Table Top Plate or Strips

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So i'm going to order the steel for my new welding bench that i'm going to be building. and i'm undecided what i should do for a top. I'm debating between a solid 3'x6' piece of 1/2" or 5/8" plate or doing a bunch of 10" x 3' strips of 3/4" or 1" plate.  Both the strips on plate would be drilled with 5/8" holes for more clamping possibilities.Hobart IronMan 230Hypertherm 45XP on a CNC table1.5HP 9x42 MillUNIBOR EQ35N Mag Drill
Reply:I would do strips. Those water jet guys give a good deal if you buy the steal from them and make holes in the plate
Reply:The dimensions of 3'x6' is not good for a plate table as it would leave 2 pieces for the metal supplier to try to sell so they would charge you a lot more for it. 4'x4', 4'x5' or 5'x5' would probably be cheaper.
Reply:Why stop with a bench? Make an awesome 4'x8' layout table with 5/8" thick top! You will definitely be glad you did someday!
Reply:I don't know why i wrote welding bench i meant welding table. The reason why i'm not going to a 4'x8' table is my shop is very small and floor space is at a real premium. A 4'x8' is really to tight in there so a foot narrower and 2 feet shorter makes a big difference since every inch counts.Hobart IronMan 230Hypertherm 45XP on a CNC table1.5HP 9x42 MillUNIBOR EQ35N Mag Drill
Reply:Just use 4x3/8 flat bar spaced c clamp width for clamping down with no holes.  Make a couple horses same height for big work and a piece of 1/4 " to cover as a bench. Thats all you need.
Reply:The top should be based on what will be the most productive for your type of work. If what you do will require lots of clamping all over then the strips maybe the answer. I like a solid top, if clamps are required you can tack them anywhere on a solid top too. It is just a personal preference. Whatever you decide, you may find steel at odd sizes cheaper in cost. Instead of your 36'' x  72'' , you might find 32'' x 80'' or 38'' x 76'' . Check all supplies and deal with CASH.
Reply:I did a bunch of research and figured out that slates was best for me.  I made an extra set in case I screw one up...and as someone  else suggested...figure out what your likely going to be needing to hold or lay out...small projects...long one ...whatever.Last edited by Tarmstrong; 02-18-2015 at 10:19 PM.Reason: Bad grammar
Reply:Originally Posted by TarmstrongI did a bunch of research and figured out that slates was best for me.  I made an extra set in case I screw one up...and as someone  else suggested...figure out what your likely going to be needing to hold or lay out...small projects...long one ...whatever.
Reply:You can build a good table with 4 inch channel spaced 1/2 inch apart.No need to drill holes.My table is small and has served well for 30 years.The slots let me use drill press clamps plus a small vise on one end can be used to clamp parts on the top.
Reply:Not a fan of slats at all (or spending the rest of my life laying out and drilling holes...).  I'd do a 1 piece top with laser/waterjet cut holes in it.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:What's so bad about slats mike?most deffently have someone laser the holes. They can get with in .002 and its usually not to bad of a price. I just got a quote today. To drill holes in 5/8 steel slats like the build pro bench was around 500$Last edited by motolife313; 03-04-2015 at 01:08 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by motolife313What's so bad about slats mike?
Reply:I would do one piece, as thick as you can afford (my table is 1/2, next time it will be at least 3/4), with no holes at all (at least until you need one, which might be never).Last edited by fortyonethirty; 03-04-2015 at 02:04 PM.Ian TannerKawasaki KX450 and many other fine tools
Reply:Many downsides but I don't see any real benefits
Reply:A narrow slat is going to bend waaay easier than a full table top in the first place.Imagine you have a really heavy thing on the table and it's not flat on the bottom and half the weight is only sitting on 1 slat. It could easily bend where as a full table top would distribute the weight and be much more difficult to bend.Demeller doesn't use slats, you're probably thinking of the buildpro table which I'm sure it's only in slats so it can be boxed and and shipped (from china or wherever they're made).Last edited by MikeGyver; 03-04-2015 at 11:09 PM.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:I was wrong about it being Demmler (did that search at the same time, one maker leading to another) its Now they use a shaped slat so that likely adds a bit of stiffness but they claim 1 ton to 1.5 ton per slat with special orders up to 5 ton per slat I believe (sorry, its not quite clear to me between the home site and the American branch if that is "ton" or "tonne").  I just thought it was sort of neat that the table could "expand" to allow for longer objects or for odd shapes to fit between slats and below the table top surface.