I learned to weld with an old "Lincoln buzz box". You know the stick welder that they still sell at Home Depot. Go buy one and enjoy. I then progressed to welding with an oxy acetylene torch and that was how I really learned to weld. Once you master that you can weld anything and make great...
I have two Craftsman benches as described with the particle board tops and a 4x4 sheet of 1/4" steel right on top. I have been welding on this for about 10 years now with no issues. I just clamp my ground clamp right to the 1/4" steel and weld away. It works great. I will be rebuilding my...