Welding Table Top - thickness??

[Fishy Jim]

With a simple drilling jig, I knocked the whole thing out in an 8hr day (it was split up, because I needed leathers for the overhead welding of the slats in position), but apparently Miller either didn't believe me or like the design because I didn't make it in this years contest.

Which is more useful, a mig gun holder, or an entire welding bench you can make without any help for $400?

Here you can see more pics and explanation:
http://z6.invisionfree.com/ToolBoxTa...showtopic=1777

[TimS]

Jim, thanks for the pics. Your table is a lot more heavy duty than I have room for, but I bet I could build a folding frame, with the outside of the top being made of angle iron, open side of the angle facing up and in. Then I could use some type of slat arrangement on the top, possibly bolted in place, or possibly just dropping into the angle iron "tray" with some spacers tacked on to keep the slats the correct distance apart. I doubt I will be making this heavy enough to take a real pounding, so the drop in approach may be sufficient. We'll see - it's all real easy when I'm just imagining it!

Tim

[Fishy Jim]

The hardest part of dealing with the channel in this orientation is that the legs aren't square on the inside so you can't just cut things to fit. Make your brackets narrow enough to accommodate the radius, then align the slats once the brackets are bolted in place. I tacked the brackets on the outside corners, then went back through and put a bead between the tacks.

[jamscal]

That's an awesome table, Fishy Jim. Good work.

If anyone else has any pics of different kinds of 'skeleton tables' I'd be interested in seeing them.

I have a 1/2" plate table in my shop and it has a crown in it I've been meaning to take care of.

-James

[Craig in Denver]

You could scale this one to any size you'd like:

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...=welding+table

[SavageSunJeep]

Step 1 is to decide what welding projects you will be doing and what is physical size.

We live in a small house and has an even smaller 2 (?) car garage. As much as I would love a large and thick welding table, it ain't gonna happen.

That said my primary welding is on Jeeps and trucks. The largest 'thing' I weld is a front bumper assembly for an off road rig. Even then a LOT of what I do is done on the vehicle itself.

I currently have a 18" x 36" table that is 3/16 thick. Small and in fact is too small. I am going to rebuild and go to a 24" x 36" and I will most likely stay with 3/16. I have wheels on on end of my table so I can pick it up and move it around with ease.

I just have to work with what I have, simple as that.

I built a rolling stand that has a 6" and a 4" dual wheel bench grinders, drill press and a chop saw all in about 18 x 30" of space. It would sure be nice to have them laid out across the length of a tool table, but I just don't have that luxury.

[Fishy Jim]

The largest 'thing' I weld is a front bumper assembly for an off road rig. Even then a LOT of what I do is done on the vehicle itself....

It would sure be nice to have them laid out across the length of a tool table, but I just don't have that luxury.

Tool tables just get loaded up with "stuff." I thought my 3x6' table would occupy too much space in the shop along with my 4x8 bench, but both of them are covered right now and the saw is back on the floor for the time being.

As for fabricating on the vehicle - that's nice for mock-ups, but your real money comes from the second, third, 20th, etc. You'd be better off with some way to make a jig that represents the vehicle's frame, then work off that to do multiples. You only get faster with more of them under your belt. Cost (time) per unit drops and your profits increase (or at least stabilize with how fast material costs keep rising).

Just some thoughts to consider. You might be better off trading some space for a more functional fixturing device. Then you can eliminate the vehicle from the working environment as well. I know my customers don't like not having their cars for any length of time, so I'm planning on making some jigs off the components I build to do further production once the cars are gone.

My giant bench isn't necessary for my daily operations, but I didn't want to build it and then wish for another foot this way or a couple feet that way when working on a kart frame or what have you. I can reach the center and a little beyond, so that makes it very easy to deal with.

[SavageSunJeep]

Tool tables just get loaded up with "stuff." I thought my 3x6' table would occupy too much space in the shop along with my 4x8 bench, but both of them are covered right now and the saw is back on the floor for the time being.

As for fabricating on the vehicle - that's nice for mock-ups, but your real money comes from the second, third, 20th, etc. You'd be better off with some way to make a jig that represents the vehicle's frame, then work off that to do multiples. You only get faster with more of them under your belt. Cost (time) per unit drops and your profits increase (or at least stabilize with how fast material costs keep rising).

Just some thoughts to consider. You might be better off trading some space for a more functional fixturing device. Then you can eliminate the vehicle from the working environment as well. I know my customers don't like not having their cars for any length of time, so I'm planning on making some jigs off the components I build to do further production once the cars are gone.

My giant bench isn't necessary for my daily operations, but I didn't want to build it and then wish for another foot this way or a couple feet that way when working on a kart frame or what have you. I can reach the center and a little beyond, so that makes it very easy to deal with.

Jim, thank you for the tips, 'preciate that.... Mostly I do custom work and it is really esential that I work off my clients rig. So often they too have made alterations that I have to work around and or integrate with and sometime both that I really need to test fit, measure and adjudicate. Sometimes this is on the rig and sometimes its on the table. In spite of my constrianed work space I am going to build a larger work table.

LOL I really know what you mean by using the table to store stuff.

My current table has wheels on one end and grab handles simliar to a wheelbarrow that allows me to move the table closer to the job

[Fishy Jim]

I guess what I was trying to get at was that there's a whole bunch of stuff that's made to add to a bone stock vehicle, and your initial customer is paying you to do the R&D on their order. You'd be wise to make detailed notes (if nothing else) so that you can make more of them after the current customer is happily down the road. The next one takes you 20% less time, and you can sell it to someone else for the same money, and so on. I'm not saying you need to manufacture everything you one-off (lord knows I sure don't), but with some things, there's money left on the table if you don't make a few more of them and put them on CL or fleabay. You also benefit from economies of scale when making the components from the raw stock.

Maybe some of the stuff is too personalized, but there's a good chance that there's a couple more people out there who'd love to get one of whatever you just made for someone else.

[fjk]

Had not thought about such a table - not a bad idea at all though. I will try to locate some examples. Got any favorites?

Tim

here's one I made
it's made from 1" sq tube, about 2'x3'. the top tubes
are on about 6" centers. it's great for clamping things
to any which way i want/need. i did not put casters
on it -- it's light enough that i just carry it where i
need/want it.

if you go this route - lay out all the top pieces
on as flat a surface as you can and then tack them from
what will be the bottom. that way you'll end up with a fairly
flat plane to use as a reference for squaring things.

i do need to get a smallish piece of plate for use as a
solid top -- i've done a few small things where a solid surface
would have been better. if/when i do it, it would be a smallish
piece (maybe 6"x12" max) that is removable.

i do light home/art/etc types of things so a huge beefy table
is not needed.

f