I warped my welding table top, please advise re:correction procedures

[keith204]

I started out with this nice flat sheet of 1/4" steel. Then I welded 1.25" square tubing on it, and got it all warpy.

Before I put legs on it and build the rest, I'm hoping to do something to correct the warps.

Should I just clamp it down real good to something that causes it to pull together, then weld some thicker/taller/stronger tubing? Or am I digging myself in a hole here? Cut off the current sq tubing? (please no)

Any advice would be appreciated

 

[kkroger]

You could heat shrink in the center of "Domes" or "Dishes" but hard to say I can't see the pics right now. for some reason. Really 1/4 is kinda thin for a welding table, I have a 3/8 plate in the shop here and it is warped and not that much welding...
Once I get out the "Clearin Stick" to knock the **** off it I'll zip over it with the big Angle Grinder then See where she sits. Most times I can shim to "Straight" right now my center pair of legs are not on the ground....

 

[dnschmidt]

You should not have completely welded the box tubing to the top. Two inch long beads every six inches is more than sufficient also jump around so that you don't overheat one area.

 

[yaidunno]

If flatness was a concern, the top should have been bolted down. For some reason your photos aren't showing up, likely a problem on my end. Without seeing it, I'd advise to grind the top off, remove any weld still on the top, and fasten it with some countersunk hardware after ensuring its flat again. Adding braces and welding on it more will only increase your frustration I'm afraid.

 

[PugetDude]

Here's a great article on flame straightening: https://www.boconline.co.uk/interne...ls-of-Flame-Straightening410_113398.pdf?v=1.0

I've used these techniques several times over the last 30+ years, most recently to straighten a 32 Ford frame thatwarped when the previous owner boxed it.

One thing I disagree with is the premise in the article that you have to use Oxy/acetylene. I used Oxy/propane with good results. (BOC doesn't sell propane...)

Remember, the hot side is the shrinking side, You need to let the part cool completely between shrinks. You can speed things up a bit with weight or moderate pressure... (I hung a 20# HF anvil on the frame horns when I heated the underside of the frame a couple of feet away.) You don't want a distinct bend, just a bit of pressure to lock in the correction as the part cools. Go slowly, don't get carried away or you'll put a permanent kink in the part.

Good luck.

 

[keith204]

Thanks for the tips. I’m in that craptacular stage of learning something new, and it’s frustrating but good.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[dr_clyde]

I'm not sure there's a great way to save that one. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. That is way, way too much weld on that top.

You may get something useable with some clamps and some good leverage.

Flame straightening will probably make that worse.

 

[Wesley B]

Lay it outside in the sun

 

[kkroger]

I've made longer welds on 14Ga and 18Ga and didn't warp it, 40" MIG Welds on 14Ga Sheet. BUT once you pound that much heat into it and tie it down in incorrect places (order does make a difference) if you start in the middle and TACK it etc etc etc... you could do it with minimal warping but you may just be screwed now.

 

[dr_clyde]

Lay it outside in the sun

Hoping to get a good tan on it or something?

 

[sberry]

a bench top doesn't need much weld

 

[kkroger]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wesley B View Post
Lay it outside in the sun

Hoping to get a good tan on it or something?

Nah he's gonna heat it up in the SUN (he hasn't mentioned the Dry Ice yet)

 

[keith204]

a bench top doesn't need much weld

That would have taken way, way less time.

 

[wrenchguy]

a bench top doesn't need much weld

gravity works…. a few tacks would do it… really when u want to take it apart next month to do something different.

 

[keith204]

Going the extra mile is really under appreciated around here....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[sberry]

I built 200 benchesblike this, 1/4 tops, about 5 minutes welding on each one.

 

[2oolhound]

Most projects don't span the whole table so work in the flat areas (corners, check with straight edge). Big stuff that has to span the warp will need to be shimmed. When you can afford it buy a new sheet and cut this one up for inventory of 1/4" stock.

 

[American Locomotive]

You might be able to get a large belt sander and take the high spots down.

 

[shelbysguns]

Going the extra mile is really under appreciated around here....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

How is doing things correctly appreciated, where you're from?

 

[Engine]

Here's what I'd try first:

Clamp one of the long pieces of larger square tubing next to one of the smaller tubing that's welded on the table top. Tighten it down to take as much of the bow out of the plate as possible.

While it's clamped, heat the smaller tubing cherry red in three or four places on top opposite the weld with your torch, each spot about the size of a quarter. Start at the middle of the tubing and work outward.

Let it cool to the touch, take the clamps off, and check for straightness. Don't overdo it at first, as it may warp back the other way too much.

If you don't have access to a torch then you can lay down some short weld beads in a similar way until it straightens it. You just have to let it cool completely between each heating and check it. If all else fails, you may have to cut the tubing off and start over.

 

[akalian]

a bench top doesn't need much weld

Yep, reminds me of what an old time welder told me long ago.

"A half inch weld is as good as a half inch bolt."

.

 

[wrenchguy]

lol, i like this thread! specially the sanding post!

 

[American Locomotive]

lol, i like this thread! specially the sanding post!

A belt sander with a coarse belt will basically remove as much material as a grinder. My welding table got a little lumpy over the years, and I used a belt sander to flatten it out. I just checked the surface every so often with a straight edge.

 

[dnschmidt]

The belt sander idea isn't that bad. Metalworkers often underestimate what one of these can do. Put a 40 grit zirconium belt on a Porter-Cable and go after the high spots. It's not going to make it perfect but it really could help a great deal.

 

[brownbagg]

weld you an 1/2- 3/4 plate on top of it and be done

 

[jal395]

+1 for resurfacing

 

[steel 35]

I would test a 2X4 under one end and my neighbors F 350 Superduty, slowly driven directly over the top of one tube then the other.
After verifying They don't do ****, salvage the piece between the tubing and maybe the outsides.