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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    589

    Default Welding/Fab Table

    Now that I have a metal brake to build in order to build a storage cabinet I now need to build a half decent welding/fabrication table. My knees are getting too old to mess around welding things on the concrete floor!

    Many welding tables have 5/8" holes at 2" centres for clamps and various other tooling. Is there anything special about the 2" spacing? It seems quite close and means drilling many many holes. Would there be anything wrong with using 75mm spacing? I realise that maybe some of my clamps might need to have an additional 1" of reach. There is a huge difference between drilling 1,081 holes versus 465 in a 2400x1200 table.

    How big a table do you guys and gals have? It would be nice to have a table 2400x1200 to hold a full sheet of steel but bigger is more costly and takes up more space. Do you get away with smaller tables? Do your tables us the locating holes or are they just flat?

    Thoughts are welcomed.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southern Flinders Ranges
    Posts
    1,536

    Default

    Mine is 1800x900 (give or take, can’t remember the exact measurements off the top of my head), grid of M12 threads on 100mm centres. The top is 30mm thick ground both sides, weighs around 500kg or so. Consider selling it if you are interested, I’m giving serious consideration to down sizing to around 1000x600 with a 12 or 16mm top, grid of M12 at same hole centres. I use the M12 because it’s sort of become the default standard in my workspace, so everything is interchangeable. I use the clamps off the mill on the welding bench fairly regularly (way cheaper than using 16mm holes and tooling up with Stronghand stuff).

    I’ve had numerous variations on the welding bench theme over the years, I’ve not made one single thing that has required me to be able to put a full sheet on a table in 30 years of making stuff. If I needed to now, I would simply make some some outriggers for the bench I have. Most of the time I only work on 1/2 the table I have.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Hi Mk 1_ Oz

    My belief is that a fab table should be first project off the rank for anyone who has purchased a welder for fab purposes.

    A welding /fabrication table should be built to suit the needs of the person using it.
    It gets back to individual choices .

    Not necessarily ranked in order of importance-
    Frequency of use
    Type of fabrication
    Physical Size of fabrications
    Suitably of your own hold down tools-cheaper than the custom ones that come with a kit.
    Budget
    Available workspace-consider Mobility,storage and a multi purposing of said table-when not fab use.

    At this point you should have some idea of the items you desire to fabricate.

    Personally. I have never needed more than a square meter to achieve what I have had had to make and the few larger items -Ie meshed door frame were accommodated by using other mobile tables of the same height arranged side by side or slightly apart.

    That,s my cents worth.

    Grahame

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Age
    67
    Posts
    362

    Default

    It does not matter what size table made there are times when its not big enough.
    I remember in the fab shop days the table were 2.4x4 meters and we joined two together to get the size we needed.
    My home table is 1500x900mm with 25mm top plate and is more than large enough for the work I do. In truth it spends more time as an assemble bench than a welding bench these days.
    A couple of years ago I decided to drill and tap some 120 5/8" holes on 100mm centres. The jury is still out on whether it was a good move. It was not that hard just to tac bits to the table and weld. Now I spend more time looking for nuts and other small bits that have fallen through the holes.

    Tony

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    589

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by racingtadpole View Post
    .
    PM sent...............Your inbox is too full so go delete something!!!!! Would be interested to talk about your table. Glenn
    Last edited by Mk1_Oz; 11th Jan 2021 at 06:02 PM. Reason: not enough space for more bits and bytes

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southern Flinders Ranges
    Posts
    1,536

    Default

    Weird.. wasn’t showing full, but I’ve culled a few, so have a crack now.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,416

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by racingtadpole View Post
    Mine is 1800x900 (give or take, can’t remember the exact measurements off the top of my head), grid of M12 threads on 100mm centres. The top is 30mm thick ground both sides, weighs around 500kg or so. Consider selling it if you are interested, I’m giving serious consideration to down sizing to around 1000x600 with a 12 or 16mm top, grid of M12 at same hole centres. I use the M12 because it’s sort of become the default standard in my workspace, so everything is interchangeable. I use the clamps off the mill on the welding bench fairly regularly (way cheaper than using 16mm holes and tooling up with Stronghand stuff).

