Showoff your work tables (not benches)

[emillika]

Let's see those mobile shop tables! I'm thinking of getting a 4x8 welding table that can also serve as a light assembly area. Im trying figure out other uses for it in a shop that is mainly used for older Jeep work and restoration. Ill probably have it made so looking to ensure I have it well thought and spec'd out.

Note, I am just getting started with welding later in life so I am not up to fabbing a very heavy table.. As I travel exensively for work I like to spend my time in my shop working on my Jeeps not building items I can better outsource to a pro.

What ideas, features, functions can you share that you love about your table or things you wish you would have done?

 

[couch67]

Maybe not the best table for welding, more for woodworking and assembly. 2" maple top, frame is 1-1/2" tube, 4 swivel casters, and can be adjusted for vertical fine tuning. Designed to act as an outfeed for the table saw, and tucks under the miter saw bench when not in use.

View media item 109416
View media item 109417

 

[couch67]

Tried to edit and add another photo..

I also have a rolling metal table (bought used online) that has been great for welding and heavier work- it has storage under it with shelves and two drawers. The storage is handy to put other tools or materials in.

 

[lis2323]

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[shopnut]

This is not a welding table either (I have a steel-topped roll-around that is being converted into a welding booth of sorts - not ready for prime-time yet!).

This 3-photo series shows how the rolling island workbench “docks” underneath the stationary pedestal bench. One thing I can suggest is making it adjustable in height. The older I get, the more i want things at a comfortable working height, no matter what it is.

Full Up;

Full Down:

It also tilts for easy cleaning (just kidding!)

An old Mayline drafting table was the starting point for the roll out table.

 

[88thunder]

OK, so where's the thread for that work table? its awesome

 

[mlyonsdc]

This is not a welding table either (I have a steel-topped roll-around that is being converted into a welding booth of sorts - not ready for prime-time yet!).

This 3-photo series shows how the rolling island workbench “docks” underneath the stationary pedestal bench. One thing I can suggest is making it adjustable in height. The older I get, the more i want things at a comfortable working height, no matter what it is.

Full Up;

Full Down:

It also tilts for easy cleaning (just kidding!)

An old Mayline drafting table was the starting point for the roll out table.

Thats awesome nice shop!

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[paredown]

Maybe not the best table for welding, more for woodworking and assembly. 2" maple top, frame is 1-1/2" tube, 4 swivel casters, and can be adjusted for vertical fine tuning. Designed to act as an outfeed for the table saw, and tucks under the miter saw bench when not in use.

I love this--did you weld the square tubing yourself, or connectors--or something you purchased?

(great that you tucked the jointer underneath too.)

I have to do something like this--I have a bunch of new stuff coming and very little room.

 

[shopnut]

OK, so where's the thread for that work table? its awesome

Thats awesome nice shop!

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Thanks!

This link will drop you into my ASYLUM build thread where I give all the (sometimes long-winded) details on the workbench build: Reply #3938

 

[matt_i]

An old Mayline drafting table was the starting point for the roll out table.

I knew it instantly when I saw the spring-counterbalance mechanism Even down to the same paint color.

I have one packed into the corner of my garage I guess with the remote hope that I'll get to do some pencil and paper drafting again someday (!)

That's a fantastic repurpose of it part of the reason I can't bear to get rid of it is its so heavy duty and nicely made....

 

[shopnut]

Here's another tip for roll-around tables.

I mounted two floor locks on the base cabinet years ago for when I wanted to park the cart in the middle of the room. You can see them in the following picture between the casters.

They are actually easy to use and work very well. But I found out I didn’t really need them at all when I installed the swivel locks on the front two casters.

Here is an explanation of the swivel lock. You can also see it pretty well in the picture immediately above.

What I discovered was that if the front casters are locked perpendicular to the rear casters (as shown in the picture below), the cabinet can’t roll at all. The direction of wheel travel contradicts the others. This method actually makes the table just a bit more stable compared to using the floor locks because all weight remains on the 4 corners of the table. The floor locks tend to raise the table slightly and you can detect a hint of rocking because the table is teetering on the locks.

So keep in mind there are at least four ways to stop a caster cabinet from moving… Wheel chocks, wheel brakes, floor locks, and swivel locks.

 

[shopnut]

I knew it instantly when I saw the spring-counterbalance mechanism Even down to the same paint color.

