the legs on my table.Are you planning on having a cross-piece or two of angle/ sq tubing spanning the width, supporting the center of the top?
Reply:If I was building a small table, I would build the legs stout and well braced.  If I only had a 1/4" top I would not make the top a structural part of the table, but a bolt on (or tack weld).  Then I could replace the top when a thicker piece became available.I like a table with an overhang all the way around.  With your thin top don't make it to much, but even 2" is nice for clamping.  I would stiffen the edges with a piece of angle, say 2 x 2 x 3/8 or thicker.
Reply:Vinegar is used to clean galvanized items before painting.It will not remove the coating.Consider a channel steel top spaced 9/16 apart.Lets you clamp parts with drill press clamps or bolts.Some internet info is dead wrong.
Reply:Welding on galvanized metal is not a good idea, it produces poison gas, if your welding it do it outside with plenty of air flow or a big fan.
Reply:Kraze, I built two portable tables four feet by four feet and I use my tractor to move them were I need them, they have a hitch and two wheels on one end, it works great, each table is about 300 lbs.
Reply:coming from fort worth