First Project - Work Tables

[cncmachinist]

wow always good to start with a plan but full autocad drawing got to hand it to ya pretty good design could be tweaked a bit but rock solid design


you could 45 the corners for weld penetration but if in the future you want to remove the plate or change the design (trust me i did after a year and i welded all the way around) stitch welds are more than enough but you might want to add a cross brace under the sheets around the x cut in the table you might get sag in the sheet if you make your table big enough ( both tables i made did this but the were much bigger with 1/2 plate and had to flat the second one collapsed under my granite surface plate )

[USFASME]

wow always good to start with a plan but full autocad drawing got to hand it to ya pretty good design could be tweaked a bit but rock solid design

Haha, we're engineering students, I can show you a file full of analysis on different loading configurations as well...

Being as this is the first time we've done this we wanted to get it right.

I think we will just leave everything butted up against each other, and definitely use the stitch method for the top. I'll look into the X pattern, but I believe the deflection with a 1000 lb point load dead center the deflection was something like 0.0073 inches. I'm sure we could run some angle bracket under it to sure it up though.

We're on a really shoe-string budget here, but everyone keeps saying go for the 1/2". We might have to save up.

ASME@USF

[cncmachinist]

same when i built my set of benches the one under my surface plate was designed in pro/e for testing the weight too bad the company that certified my granite put there plate over the section were the weight was defined much heavier than expected


good to see you did a load test for it i work with 1000lb and heavier tool and die plates on our table so if it deflects it will leave a bow in the table thats not a big deflection enough that it shouldnt matter

[jbyrd]

Great, we never would have thought of that.

Does anyone have the template, or specs, for the X cuts? I think are slot is a bit too narrow, and I think there is a larger hole at the end of the X to get the clamps in?

Thanks for such quick replies.

ASME@USF

I am utilizing the X-clamp for the welding table I am building. The shank for the x-clamp is 5/8 of an inch. You will need at least 1/32 for clearance to ease sliding. The portion that rides under the table is 1-1/8 of an inch. Again clearance is necessary for ease of installation. I can post a pic of the clamp if that helps.

Jay

[NoogaD]

The welding table I built for my garage shop is very similar. I like the 6" lip all the way around the top. It gives you plenty of room for clamping and blowing holes for vises, bench grinder, etc. The only thing different that I added was a shelf on the bottom. Space is a premium for me, so if it is for you consider adding one at some point for tool box storage, consumables, etc. I also added one of those long multi-plug power strips so I can leave more than one grinder plugged in. I used a 3/8" top. I'm sure those guys using 1/2" are welding some serious iron, but if you guys are doing school projects and personal stuff to learn some basics, I'd guess 3/8" would work for your purposes as well. Keep in mind if you ever want to move it, 4' x 8' sheet of 3/8" weighs about 600 lbs. I made some removable casters and jack up the table and bolt them on to move the table for cleaning, space, etc.

[fabricator]

You need to search for "welding tables" on this site.Also I suggest a more powerfull welder for 3/8 and thicker. Here is a link to mine. http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...ighlight=table

[USFASME]

I am utilizing the X-clamp for the welding table I am building. The shank for the x-clamp is 5/8 of an inch. You will need at least 1/32 for clearance to ease sliding. The portion that rides under the table is 1-1/8 of an inch. Again clearance is necessary for ease of installation. I can post a pic of the clamp if that helps.

Jay

Excellent! A picture would be great, and those were the dimensions I needed. There is a larger hole at the end to slide through the locking mechanism correct, or will a 5/8+(2*1/32) hole suffice the whole way?

We will be cutting those by hand....it's going to be interesting.

Thanks for the post.

ASME@USF

[USFASME]

I'm sure those guys using 1/2" are welding some serious iron, but if you guys are doing school projects and personal stuff to learn some basics, I'd guess 3/8" would work for your purposes as well. Keep in mind if you ever want to move it, 4' x 8' sheet of 3/8" weighs about 600 lbs. I made some removable casters and jack up the table and bolt them on to move the table for cleaning, space, etc.

Great thoughts. I was thinking the 1/2" guys were probably doing large projects. We compete in the ASME Human powered vehicle, and Electrathon of America Electric Car races, so our projects are much smaller.

We have retractable power from the ceiling throughout the shop, but space is DEFINITELY at a premium, we share a small garage with 2 other student groups. We'll definitely design a larger shelf into the bottom. The "conference" table has a small one, but the tool bench could probably benefit from one as well.

Thanks!
ASME@USF

[USFASME]

Keep in mind if you ever want to move it, 4' x 8' sheet of 3/8" weighs about 600 lbs. I made some removable casters and jack up the table and bolt them on to move the table for cleaning, space, etc.

The conference table will weight 570.?? lbs according to Solidworks, and as such that one will have dedicated attached castors that reside just inside the leveling bolts. The tool bench weighs slightly less, so we'll use man power to lift each side up onto a set of dollys we have should it need to move.

Thanks, they're definitely heavy!

ASME@USF

[USFASME]

You need to search for "welding tables" on this site.Also I suggest a more powerfull welder for 3/8 and thicker. Here is a link to mine. http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...ighlight=table

Thanks for the pics, I Love the doors! None of our projects will ever approach 3/8" except for the table, do you think we can get by with the 140 for this project? If not we may need to try to borrow one from a local area firm, as the 140 will be a donation, and is not currently replaceable.

We did extensive searching of this forum before the design, it's where we got most of the ideas, so we're looking for personalized thoughts on our chosen design.

Don't know why I never came up with pics of yours, but I really love the doors, we'll have to consider that, especially as there are nearly 15 people with keys to the garage which houses our shop.

Cheers
ASME@USF