I have one packed into the corner of my garage I guess with the remote hope that I'll get to do some pencil and paper drafting again someday (!)

That's a fantastic repurpose of it part of the reason I can't bear to get rid of it is its so heavy duty and nicely made....

Give that old girl a new life... Garage Life!!

Agreed, the quality of those old drafting tables is exceptional. I didn't haul this one home from work myself when my employer disposed of them, but I bought it from a coworker years later after he got sick of moving the behemoth around. Its quite possible this was MY board back in my drafting days. The drafting board and Vemco drafting machine ended up mounted to the wall in my office.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[Hephaestus29]

Here’s my table. I call it my “Rebuild Table”

It’s nothing fancy, mostly wood except
for the Top. I used Bathroom Stall Walls
for the top. I had bought quite a bit of it
off craigslist several years ago.
Being nylon or HDPE or whatever it is,
it doesn’t scratch up the part you’re
working on. I built it just for my
Hardinge Lathe Rebuild.

 

[madgrey]

Here's my go-to, general project table. The top is from Global Equipment, frame lumber, lag bolts and stain I got from Home Depot and the wheels are from Amazon.com. I often have a 1/4 vinyl covered MDF sheet on top if things get oily. Not shown: A power strip attached to the front face for plugging in various tools.

 

[couch67]

I love this--did you weld the square tubing yourself, or connectors--or something you purchased?

(great that you tucked the jointer underneath too.)

I have to do something like this--I have a bunch of new stuff coming and very little room.

paredown, yes the tubing was all welded, which I built as part of the miter saw bench and lumber rack project. I too don't have a ton of space, so everything possible is on wheels. There's a bit more detail in my garage build in my signature.

Shopnut, that is one nice bench!

 

[tarmy]

I have two tables that I use for either welding or cabinet making...

 

[lis2323]

I have two tables that I use for either welding or cabinet making...

Very nice![emoji41]


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[lis2323]

This 4x8 welding table is on casters.





This one is too heavy to roll so I use a pallet jack




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[Alchase]

This is my work/layout table. It is a 15 year old Skil X-bench (discontinued) I bought this on a whim back in 2005. Not pretty. But I hoped I would get a few years s out of it until I figured out what I wanted long term (like a sweet stainless steel top table) but this thing won’t die!
I love this table!

I have beat it to death, and it still serves me well!

Came with a mesh bag of Dogs, clamps, the center separates foe a cutting table, adjustable legs, and the right end expands out another 24”. Router plate fits in perfectly, and I use a Wheeler Magazine mount for AR15 maintenance.
I have cut halfway through my the threaded extensions that extend out the right side (forgot to adjust the blade depth on my circular saw) yet its just works well.
Best $250 I have spent in my shop!

 

[akdiesel]

An old Mayline drafting table was the starting point for the roll out table.

Work of art and well thought out.

 

[royce]

This is not a welding table either (I have a steel-topped roll-around that is being converted into a welding booth of sorts - not ready for prime-time yet!).

This 3-photo series shows how the rolling island workbench “docks” underneath the stationary pedestal bench. One thing I can suggest is making it adjustable in height. The older I get, the more i want things at a comfortable working height, no matter what it is.


An old Mayline drafting table was the starting point for the roll out table.

Fantastic design Shopnut

Royce

 

[Jackfre]

I’d reconsider the 4x8 portion of the table. 4’ requires a lot of walking around to get things. I’d suggest a couple outriggers with a hinged or folding leg and a plank or perhaps a hinged leaf. My work table is 30” wide and I can reach across it. That is a big deal.
The photos are my table with 3 ply 3/4” top. Legs are 3” and stretchers 2” There is a front to back center stretcher with a leveling bolt to support the top. I have been really happy with the hdpe feet on this. I can throw a sling around the legs and drag it where I want it.

 

[nashbalto]

I ran into a craigslist ad in Delaware for a Hamilton drafting table. I actually put it in my office at work. I use it for thinking amd handwritten note-taking. It does not have a monitor.

I rewired an old Dacor drafting lamp to dual LEDs for awesome lighting.

I will look at some of the ideas for sturdy folding tables in the related threads. I am running (already happened...) out of room.

I would love to have a drafting table in my garage, but I will need to get a new garage...

 

[nashbalto]

I ran into a craigslist ad in Delaware for a Hamilton drafting table. I actually put it in my office at work. I use it for thinking amd handwritten note-taking. It does not have a monitor.

