# New Workbench



## abrace (Feb 11, 2017)

All,

         Figured I would share the new workbench I built. It is 56 inches wide, 24 inches deep, 41 inches high.

The main frame is 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1/8" square tube. Supports are run 12" OC for the top surface and are 1x1 x 1/8" square tube. The shelves are supported by 1x1 x 1/8" angle iron. Shelving is 18 gauge.

         Top is 3/16" steel. The area where the vice is located had some extra 1x1 tube used for support. A piece of 1/4" plate was welded underneath the mounting area making the thickness there 7/16" thick. I was worried about the top twisting if I was really doing something hard to something in the vice.

   Caster wheels are from McMaster Carr and are rated for 900lbs each. Casters are bolted into 1/4" plate gussets.

   Using square tube strength calculators, the table should be able to safely support about 2000 lbs evenly distributed. The table is pretty wide so it is a long span, otherwise it would be more.

   Table was primarily stick welded using DC current from a Hobart Stickmate. 3/32 7018 rod was used. A little 6011 was used for some of the tack welds due to the easier restrikes. The only exception to stick welding was that the 14 guage shelving was stitch welded using mig. My Hobart Ironman was used for that using .030 solid wire and 75/25 gas. Steel tubing was cut with a HF 4x6 bandsaw. Sheet metal/plate was cut with a Hypertherm plasma cutter, except for the caster gussets which were cut with Oxy Acetylene.

I mainly used stick welding to get my skills better at it. I find it more challenging than mig so I enjoy the welding process better, plus I *REALLY* wanna get good at it as I view it as one of the most versatile forms of welding. Pic showing me with the leathers on is right before I welded the top on. That was overhead stick welding and gets very splattery, hence the extra safety margin. I could have flipped the table and welded it in position, but wanted practice with my overhead. I took an entire semester of vertical up and overhead (AKA out of position) stick welding at the community college and never felt that I got good at it. Practice makes perfect.

   Paint is rustoleum safety blue...bought for my new PM-932 mill dolly I am working on, but I ended up with 2 gallons of it so wanted to use it up!

   New repainted Wilton vise you see on the table was mounted with 5/8 Grade-5 bolts per Wilton specs.

     Bottom left of the table will hold my Keen rod oven. The drawbacks of 7018 stick rod is that it is supposed to be kept dry and warm.

   Any questions or comments let me know.


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## BFHammer (Feb 11, 2017)

Well done!


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