alpinewhite
Well-known member
OP, could you post new pics of what it looks like today? Plus, any regrets (even minor) on the design?
This could be the ultimate welding table.
- Thread starter AMCguy
- Start date
tig
Well-known member
Would you be willing to list the precise specs for all the steel you used? I'm a noob to this and am confused on the right ODs, thickness, and kind of steel to order. Also, lengths.
I'd give my left nut for a pre-filled shopping cart on something like http://www.onlinemetals.com/
I'd give my left nut for a pre-filled shopping cart on something like http://www.onlinemetals.com/
kazlx
Well-known member
There's not much to it. There's always personal preference, but for something like this, use all 1018 tube and plate. I like 2x.120 wall for this. For a 2'x4'x36" tall table
8 - 6"x1/2" thick HRS plate, 30" long - 20ft total
FWIW don't buy from Online Metals, find a supplier close to you, even if it's a drive. It will be way less, plus not have to pay for shipping.
4 - 4ft 2x2x.120 wall CRS tube (length)
4 - 2ft 2x2x.120 wall CRS tube (depth)
4 - 3ft 2x2x.120 wall CRS tube (height) - 36ft total
You just need to adjust for height with casters for what you want it to be and then the dimensions of the table. IE, if you want the table 4ft long, you may have to cut them to 44" (48 minus 4) depending on how you are going to orient the joint. It can be done a bunch of different ways.
The rest is hardware, nuts and bolts and casters.
tig
Well-known member
You happy with the choice of going with 1.5" between your 6" top plates?
Yes.
1 1/2'' is about perfect. it allows me to drop a large clamp in anywhere I want. The height of the tabletop from the frame allows using the same clamps anywhere around the perimeter as well.
I chose 30''x60'' for three different reasons.
1. I started a thread on here where I asked what a good size for a welding table would be. Jack Olsen's answer 30''x60'' sounded pretty good.
2. I had this crappy old office table. I show it in the beginning of the build thread. It was a size I had gotten quite used to working on and it fit my shop quite well.
3. It allowed me to minimize waste. I think I had a 1/4'' piece of scrap left over after cutting the top planks from a 20' piece of 1/2''x6'' bar stock. I got the all the 2''x2'' used in the frame out of a single 24' length of stock as well.
As for the frame I used what I had. But I like to keep plenty of .125'' .188'' and .250'' wall material on hand. I chose 2''x2''x.125'' for for most of the frame and 3''x2''x.125'' for the top of the frame. As I said in the build thread, I should have used 4''x2'' for the top of the frame. More for the fact that it looks more robust. The 3''x2'' is more than adequate, but I really would have liked the look of 4''x2''. It's moot now though, like I said I built it out of what I had on hand.
36'' from floor to tabletop is perfect for me. I'm 6'2''.
I'm glad You like the table.
tig
Well-known member
Couple more quick questions if you don't mind. I've got my steel and am doing my drawing...
How far apart did you place the bolts on the 6x1" planks?
How far elevated are the bolts (distance from plank down to beam)?
What size bolts are those? Wish you had gone beefier?
Thanks again.
How far apart did you place the bolts on the 6x1" planks?
How far elevated are the bolts (distance from plank down to beam)?
What size bolts are those? Wish you had gone beefier?
Thanks again.
Sure. Heres a picture with my just purchased JD2 model 32 tubing bender and Notch Master mounted to it. I use the table every day. It’s the centre piece of my fabrication bay. I’m very pleased with how it has been serving me. If I had anything to complain about it would be two things…
1. Like I said in my above post, I really wish I had used 4’’x2’’ for the top of the frame. Not because it’s needed. I just think the table would took tougher that way.
2. The wheels bug me sometimes. Although they have the features I wanted, I find them kind of soft. It makes it a little hard to get it rolling and it’s hard to get it to change directions when it is rolling. One very nice thing about them though, is they will roll over grit or bits of swarf easily without anything imbedding into the wheel.
Any time I have someone in my garage for their first time, they usually walk right over to it and give it a pretty thorough looking over. It always gets positive comments. Some wonder why I don't have anything mounted to it, like a vise or holders for my clamps or grinders. The truth is I never wanted to do that. I already have storage places for those items very close by and frankly, I like the cleaner look of the shop when as many things as possible are out of plain view.
I’m really happy with how well this thread turned out. The table has inspired quite a few similar builds and in some cases it’s been duplicated faithfully. I’m flattered either way. I’ve seen it on other fabrication sites as well as Pinterest. At one point it was the top hit on Google Images.
Funny story, My wife and I had a yard sale this summer. I ended up chatting with a fellow about fabrication and stuff. He told me he had seen an awesome welding table on the internet that some guy down in the States somewhere had built. He thought it was the greatest thing ever so he was going to build one just like it. He started to describe it to me in detail. When I realized he was describing my table but was a little off with the geography, I smiled and invited him into the garage. He was absolutely blown away with the coincidence. We had a good long laugh.
Attachments
The bolts are 1/2''x2'' fine thread grade 8. I ground the markings off the heads of them so they'd sit flat against the plank and made a little fixture to hold two at at a time for welding.
