User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 8/16/2020 10:07:39 AM EDT
Cheap (ie not multi-$k) ideas for welding tables?
I have an old army field table frame with a top made from pallet wood. It was on our back patio and I stole it when I got my welder. Not even close to flat. I'll probably just throw a piece of plywood on top to make it flat. A metal plate that large is more $$ than I'm willing to pay. I have a heavy stainless block and an Al plate about 5x12 when I need a small flat surface.  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/16/2020 10:18:43 AM EDT
[#1]
Looks like it will do the job. No worry about table catching on fire during a welding job|?
|
|
|
|
Posted: 8/21/2020 2:20:51 PM EDT
[#2]
This is what we did in my weld shop, cheaper than a strong hand table, but has the benefit of a rediculous about of clamp locations.
If one of the tubes gets jacked up it’s easy to grind off the racks and replace it as well.  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/21/2020 2:30:26 PM EDT
[#3]
I was given a piece of 1/4" plate that was scrap from a demo job. Chopped up some pallet racking I already had and made myself a work table. Not welding specific but it's been super handy so far.
  
|
|
|
|
Posted: 8/22/2020 8:12:10 AM EDT
[#4]
Fireball Tool sells raw 12"x24" cast iron plates for a $100 piece. A couple of those and a frame would make nice welding table.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/19/2020 11:29:26 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is what we did in my weld shop, cheaper than a strong hand table, but has the benefit of a rediculous about of clamp locations. If one of the tubes gets jacked up it’s easy to grind off the racks and replace it as well. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/285677/0E00E23E-90F9-4884-86A3-47396CC2BA18_jpe-1555881.JPG Very neat idea |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/21/2020 2:03:14 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Very neat idea Thank you - they've worked out very well so far |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/21/2020 6:45:38 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fireball Tool sells raw 12"x24" cast iron plates for a $100 piece. A couple of those and a frame would make nice welding table. Fireball Tool makes some cool shit... But they're in Portland. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/22/2020 12:18:55 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fireball Tool makes some cool shit... But they're in Portland. https://fireballtool.com/ Same company you're talking about? They're in Spokane WA. 300ish miles NE of Portland OR. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/22/2020 1:30:18 AM EDT
[#9]
Look on Craigslist several times a week. They come up frequently in my AO, but they sell quickly too.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/22/2020 12:04:52 PM EDT
[#10]
I would avoid anything made of wood. An ideal table would be 2-3” solid mild steel or copper top with steel being the most common. Heavy gauge steel tubing or solid legs and frame
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/28/2020 11:19:48 PM EDT
[#11]
1,600# bolster plate out of 100ton press. Seems to hold up to my small occasional projects. Current one is a new push-through beam of my 22 ton White/MTD log splitter.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/28/2020 11:28:23 PM EDT
[#12]
A new 4x8ft sheet of 1/4" steel plate would be about $130-150 for me here in OK, you might be able to get a 4x4ft sheet or find scraps at the local salvage yards for less depending on your location. So you could build a pretty nice steel welding table for a fairly small investment, a nice table definitely saves time on projects!
I'd catch a wood table on fire 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/1/2020 9:08:28 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If one of the tubes gets jacked up it’s easy to grind off the racks and replace it as well. Quote HistoryQuoted: If one of the tubes gets jacked up it’s easy to grind off the racks and replace it as well. How level were you able to get all the tubes? I saw one built with rectangular tubing (1x4 or similar) that I thought would be great but was curious about how flat the tubes would be. I guess I shouldn't complain - anything would be flatter than warped wood boards! Quoted: Fireball Tool sells raw 12"x24" cast iron plates for a $100 piece. A couple of those and a frame would make nice welding table. I was all over that until I saw the prices - $125 for an unmachined casting, $250 for a machined plate. Makes it way too expensive. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/1/2020 10:10:31 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: How level were you able to get all the tubes? I saw one built with rectangular tubing (1x4 or similar) that I thought would be great but was curious about how flat the tubes would be. I guess I shouldn't complain - anything would be flatter than warped wood boards! I was all over that until I saw the prices - $125 for an unmachined casting, $250 for a machined plate. Makes it way too expensive. Level enough for the work we do on them |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/2/2020 11:18:28 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: https://fireballtool.com/ Same company you're talking about? They're in Spokane WA. 300ish miles NE of Portland OR. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Fireball Tool makes some cool shit... But they're in Portland. https://fireballtool.com/ Same company you're talking about? They're in Spokane WA. 300ish miles NE of Portland OR. Well, I guess I'm a bullshitter. I thought he said he was in Portland. Carry on. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/11/2020 10:11:59 PM EDT
[#16]
 Attached File Attached FileBought the metal of CL precut for a table for I think $200. Once I bought a nice mig welder it went together pretty quick. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/12/2020 3:07:01 PM EDT
[#17]
Patiently watching government auctions etc is a good way to get nice ones.
