Fabricating Work Bench

[jakgop21]

Hello forum members,

about 4 years ago i got into welding specifically mig welding.My first project that my friend and i did was a vise stand made out of scrap steel.

My next project is a workbench . Im thinking about doing a 5' long by 2' wide . I already started getting the materials . Originally I thought of making it all out of 1" x 1" x 1/8" .120 according to the invoice thick steel as I have a 135 welder. spent already 30 bucks for a 20' stick.

I was talking with a buddy and he was saying to use the square stock for legs and to make the top out of either 1x 1 x0.60 or 3/4x 3/4 x 0.60 angle iron and drop in some expanded metal. He was saying to kind of make it like a hybrid work bench have a piece of plywood to drop in for flush work.

What are your thoughts before i go ahead and continue to get more materials ?

angle iron with expanded metal for the top or square stock with a flat sheet of metal welded to the top?

I wanted to make it mobile with casters. Still trying to figure out what casters to get ? Metal would be good for the welding but would be noisy, softer material would be quieter but then may not hold up to the sparks.

Thanks for the help

 

[LXCam]

Add a full perimeter frame for the top and use at a minimum 1/8" thick plate. You'll regret not having a good solid flat top if you're just getting into fabricating metal. You can always put a piece of plywood on the top and use a couple screws to hold it in place. All that's going to happen with the expanded metal is it's going to get bent up over time.

 

[ilovevocs]

I think LXCam nailed it.

Don't over think the casters. Any will do.

Personally I think with the weight of the bench you're looking to build you won't even need them unless you make it more robust which would not be ill advised.

Do a few searches for benches on here and compare it to your proposed design.


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[mike13u]

Hello forum members,

about 4 years ago i got into welding specifically mig welding.My first project that my friend and i did was a vise stand made out of scrap steel.

My next project is a workbench . Im thinking about doing a 5' long by 2' wide . I already started getting the materials . Originally I thought of making it all out of 1" x 1" x 1/8" .120 according to the invoice thick steel as I have a 135 welder. spent already 30 bucks for a 20' stick.

I was talking with a buddy and he was saying to use the square stock for legs and to make the top out of either 1x 1 x0.60 or 3/4x 3/4 x 0.60 angle iron and drop in some expanded metal. He was saying to kind of make it like a hybrid work bench have a piece of plywood to drop in for flush work.

What are your thoughts before i go ahead and continue to get more materials ?

angle iron with expanded metal for the top or square stock with a flat sheet of metal welded to the top?

I wanted to make it mobile with casters. Still trying to figure out what casters to get ? Metal would be good for the welding but would be noisy, softer material would be quieter but then may not hold up to the sparks.

Thanks for the help

I agree with the others. I would use a nice, solid, steel top. You will be much better served. And, like the others said, nothing will stop you from throwing a piece of plywood on top if you want to switch it up.
Also, I think you might mean .065" wall angle not .60"...correct? You will need to bump that up to .125" anyway as thats where the common stuff starts. Hot rolled angle generally goes from .125" to .375" wall thickness.
Good luck and post picks of the build

 

[jakgop21]

Any suggestions on how to clean the steel before welding ? Other than grinding ? I was told to use acetone is that a good idea ?

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[tarbellb]

If you can find "full locking" casters that would be best. They lock both the wheel and the rotation, making for a pretty secure stance.

 

[hotdogstand]

Muriatic acid, about $8 per gallon. Takes the scale right off

 

[ilovevocs]

Any suggestions on how to clean the steel before welding ? Other than grinding ? I was told to use acetone is that a good idea ?

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The acetone will remove grease and oils but you need to remove the mill scale as well.

My first choice is angle die grinder with a rolock disk. Most control, ligther than angle grinder. For the work your doing you can use 36 or 80 grit. I use anything between the red scotch bright all the way down to 36 grit.

Second choice, only if i don't have access to air is An 80 grit flap wheel on an angle grinder. A grinding disk which will also work but is not as nice to work with as the flap wheel.

You could also get as simple as a file, sand paper, belt sander, what every you have. Basically the goal is to get to bright metal.