"Wet Table"/Transmission Table Build

[Spudland_Dave]

Been working on my new welding & work tables in the shop...love em, but working with rags & pans under things like gearboxes is a PITA. SO I been mentally debating making a Roll-Cart version of a transmission table/wet table...something with a heavy duty pan top which would drain into a pail. Anybody have any pictures or ideas? I havent really thought of anything other then the "Sounds good" aspect of this project so my mind is a clean slate right now... You guys always got good ideas so lets hear em!

 

[bsg]

How about a drill press table?
These tables usually have a coolant trough and a flat surface to double as a work table.

Kevin

 

[rsanter]

Easy build
Steel table with the top at a slight slant that leads into a trough
Hole in bottom of the end of the trough with a screen.
Hole leads to a bucket.
Weld up dam sides on 3 sides. Only have to be a couple of inches high

Now the decision.
Do you want it to slope to you or away from you?
This will determine if the trough is at the front or back.

Bob

 

[Lippyp]

Didn't someone post up a link to some autopsy tables for sale on craigslist a while back? That'd be ideal (as long as it's been well cleaned!)

 

[lilredex]

Here is one that PAL used to sell..

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/Carts-And-Benches/1000-lb-Tear-Down-Table-with-Drain/8144933.p

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/service-bench/3700050.w

 

[theoldwizard1]

Any metal table that is strong enough to hold a transmission and has a decent lip around it will work. Dish the center and put in a screen and a drain pan.

You will need some place separate for fasteners and sub-assemblies as you remove them.

 

[longlivepunk]

A magnet tray might be nice for hardware. If you get a strong enough strip-magnet and put it on the underside of the table at the end of the trough it should hold any bits of hardware from rolling into the trough too.

 

[zkdiesel]

Have exact table pictured above, works well
Also have 3'x8 sloped to rear with a trough table
Prefer the non mobile bench but nth have their uses in my shop
If you do high volume, red bench above has small container that fills up fast, and has a tad to high working height

 

[Professur]

I took my regular table and layered some of that foil covered vapour barrier over it ... turning up the corners and pinching them. Did the job well enough and went straight into the bin when I was finished.

 

[kbs2244]

"If you do high volume, red bench above has small container that fills up fast, and has a tad to high working height "

That sounds scary?
What kind of trans are we talking about and how many?

 

[zkdiesel]

"If you do high volume, red bench above has small container that fills up fast, and has a tad to high working height "

That sounds scary?
What kind of trans are we talking about and how many?

Red trans one holds probably 4 qts In it's tray. My bench holds 5 gallons
Red one is 40" tall which is boderline with me being short to work on
My bench is 36" and much nicer
Bench also has a jig on it that I can hang trans on when building them to easily "stack" as I build it. The red cart would never take that kind of weight hanging off side without it flipping over

Large volume is nice when you rip the convertor out and leave it nose down draining. Also use that bench with all my drip trays and oil pans stood on on end to all drip out. Contains all my oily mess

 

[deeresmith]

Regarding the magnet suggestion, even though there are very few steel valves and balls in modern transmissions, it is worth mentioning that you need to be aware that inadvertently magnetizing a valve or check ball can cause normal wear material to stick to the valve and cause it to stick.
Great idea, and possible a non issue on most modern stuff.

 

[justme-]

Easy build
Steel table with the top at a slight slant that leads into a trough
Hole in bottom of the end of the trough with a screen.
Hole leads to a bucket.
Weld up dam sides on 3 sides. Only have to be a couple of inches high

Now the decision.
Do you want it to slope to you or away from you?
This will determine if the trough is at the front or back.

Bob

You just exactly described our shop parts washing bench - 4'x5', stationary draining into a 10 gallon steel drum with a pump feeding the brush on top.

SO... look at Safety clean or generic parts washing benches for ideas too.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Made mine with out of 1/8" sheet metal, with braked up ends, sloped slightly rearward. Tacked a length of 3" angle iron across the rear, draining into a 5 gallon bucket.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Any metal table that is strong enough to hold a transmission and has a decent lip around it will work. Dish the center and put in a screen and a drain pan.