My dad bought a 4' x 12' x 6" thick (solid) weld table on govt auction. It was GFE in a contractor aircraft facility. He paid $800 and drove 3 hrs to get it. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/12/2020 3:21:25 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Patiently watching government auctions etc is a good way to get nice ones. My dad bought a 4' x 12' x 6" thick (solid) weld table on govt auction. It was GFE in a contractor aircraft facility. He paid $800 and drove 3 hrs to get it. Holy crap. What did t weigh? |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/12/2020 5:04:09 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Holy crap. What did t weigh? A plate that thick would weigh almost 12,000#....thats going to take some equipment to move around.... |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/12/2020 5:22:17 PM EDT
[#20]
I got 3/8 x 6 x 12' scrap from the recycling yard and made a heavy duty 3x6 table. Even put wheels on it.
Total cost was about 50 bucks. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/12/2020 6:26:22 PM EDT
[#21]
I'm thinking about re purposing an old table saw into a welding table. Should be flat, nonflammable, and stable. This one was $100 on craigslist.
Something like this:  |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/12/2020 11:20:25 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A plate that thick would weigh almost 12,000#....thats going to take some equipment to move around.... Yes, it pays to have equipment. It's the heaviest weld table I've ever seen and certainly the difficulty in moving it was a factor in sale price. It took 2 forklifts (one at each end) to move it. But industrial excess is still the best place to find them. Most tables are significantly smaller. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/19/2020 4:21:20 AM EDT
[#23]
I picked up two 5ft x 10ft x 1/2" welding tables for a buck each at an auction. They were so big no one else wanted them. Freakin heavy bases made from 4" thick wall pipe. A challenge to move but after using one, it made my welding jobs much easier. I can lay out a trailer frame, clamp it up, and weld it true with no warping to deal with. A huge time saver when building multiples of an item because I can create a jig on the table, and even tack weld the jig to the table if needed. With covid-19 killing off thousands of businesses, the auction biz is really expanding, and should be a good source for tables and similar fabrication equipment for at least the next year. I dismantled one of the tables and cut it up to make a couple smaller tables. The plasma cutter made that a simple job. |
|
|
|
Posted: 11/22/2020 5:56:45 PM EDT
[#24]
Ive always intended to weld up a T slot table using cold rolled flat bar and small c-channel. Space the bars 5/8" apart so you can use the same clamps as the bridgeport, the channel just keeps stuff from falling through.
I also find myself using jackstands (welder style, not auto) and some flat sheet pretty often. Flexible, easily stored, cheap enough. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/11/2020 2:45:05 PM EDT
[#25]
Kinda cluttered due to an auto sheet metal project, but I do some welding on this bench. It has a 6061 T-6 1/2" thick aluminum top:
 I really need a bottom shelf for my scraps. I have no excuse for not making one. Action shot:  
|
|
|
|
Posted: 12/11/2020 3:02:28 PM EDT
[#26]
I just spent a few minutes on weldingweb.com but I couldn't find the thread I was looking for. I could have sworn there was a tacked thread all about welding tables.
Edit - Go figure I post on here, go back, and find it right away. They have a whole forum for stickied threads. Anyways, check this out: https://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?377311-Welding-table-picture-thread |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/20/2020 4:19:51 PM EDT
[#27]
6" thick welding table for $2500, Huntsville, AL. No affiliation.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Thick-Steel-Plate-83-5-Long-x-41-75-Wide-Drilled-and-Tapped-Welding-Table/273677890946?hash=item3fb8793582:g:wq0AAOSwZ2FcUMkB |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/21/2020 8:26:51 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 6" thick welding table for $2500, Huntsville, AL. No affiliation. https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Thick-Steel-Plate-83-5-Long-x-41-75-Wide-Drilled-and-Tapped-Welding-Table/273677890946?hash=item3fb8793582:g:wq0AAOSwZ2FcUMkB Roughly 6000# - for the price of shipping and dicking around trying to build legs a Tab and slot welding table would probably be a better idea. Unless you were beating on your weldments with a 9# sledge. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/21/2020 12:02:24 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Roughly 6000# - for the price of shipping and dicking around trying to build legs a Tab and slot welding table would probably be a better idea. Unless you were beating on your weldments with a 9# sledge. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: 6" thick welding table for $2500, Huntsville, AL. No affiliation. https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Thick-Steel-Plate-83-5-Long-x-41-75-Wide-Drilled-and-Tapped-Welding-Table/273677890946?hash=item3fb8793582:g:wq0AAOSwZ2FcUMkB Roughly 6000# - for the price of shipping and dicking around trying to build legs a Tab and slot welding table would probably be a better idea. Unless you were beating on your weldments with a 9# sledge. Moose Trading had some 1" thick table top tables on CL a couple months back. No price in the ad  , so I e-mailed them and asked their cash price. $1500 and $2000.  And the ads back up, so apparently it didn't sell the first time around: https://huntsville.craigslist.org/tls/d/huntsville-thick-large-steel-work-bench/7236852916.html  Note the ad still doesn't have a price on it.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 12/21/2020 1:40:24 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Moose Trading had some 1" thick table top tables on CL a couple months back. No price in the ad , so I e-mailed them and asked their cash price. $1500 and $2000. And the ads back up, so apparently it didn't sell the first time around: https://huntsville.craigslist.org/tls/d/huntsville-thick-large-steel-work-bench/7236852916.html https://images.craigslist.org/00B0B_cu9KAZGeWt4_1200x900.jpg Note the ad still doesn't have a price on it. For reference a 4' x 8' x 1" hot rolled A36 plate would cost me around $650 from my steel supplier |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/21/2020 3:29:15 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: For reference a 4' x 8' x 1" hot rolled A36 plate would cost me around $650 from my steel supplier ... but there's $600 in square tubing under it , haha.  plus, this used one comes with holes all over it already. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/21/2020 9:58:11 PM EDT
[#32]
Get people to give them to you!
