Welding table top not flat

[NASTYZEN]

Welding assembly table must be flat or your always going to have to shim or whatever dicking around all the time. Do it right make it flat to start with. The time your gonna save in the long run is well worth it.

If it's going to be a throw stuff on it, weld stuff to it, bash on it, then flat shouldn't matter too much.

 

[sberry]

Building race cars probably so, general repair doesn't matter much.

 

[mechan]

Building race cars probably so, general repair doesn't matter much.

If you do not care about your end product either way. Then yup doesn't matter ... If one likes to do a half way good job all of the time regardless of the application, then it is probably advantageous to make it is as easy as possible to do so.

 

[Perrorojo]

I now all the professional shops I've seen have a bunch of warped fab tables and bent T squares.

How did we go from suggestions to help the OP flatten a peice of steel to a ******* contest between professional and amatuer welders? Honestly, who wouldn't prefer a level, flat surface?

Half inch plate isn't cheap. Cut it into smaller peices for other use or salvage it. It makes great cutting edges for snow plows.

 

[HockeyDave13]

I agree with Perrorojo and didn't mean to start a ******* match. I would like my top flat. Been parking my half-ton crew cab on it all weekend and it hasn't moved much. I have some great ideas from some of you guys before it turned into who can weld on flat and who can weld on anything! Glad I didn't ask what was better, Chevy or Ford, or Bud light or Miller light! Thanks guys!!

 

[BD1]

Everybody knows CHEVY is better ! No need to ask that.

 

[sberry]

As was eluded to, it aint cheap, you have it in hand, this was my point. No gain to do nothing because it isn't perfect and cant afford a solution etc,,,, and on top of that is the issue as to how much difference it makes. And as an added bonus having seen a few of these dust catchers the more a guy worried about something that didn't matter much the less real work he did. That's not everyone but it was a trend, spend 6 months polishing a table and didn't build one thing on it that worked usually at someone elses expense.

 

[sberry]

If you do not care about your end product either way. Then yup doesn't matter ... If one likes to do a half way good job all of the time regardless of the application, then it is probably advantageous to make it is as easy as possible to do so.

Many seem to think a piece of equipment replaces experience and skill it seems.

 

[sberry]

If one likes to do a half way good job all of the time regardless of the application

How did you come to this conclusion.

 

[HAY YOU]

Every floor plate, piece of grating that is put down on any commercial or industrial job even if it is perfectly flat, does not stay flat when you start to weld it. That's why you dog them down as you weld. I've never seen anyone build anything of any importance just using squares & not a level.
The crew cab will eventually straighten that plate but only if you get in it & drive to the scrap yard to buy material for some dogs.

 

[ez-duzit]

Good thread.

Yeah, use the free plate. It was free because it is badly warped. But parking a pickup truck on it won't change anything, unless you also use another vehicle to help bend it over a fulcrum. And you'll use up $100 worth of gas trying to heat it flat, especially working alone. If you can stand to build the table base, bolted to the floor, you might be able to pull much of the warp out of your plate when it gets bolted to the base.

Depending greatly on the nature of your work, you can certainly get by with a warped table. Probably very few welders have a truly flat table, no matter the care they took when building it. And you will likely find a sweet spot on it. Who wouldn't lust after one of those old cast iron Acorn platens?

sberry--great shop.

 

[ptschram]

I have been driving over, parking vehicles on top of, blocking up one side, etc, etc, etc trying to flatten a badly bowed piece of 1/4" diamond plate. if it wasn't ten feet long, I wouldn't bother with it.

Soon though, it will have to come out of the forecourt and be welded to the tops of two of my welding tables as I have a buggy build coming up. It has been tacked together but needs suspension and steering and I'd like to have it on a table while I build on it. The table will be a good starting point to jack from.

 

[pepi]

If you do not care about your end product either way. Then yup doesn't matter ... If one likes to do a half way good job all of the time regardless of the application, then it is probably advantageous to make it is as easy as possible to do so.

I think this poster makes a very good point, it is all about the foundation. No matter how big, small or the users intended purpose.

I build flat level and as square as I can make it, that pleases me. People will accept half way good, there is plenty of that around. Is that a proper goal, only in the half way good producers mind.

 

[brownbagg]

how high would you want your table? too low you got been over, too high, well, it too high. I thought maybe 30 inches. what about wheel? it be nice to move it around till you have to beat on something and table keeps moving. how big of top?

big be once but take up so much room. I thought like 36x36 be nice. vice? or hole just to bolt one down quick and then remove? shelf, be nice till something cause on fire.

i had a boat battery under mine, quess what happen