They are 1'' from the end of each plank and 1'' in from the sides or 4'' apart. The bottom of the planks sit 1 1/2'' from the top of the frame.
The bolts are plenty strong. No need to go bigger.
You are very welcome.
tig
Well-known member
Thanks again. I'm gonna go with the same bolts. Here's my design.
Starting to document this on my garage thread:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6126746#post6126746
Starting to document this on my garage thread:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6126746#post6126746
bulletpruf
Well-known member
That is a pretty cool story! Must be nice to have a famous welding table!
Very nice welding table. I was wondering after you bent the pieces for the casters did you then weld them back up to reinforce them? I been looking at a lot of the welding tables here lately to get some ideas on my welding...
Last edited:
Thank You for the compliment.
Yes. The plates got fully welded back up then ground and sanded. See post #32. Now that they're finished, it looks like they were made in a press brake. Unfortunately one has to get down on their hands and knees to see.
Have fun with your build.
Yes. The plates got fully welded back up then ground and sanded. See post #32. Now that they're finished, it looks like they were made in a press brake. Unfortunately one has to get down on their hands and knees to see.
Have fun with your build.
AMCGuy--just wanted to thank you for the design. I stole it completely. The execution of mine is more focused on booger-welds and slag, but the spirit of it is there. I did end up making a few changes. I went with a 4"x2" main beam like you suggested. I upsized the bolts to 5/8", I booty-fabbed the wheels instead of making them all fancy, and I added some adjustable feet. Oh, and a future vise mount (2" receiver). After I drilled about the first 8 of the 5/8" holes, I was hating life. So I got a circle template and cut the rest with my plasma cutter. A long ways from perfect, but still functional, and much quicker. Thanks for all the work you did, and I'm looking forward to using mine!
View media item 68410
View media item 68411
View media item 68407
View media item 68409
View media item 68408
Edit: Oh, and I almost forgot. I tried to get cute with the galvanized hardware. I de-plated it with muriatic acid. For anyone else doing this, I would only use that setup for what you absolutely had to. I ended up not trusting the effectiveness of it on the nuts and bolts, and using the grinder anyway. But in the process of using the acid, the threads all came out a little messed up--half plated, half not. So, it was maybe the right technique to pull the plating off my wheels for direct welding, but with anything with flat surfaces, I'd recommend the grinder.
View media item 68410
View media item 68411
View media item 68407
View media item 68409
View media item 68408
Edit: Oh, and I almost forgot. I tried to get cute with the galvanized hardware. I de-plated it with muriatic acid. For anyone else doing this, I would only use that setup for what you absolutely had to. I ended up not trusting the effectiveness of it on the nuts and bolts, and using the grinder anyway. But in the process of using the acid, the threads all came out a little messed up--half plated, half not. So, it was maybe the right technique to pull the plating off my wheels for direct welding, but with anything with flat surfaces, I'd recommend the grinder.
Last edited:
Brink38334
Active member
AMC,
Thanks for sharing you project. They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, well tonight I finished drilling out the 1/2" and 1 1/8" holes in the front and back top 2x4. I hope to start tacking and welding this weekend. In one of your earlier posts you said you used a jig to align the bolts you welded to the slats. This part makes me the most nervous. I would hate to get everything built and the bolts not align to the hole. Any lessons learned with the bolt weld jig? Or details on the jig you used? Thanks in advance. I will post a pic of your design living in another shop once I have something worth photographing
Thanks for sharing you project. They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, well tonight I finished drilling out the 1/2" and 1 1/8" holes in the front and back top 2x4. I hope to start tacking and welding this weekend. In one of your earlier posts you said you used a jig to align the bolts you welded to the slats. This part makes me the most nervous. I would hate to get everything built and the bolts not align to the hole. Any lessons learned with the bolt weld jig? Or details on the jig you used? Thanks in advance. I will post a pic of your design living in another shop once I have something worth photographing
Brink, Thank You for the great compliment.
As you know, my bolts are centred 1'' from the end and 1'' in from the side of each slat.
For my jig, I just cut a piece of 1''x1/4'' flat bar 6'' long. I made a notch (half of a 1/2'' hole) along the side for each bolt. I just held the bolts into the notches as I aligned the jig with the end of the slat and clamped it. I remember butting the slat and the jig up against something to ensure they were even, but I don't remember what it was. You can weld one side of the bolt head then remove the jig and weld the other. Or you can just use the jig while you tack the bolts then remove it and weld all around.
Remember the head of the bolt will sit flat against the slat if you grind any markings off it first.
And please do share the pictures of your table here when you are done.
As you know, my bolts are centred 1'' from the end and 1'' in from the side of each slat.
For my jig, I just cut a piece of 1''x1/4'' flat bar 6'' long. I made a notch (half of a 1/2'' hole) along the side for each bolt. I just held the bolts into the notches as I aligned the jig with the end of the slat and clamped it. I remember butting the slat and the jig up against something to ensure they were even, but I don't remember what it was. You can weld one side of the bolt head then remove the jig and weld the other. Or you can just use the jig while you tack the bolts then remove it and weld all around.
