Welding table picture thread

[Lis2323]

Not ideal but I use this for the stinger...






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[ronsii]

A lot of times I'll just hang the stinger handle in one of my pants side pockets... but you got to remember it's there when moving about

[Lis2323]

A lot of times I'll just hang the stinger handle in one of my pants side pockets... but you got to remember it's there when moving about

Get longer leads....


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[ronsii]

Get longer leads....


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Been using rebar for getting longer the 3/8ths bar does flex pretty good but you gotta watch out you don't trip on it

[whtbaron]

My old table just had a little strip of plywood with some holes drilled in it that the rod slid through. Worked ok but you still had to be careful the end of the rod didn't hit the table leg. Somehow shoving a hot stinger into my pants doesn't seem like a good idea...I never thought of a magnet... I like that.

[Lis2323]

My old table just had a little strip of plywood with some holes drilled in it that the rod slid through. Worked ok but you still had to be careful the end of the rod didn't hit the table leg. Somehow shoving a hot stinger into my pants doesn't seem like a good idea...I never thought of a magnet... I like that.

Yeah the one in the pic I made multi-use.

It holds Mig Tig Plasma torches, push/pull and spool gun as well.


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[ccogg]

I finally have some plate coming so time to build a welding table. I’ve been using the concrete floor, 2ftx2ft piece of 1/4in on a stand or my plywood out feed table - none of which are ideal. The top will be 48x96x1in primed steel. (I can also get pickled and oiled 1.125in plate but it’s $400 more.)
I’m planning to do the rest out of stuff I already have on hand. I picked up some 6x6x3/8 formed angle I was going to use for the frame and 3x3x0.120 square tube for the legs. I also have some 3x5x0.120 tube but it isn’t perfectly straight. Here’s the sketch:




Thoughts? Suggestions?


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[SweetMK]

Here is a pic of the vise I took off of my welding table,, I wanted a bigger one,,,



The main reason for the change is that the "new" vise is heavier, and has much higher clamping force.

I had to use my loader to put the vise on the bench



Here is a pic of the inside of the vise, I took it apart to get the chips out of the vise,,



Those anti rotate bolts are 3/4" diameter.



I was lubing the vise with synthetic gear oil, so the bottle is in the picture for scale,,



I actually have several vises larger than this, but, the one I selected rotates.

One of my other vises opens to 24".. and has 12" wide jaws,, IIRC,,

[VaughnT]

IMG]https://images.platforum.cloud/uploads/20210325/ea826ba5dfc0c95e519b199d52590c2c.jpg[/IMG]

I like it. The arched braces give it a very strong Craftsman Style vibe.

Sounds like you've got the undercarriage heavy enough to support the 1" plate that'll top it, so really it's just a matter of details. Lately, I've become a bit put off by welding tables with a lot of holes in them for fixturing. While I see it as a necessary thing for fabricators, I tend to be the odd job kinda guy and will use the same table for teardowns as well as welding. I'm always dropping small parts and can't imagine what a nightmare it'd be if my table had more openings in it for things to fall through!

Looks like Lis2323 has a ton of neat ideas that might help flesh out your build. Tool placement and storage is my #1 problem, so I'm always looking for neat ways to help with it.

[ccogg]

Lis2323 does some awesome stuff, but I don’t think I’ll be cutting holes in the top for a vertical receiver quite yet!
And I agree, the fixture tables are awesome but even though I’m calling this a “welding table” it’ll probably get used more for working on my lawn mower/motorcycle, wrapping presents, hot glue projects with the kids, etc. We’ll see how it works out.


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[Mondo]

,,,48x96x1in primed steel...

Why primed for paint? You will need to flap-disk the primer off anytime you tack something, and anytime even a small section of the plate is heated from welding on top of it you are going to have poisonous paint fumes coming off it, top and bottom.

I would have suggested A36 hot rolled, low carbon steel. That's all you really need for a basic flat 4x8 ft welding table.

- Mondo

[whtbaron]

Paint is easier to take off than pitted rust. The thin air brushing on mine is lasting longer than I thought it would, and most times it isn't even thick enough to affect the ground. You might find the same with the primer, although Mondo is right, you will smell it when you burn it.

[ccogg]

I was looking for regular hot rolled, but this is on the “surplus” list at my steel supplier and the price is better. (They also have a pickled and oiled plate 1.125in thick, but it costs 50% more.) It is A36 and my plan is to strip the top right away. Maybe the bottom, although hopefully it won’t get hot enough to burn???


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[VaughnT]

Any paint you leave on the bottom is just rust-inhibitor. I wouldn't worry about stripping it off except around where you're welding, and then I'd put it back once you've completed the welds. There's no chance you'll put enough heat into a 1" thick table top to impact the primer on the underside. Or, if you do, you'll at least have a good story to tell!

I love a flat bench. No holes or slots means it's super easy to do anything that happens around the homestead, and when you do need to weld something up.... those magnetic clamps are the perfect solution. Way better than always dropping your marker or bolt through some pesky slot!

[whtbaron]

And if you do want some holes for fixtures, take a look at what I did with the angle iron frame around the thick top... you could do that at just one end if you wanted. I made a small plate on a short piece of 2x2 to cover the upright receiver when not in use.

