First Project - Work Tables

[fjk]

Hi, three comments

- you did some numerical calculations re the loading that
the table can support and sized material accordingly. Did
you take into account the "extras" -- such as the dynamic
load of dropping a big hunk of something heavy on the table,
or wailing away on that something with a big f...ing hammer.
Or the off-center/etc loadings that might occur.
Or various lateral loadings.
?

- All of my benches/tables/etc are on wheels. I found, early on,
that having the foot "stick out" from the basic table, as your
drawings show, is not optimal -- it's something for me to trip
over. It also means that the table takes up more room than its
top -- you need clearance for the feet...
Now, whenever I put wheels on something, I arrange it
so that the whole thing can fit under the table, with nothing
sticking out, and nothing to catch a foot or crash into some other
piece of stuff in the shop...

- Since this is an educational exercise for you as much as anything
else -- I'd suggest that you go ahead and make a table AND be
ready & willing to make changes on the fly, to experiment with it,
and so on. Your professors, no doubt, have taught you the classic
engineering method of first figuring out requirements and then building
to the requirements. The dirty little secret is that requirements are
usually at best vague and poorly formed, they change constantly,
they are simply wrong, and finally, after you deliver the product,
the end user uses it in an unforeseen way... The process where you
build it one way, find out what does and does not work, and then
rebuild it will teach a lot more, both about welding table design and
the way designs evolve in general, and the informal methods that end
up being a part of engineering practice. Don't be afraid to fail at these
iterative steps; as engineers/mechanics/tinkerers/... we learn infinitely
more from our failures than our successes...

[1Winder]

Good luck with the table guys, I am building one too but it is just me in my garage. By the way, I am a third year Mechanical Engineering student at Rutgers.

[Pass-N-Gas]

Here is some ideas for you (post 7,12 &17):

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...g-Table-Design

[secretdestroyers]

The inner shank is 5/8 and the larger part is 1-1/8.

I would look into having your local steel supply or fabrication business plasma cut the steel. My local welding supply will be plasma cutting my 5x10 1/2 thick steel for a little over 100.00.

Jay

what is the height of the inner shank? i'm wanting to include these in a skeleton style table, but thinking maybe just stick with c clamps.

[USFASME]

@FJK:

Those are all great points. We have modified the design several times since then. We also have a local manufacturing company that will be supplying all of the materials, and "supervising" the welding. The feet do not stick out past the table top.

We learn far more working on our electric cars and welding projects in our garage then we ever do in class...You're absolutely right. we get to get out there are really live what we are learning.

Thanks to all! Pictures will come as soon as we can finish this thing.

[Donald Branscom]

Hi All,

We are a student organization, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, at the University of South Florida. We will be receiving a Miller 140 MIG this week. Our first projects will be to construct two work tables, one a large conference like welding/general use table, and the other a cutting and tool station.

The plans can be found attached. The conference table PDF is too large, so one is PDF, and both are in the .zip file.

Our general questions are, what is everyones overall thoughts on the designs? Also, the top is 3/8" thick, and the legs are 1/8" wall 2x2 square tubing. What are good settings for the welder to weld this differential thickness joint? Shield gas will be 75/25, and I think the wire is .035".

According to our analysis, the projects can support significant loading, limitations are included in the drawings.

This will be our first welding project, so any advice is greatly appreciated. We have not started this project yet, so there is still time to make design changes.

Thank you,
ASME @ USF

Before I look at the table plans I want to say something about PDF files.
PDF files (portable document files) were designed just for business people to send large files worldwide over the internet at high speed. That IS the purpose of a PDF file. But you must select WEB use quality.

You will notice when you save the file there are 3 choices. Files for PRINT. High quality. And files for the INTERNET USE Lower quality
(WEB quality) but still look just fine.

Choose the WEB high speed file for internet use.
If you use a ZIP file then not all computer users can view them. Remember some of us use MAC's

The PDF was expressly designed so that ALL computer users can view the document no matter what computer or program they have.

All computers sold come with Acrobat reader to view the Acrobat PDF files.
You do not need to zip a file that is only 38.1KB. But if it was 38.1MB you would need to reduce the file size.

Now about the tables.

FIRST TABLE
The first one 5 feet by 30 inches.

You will not be able to weld the 3/8 plate OR the 1/2 inch plates for the feet with a Miller 140.
If you weld anything to the table top the table top will be WARPED. BAD DESIGN.
The .035 wire does not run well in the Miller 140 . The .024 wire runs better.
The 1/8 thickness wall 2 inch tubing you can weld if the Miller 140 is turned all the way up.
BUT you will not be able to weld the 1/8 thick 2 inch square tubing to the 1/2 inch thick foot plates.
You will only be able to use the Miller 140 for welding the 2 inch tubing to 2 inch tubing if the Miller 140 is turned all the way up.

Here is what I would do.

Make the frame of the table independent of the table top. The table will stay flat if you do not weld it on.
Do-able with the Miller 140 turned all the way up using .024 wire.

Then weld on feet to the bottom legs but you do not need 1/2 thick material.
Just use 1/8 plates because the purpose of the foot is to be in shear and keep the leg from moving on the concrete floor.

Then attach the table top with counter sunk SCREWS drilled and tapped into the 1/8 thick 2 inch square tubing.
The top of the table is 3/8 inch on your drawing. Think about how many people will be required to lift that table top.

[USFASME]

Before I look at the table plans I want to say something about PDF files.
PDF files (portable document files) were designed just for business people to send large files worldwide over the internet at high speed. That IS the purpose of a PDF file. But you must select WEB use quality.

You will notice when you save the file there are 3 choices. Files for PRINT. High quality. And files for the INTERNET USE Lower quality
(WEB quality) but still look just fine.

Choose the WEB high speed file for internet use.
If you use a ZIP file then not all computer users can view them. Remember some of us use MAC's

The PDF was expressly designed so that ALL computer users can view the document no matter what computer or program they have.

All computers sold come with Acrobat reader to view the Acrobat PDF files.

Definitely helpful comments. Thanks.

[Donald Branscom]

Photo of a welding table.
Sorry double post.

[Donald Branscom]

Go BACK to Post #2.

Look at the miller welding tables.

Also I think a 5 foot table really does need 6 legs NOT 4 legs.



The height of the table is really important since different height people will be using the table.
Better get that worked out and discuss that amongst yourselves..

[Donald Branscom]

If any one is going to be working on a motorcycle building project the best height for a table is 22 inches because you can sit down while working, AND those hydraulic lift tables can go up to 22 inches. It makes it easy to lift the engine up to that height and scoot it over on to the table. Then you can lower the engine back down when the frame goes out for paint if needed.

30 inches wide is perfect because that is as far as a person can reach.

Length=depends on the motorcycle design.