Stainless steel top for a welding table

[ed_v]

Got a nice 14ga Stainless steel top for free that has rounded edges on all four sides. Any downfalls you can think of if I was to use this for a welding table?

Ed

 

[JC23]

You're not gonna want to mess it up!

 

[VegasBruce]

14ga is kind of thin for a welding bench, however it will work if your not going to pound on it much. Using stainless for a top is just like mild steel, no big difference at all.

 

[strike a poser]

The back flash will blind you. It will kreep up the bottom of your hood and give you the worst flash burn of your life. I found this out while welding a stainless tank one day. finally got a full leather hood to finish the job. Keep it for doing "nice" work.

 

[Static-XJ]

Biggest downfall to a stainless table top is that spatter will stick much more readily to the surface. Getting spatter off a stainless surface usually requires a grinder/sander, it typically won't knock off with a chipping hammer or chisel. Since you got the piece of stainless for free, maybe put it away somewhere and pull it out if you are going to be welding stainless. Using the stainless top in those cases will save your parts from picking up carbon from the table top.