I need to get a welding table, about 3' x 6'. A fancy Bluco fixturing table or something else along those lines isn't in the budget, so I was thinking of either getting a used cast iron t-slot table like this:
http://www.machineryvalues.com/product-p/138202.htm
Or getting a steel plate that has a grid of drilled and tapped holes, like this:
http://www.race-dezert.com/skunkz/herbst_shop/54.jpg
Or maybe drilling and tapping my own plate (but I don't have access to a mill that can do something this large - so I'd have to do it by hand - not sure if that's feasible).
I don't have much experiance with these types of tables - I've always done all my welding on a cheap sheet metal table that wasn't flat and that didn't have any provisions for clamping. Are the t-slot tables more versitile? Or are the tapped and drilled tables equally as useful? I'm used to using a t-slot clamp kit on a mill, but I'm not sure how the tapped and drilled holes are used - can you use the same type of clamping kit with studs and step blocks?
Thanks very much.
Jon
http://www.machineryvalues.com/product-p/138202.htm
Or getting a steel plate that has a grid of drilled and tapped holes, like this:
http://www.race-dezert.com/skunkz/herbst_shop/54.jpg
Or maybe drilling and tapping my own plate (but I don't have access to a mill that can do something this large - so I'd have to do it by hand - not sure if that's feasible).
I don't have much experiance with these types of tables - I've always done all my welding on a cheap sheet metal table that wasn't flat and that didn't have any provisions for clamping. Are the t-slot tables more versitile? Or are the tapped and drilled tables equally as useful? I'm used to using a t-slot clamp kit on a mill, but I'm not sure how the tapped and drilled holes are used - can you use the same type of clamping kit with studs and step blocks?
Thanks very much.
Jon