Cast work benches

Motorsports-X · Jul 30, 2016

Have an old, very heavy duty workbench in the shop. We use it for injection molds. It's obviously cast, and Blanchard ground. There is a 3" Grid pattern under the bottom. Can't find any cast in manufacturer. It has very heavy cast legs as well, with a flat where the casters mount. Anyone have any idea who makes tables like this anymore? I'll try to get a picture up soon.

Illinoyance · Jul 30, 2016

Acorn makes welding tables and used to make layout tables.

gbent · Jul 30, 2016

Size?

I have a 4' x 8' Challenge. Challenge Precision is still in business and still lists plates. Mine has .10 wide grooves in a 2" grid for the wheels of a Portage layout machine to run without scarring the top. Unfortunately, a previous owner's shop thought it would make a good grinding and welding table. The original .003 accuracy is now more like .030.

Lots of companies used to make cast iron tables, even the foundry at Kansas State College made 30" x 4' cast iron tables. Solid, not cored. Planed them as well.

Motorsports-X · Aug 1, 2016

Photos of what I'm looking for, or similar

Limy Sami · Aug 1, 2016

Look for a lay out or surface table.

fmari --MariTool- · Aug 1, 2016

Table looks old and outdated. I will do you a favor and dispose of it for you.

James H Clark · Aug 1, 2016

Looks like it has a planer broadnose finish, especially in the first pic.

JH

Steve in SoCal · Aug 1, 2016

Not exactly like that but, old gang drillpress tales are pretty nice cast iron tables. That looks like an old roll your own machine table.

Steve

Spruewell · Aug 2, 2016

Is there a specific reason for having a cast iron table? You could easily get a 1-1/2" plate and weld some 4 x 4 x 1/2" square tubing under it for legs. I have a couple of these in my shop and they make excellent heavy duty tables (you could park a truck on them). Not as elegant as those cast ones, but very durable and versatile (easy to weld to)

Mechanola · Aug 2, 2016

Yes, there is. Cast iron is more elastic than crucible steel and it dampens vibrations better. It’s cheaper than steel, too.

Motorsports-X · Aug 2, 2016

there is no particular reason i have to have this table... I just wanted to see if I could find another one to match. its a pretty great bench for the cnc. I usually do all my layout on it when im building a new mold. S far ive put 3k pounds on it evenly distributed and it didnt miss a beat.

anyways.. if i cant find one, Ill just build a steel one.

James H Clark · Aug 2, 2016

Mechanola said:
Yes, there is. Cast iron is more elastic than crucible steel and it dampens vibrations better. It’s cheaper than steel, too.

Weld splatter won't stick to cast as bad as mild steel and the cast retains its flatness better after years of use.

JH

Mechanola · Aug 2, 2016

Very right

gorrilla · Aug 2, 2016

Motorsports-X said:
Have an old, very heavy duty workbench in the shop. We use it for injection molds. It's obviously cast, and Blanchard ground. There is a 3" Grid pattern under the bottom. Can't find any cast in manufacturer. It has very heavy cast legs as well, with a flat where the casters mount. Anyone have any idea who makes tables like this anymore? I'll try to get a picture up soon.

I have one at the house. Used to have a gang of 4 drill presses mounted on it. They wore out, which tells you how old it is. It was used for a catchall here for years. Finally, on a clean up spree, the owners decided to move it outside, to be sold for scrap. Heavy SOB. So I cottoned on to it, paid scrap price for it, took it home, and mounted my reloading presses on it. Long as you don't stub your toe on it, it's great!

Motorsports-X · Aug 2, 2016

does yours have a manufacturer on it any where?

cyanidekid · Aug 2, 2016

Mechanola said:
Yes, there is. Cast iron is more elastic than crucible steel and it dampens vibrations better. It’s cheaper than steel, too.

that's a contradiction. grey cast iron is a composite material obviously, so not "more elastic". dampens vibration better, yes, mostly because it is LESS "elastic". the graphite nodules form what are effectively small voids, much like the air in insulating foam, that impede the propagation of vibrational waves. most hot rolled plate is "open hearth" not "crucible" steel. "crucible" steel is a somewhat archaic term for higher quality steels that were re-melted in smaller (500-4000lbs) batches in crucibles, usually with the addition of alloying elements such as manganese, molybdenum, vanadium etc. electric arc furnaces are commonly used to make alloy steel now, with capacities of 100-200 tons. as far as "cheeper" well that depends. a modern plate mill can produce 4000 tons a day of 1" A36 plate. to produce 100 tons of cast iron, properly cooled, with a similar flatness, well, MUCH more costly, and you can only make a little piece (comparatively) at a time. it was once cheaper, before the mills existed..

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Cast work benches

Motorsports-X

Hot Rolled

Illinoyance

Stainless

gbent

Diamond

Motorsports-X

Hot Rolled

Attachments

Limy Sami

Diamond

fmari --MariTool-

Titanium

James H Clark

Stainless

Steve in SoCal

Titanium

Spruewell

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Mechanola

Stainless

Motorsports-X

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James H Clark

Stainless

Mechanola

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gorrilla

Stainless

Motorsports-X

Hot Rolled

cyanidekid

Titanium

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