source for 1" thick steel plate

[reinhardt]

I've seen a few guys on here w/ weld tables with a 1" thick steel plate top. I want a peice of 1" plate 2'x8'. At 40.8 pounds per sq-ft that is 652.8 pounds! The weight isn't the issue, my bench will support it. The issue is cost - at a penny a pound that's $652.80. I don't figure you guys are paying a $1000 for a benchtop, so what are you paying and where are you getting it? Thanks guys.

Ben

 

[DYNA BILL]

Better redo the math. At a penny a pound, that's $6.53.
Your steel is going to cost much more than a penny per pound. Don't know how much, though.

 

[JoeMopar]

652.8 pds. @ a penny /pd. = $ 6.53 after rounding it off.

 

[gsport]

around here it's at about $.50 a pound

 

[DanCo]

free if you find a roadside construction job. take the road plate

 

[GirlnAgarage]

$1/lb when I picked up some 1'x1'x1" plates earlier this summer from the local steel supply. Haven't checked recently however.

gsport, $.50/lb sounds good!

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Check with a local steel fabricator. They might do you a favor and sell it for a little over cost. Right now plate and HSS (tube) shapes are running .50 to .55 cents a pound while angle, channel and wide flange shapes are a little less. You will not find anything that size as scrap (1" thick is a common base plate size used on columns ranging in size from 9x9 to 18x18). They might sell you what they have left from a sheet however after they cut what they need for a project.

You are still looking at $350 or maybe a little less for a plate that size though.

 

[R6 Racer]

Ya... $0.50 a pound is a great price! Around here it's a buck a pound at best! Some places are $1.50/lb.

Steve

 

[reinhardt]

thanks for correcting my math..... i think we all reached the point i was trying to make... so scour around town and steal a piece, hard to explain to the cops - even harder to explain to the wife afterwards. darn the bad luck.

 

[Boiler]

1" plate is really heavy plate. Chances are you're not going to need it. We've got 1/2", 5/8, and 3/4" plates on our welding tables, and even welding down a large structure to it to hold it all in place (fighting shrinkage) none of those tables ever bats an eye. My recomendation would be to build a stiff, flat tube frame and then put a 3/8 or 1/2 plate on it. Should be gobs plenty for just about anyone.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Steel prices go up and down. I'd bet with a little research you could see which way they were going and pick the week or month when the price is down.

I have a bench top that's 30x60. I paid somewhere around $280, if I'm remembering right. It weighs 510 pounds and was not easy for one guy to move. I used 2"x4"x1/8" rectangle tubing with steel dowel rods on top to slowly roll it into position. When I had to flip it like a pancake I had to get creative with levers and floor jacks. You have to be very cautious with something that heavy.

24" is on the shallow side for a work surface. 36" is the deep side. Usually, the best depth is somewhere between those two.

Here's how mine came out:

 

[Ign]

thanks for correcting my math..... i think we all reached the point i was trying to make... so scour around town and steal a piece, hard to explain to the cops - even harder to explain to the wife afterwards. darn the bad luck.

Exactly. Road plates. Look for places where they're running utilities across an existing road, etc.

 

[Elroy]

1" plate is really heavy plate.........
My recomendation would be to build a stiff, flat tube frame and then put a 3/8 or 1/2 plate on it. Should be gobs plenty for just about anyone.

1" plate is indeed heavy for a simple welding table

When building die sets with NEW material, Elroy typically contacts BICO:

http://www.burgeriron.com/history.aspx

There are lots of other sources.

1/2" AR plate on a suitably stiff support should be plenty. AR being heat treated "Abrasion Resistant". It would yield a very tuff surface and would last several life times.

 

[csp]

Local craigslist has a guy asking $450 for a 4x8 piece of 1" plate. I've seen it for several weeks and he had the price at $500 until recently.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Another design to consider, instead of a solid plate is to go with slats of channel or flat plate. It'll allow for different configurations and it'll be easier to move because of the pieces.

I'm planning on a table configured as Boiler suggested with the over all idea of thinner plates (1/4"-1/2") but well supported.

 

[Zengineer]

I put an ad out on craigslist and ended up getting a whole table for free... check link in my sig to see how I unloaded it.

 

[Mr.N]

thanks for correcting my math..... i think we all reached the point i was trying to make... so scour around town and steal a piece, hard to explain to the cops - even harder to explain to the wife afterwards. darn the bad luck.

I'm not sure I'm following you, but if your talking about stealing a piece, you don't belong on this forum.

Even if you could find a piece used for sale, you don't want something that was used to cover a hole. They re-use those all the time to keep heavy objects out of the hole, some times vehicles.

You want your welding table surface to be flat and true, that's more important than how thick it is.
Which welder do you have?

 

[Jack Olsen]

Yeah, speaking as a taxpayer -- don't steal the plates I've helped pay for.

Buy your own like everybody else.

