Welding table

[mickri]

I have never used a welding table let alone made one. A month ago one of my neighbors who was moving set out a folding table among other things on the curb. Free for the taking. I grabbed the table, a rolling cart with drawers and a small metal can with a lid. The rolling cart now has my cut off saw sitting on it and the can is now my shop trash can. I use the lid to keep track of small parts when I am working on something.

The table's 3'x8' top had some rather large holes in it and being pressed board weight a ton. Broke up the top and into the trash it went. I already have several work benches but don't have a welding table. Got to thinking that if I shortened the frame and welded some flat steel to the frame it would make a welding table. Had to go into Fresno yesterday and stopped by a manufacturing plant that sells their scrap at 50 cents per pound. Picked up a 21" x 60" x 1/8" plate to make the top. Here is my idea for the top of the table.



The top will overhang the frame by 2" all the way around. The legs which I didn't draw in will fold up so the table can be stashed somewhere when not in use. Due to the small size of my shop everything has to be able to be stored when not in use.

I have not cut the steel plate that I bought. Will this work for a welding table?

 

[DavidR8]

I think it will work. My only question is whether the 1/8” plate will be sufficiently rigid across the unsupported 26” span. Maybe there are supports that aren’t shown?


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[mickri]

No supports across the 26" span. The table legs fold up into that space when not in use.

 

[Ken from ontario]

I like the idea of fold up legs, that's what I have, except the legs on mine is actually an old Workmate table.

Portability in a small shop is most important, your table looks fine with the 2" overhang, what you need to know is to calculate: what that size of welding top would weigh when it's all done.
Maybe it is better to have the top smaller (less wide) ? ~34"X30." but that's up to you and how your back reacts to lifting, moving a wide /heavy welding top.

Another issue you might face is how the table is clamped to the legs, a welding table serves as a surface where you hit/ move(fit) heavy workpieces and that table needs to be firmly attached to it's frame while in use so might I suggest reinforcing the area where you plan to clamp it to the legs. a six inch angle iron can be welded on either side of the top.

BTW, I like the gaps between the plates, they need to be just wide enough for your "F" or "C" clamps to go through easily.
Overall, I like the design but just wanted to make you aware of the issue of portability and size or weight of the top, if a welding table is to hard to dismantle and be put away, it will end up staying fully assembled and open all the time, and we all know what we do in a shop when we have a wide and empty flat surface, it will be a magnet for other stuff to collect on top of.

 

[mickri]

I was concerned about the weight of the top. I pulled the piece out of their stack and was able to carry it with no problems. Based on what I paid the top should be 30 lbs. I haven't weighted the top. The frame and legs no more than another 10 lbs. The frame will be welded to the top pieces. I kept the brackets for the legs. Still debating whether to weld the leg brackets to the top or weld 1/4-20 bolts to the top to fasten the leg brackets. I like the idea of welding bolts to the top because I could then take the legs off if I need to.

 

[DavidR8]

That seems like a solid approach!

 

[Ken from ontario]

I kept the brackets for the legs. Still debating whether to weld the leg brackets to the top or weld 1/4-20 bolts to the top to fasten the leg brackets. I like the idea of welding bolts to the top because I could then take the legs off if I need to.

do you mean weld four 1/4-20 bolts per leg? attached via wing nuts? then I would say no to that idea, (I mean I wouldn't do it ), but I like foldable legs that when opened up stays solid on the floor. portable welding tables are always a compromise, if we all had enough space in our shops, we all would have a heavy four legged welding table firmly planted in a corner of the shop but the moment you bring portability in the design, ease of use, weight, set -up, take -down etc. all becomes important.

A picture of the actual legs would help a lot.

 

[WobblyHand]

My experience with welding is you want the plates or table tops to be pretty thick. 3/8" is not quite thick enough. That's what I have. Otherwise you get warping due to the heat. 1/8" is quite thin, in my opinion. I went with 3/8, because 1/2" was too heavy for me to handle. In retrospect, I should have gone with 1/2". Good luck with whatever you end up with!

 

[Lo-Fi]

I use my welding table as a general workbench. It means it's aways clear apart from the project I'm working on! It's sturdy, everything proof, wipe clean and on wheels. I've added a set of feet - actually scaffolding legs - that I can wind down to keep it stable.
My welders and fabrication kit live under it on a shelf too, so it's actually a really efficient and mobile use of space.
1/8 plate is a bit on the thin side, but might be ok of you're literally going to use it to weld. Mine gets used and abused for all kinds of forming, welded to, ground flat again, hammered on, sides used to bending etc. which you'd not get away with on 1/8

 

[mickri]

My welder is a HF 125 flux core that I modified to be DCEN. It is fastened to a 3 drawer metal file cabinet that's on wheels. All of my welding stuff and soldering stuff fits in the drawers. I have a beefy 100' long electrical cord that has its own 20 amp circuit and is used primarily with the welder. I try to do all of my welding outside on the driveway.

This table will most likely live outside folded up against the wall of the garage or the garden shed . I specifically didn't want a thick table top. How would I ever move it or pick it up.

Here are the legs and frame. The frame will get shortened.