Finally finished my welding table/work bench

[dt5150]

after years of working without a vise in my garage, i finally have one! no more running into the house and down to the basement to use a vise. and no more welding, cutting and grinding on a black & decker workmate! i finally got sick of lighting it on fire i guess. anyway, here's my new table. the top is 3/8 thick, 48"x32". the legs are 2" square tubing, 1/4" wall. and the rest of the frame work is 1.5" square tubing, 3/16 wall. i left the lower section in weld-through primer since i still need to cover it with some sheetmetal (don't have any yet) but it's more or less finished. i was already using it before it was done! i used it to make the mount for the vise. i'm gonna love this.

 

[NASTYZEN]

It should outlast you! Nice job, your not going to regret having spent the time and effort.

 

[dt5150]

thanks! man, you have no idea how long i've needed this table...

 

[Test Tech]

Awesome! It will pay you back instantly in terms of efficiency, and ease of use.

 

[dt5150]

yeah, my back will thank me for it!

 

[SARG]

It looks a little "tippy" with the vise on the corner. Will you have to counterbalance it ?

 

[PaulR]

Looks way too tall.

 

[dt5150]

nope, not tippy at all. i yanked on it pretty hard with the wheels locked and it barely moved.

thanks paul. neow paul?

 

[gsport]

perfect size... that's real close to what i have, (found on CL for $50)

 

[ptschram]

Nice job. I can tell you're right-handed, my vise is on the opposite corner as I'm left-handed. I put my vise on the corner at an angle so it would be accessible to right-handers and left-handers and to maximize the amount of overhang it has for odd shaped pieces.

Something I've just started doing is drilling and tapping 3/8-16 holes so I can screw a vice-grip style drill-press hold-down clamp to my table. Makes it really handy!

 

[dt5150]

actually, i'm a lefty. i've got a wooden bench in my basement with the vise on the right so i guess i'm just used to it.
i like the idea of drilling/tapping some holes..

 

[NUTTSGT]

It looks like a healthy table, I hope it does the deed for you.

 

[ptschram]

actually, i'm a lefty. i've got a wooden bench in my basement with the vise on the right so i guess i'm just used to it.
i like the idea of drilling/tapping some holes..

I'll try to post a pic. So far, it's only been used to hold sheetmetal to the table while plasma cutting, but I've got some 1-2-3 blocks that can bolt to the table as well and then, I can use the clamp I have or mill clamping set-ups as well.

As I need them, I drill holes in the table, tap them if I need it, thread the clamp in, clamp the work and weld away.

 

[MartyO]

I like it!

Simple and to the point!

 

[Krokodil]

Very nice job there! Well done!

 

[dt5150]

thank you.

i just wanted something simple, mobile, etc. something i can weld/grind on, pound on, and mount a vise to. and it tucks into that back corner by the tool box perfectly.

 

[jtbinvalrico]

Nicely done......I'm also tired of welding on a workmate. I'm gonna bookmark this page and steal your idea for mine.

Post up any mods you do to it so I can steal those too

 

[SARG]

actually, i'm a lefty. i've got a wooden bench in my basement with the vise on the right so i guess i'm just used to it.
i like the idea of drilling/tapping some holes..

Quicker still .... with your plate top you just drill a hole and tack nuts underneath.

 

[steel 35]

Nice! I see one in there I will Pirate...... the tube or pipe I like it; can think of several ways to use that.

 

[sscustom]

id love to have that in my shop ,great job on it

 

[ptschram]

Here's my clamping set-up

 

[dt5150]

sweet, i like the versatility.

for the bottom shelf on mine, i've "sourced" some discarded metal shelving that i'm going to use as the shelf surface. originally i had planned to use some steel mesh, but after pricing it, i'll go with the free stuff. it'll collect dust, but it'll work just fine..

and thanks for all the compliments!

 

[reedwesd]

Looks awsome. I really like how you can remove the vice. Are you going to make a place to store it under the table or leave there all the time?

 

[ptschram]

Looks awsome. I really like how you can remove the vice. Are you going to make a place to store it under the table or leave there all the time?

I just saw that as well, I'm gonna have to do something similar with my vise.

 

[dt5150]

more than likely it'll probably stay on there 99% of the time. i don't typically work on large sized projects, so i should have plenty of room. but if i do need more space, i'll just pull it out and set it somewhere. no plans to make another "storage" mount for it, but i could easily enough.