Welding Tables

[Cippee]

I was wondering what type of welding tables everyone uses? If you made it or bought it? I made mine out of aluminum to be light so if I had to move it would be easy. I made it so beefy out of 1/4" 2" x 4" aluminum the beast weights about 80 pounds so it defeated the purpose. The top is removable I just lay it on top. I have different tops I use. The most common is a 1/8" sheet of 6061 aluminum with a copper sheet to absorb heat and protect to table. I tell you this table is the best ground you could hope for. I have never had arc marks on anything I have welded. If I want to hammer or cut something I put a 1/8 steel sheet on top of the aluminum sheet.

[Cippee]

I just a borring person I guess my posts are lame and don't interest anyone. Oh well I won't start anymore threads.

[67cudafb]

At the moment this is what I use until I come up with something better, I don't like this table that much because it is hard to clamp work to. I would like to see pics of your table. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Champ-Foldab...item20c031a09c

[geezer]

Just about anything that will get you up out of that monkey squat position will do as a welding table, one of the best is an old sheet of ply wood sitting atop a couple of 2 x4's on sawhorses, need a grounding surface lay a sheet of some knid of metal on it....it is cheap and can be taken down and stored out of the way. One advantage of a wooden table is you reduce the possiblity of a zap when you rest on the wood surface another is,,,being able to screw down pieces of wood to help jig up or frame up the metal you are welding,,,,when you finish just unscrew the wood strips from the plywood,,,it's just an old piece of scrap plywood so you don't worry about making holes in it.

I have other tables,like an all steel one 2' x 3' with a 1/4 inch top on wheels with shelves and a vise mounted on it, but it is heavy loaded with all the junk a fellow puts on them....

The sawhorses and old plywood works pretty good,,my latest efforts are a couple of pieces of 5/8 inch plywood 33" x 40" with a couple of those folding sawhorses bolted to it,,,,it is cheap ,,folds up out of the way,,,but even so each one still weighs 30 pounds...

Bottom line: what ever gets you up out of that monkey squat position and sitting in a chair is a welding table to me.

[SeanMurphy265]

That champ table is nifty idea, but I would not pay that much money for one! It would be good for taking on jobs, but it would not be so good if you needed to do some clamping.

[charger891]

Nice table cippee, never thought of making a welding table in alluminum, i`m just about done my table hopefully i`ll be able to post pics next week.

[GUNNER]

I just a borring person I guess my posts are lame and don't interest anyone. Oh well I won't start anymore threads.

Not at all dude it's an interesting thread.. I'm always interested in other guy's idea's about stuff like this... I have the hots right now to build a new welding table using 1" plate as a top... I want it Blanchard Ground though and I'm having some issues finding a machine that will grind a 4x8 sheet of 1"...

[geezer]

Not at all dude it's an interesting thread.. I'm always interested in other guy's idea's about stuff like this... I have the hots right now to build a new welding table using 1" plate as a top... I want it Blanchard Ground though and I'm having some issues finding a machine that will grind a 4x8 sheet of 1"...

ginding something that big can be a challenge, have you thought about laying another 1' sheet atop with grinding compound sandwiched in between and have the top sheet oribt like a big sander, they do granite surface blocks in a similar manner. Something to think about anyhow..

[GUNNER]

ginding something that big can be a challenge, have you thought about laying another 1' sheet atop with grinding compound sandwiched in between and have the top sheet oribt like a big sander, they do granite surface blocks in a similar manner. Something to think about anyhow..

Place I use to work OakRidge Tool and engineering had a Blanchard twice big enough to grind it but they moved to a new building and I'm not sure that went with them.. I need to make a call or two..

[jp2code]

I started to build one a few years back, but when I went to the scrap iron yard to get the angle iron to do it with, I found a beat up old table already there. I picked it up for $20.

Took the table home, welded on 1 new cross beam, rewelded a few welds that had broken over the years, hit it with a wire wheel to remove all the rust and flaking paint,





then colored her RED.



Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

[dyethor]

Cippee. That's a nice stout little table. Is the 80lbs the frame or the frame with the top? Was the tubing rems, I see that the some are welded together to make longer pieces?

[CGCINC]

I made my table when I took my evening welding classes.
It's portable and is a good size for what I weld on.
It has a 1/2" plate top.

[dyethor]

Here is my table. Never mind the mess. The plate is 3/4", the legs are 2"x3" Its not perfectly flat but it gets the job done. When welding aluminum I like to put down a plate of aluminum on top I find this eliminates the arc spots on my work piece.

[Topgear]

Now that's a nice looking table!

Kent

[Cippee]

I have 1/8 inch aluminum plate and it doesn't warp. I have 3 of them and at times I put them all down or a steel sheet or copper depending on what I'm doing. None of them warp though. None are thicker than 1/8"

[Mike J]

My buddy works as a tech at a hospital, and the stuff they throw out! I have two nice rolling cabinets, all steel with flat steel tops, and one even has large aluminum hooks that are perfect to hang TIG cables, etc.

All I have to do is now extend one with another set of casters to allow for the T-sized bottle of gas that I use.

Cheers,

mike

[sportbike]

If someone is close, this wodul make a decent table:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NICE-STEEL-W...item3a646e30c5


We have Acorn Platens with stands at work. They are very nice and very pricey $$$$$$$ Probably have 6 of them 5' X 10' and 4 of them 4' X 4'.

[Cippee]

Yeah they make alot of smoke. I have a theory that some of the wire is vaporized in the process of the arc. The wire speeds are so insanely fast that there is no way that all that metal is making its way into the joint. Look at how much wire it takes tig welding compared to mig welding. I even use my spool gun for stainless sometimes. I don't like welding stainless with mig though often. I think it is harder than aluminum. You have to cook and book with stainless mig. If the voltage is to low it sounds like a drive by and looks like crap. It may just be the inductance of my machine that it is odd with stainless.

[dyethor]

I wonder if its more specifically the oxide layer on the wire and on the work that becomes vaporized. I built the all stainless steel bbq in my pictures with only a mig. Warping is a pain in the rear!

[Buzz]

I ended up making a table top table. 24x48 1/4 thick, weighs about 100 lbs , portable that I can remove. nothing special but it works great. I need to make some kind of jig to square up material. if any body got any ideas let me know.