I'm building my own welding table - looking for advice and suggestions

Hi all,

I'm fixing to build myself a new welding table and I'd appreciate suggestions about hole size/pattern, material thickness, etc. A little about my shop and set up:

I'm doing mainly custom architectural metal fabrication, primarily CNC plasma cutting components and welding them together. I'm not making too many jig yet, but I'm sure I will in the future. I have a 5x10 CNC bed and a forklift so I can move things around and be flexible. I do have somewhat of a small space and as much as I'd like a big ol' 5'x'10 sheet to weld on I need to be smart about my space. I have a bunch of welded aluminum table bases I acquired for free that are 3/16" square tubing and are super sturdy, so I'd like to get a top to go on that. The tops would then measure 36" x 54". For the most part this should be big enough, but I'm wondering if I should make pieces that could flip up to make it 48" x 72" or something like that. I don't have a clamp brand or style I'm married to yet, so I was figuring plasma cutting 1" holes every 6" or so. I was thinking 3/8" thick mild steel for the top with some sort of nut system underneath to lift the center as the table as necessary. Also, I'm curious how you prevent your table from rusting a bunch without having to put something applied on it to burn off as soon as it's welding on.

Let me know if there's something that you wish you'd done or have seen that would be helpful. Any input would be great!

Rather than a table of holes i have simple 4" wide slats with circa 2" gaps, my case i can rearrange them - take them in - out and make it solid not slats too, roughly half of my table is normally solid half the slats, but it changes as needed, its one of the key advatages of that rather than a solid plate or a welded structure. its the nicest i have ever used, any clamp works. Only advantage to the hole grids is if you want to build up temporary jigs and get stuff automatically square.

Rust should not be a issue if its used, use will keep it polished, failing that some of the lightly oily anti splatter sprays work as a great double duty, but i prefer dry if the environment allows as its easier to keep stuff clean.

Key thing i would rate for a flat top, no outer frame within 2" of the edge so you can clamp stuff down from the edge easily.

IME for a table your size, 3/8" is too thin, you want more like 3/4" or more, thickness and mass is your friend here.

How do you attach the slats to the table?

I used 4" wide slats 5/8" thick, 5/8 reamed holes to match stronghand tools and others

Welding web dot com has a 20+page thread of welding table pics and discussions in a Sticky , you’re bound to see something you like.
Regards
John

Mebfab said:

I used 4" wide slats 5/8" thick, 5/8 reamed holes to match stronghand tools and others

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How far did you span (supports underneath) ?

I was picturing 2 pieces of 2" x 2" x 1/4" angle iron back to back,
with a 5/8" space between them. If they are 36" long or so, plate on the ends
to hold them upright and spaced apart, longer pieces, put some 5/8" pieces
flush with the top, down in the gap.

Sort of a strongback reinforced slat, with "t"-slot

My case its a heavy box frame work on nice seriously heavy rubber vibration mount feet. My case the tables about 1400x700 top, hence more like a typical smaller desk in size, its also taller than most desks but its to suit what i do. Slats are simply 4x1/2" bright flat. Bolted down with CSK screws on hole centers such that each slat can either be about 2mm gap or circa 54mm gap. Being able to swap them around is very useful and trust me 4 bolts is plenty strong enough to hold things down. Typically everything i make here these days is sub 1" tube, but there is the occasional bit of heavier work, just not much. The production work i tend to do on its all smaller laser cut stuff and ERW tubes sub 3/4"

Back to back angle would make for a seriously non flat table unless you had use bright angle. For what i do the 4x1/2" is just right, though if it was any wider i would bump that upto 5/8" thickness. My frames 50mm box with a 5mm wall, the feet are welded on but the rest of the frame is all bolted together mechano style with large gusset plates and way too many M10 high tensile bolts. gussets and box intentionally drilled dead nuts on the mill and with no clearance on the 10mm bolts, hence its more or less ridgid even with out the nuts tightened. Probably have about £300 in materials alone, but its so nice having the flexibility it gives me.

If i did the frame work over again i would - should have continued it down one end maybe just 2-3 slats down, like this it would have come in so damn useful for setting stuff vertical. Also should have milled the ends of the slats square and dead nuts identical. may even modify it to that, also should have made the frame 2" shorter and put the slats all on 2" risers just to open up even more clamping options!

Also worth adding i have no ties - cross members on the long edges at all, like this i can sit at it on a tall stall and work a tig pedal with ease. Kinda grew to hate a bench with way too much bracing at a previous job. heights also a very personal thing and also varies with bench size and your typical job, what suits me may not be a good fit for what you do, hell if i did something different i no doubt would have a different bench.

Key things irrespective of what you do, you want nothing in the way under it, you want it rock solid and you want it flat yet you still want to be able to clamp stuff to it absolutely rock solidly and have it stay still.

You could skim cut the tops of the angles, after welding them together.

You skim it and if its even as straight and flat as it started i would be seriously impressed, tends to move like more than a 1/8" in a 4' length in my experience.

adama said:

You skim it and if its even as straight and flat as it started i would be seriously impressed, tends to move like more than a 1/8" in a 4' length in my experience.

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Everything has it's drawbacks & advantages.

Over your flat stock ? a continuous t-slot.

Is it needed or not ? Only the end user knows.

I have a welding table made out of ~5" x ~5" I beams welded together with about an inch and a half gap in between. This lets you get any sort of clamp that you want almost anywhere in the table.

I would say it is much nicer than a table with holes.

I'm curious-how is the 3/16" square tubing on those table bases configured, so that it's strong enough for a welding table?

Thanks for all of the thoughts. I'll check with welding web and see what I come across there.

awander said:

I'm curious-how is the 3/16" square tubing on those table bases configured, so that it's strong enough for a welding table?

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I think they should be strong enough - they are welded on all sides of the tube. Depend on the thickness of the top I go with I might ended of welding a steel base.

Do NOT weld the top on if you want it to stay flat. Weld pads on the tube to bolt the top to.

Pick of the table I built. About 36" wide. Base not under it yet, just the slats.

Rob F. said:

Do NOT weld the top on if you want it to stay flat. Weld pads on the tube to bolt the top to.

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Yea, I welded the pipe legs on my 3/4” table top and it warped the piss out of it.

If your doing slats trust be, bolts are the answer, being able to pull a slat or 2 out once in a while can change a bloody awkward setup into something easy.

I built my table from 5/8” plate, I had my laser cutter cut the pattern so I can use the pin-fit clamps that are common. I should have gone smaller on the holes, they did a better job than I expected and there’s some slip but not bad.

I did 3 plates 30x28, with a 2” gap between them on a base of 2x4x.120 rectangular steel. I have holes cut in each plate for my tubing notched to bolt to.

The frame has flange nuts welded to it. I bolted trough the plates and used shin washers from McMaster to level the plates and account for bow of the frame. Has worked great for me and makes me parts every day. A nice work table that I can clamp to is great.