Yeah, When I build something I tend to overbuild it by a factor of 100...so it should be strong enough to support a Eaton ****** out of a Peterbilt no problem... Size Wise, I've been thinking 24"x36" roll cart, 1/4" Thick Steel Top...heavy duty casters under it. Another thing I thought of last night..I like the trough idea...lip would make it akward when putting something on it that may extend over the edges. So now I'm thinking, no problem having a trough bent into the sheet front & rear...but debating how to handle the 2 side edges.. For a drain...drain into a 5gal pail..Cheap & Easy.

Excellent ideas guys!

 

[macgyver37]

Local trans shop had 3 tables app 30x72 that they had just skinned with thin guage sheet metal and even bent up a funnel permanently attached on the one end to put a bucket under. It was only app 1" wide off the end of the table but the full depth front to back.
Their sideboards were only app 1/2-3/4" tall, no need for anything taller to work around. They drained them before putting them up on the bench. They used them like that for 30+ years.
They were next door to a HVAC sheetmetal shop, so they looked very nice and were well done.
My bench has a round receiver for a GM trans cradle bolted to the end, I made one a long time ago when I was building them regularly. Haven't done one in a long time now. You might look at allowing for a holding device, some trans' are much easier to work on when held vertical

 

[Spudland_Dave]

My bench has a round receiver for a GM trans cradle bolted to the end, I made one a long time ago when I was building them regularly. Haven't done one in a long time now. You might look at allowing for a holding device, some trans' are much easier to work on when held vertical

Good idea! I know exactly what you are talking about, used to work in a GM Shop and they had a table with that cradle..
My uses wouldnt really be normal automotive transmissions per se. Seems like I'm always disassembling gearboxes and such in my line of hobby (equiupment)...this summer I rebuilt a Troy-Bilt Pony Transaxle, on my bench now is a Peerless Transaxle out of a small Case Garden Tractor, Hydraulic Cylinders, pumps, etc.. seems like everything I touch is full of a gallon of Hydraulic or Gear oil...
I recently built this welding table with a leftover piece of 3/4" plate i had...drilled some holes in it for fixturing, when some oil spilled out of the Peerless I have on it now, what a mess all over, over the edge, thru the holes...its when I said "Enough is enough"...

 

[Two Door]

How about modifying that nice table that you already have? You already have drainage holes. How about simply adding angle iron brackets to support a concrete mixing tray catch tub under your existing table? Put a layer of screen of your chosen mesh size between the table and tub to catch micro hardware that might otherwise be lost in the liquid. You would probably still want to add a gutter system around the perimeter, leading to the tub.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

I COULD mod my table...but fire & oil dont mix...so what I'd end up with is a very heavy wet table...
where I can have a buddy brake up some 1/4" for a 2'x3' top...make a dedicated wet table on casters. Use it as a roll cart around the shop even... I'm in LOVE with the KRSC100, want one so bad but with things being what they are...i'll have to make do with with I can get on the cheap for now...

 

[MBfreak]

Hi.

I am **** about cleaning stuff so that I can really see and feel what the condition is. last time it was a diff/reverse gear assembly for a Radical formula racer. Cool toy, 0-60 mph in les than 3 secs. Hayabusa engine, tweaked.
And I use mostly citrus based cleaners, and let things soak quite a while.

This is not so good if you have a even well painted, nice looking, wet table.
After a while the paint starts to swell and the wear off.

So, I weldd up a 1,2x,6 m trough with 25 mm sides from 2 mm sheet metal.
1 piece, bent the sides and welded the corners. Put it on top of a wooden bench that is covered with a thin galvanized steel sheet, "roofing" style.
Cheap, sturdy, cleanable and never ever leaks.

Cleaning with a shop vac dedicated to oily stuff, then wipe dry.

Ola

 

[zkdiesel]

mine
little ones for mobile projects through the shop, large on is tear down bench, you can see trans adaptor hanging off front.
large one also makes a great drip tray holder, and oil filter drainer. keeps all mess contained in one area

metal work and dirty stuff is done on other side of shop, and this area left to be oily.
agree on don't paint it, as you can see, neither work surface has any paint left on it.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

How about making a metal top that can sit on top of a parts washer with the lid removed? Could have it drain to the center and into the parts washer if you crease it right. Shoot, put sides up on it and you could wash the transmission case in place using the parts washer itself.

Granted, that is assuming the parts washer is strong enough to support all of that, but a bit of angle iron for legs will quickly fix that.

 

[sberry]

I didn't really design this but built it. 300 gallon tank.