Newbie Welding table questions

[Jake18v]

I found a 24"x48" 1" square tube table frame being tossed out. By luck I have a piece of sheet metal the exact same size. I decided to use it as my welding table. The table is 30" tall. It's a bit too short for me to work comfortably.

I found some perforated square tubing (1 1/4") at the big box store. I drilled some holes in the table frame and bolted the square tubing to it. The table is a wobbly b/c the ID of the 1 1/4" is roughly 1.07 and the OD of the 1" square tube is 1.03. Newbie mistake.

Can I eliminate the wobble by welding the perforated tubing to the square tube?

I figure I'll play around with the table height until I get it to comfortable height. And then weld it all up.

What height do you guys run your tables at? Right now I'm running it at 39" and I'm 5'9". It might be too tall when the work piece gets too large.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Yes, welding the extensions to the legs will remove most, if not all, of the wobble.
I was given a welding table that is 41-1/2 high. I like it for TIG because I can work standing or on a tall stool and rest my elbows on the table. I'm 5'10.5" +/-.5

 

[Gaffer]

I agree with MrWhoopee. I can't tell for sure if your perforated steel is galvanized, though it doesn't appear to be. If you're not aware, the zinc coating on galvanized steel produces zinc oxide when welded. Those fumes are dangerous and you don't want to inhale them. Nice score on the table!

 

[Jake18v]

I agree with MrWhoopee. I can't tell for sure if your perforated steel is galvanized, though it doesn't appear to be. If you're not aware, the zinc coating on galvanized steel produces zinc oxide when welded. Those fumes are dangerous and you don't want to inhale them. Nice score on the table!

I drop all the zinc coated stuff ( nuts, washers and in this case the perforated tube) into a glass jar with muriatic acid to strip the zinc. Then I wash with water. I keep the muriatic around in a jar to reuse. Let's see if the acid works for a second round.

 

[TCSmith]

For me as a rule of thumb for work bench height. I was told years ago by an old timer the make all benches "dick" height. It has worked well for me. Also seems to be the perfect height for stools when you want to sit. (Tig, delicate filing, etc.)

 

[aliva]

The standard for industrial railing is 42". So 42 1/2" is in the ball park. Depending on what you consider comfortable this may have to be adjusted. Make it comfortable for you . On the table I would weld diagonal braces from corner to corner to stiffen things up. The braces will also act as a shelf support, because your going to want to add a shelf at some point