rattle_snake
Well-known member
A decent welding table has been on my todo list for some time now. I looked for a hunk of plate for a top and used tables for some time, but didn't find anything worth pursuing. After settling on a design, I got hung up on material prices... so I waited another month and they went up another 20%. Dooh! I wanted a 1/2 or 3/8 plate top but couldn't justify the significant extra cost given MY use and needs for the surface.
I looked though many table builds for ideas and how they would work with my limited space and usage. I wanted to fully utilize the space underneath, so I decided to fully enclose for clean storage. This allows me to get rid of an existing cabinet to make room for the table. I also wanted to keep my welding machines portable and mounting a tank presented some problems. So the design is a boring, simple cubic rectangle. I chose to use casters for portability. We'll see how that works out, I can always replace with fixed feet if desired in the future. I settled on a height of 32.5" and can add spacer/lift blocks above casters if needed. So far it seems too low...
First step was to build the frame. Material is 2" rectangular 0.120 wall. I built the short ends first and got them as square and flat as possible, then squared up the rest of the frame. I've learned a few things over the years on weld cool/contraction and it effects, and each project comes out a little better than the last. I went slow and re-measured things 5 times before committing to the next step. Cut a lot of tack welds to adjust until perfect. I decided not to use 2" on the lower front to allow the doors and shelf to extend to the bottom. 1" tube frame supports the shelf and gives a place to attach the skin. The resulting errors are very minimal and I am happy with the results.
Cut some plate for caster mounts with the plasma and tapped to 3/8
Test fit of the 1/4 top, whole thing was cupped
I looked though many table builds for ideas and how they would work with my limited space and usage. I wanted to fully utilize the space underneath, so I decided to fully enclose for clean storage. This allows me to get rid of an existing cabinet to make room for the table. I also wanted to keep my welding machines portable and mounting a tank presented some problems. So the design is a boring, simple cubic rectangle. I chose to use casters for portability. We'll see how that works out, I can always replace with fixed feet if desired in the future. I settled on a height of 32.5" and can add spacer/lift blocks above casters if needed. So far it seems too low...
First step was to build the frame. Material is 2" rectangular 0.120 wall. I built the short ends first and got them as square and flat as possible, then squared up the rest of the frame. I've learned a few things over the years on weld cool/contraction and it effects, and each project comes out a little better than the last. I went slow and re-measured things 5 times before committing to the next step. Cut a lot of tack welds to adjust until perfect. I decided not to use 2" on the lower front to allow the doors and shelf to extend to the bottom. 1" tube frame supports the shelf and gives a place to attach the skin. The resulting errors are very minimal and I am happy with the results.
Cut some plate for caster mounts with the plasma and tapped to 3/8
Test fit of the 1/4 top, whole thing was cupped