Remember the head of the bolt will sit flat against the slat if you grind any markings off it first.
And please do share the pictures of your table here when you are done.
tig
Well-known member
Kudos again for inspiring me with your design. Mine is done (modulo paint) and I've been using it pretty extensively:
Here's what my jig looked like:
rparlee
Member
Man I'm loving these tables more and more! It would serve a dual purpose if I threw a sheet of plywood down on top and could use it as a general purpose table in the garage.
I did it in a much cruder way. I installed all the bolts (with heads ground smooth) into the holes, and tightened up the jam nuts. Then just set the plates on top of the bolts in the right position, and tacked them in. Numbered the plates, pulled them out and flipped them over, and put the final weld on the bolts. I was very nervous about the welds putting an angle on the bolts, so I was cautious with the heat. It's not the easiest thing in the world to re-mount the plates with all the bolts on there--it takes some cautious alignment. I would suggest more patience and less hammer than I used... Either way, it worked, and it was very forgiving to my level of "precision".
Brink38334
Active member
AMC,
finally finished welding today and calling it done for now. I ended up making a jig to weld the bolts on, similar to Red Dirts, but also very different. I've been kinda all over the place with projects lately so was distracted from finishing. I will paint the base one of these days, but want to use it some and decide if I want to weld on anything else, or put a shelf on like you did. The table even got some use before it was down while I was adding siding to my garage. I will give you a call out with a picture of the table in my garage build post. Thanks again for sharing your plans and build, it was an awesome first welding project for me.View media item 69032
here is in in use with a chop saw last weekend before it was done.
View media item 69033
finally finished welding today and calling it done for now. I ended up making a jig to weld the bolts on, similar to Red Dirts, but also very different. I've been kinda all over the place with projects lately so was distracted from finishing. I will paint the base one of these days, but want to use it some and decide if I want to weld on anything else, or put a shelf on like you did. The table even got some use before it was down while I was adding siding to my garage. I will give you a call out with a picture of the table in my garage build post. Thanks again for sharing your plans and build, it was an awesome first welding project for me.View media item 69032
here is in in use with a chop saw last weekend before it was done.
View media item 69033
Brink38334
Active member
Thanks. Just noticed I referenced the wrong jig. Mine was similar to Tigs Jig. I flirt d with the idea of tacking up like Red Dirt, but don't feel comfortable welding upside down yet. Also, bending the caster mounting plates proved a challenge for me at first since I don't have anything bigger than a little map gas torch. Fortunately the little triangles cut out for the caster plate and the few scraps of plate steel provided just what I needed to weld up a brake press 90 deg fixture that I used on my bearing press. Like I said, this was a fun project!
Whitecloud
New member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2015
- Messages
- 3
Subbed.
alpinewhite
Well-known member
Thanks for the idea.
944 Turbo or 944 S2? Need more pics.
thejimmy
Well-known member
What more could I say 8 pages in, nice build, well thought out. Thanks for sharing this and answering so many questions
skrap metal
Well-known member
love it
86 Turbo track car.
Attachments
ScottTaylor
New member
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2018
- Messages
- 1
AMC Guy,
Like everyone else, I love your table design. I copied it for my own build but made several changes. I used the 4x2 top rail as you suggested, and I welded a piece of 2x2x1/4 angle to the top rails to support the top plates. I had slots cut into the angle with a water jet so that I can adjust the openings between each plate if the need arises. I don't know if I will ever need to do that, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to have one more way to adjust the work surface. I also added receiver hitches to each end for attachments. I have used it for a number of projects and been very happy with it. Thanks for sharing a great design! Scott
Like everyone else, I love your table design. I copied it for my own build but made several changes. I used the 4x2 top rail as you suggested, and I welded a piece of 2x2x1/4 angle to the top rails to support the top plates. I had slots cut into the angle with a water jet so that I can adjust the openings between each plate if the need arises. I don't know if I will ever need to do that, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to have one more way to adjust the work surface. I also added receiver hitches to each end for attachments. I have used it for a number of projects and been very happy with it. Thanks for sharing a great design! Scott
Attachments
Mr onetwo
Well-known member
Nice work Scott!
The beauty of this table design is it allows the use of a common sliding F clamp absolutely anywhere on the surface and all around the edge.
Here's a recent thread with some good discussion about clamping.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=381589
Glenn
Here's a recent thread with some good discussion about clamping.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=381589
Glenn
I just finished the main portion of my table with this style top. Its fantastic, I only did a .250 top slats because I use it for low amp tig. Every slat is bolted down for easy replacement and if I remove every other one with 8in widths I can have a "solid" top, but I dont see that happening but I can if I want.
Just to let you know this is still inspiring new builds. I originally saw Tig's version and then came here via his link. I did 3/4" spacing for t nuts and cheap clamps and used 2x5 2x9 and 2x12 5/8" slats. Material choice and size were dictated by what was available at the local surplus steel dealer the couple times that I checked. Plasma cutting the clearance holes saved a lot of time. The frame is all 1/4". 2x3 and 2x2. I skipped your cool caster mounts and just tapped some extra cutoffs from the 5" plate.
Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
Attachments
Last edited: