5/8 hole template

[FL Guy]

Me and my buddy built a little table last year. It’s 5 x 5 with 3/4 inch plate steel and 1/4” legs. It weighs just a little north of 1000#.
Never really understood all the holes in these fabrication tables until I saw my buddy use one.
I would definitely like to get some holes in my table but can’t justify $4k for a new one.

Has anybody used one of these tables from Harbor freight or Northern tool as a template to drill your own holes?

 

[The Cobbler]

that would work. I would use a transfer punch to locate the center of the holes , then a good center punch to pronounce the center point. then drill, rather than using the table as a drill guide

 

[mike93lx]

Maybe pegboard would work well? Use a sharpie to mark the pattern you want and then center punch.

For the drilling, I'd buy or rent a mag drill and use an annular cutter

 

[Firebrick43]

that would work. I would use a transfer punch to locate the center of the holes , then a good center punch to pronounce the center point. then drill, rather than using the table as a drill guide

I concur with the cobbler.

If you rent/barrow/buy/steal a mag base drill that has a body to base clamp very accurate position can be picked up from the center punch using a wiggler.

And after you drill so many and have a good fitting pin you can leap frog a small template to do the next part of the field.

 

[Vintagesaw]

Welding Table Drill Guide + Kit - 3/4" Systems

fireballtool.com

 

[MadeByMiller]

If you have Instagram, you should reach out to my good friend David Irving of Nub Tools https://www.instagram.com/nubtools/
He has a couple of solutions in the works. Tell him I sent you.

 

[Jswain]

I did mine last year. I wanted 4" on centre between the holes so I used a piece of 4" flatbar to scribe lines on the table # like this, centre punched all the intersections and went to down with a mag drill.

I used a 5/8" annular cutter with a vevor mag drill and the whole process(including marking & drilling) on my 4x4 1/2" plate tabletop was like 3 hours ish. Very fast & painless.

Probably the best thing since sliced bread, being able to clamp anywhere on the table, being able to setup a 90 or 45 quickly etc, so convenient.

1 or 2 of the holes did of course go off centre by maybe 1/32"-1/16" but 99% of them when checked with a square while setting up produce as square as you'll ever get. The floating pin on an annular cutter make it so simple to line up to a good centre punch.

 

[GeoBruin]

I did mine last year. I wanted 4" on centre between the holes so I used a piece of 4" flatbar to scribe lines on the table # like this, centre punched all the intersections and went to down with a mag drill.

I used a 5/8" annular cutter with a vevor mag drill and the whole process(including marking & drilling) on my 4x4 1/2" plate tabletop was like 3 hours ish. Very fast & painless.

Probably the best thing since sliced bread, being able to clamp anywhere on the table, being able to setup a 90 or 45 quickly etc, so convenient.

1 or 2 of the holes did of course go off centre by maybe 1/32"-1/16" but 99% of them when checked with a square while setting up produce as square as you'll ever get. The floating pin on an annular cutter make it so simple to line up to a good centre punch.

I did the same with a piece of round plate I've had lying around forever. Found center, scribed a line, used a 2" spacer bar and scribed the whole thing, then center punched and went to town with thr mag drill.

 

[Sumboodie]

Just mark out a grid and have at it.

I use my 8x12ft truck bed as a fab table. It's around 3/8" thick and waist height. I just tack weld right to it vs clamps.

 

[rmack898]

See post #1214 in the thread in my signature.
I think I put 267 5/8” holes in my table.

 

[mark-NJ]

This guy must have been thrilled when he reached the end. His results are *perfect*, but...man...I'm exhausted just watching his video!

 

[danielbuck]

yeah, drilling all those holes is probably going to take way longer than it will to lay them out. I'd get a straight edge and a large square, and just scribe and punch, then get to drilling

 

[Spareparts]

Drill Bushing's will keep the annular cutter or drill bit from walking

 

[strength_and_power]

I had a template cut from 1/8”. I used shoulder bolts as stops in the first corner, used a transfer punch to mark my spots and then a mag drill with a 5/8” annular cutter. I used the shoulder bolts in my just drilled holes to advance my template across the table. Had to make a few concessions as I had the table laser cut with a handful of 1.75” slots to facilitate using F clamps in the middle of the table