 

[DYNA BILL]

think this was where the idea came from.

free if you find a roadside construction job. take the road plate

 

[green.bubbly]

I thought I was the only one that made simple math mistakes like that. Welcome aboard brother. lol

 

[reinhardt]

thanks for sticking up for me dyna bill. jeesh guys. i guess it is harder to convey sarcasm in text. DanCo suggested stealing a piece (jokingly i assume), and i played along. i pay my taxes too and would hate to see some poor fool drive his car into a hole i caused. besides, how would i get it off the road and into my truck w/o incident (arrest, hernia, possible decapitation)? anywho, i think i may stick w/ 1/2" so i can break the front edge and break the back for a backsplash. i know 2' is kinda shallow, but the garage is kinda small. any deeper and it gets in the way. i know 1" is massively overkill, but i figure it would be an interesting conversation piece if it could be legally acquired for a reasonable price. i considered making a t slot table, but would prefer a flat top so i can use the bench for other things too. it never ceases to amaze me the volume of responses you can get to a thread from naysayers that never really address the question. no hard feelings here, just amazed.

ben

 

[GirlnAgarage]

thanks for sticking up for me dyna bill. jeesh guys. i guess it is harder to convey sarcasm in text. DanCo suggested stealing a piece (jokingly i assume), and i played along. i pay my taxes too and would hate to see some poor fool drive his car into a hole i caused. besides, how would i get it off the road and into my truck w/o incident (arrest, hernia, possible decapitation)? anywho, i think i may stick w/ 1/2" so i can break the front edge and break the back for a backsplash. i know 2' is kinda shallow, but the garage is kinda small. any deeper and it gets in the way. i know 1" is massively overkill, but i figure it would be an interesting conversation piece if it could be legally acquired for a reasonable price. i considered making a t slot table, but would prefer a flat top so i can use the bench for other things too. it never ceases to amaze me the volume of responses you can get to a thread from naysayers that never really address the question. no hard feelings here, just amazed.

ben

Ben, you get what you paid for

 

[DYNA BILL]

No problem reinhardt.
I think 1/2" thick would be plenty for a welding table.
I work in a stainless steel fabricating shop and most of our tables are no thicker than that.

 

[Griff93]

You might not want to put a backsplash on it. If you do, I'd suggest making it removable. I have a 2'x4' welding table myself. On occasion I find it necessary to move it away from the wall and let whatever I'm welding on hang off the back side. Mine is only a 1/4 in thick top. I warped it up a bit welding it to the frame. If I had to do it over again I'd probably use 3/8 or 1/2. Make the frame slightly smaller then the top so you can clamp stuff down to it using the lip of the top hanging over.

 

[DYNA BILL]

Griff93, good tips there.

 

[reinhardt]

i like the pull it out from the wall idea griff93. and good answer girlnagarage. lol.

ben

 

[DanCo]

think this was where the idea came from.

*Damn guys! it was meant as a joke. you know funny ha ha

 

[Full Size 66]

HaHaHa, Jack Olsen says be carefull with 500lbs. of steel plate! He is so funny! OH, maybe he is on to something, there is a reason I have little feeling in some finger tips

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Local scrap metal yard gets scrap from production shops all the time. The better stuff they set aside to sell. I never can remember to go by and see what they have, but the guy showed me where it sits and told me to keep checking. Said he had a torch and would rough cut a piece if what I found was too big.

Charles

 

[Mr.N]

think this was where the idea came from.

free if you find a roadside construction job. take the road plate

Taking something from a construction job for free is stealing to me. Nobody lets those plates go for free.

*Damn guys! it was meant as a joke. you know funny ha ha

Sorry, but that is not how your original post reads.

 

[reinhardt]

interesting charles. you mean the scrap metal yards you turn scrap into right? i just assumed they didnt resell anything due to insurance reasons and blah blah blah. anyone in virginia beach area know of yards that offer this service?

DanCo i figured you were joking. again, it's hard to convey sarcasm in text. to the rest of the forum you are going to be known as a thief (possibly a terrorist) from here on out. darn the bad luck.

ben

 

[NUTTSGT]

I did a quick search on Craigslist in Virginia. I wasn't sure where exactly you were but I found this.

http://richmond.craigslist.org/mat/2185992364.html

4'x8'x 1/2" for $150

 

[reinhardt]

interesting. lets see if the wife wants to go for a ride tomorrow after church. i'm in vbch, little bit of a haul.

ben

 

[reinhardt]

next question: i want a nice finish on the top. have access to a sandblaster this will fit in. what kind of coating do u all recommend to prevent rust and still be able to weld to table top. some type of oil rub? will antispatter spray keep it from rusting? something that i dont have to grind off to tack something down. something that wont off gas nasty fumes when heated. thanks guys.

ben

 

[X1 Mike]

Taking something from a construction job for free is stealing to me. Nobody lets those plates go for free.


Sorry, but that is not how your original post reads.

In legal terms "Any reasonable person" would understand that Dan was joking.

interesting. lets see if the wife wants to go for a ride tomorrow after church. i'm in vbch, little bit of a haul.

ben

I would go before church so that I could repent after I stole the iron from the construction site.

^^^^^SARCASM^^^^^

 

[reinhardt]

i like the sarcasm tag mike. is that how it's done on forums? ha!

ben

 

[X1 Mike]

i like the sarcasm tag mike. is that how it's done on forums? ha!

ben

I just didn't want any misunderstanding, I don't advocate thievery before or after church.

 

[Torque1st]

To get a flat surface after your table is welded have it blanchard ground.

 

[Lotek]

I just didn't want any misunderstanding, I don't advocate thievery before or after church.

So... during church is OK, then?






We really need a "stirring the pot" smiley.

 

[X1 Mike]

To get a flat surface after your table is welded have it blanchard ground.

Going to take an awful big blanchard grinder.


Grinding wheel dust (swarf), mineral spirits, flat piece of cast iron. Rub until flat.