My childhood friend gave me this small one from his Dads estate. I added casters so I can wheel it around to where I need it.  Attached FileMy Nieghbor gave me this 3 x12, he had to move it from his work, and it was too big for his home space...  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/22/2020 5:26:36 PM EDT
[#33]
Quoted: For reference a 4' x 8' x 1" hot rolled A36 plate would cost me around $650 from my steel supplier Quoted: ... but there's $600 in square tubing under it , haha. plus, this used one comes with holes all over it already. Note that the top is 1" High Chrome steel (magnetic SS). If you thought steel was high.... 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 12/22/2020 11:26:16 PM EDT
[#34]
I bought a used 30"x40" 1.5" thick table on 6" steel castors for $150. Faceb00k market place. It's around 600#. In my small garage, I really like having it on wheels.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 12/25/2020 8:09:32 PM EDT
[#35]
I had some red iron I beam cutoffs in the pile so I welded 6 of them four foot long upright onto a base, leaving a 3/8" gap between the beam flanges. Then I bought some Horror Freight F clamps, cutoff the fixed jaw and welded bottom adapters that I made to them that slide in the slot and rotate 360, so now I've got a flat solid surface with a world of clamping possibilities. The spaces between the I beam webs are handy for clamp storage too.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/8/2021 1:58:45 AM EDT
[#36]
I'm just a cheap ass and bought a small one from harbor freight.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/3/2021 6:05:39 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I just spent a few minutes on weldingweb.com but I couldn't find the thread I was looking for. I could have sworn there was a tacked thread all about welding tables. Edit - Go figure I post on here, go back, and find it right away. They have a whole forum for stickied threads. Anyways, check this out: https://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?377311-Welding-table-picture-thread Thanks for the link…I just joined up! |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/6/2021 9:10:55 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fireball Tool sells raw 12"x24" cast iron plates for a $100 piece. A couple of those and a frame would make nice welding table. Link? I thought they were $250 |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/7/2021 12:28:29 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Thanks for the link…I just joined up! Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I just spent a few minutes on weldingweb.com but I couldn't find the thread I was looking for. I could have sworn there was a tacked thread all about welding tables. Edit - Go figure I post on here, go back, and find it right away. They have a whole forum for stickied threads. Anyways, check this out: https://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?377311-Welding-table-picture-thread Thanks for the link…I just joined up! Definitely, I found the forum to be quite helpful. And very motivating, too. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/8/2021 11:37:12 AM EDT
[#40]
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/9/2021 4:41:43 PM EDT
[#41]
Here's mine-
Thick plate top, backsplash for hangin grinders, 6" pipe legs. The lower shelf is high enough to slide a rod bucket under and decked with expanded as to not collect dust. Nothing is permanently mounted but all the edges has space for c-clamps. And of course a rollout-wheel.  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/20/2021 6:50:44 PM EDT
[#42]
@Kitties-with-Sigs
I am just getting into welding and starting to gather my gear together. I was helping my neighbor clean out his barn and he had an old pipe frame that was originally used as a base for a water tank. I asked him what he was going to do with it and he said if I had a use for it, I could have it. The frame was made out of 2" pipe and was pretty beefy, so I figured it would make a great welding table. I bought a half sheet (4'x5') of 1/4" plate to use as a top and I also picked up a Wilton vise for it. Today, my buddy from work, who is a real welder, gave me a hand in putting it all together. He cut down the legs and trimmed down the top with a torch, so it will fit into my shop. He showed me how to do a few welds and then let me finish welding the top to the frame. For the legs, he welded nuts into the pipe legs and we used 1" x 3-1/2" bolts for the adjustable feet. We then mounted the vise and added a piece of angle iron to one end as a pipe/square tubing holder. The final dimensions are 38" high x 46" wide x 52" long. I have a 2" overhang all the way around for clamping. This is the pipe frame base:  1/4" x 4' x 5' top plate:  My first time MIG welding:  Final product vise end:  Final product pipe/square tubing holder:  |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
