[How-To] Cleaning up a torched edge

[DavidR8]

You can do it with a 4 1/2" angle grinder. Just take your time. I've done more pieces than I can count from 1/4" stock up to 1" that way. Below are pictures of two benches I made out of 1" plate. I used a 7" grinder on those and a boatload of grinder disks. Each bench top had free-hand cuts on three of the four sides. It took quite a bit of time to cut each one, but the real challenge is slowing yourself down and not rushing it.

I would suggest you order the plate at least 1" (preferably 2") over in each dimension to avoid hardening.

Regards,
Terry

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Nice tables Terry!
The oversize advice is well taken.


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[graham-xrf]

I would suggest you order the plate at least 1" (preferably 2") over in each dimension to avoid hardening.

Terry - is that hardening from beating on it, or from welding heat on it?
I should mention that I know hardly anything about welding, and you guys sound like experts.

My first thought at 2", or even 1" was "Wow! These guys are tough"!
I would have a harder job just moving it around than working on the edges.
It got me thinking more about a (generally useful) hydraulic assist lifting arm on caster wheels!

OK - so converting mild steel density 7.85 grams/cc --> 490 pounds per cubic foot.
Go for 4ft x 2ft x 3/8 inch 3/8 inch = 0.375/12 ft. The 490 x 4 x 2 x 0.375/12
That one weighs 122.5 pounds. I can lift that (if it was barbells on a bar).
I will admit, at my age I would strain a valve! I would have to take care. I can work up significant cardio just picking up 25kg cement bags!

Working the thing to 1" thick. That's 8/12 cubic ft --> 0.666 forever! 2/3 of a cubic ft x 490.
That would come in at 326.6 pounds!
That definitely needs a bit of a crane.

Easy to get it to 2" thick version. Let's just double it..
Hmm.. 653.3 pounds had better not be put down on your steel safety cap boot, even gently!

This stuff looks like very substantial, stable, uncompromising, quite expensive, ultimate quality kit. Would that be to grip precision clamped work, even while you take a torch to it to relieve the bend stresses?

[Duh - I think I read that wrong. You meant have a 3/8 thick table, but 2" bigger all round! ]

 

[DavidR8]

[Duh - I think I read that wrong. You meant have a 3/8 thick table, but 2" bigger all round! ]

Nailed it!

(TBH I thought exactly the same thing!)


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[Buffalo21]

Plasma cutter.....

 

[tjb]

Terry - is that hardening from beating on it, or from welding heat on it?
I should mention that I know hardly anything about welding, and you guys sound like experts.

My first thought at 2", or even 1" was "Wow! These guys are tough"!
I would have a harder job just moving it around than working on the edges.
It got me thinking more about a (generally useful) hydraulic assist lifting arm on caster wheels!

OK - so converting mild steel density 7.85 grams/cc --> 490 pounds per cubic foot.
Go for 4ft x 2ft x 3/8 inch 3/8 inch = 0.375/12 ft. The 490 x 4 x 2 x 0.375/12
That one weighs 122.5 pounds. I can lift that (if it was barbells on a bar).
I will admit, at my age I would strain a valve! I would have to take care. I can work up significant cardio just picking up 25kg cement bags!

Working the thing to 1" thick. That's 8/12 cubic ft --> 0.666 forever! 2/3 of a cubic ft x 490.
That would come in at 326.6 pounds!
That definitely needs a bit of a crane.

Easy to get it to 2" thick version. Let's just double it..
Hmm.. 653.3 pounds had better not be put down on your steel safety cap boot, even gently!

This stuff looks like very substantial, stable, uncompromising, quite expensive, ultimate quality kit. Would that be to grip precision clamped work, even while you take a torch to it to relieve the bend stresses?

[Duh - I think I read that wrong. You meant have a 3/8 thick table, but 2" bigger all round! ]

The hardening is possible from using a plasma cutter or cutting torch to get it down to size. Over-cutting allows plenty of room for clean-up and also gets you potentially past the hardened area.

These tables are VERY heavy. I actually had to build them upside down and then use a tractor to turn them over. Just the top on the small one (with wheels on it) was over 400 pounds. I don't remember the exact dimensions on the larger one, but the whole thing was well over half a ton, probably over 1,500 lbs. (Traded that one out for some work a guy did for me, so I don't still have it in my shop.) My most heavily used workbench is a 4x8 with 1/2" thick top. The top is about 650 pounds. Both of mine have heavy duty vises attached to them, and I do most of my heavy work on them - including pounding, welding, bending, etc. You can pound on them all day if you want, but one thing you're not going to do is accidentally move them.

Regards

 

[Aukai]

Those plates especially the 1" ones are a ton of money here. I remember looking at a 1/2" sheet and I think I'm remembering 780.00. Not 100% sure, but I remember it was an instant uh, no thank you.

 

[lis2323]

This is the 8’ x 2’ welding table I built a few years ago. It has a 3” steel top that weighs 1960 pounds. Total weight is about 2500 pounds.

 

[Aukai]

lis2323,,,,

 

[Boswell]

It has a 3” steel top that weighs 1960 pounds. Total weight is about 2500 pounds.

I hope you have an overhead gantry crane in case you ever have to move it. Curious, did you just have the 3" plate left over from some job or is there a special reason you wanted/needed a top so massive?

 

[lis2323]

@Boswell. This piece was used as counterweight which I removed from one of my semitrailers.

It sat around for years until I decided to make a bench out of it. I had to purchase the 24” I beams to make the pedestals.