Welding table

[Ken from ontario]

Those brackets are fairly decent, once locked they should make the whole table sturdy enough for a light duty but functional welding table.
I would cut 4 sleeves , each slightly bigger in diameter than the diameter of the leg tubing, and weld them inside the top /frame so the legs can rotate inside the sleeves, something like this:

 

[RYAN S]

Sounds good to me! I would try and do several small welds on opposing sides switching as you go to avoid warping.

 

[WobblyHand]

How would I ever move it or pick it up.

@mickri I installed heavy duty iron wheel casters on my table, so I could move it.

Believe me, I sympathize with you, you want it light enough to move, yet heavy enough to be able to do decent work. An advantage of your setup is that it folds up. Mine won't. Consequently it collects stuff aka junk and is a struggle to keep clear.

I'm sure your setup will be fine. A welding table that you can use, is a lot better than having nothing at all. Happy welding! Oh yeah, have a fire extinguisher next to you when you weld. Stuff can happen fast.

 

[mickri]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and suggestions.

I have the mounting brackets for the legs from the old table so I don't need to make anything. Time to start cutting some steel.

 

[tjb]

My experience with welding is you want the plates or table tops to be pretty thick. 3/8" is not quite thick enough. That's what I have. Otherwise you get warping due to the heat. 1/8" is quite thin, in my opinion. I went with 3/8, because 1/2" was too heavy for me to handle. In retrospect, I should have gone with 1/2". Good luck with whatever you end up with!

I agree. My workbench, which most often doubles as a welding table is 1/2" thick, and I wouldn't be inclined to use one any smaller for medium to large welding projects. (I have a smaller workbench with a 1" thick top that I use for heavier welding operations.) Small projects might be just fine with a 1/8" top, but it seems to me that's pushing it.

Also, Mickri, if my math is correct, the steel for your top is going to be pushing 45 pounds. Length (L) = 3 1/2 feet [(10.5 x 4) / 12 = 3.5 feet; Width (W) = 2.5 feet; so surface area (L x W) = 8.75 sf (3.5 x 2.5). For 1/8" thick sheet, that is equivalent to 1.09375 sf at 1" thick (8.75 x 1/8 = 1.09375). I have been told that plate weighs 40.8 lbs. per square foot at 1" thick. That means the metal in your top will weigh 44.625 lbs. (40.8 x 1.09375 = 44.625). You might want to make sure the folding legs will support that much weight.

Regards

 

[mickri]

I took a quick measure of the plate and it is .1" thick. Doing the math for 21"x60"x.1"equates to .0729 cubic feet. Steel is 490 lbs per cubic foot. The plate should weight 35.73 lbs. I haven't weighed it and I don't intend too. All I know is that it was no problem for me to carry it with one hand under my arm. It is what is. I don't do any heavy fabricating. Or even medium fabricating. I just fix things that need mending around my house. This table will see light duty and no more. Portability and being able to store it out of the way when not in use out weigh all other factors. I appreciate everybody's concern for how much it will weigh. I think that I am ok on the weight.

Here is the layout for the frame and the legs.



I will probably wait on cutting the top until I get my band saw slowed down enough to cut metal. I have bought a 30:1 reducer that should arrive by Friday. It will be a lot easier to cut the top with the band saw.

If it's not one project it's another.

 

[Ken from ontario]

Have you switched to Mig welding yet?

 

[mickri]

No intention to switch to mig welding. No money in the budget for a mig welder. Even an inexpensive one. The little HF 125 with the DCEN mod has done everything I need to weld so far.

One question above asked if the legs would support the weight of the steel table top. I have no worry about the legs supporting the steel table top. The original table had a 3'x8' 1" pressed board top and was so heavy I couldn't pick it up. I had a hard time getting into my truck by myself. It had to weight well over 100 lbs. My table is going to weigh under 50 lbs.

 

[tjb]

I took a quick measure of the plate and it is .1" thick. Doing the math for 21"x60"x.1"equates to .0729 cubic feet. Steel is 490 lbs per cubic foot. The plate should weight 35.73 lbs.

Yep, that'd be about right. If it's only .100 thick instead of .125, I get 35.70 (44.624 x 0.100 / 0.125 = 35.70). For light duty work, you should be fine.

Regards

 

[mickri]

Made the table this afternoon. I can lift it no problem and it folds up for storage. It is definitely for light duty work. I think that it will meet my needs.