[VaughnT]

One of the things I've often wondered is why welders don't borrow from the woodworking bench designs a bit more than they do. You're starting to see a bit of it now with certain brands of tables, but it's a far cry from what it could be. Admittedly, I'm an amateur at the best of times and probably don't know what I'm talking about!

Still, considering that the finest furniture in the world has been built on benches that aren't covered in holes, and woodworkers can get perfect 90º joints fitted up without a problem, I have to think there might be something to my cognification.

With a row of "dog holes" and a tail vise, you can clamp something that's as long as your bench while still maintaining a pretty solid work surface for the rest of the top.



And who could argue that the Shakers didn't have things pretty squared away with their design? I'd love to have a shop big enough to put a proper Shaker workbench in it!

Aside from the built-in storage that keeps all your stuff organized and out of the dust, that leg vise and sliding support would be pretty handy for a lot of fabrication work, I think. Again, not a lot of holes in the top, yet they were able to build beds, doors, cabinets and everything else without a problem. They obviously knew how to build holes into their benches, but didn't find that a billion holes made things easier. Did they just not think about it? Were they simply doing what people'd always done? I don't know, but.... I do know that folks today seem to really want to jump on the next fad that promises smoother, faster, easier, better, etc.

[Shootr]

Economy of effort? Why hand drill, then chisel square any more holes than are absolutely needed? That is a pretty bad-a$$ bench though!

[VaughnT]

...absolutely needed....

That's my point exactly. Were I the kind of fellow to opine on a subject, which I'm not, I might opine that 90% of the holes punched in all the fancy fab tables on the market never actually get used. They're just put there so folks have somewhere convenient to lose that much-beloved nut or screw!

Folks see the tables and think how wonderful it'll be to have all those holes "just in case". They'll wax poetic about all the possibilities, the wonders they'll be able to build now that they have a table full of holes.

It reminds of of the bending jig I bought. Cost me $450 and I was salivating over it for a year as I saved up my money. Came with all sorts of forms that'd allow me to bend circles to known sizes, machined beautifully, and I was a very happy guy when it came in the mail.

All these years later, I can look back at all that I've made.... and realize that I only ever really use two of the forms. All the rest are still in the drawer and I can't remember when the last time was I knocked the rust off of them.

When I visit a lot of fab shops, invariably someone will mention that their welding table needs an upgrade to make it more functional. All of them have been flat sheets of steel on a set of legs. If it had a vise, it was your typical machinist's vise bolted on one corner. Of course their table needs an upgrade! It's basically nothing but a section of the floor that's been raised up waist high!!!

Never once have I seen a welder/fabricator/tinkerer build a metal version of a woodworkers bench with the integral vises and dog holes. It's either a flat sheet of steel or a flat sheet with hundreds of holes, and nothing in between.

Now don't think I'm complaining about holed tables. I'm not. They're dead sexy and I wouldn't complain if someone were to buy me even a small version like the Fireball drill press table.

[Lis2323]

. It's either a flat sheet of steel or a flat sheet with hundreds of holes, and nothing in between.
.

Don’t forget my 4x8 table, Vaughn.

I started out with twenty 5/8” round holes ( I didn’t have a mag drill at the time) and I’m at about 34 now.... plus a 2” x 2” square hole.








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[VaughnT]

That's it exactly. You're my inspiration!

Now you just need to replace that machinist vise with a tail vise and we'll be golden!

[ccogg]

Don’t forget my 4x8 table, Vaughn.

I started out with twenty 5/8” round holes ( I didn’t have a mag drill at the time) and I’m at about 34 now.... plus a 2” x 2” square hole.








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I could imagine mine ending up similar to that. Did you layout the holes by hand?


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[Lis2323]

I could imagine mine ending up similar to that. Did you layout the holes by hand?


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Yes. If you are only planning on a limited number of strategic holes I would suggest laying out and center punching marks on the perimeter of your tabletop for future referencing.

I didn't think to do it at the time and it will make for easier accurate drilling locations if you decide to add holes.


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[VaughnT]

Yes. If you are only planning on a limited number of strategic holes I would suggest laying out and center punching marks on the perimeter of your tabletop for future referencing. I didn't think to do it at the time and it will make for easier accurate drilling locations if you decide to add holes.

You can get around that by making a jig. Two pins welded into a flat bar on the correct spacing so the pins will drop into your table's holes. Then the rest of the bar's length is covered with 5/8" holes equal to the spacing of the pins.

Drop your guide bar into the holes on your table and then drill through it's open holes and into the table top. Get one row done and move the guide bar to the next line.

[Lis2323]

You can get around that by making a jig. Two pins welded into a flat bar on the correct spacing so the pins will drop into your table's holes. Then the rest of the bar's length is covered with 5/8" holes equal to the spacing of the pins.

Drop your guide bar into the holes on your table and then drill through it's open holes and into the table top. Get one row done and move the guide bar to the next line.

Might have better coverage and flexibility with removable pins that can be relocated in the guide bar. A transfer punch should be used for location or a drill guide inserted into the bars’s holes.

Actually a guide bar may not be practical for a large table. By the time you lay out and accurately drill holes on an 8 foot guide bar you may as well just layout on the table itself.

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[ccogg]

Even without any holes it’ll be a big step up from the floor! But peg board could make layout any future holes easy.



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