    I’ve had numerous variations on the welding bench theme over the years, I’ve not made one single thing that has required me to be able to put a full sheet on a table in 30 years of making stuff. If I needed to now, I would simply make some some outriggers for the bench I have. Most of the time I only work on 1/2 the table I have.
    Thanks
    I just asked this same question to Bollie the other day of what his thoughts where.
    I have a piece of 10mm here 1500x560mm and a 75x75mm heavy wall stand I'm going to marry together.
    I was either thinking 1200 or 1000mm long.
    For my shop the smaller is better.
    Using Tapatalk

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Age
    67
    Posts
    362

    Default

    Working space.
    I wish I could remember these things and get them in one post but as I have just tripped over my shop vac it brings to mind one thing, working space.
    My table is 1500x900mm. The back is up against an object so there is no room there but it still means there is about 3100x 2000mm floor space taken up.
    Just a thought.

    Tony

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Geelong, Australia
    Age
    57
    Posts
    2,651

    Default

    Mine is only a small table - around 1200x600, with 16mm steel top.

    Its on 150mm cast iron wheels at one end, and has retractable castors at the other end so it won't run away by itself. It lives against a wall under some pallet racking which forms a shelf above - but I can move it out into the workshop further if I need to work around it more.

    Its really just a general welding table and not a fabrication table though, so doesn't have any fancy holes or clamping functionality.
    The legs are set 60mm in from the edges of the top which means I can edge clamp most things, and I tack bits of scrap to the table to create stops or clamping surfaces if required.

    Tony makes a good point about working space. With a small table like mine you can reach across to the other side. If your table is 1200 deep then you have to have access to the other side or its just dead support space. Means it can't really live against a wall since even if you're not using the other side you can almost guarantee that you'll need to get to it to retrieve that piece that rolled/bounced just out of your reach.

    Steve

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    589

    Default

    What do you all find works height wise? Sitting height, standing height or adjustable?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southern Flinders Ranges
    Posts
    1,536

    Default

    Mine is currently adjusted for a metre (I’m not quite 6’), I have a bolt on/off stool outrigger if I need to sit and do lots of small fiddly parts

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Adelaide
    Age
    68
    Posts
    1,373

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mk1_Oz View Post
    What do you all find works height wise? Sitting height, standing height or adjustable?
    I have a 2m x 1m Stronghand set at 930 deck height. For me that's worked out to be the best height for standing welding, it saves a lot of bending over. I also have a high rise gas lift chair that I use for sitting TIG jobs.

    The under bench area comes in handy for storing clamps and other welding bits and pieces.
    clamps1.jpgclamps2.jpg

    The table top is made up of slats with 16mm holes at 50 mm centres - they take the de-facto standard insert clamps - but they also have 40 mm gaps between each slat so you can run clamps in on sliding blocks if the pre-set positions don't suit. PM me if you want to have a look to get ideas.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Geelong, Australia
    Age
    57
    Posts
    2,651

    Default

    Mine is about 920 to the top surface. Works well for me both standing and also when sitting on a stool for TIG work.

    Steve

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
    Age
    67
    Posts
    362

    Default

    Mine is 930mm. Seems to be the best average for standing where I can reach over to far side comfortable or sitting using the gas strut adjustable chair. Strangely enough the last time I was sitting and welding two milk crates were just the right height.

    OxxAndBert mentioned 150mm wheels. I like big wheels. Bigger the better. With 600kgs to move around I found 200mm wheels make life much easier.

    Tony

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,416

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mk1_Oz View Post
    What do you all find works height wise? Sitting height, standing height or adjustable?
    I've always gone for 900mm, seems to work for me at 180 odd cm tall.
    Once a decent sized 150-160mm vice is added seems to be about elbow height.
    Using Tapatalk

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