Building my welding table and a few projects along the way

[Benzlover]

Hi,
after a long time of beeing just a lurker again, I wanted to share the build of my welding table. I was given the table top with the holes by my boss, it's something I contemplated buying for a long, just never pulled the trigger. So, with the top plate standing in my garage, I needed to get going with the table itself. Having thougt about it for as long as I thougt geting the plate, I had quite a few ideas. I wanted to close off the top of the cabinet as well as the sides to avoid welding spatter or grinding dust in the contents of the cabinet. Also, I wanted the plate sitting on some spacers to be able to get it absolutely level with some shims if necessary. When you only have the plate without support, beeing flat and straight is not a given.

A few specs beforehand, sorry, all metric here
top plate 1200 x 800 mm, 12 mm thick
table structure square tube 60x60x4mm
sheet metal closing top and sides 2mm
dividing floors is trailer plywood 9mm (needed to be slim due to spaceing for the organizing bins)
The structure holds 6 big E2-bins 600x400x200mm or 12 smaller ones half the size with a little spac to spare.

So after designing the table in draftsight and getting all the materials cut to size, holes drilled and partly tapered, the fabrication began...

The fabrication of the table structure was done on the welding plate laying loose on a cart. First I tacked the frame that went direcktly under the welding top. Then I welded the plates for the wheels to the uprights. After that, the uprights were tacked on and the bottom frame was added. With this steps completed, the table structure was ready to be welded solid. So some quality time with my Rehm welder was coming up .


Quite the opportunity to get my welding trained again a little bit after beeing working in the office for over 2 decades now and therefore only beeing a hobbyist, rather than the pro metalworker I used to be before the change of career.




After all the welding, the plate was test fitted and removed again to get the top and side sheetmetal welded in.





Next step was primer and waiting on the missing flat bar and angle iron for the dividing floors.





to be continued

 

[Benzlover]

Part 2

The missing angle iron was cut and drilled, and I also got the dividing floors/shelves cut and brought home.

The structure was welded together and completed, followed by primer and light grey paint.


Laying upside down to install the shelves with allthread for added strength.





Plate going on



Hope you like the documentation of he build. I'll add a few gadgets that are in my head allready along the way.

 

[larry4406]

Very nice build!

That will be useful!

 

[LXCam]

Very nice!

 

[Benzlover]

Thank you guys I hope my english is at least halfway acceptable to read for the native speakers.

I'll throw in my first of the additions already done to or for the table. The first is a sheet metal shear or more the adapter plate for it to fix it on the table. I helped a friend of mine emptying a garage shop of an old man that had passed away and got the shear as a gift for the help provided. The widow wanted the stuff gone, so we took, what was of use for us, the rest was scrapped.

It's an old german made Mubea sheer. Mubea has a long heritage of tool manufacturing. I already have another Mubea in the basement shop, but always going back and forth between the garage and the basement while i.e. doing sheet metal work isn't really practical. I cleaned and lubed the shear, and without any further restoration,it cuts great.

With the adapter it can be fixed in any position on the table in seconds just with some clamping bolts. To have a laser cutter at our fabrication plant in the company is quite a blessing.



As for the blue painted bolts:
when I did my apprenticeship,as a metalworker, we used those M10 bolts as thread protectors when we spray painted large steel constructions. They were tossed afterwards and back then, I grabbed a bin full of them. Now, 30something years later they get to use. I may clean the paint offbof them, but maybe they'll stay blue as a reminiscence to times long past.

 

[Benzlover]

Second addition is a vise...for fabrication, you need a vise, right?

I already have a big 150mm (6") forged Heuer Front vise at my workbench in the garage, which was already used and abused as a press, a bending device, 3rd hand and whatever imaginable task. But, welding stuff in it was always a no go, because of it beeing close to a steel cabinet and more important, there is always something on the bench whats either flammable or could get damaged by sparks. A dedicated vise on the fab and welding table was part of the dream from day one.

