making a heavy steel work station

boseefus402 · Mar 7, 2009

Ive been lurking around here for more than a year, I'm from over at the Jalopy Journal (chicken scratch over there).

For more than a year now I've wanted to build a new heavy duty work station. Something that would last forever, be heavy enough that I couldn't dent it or sag with beating the **** out of something on top of it, weigh enough that it wont move under the beating, but be mobile when it has to be.

I've been amassing random steel to make it over the past 6 months, but today I finally got my bench top.

Its 24x48x.750, it weighs about 240 pounds. The edges are rough cut and I'm going to be for an entire day trying to smooth it out with the grinder, but you couldn't beat the 19.99 price i paid for it.

Then for the base I have a bunch of pallet beams that I can use for cross supports, and pallet uprights for the legs, or just use more beams and weld it all together.

I've been constantly searching the forum for pictures over this year to get some good ideas.

I don't have heavy enough casters yet, but then to keep it in place when I want it to I think I will weld on some outriggers with some huge down bolts that could be screwed down lower than the wheels to make it stationary.

boseefus402 · Mar 7, 2009

I'd also like to incorporate tool storage into the unit. I'm not sure how I am going to do it yet. I've contemplated trying to take on making my own sheetmetal drawers and making a slider system, but I don't have any bending tools. I also thought about mixing materials and making an integrated load of small wooden drawers like a homemade overgrown Gerstner box, but the cost of strong wood is just too expensive.

I found 3 of these that I might try to incorporate. They are about 28" wide so they are too wide to mount front to back so I will have to mount them side to side. I'm still not sure how I am going to incorporate them in. I might just take the easy way out and weld some angle in to hold them and then I'll have to pull them out all the way and then route through the big boxes for tools each time. I'm still trying to think of something more sophisticated, but I don't trust sliders, they always fail for me and try to collapse on one side.

Thinking about welding some angle inside the drawers then making steel or wood containers to slide on the angle making things more easy to find.

Rory Bellows · Mar 7, 2009

YOU ****! $19.99 for a piece of plate like that is a great deal. In my area it's hard to find good pieces of plate like that at the scrapyard. Those pallet beams might work but from the pics they look like a pretty thin gauge of steel. I would use at least 1/4" for the legs. If the pallet beams are thin I'm sure you could scrounge up some thick tube or even pipe.

For the drawers try to make a stop so the drawers don't pull all the out. Maybe a simple angle iron bracket bolted from the inside of the drawer.

fourfeathers · Mar 8, 2009

I have 2 factory made workbenches that are made from pallet racking legs, and some cross pieces for structure. It really does work well. The ones I have have a 3 drawer unit welded to the front on each side. I am betting that some office furniture could be dismantled to give you some similar drawers, and just weld them under as a sub-assembly.

duderjay · Mar 8, 2009

i should get some pics of the work benches at the shop made out of pallet racking. abosulutly cool and tough and have been there linger than I have.

I'll get some pics and post em up it will help to get some ideas for people, plus the have some shelves in em too

Vinko · Mar 8, 2009

I'm thinking about making a workbench in the spirit of yours. I haven't been as lucky to get materials as cheap as you, but I haven't been looking too much either.

I was going to use 4" sq. tubing for legs and frame. And maybe 1/2" thick steel plate for the top. Maybe 5/8. I'll have a vise and anvil on opposite ends.

As for drawer slides. You might want to try Knapp and Vogt. Don't know if they make industrial duty stuff or not, but I've been impressed with some of their product.

I was thinking of doing some sort of riser/shelving as well. But am still thinking about the design.

PAToyota · Mar 8, 2009

HA! I was watching that piece on eBay myself, but it was a bit of a drive from my location. Good score!

boseefus402 · Mar 8, 2009

i could believe i was the only biddder, I'm picking it up at 4 today.

I have a 60" piano job-box for my huge tools and some light duty crafstman boxes for the small stuff, so I'm thinking I'll use the drawers in the above pics for my angle grinder and accessories, clamps, that kind of stuff. If I do get some big angle iron for the boxes to sit on and slide on, what how can i make a stop so they don't come out when i pull them. any pics of designs?

Jim Stabe · Mar 8, 2009

Here's an idea you could try for squaring up your top. I had the same problem with the flame cut piece of 3/4" I used for my table. I took the head off of my chop saw and mounted it to a piece of channel (if I did it again I would have used a much longer piece of channel so it would be easier to clamp at each end). Set up a straight edge parallel to the cut line to guide the channel. I used long vise grips to clamp it before each cut. Only cut about 1 1/2" each time so you are cutting on the edge of the metal rather than the flat part. I have a 4' x 4' table and each side (I only had to do 2) took me about 45 min to do. The finish is much better than I had expected.

Jim

Frank Elson · Mar 8, 2009

You have to keep us updated on this project.

and +2 on taking apart, or incorporating, office drawers in the design. I now have two very decent toolchests made from filing cabinets with smaller than normal drawers.

Keep · Mar 8, 2009

How strong are the lips on those drawers? You could use some u channel and tack it to the underside of the top and simply slide those lips right in. Might want to add a catch to keep from pulling them all the way out though.

Keep us updated as I am in the process of gathering pieces for my welding table as well.

IDASHO · Mar 8, 2009

Jim Stabe said:
Here's an idea you could try ..... I took the head off of my chop saw and mounted it to a piece of channel

Fantastic Idea Jim!

Ive been using a cheap skill saw with an abrasive metal cut-off blade.

Does the job, just have to go slow to avoid burning up the motor. :spit:

boseefus402 · Mar 8, 2009

holy **** Jim that is awesome! Id burn out my piece of **** chop saw trying to do that but it's a great idea. My angle grinder probably isn't up to the task either. I gotta think about it for a day or so.

sam 8 · Mar 8, 2009

Man, you stole that top for sure. I'd buy all he had at that price!

Gonna be a sweet fab table.

boseefus402 · Apr 25, 2009

Finally got to getting further along with it. Most of the motivation came from the fact that I got a new chop saw! It's the $99 one from harbor freight, with the flyer coupon, 20% off coupon, and no sales tax in Deleware I got it for $45 even. Much nicer and quicker than free handing it all with the angle grinder.

Got the uprights and cross beams cut to length. The top sheet will recess in the beams.

Now for the drawers Ive been looking for more than a month now try to scavenge 6 heavy duty drawer slides. These are almost 30 pounds each on their own, so till I load them up with grinders, clamps etc, they may be 100 pounds each. Ebay has some ball bearing slides that could supposedly take up to 100 pounds for not too bad but I still dont trust them.

Any one have any better cheap ideas? What about welding on some angle to the side of the drawers, and the angle sandwiched between two pieces of square tube so it cant fall down or tip up. It's crude but sturdy. Ive been looking online for a while now for other ideas but nada so far.

making a heavy steel work station

boseefus402

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boseefus402

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Rory Bellows

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fourfeathers

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duderjay

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Vinko

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PAToyota

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boseefus402

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Jim Stabe

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Frank Elson

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Keep

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IDASHO

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boseefus402

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sam 8

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