I rewired an old Dacor drafting lamp to dual LEDs for awesome lighting.

I will look at some of the ideas for sturdy folding tables in the related threads. I am running (already happened...) out of room.

I would love to have a drafting table in my garage, but I will need to get a new garage...

Oh yeah, almost forgot,

Dacor lamp $50
Drafting Table $100
K&E dtafting machine Free
(Was still attached to table)
Drafting stool $150

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

This is more of a cart than a table - the top is part of a maple kitchen table with a 2 x 4 frame. I have since sold the pre-block and replaced it with a low speed grinder. The Dazor lamp with an LED flood bulb is very bright.

 

[alex71]

no longer have the house this pic was taken in, but still have the table

 

[yeldogt]

I have a Noden Adjust-A-bench -- bought mine about 15 years ago when he only sold the whole benches. He does the parts now --

Had just bought a weekend house about 1/2 hour from him w/ small outbuilding and I needed a bench that could be versatile ..

I'm in a new place w/ more space and benches .. so it's less needed now.

 

[Bruce Amacker]

Most of the pictures in this thread are workbenches, not tables. Yes, I have workbenches, several good heavy ones, but the most used work surfaces in my shops are these work tables, not the benches. They're just folding tables on homemade 2x4 platforms with casters. 90% of the time you're not hammering the **** out of something, you're doing brakes or rebuilding a carb, or tearing the accessories off of an engine to get at something further in. These are some of the handiest tools I have in the shop. Less than $20 invested in any of them, mostly scrap wood plus HF casters. I use white paper on top to see better and keep a clean work surface, it's better than the green masking I started with. Being light and portable obviously makes them easy to roll to the car, or under a car's wheel on the lift doing brakes. The only pictures I have are from a small "party" where they doubled for food.

 

[Walkers]

use big, heavy legs, like 4” minimum. I used 4” heavy wall pipe. Then build a stout frame between them, I used flanges I had cut off of WF beams. Then weld on your top. Buy as thick a top as you can afford, I wouldn’t go under 1/2” plate. Also, my top is 40”x72”. I have been gabbing off it professionally for 20 years. I also have big heavy casters with urethane tires. I have two fixed and two swivel, if I ever need to make them stay still I just grab angle iron scraps and put them behind the wheel.

 

[csp]

I can't find the finished photo, but here's a before with the butcher block top on the cabinets it came out of the school wood shop on as well as the frame I built for it. The butcher block was so full of pin nails that I had to cut an inch off the edges. There were two Columbian wood vises on it, and I kept one. The frame has spanners on the bottom now as well.

 

[T-handle]

Such a cool tables here! Here's my version of a welding jig table with integrated tool drawer, seat and a tool receiver system.











More story about the build here -> T-Handles workshop

 

[evh]

Plans for this custom beauty are available upon request. The unique paint job and matching seat were added later.

In all seriousness I am jealous of many of your your work tables (and shops)! I threw this together out of necessity one day and it has been my main work surface ever since. As you can see, a 3’x3’ piece of 1/2” plywood with a 2”x4” screwed to it clamped in a B&D Workmate.

Some thing I like about it are:
- It is very lite and easy to move. The rubber feet drag easy across my smooth concrete garage floor, even with a lawn mower or snow blower on top.
- The board is easy to remove with a couple twists of the Workmate clamp and then both can be put away taking up very little space or the Workmate can be used as needed.

I bet I have worked on well over 100 lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc on it. Attached is my last project, a GE 1940 “Quiet” fan that now resides in the shop.

 

[zanyad]

...
3’x3’ piece of 1/2” plywood with a 2”x4” screwed to it clamped in a B&D Workmate.
...

What are the holes for?

 

[evh]

What are the holes for?

The previous owner to my house left a large plywood box/shelf thing in the basement that had doors on it as well. Look at the lower left-hand corner of this board and you will see three holes and notch for a hinge. If you look just north of that, you will see the same holes again. This was a door on the box/shelf creation. I assumed the two large holes were how he opened it.

Seeing how rough my table looks and how nice the others are, I have another identical piece of plywood in the basement (holes and all - they were two doors, one on top of another) that I want to add on top. My goal is to make the surface more solid and paint it as well. I can't paint the piece you see as it has had so much oil and gas spilled on it.

So I believe the holes were for opening that piece when it was a door.