The table was designed with 4 trailer hitch style (at least in the US it is, the hitches here are differently made) points where a smaller square tube can be stuck and clamped to the table structure. I stole this idea from the GJ.
There are two on one short side, and one on each long side of the table. This the most useable configuration for my tiny space. And for maximized flexibility I don't want anything permanetly mounted on the table.

I got that vise and a bench grinder to go with it from an old guy in town for 20€. My cousin bought his house and didn't want the workbench nor the applications to it. Sometimes I can't understand people...missing out on old german made quality tools.

Well, I got lucky and brought home the vise and the grinder. The vise is a Boley vise with 125mm (5") jaws and friggin' heavy. I tried my hand again on draftsight and modeled a adapter for the vise to the table. A little laser cutting, drilling and tapering, the construction could be welded together, get cleaned up. I decided that I liked the colors of the haz, so I only clear coated the whole thing and mounted the vise.

Next up will be some kind of storage mount to get the vise out of the way to the side of the table when not in use. Enough story, here are the pictures

 

[yhprum]

Nice work!
Paoson woodworking has a video on HT on modifying those casters to raise and lower them from the top of the workbench that looks interesting.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Depending on its use, flatness could be an issue.

What have you used to check it ?

 

[Benzlover]

Depending on its use, flatness could be an issue.

What have you used to check it ?

The table top wasn't flat when it came from the manufacturer. I think there were 2 to 3 mm of a bow in it along the long side. Along the short side it was straight. So I made this little spacers to sit on the frame and the frame itself relatively stiff material wise. If needed I would have had the possibility of putting shims in between the plate and the frame.

To check at the assembly of the components I used various straight edges or the long sides of right angle / square tools just as shown on the last pics of the table. IIRC the flatness in all directions is in about 1/10 mm. For my use thats good enough, and there won't be tons of load on it to get it to twist or bend.

 

[PugetDude]

Nice work! Subscribed for updates.

 

[stinkity stoink]

Nice work ….keep the updates coming on projects

 

[SouthernIllinois]

Nice!! Very Impressive

 

[dscheidt]

I have never understood the German vises with a fixed front jaw. It seems limiting in what you can do with the vise. I often put strangly shaped pieces on the vise, where part of the piece is hanging in space in front of the table.

 

[theoldwizard1]

IIRC the flatness in all directions is in about 1/10 mm. For my use thats good enough,

That's about 0.004" ! Damn good enough !!!

 

[Benzlover]

I have never understood the German vises with a fixed front jaw. It seems limiting in what you can do with the vise. I often put strangly shaped pieces on the vise, where part of the piece is hanging in space in front of the table.

Now that you're mentioning it. Right...its a fixed front jaw. I didn't really pay attention to that until now.

There are both kinds here on the market. As far as I know, this kind with the fixed front jaw is more of a machinists tool and have better guides, less play in them, the other ones are for the rather heavier stuff to work on.

The main reason to have this one for me was quite simple: It was cheap .
And it will likely do the job its meant for. I still have the other version of vise in arms length of reach, if the need arises.

 

[loganb]

Looks like great progress! Keep the pictures coming as you move forward!

 

[e-tek]

Now THATS a welding table! Always wanted to build one but most of my welding was on a vehicle of some sort. Great welds!

 

[NUTTSGT]

I like the sheet metal under the top to catch the sparks, berries and grinding debris.

I wished I would have done something similar on my welding table build.

 

[Benzlover]

Looks like great progress! Keep the pictures coming as you move forward!

Thank you, will do

Now THATS a welding table! Always wanted to build one but most of my welding was on a vehicle of some sort. Great welds!

So is mine, i also do the most of my welding on cars. But like mentioned, this thing was a big dream of mine. So i just had to build it, even if it only serves as a normal work table most of the time.
Nice to have you back here on GJ, etek. I always was a lurker in your automotive threads.

I like the sheet metal under the top to catch the sparks, berries and grinding debris.

I wished I would have done something similar on my welding table build.

Thanks.


The next projects are a stainless steel part of the headstone for my late wifes (and my) last resting place, the parking position holder device thing for the vice shown above and maybe some kind of adapter plate for a bench grinder/wire wheel. Also the MB 190E needs to get done for the summer season