Welding/Fab Table

[Mk1_Oz]

Am currently thinking that I would like an adjustable height table. This will enable me to get the most comfortable position both sitting and standing. May end up never adjusting it but....... 650mm lowest possy and 1100 highest (in case the local basketball team come around).

[Dave J]

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.
Attachment 390366Attachment 390367

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.

Nice bench, I'm looking at doing similar but a solid 10mm top in the next few weeks and have similar thing in mind with my G clamps, but will have my smaller gas/gasless mig I rairly use, stick welder and plasma cutter under it and maybe some drawers I just got off Peter (Bollie) under there as well.
My main mig with it's bottle is way to big to fit.
I'll also transfer my grinder and hammer holder from my other bench and add a 4-6 way power outlet on it.

My mate who is a truck driver picked me up some nice english made 200mm cast iron castor's with hard rubber tyres year's ago, 2x fixed and 2x castors, they where off a full sized skip bin and where in a bin to be thrown out. I'd hate to price them new, lol

My concrete where the bench is going near the roller door and the double carport is slightly sloping.
I'm planing on going with 4 adjustable feet which can be easily adjusted with a battery impact driver. And also have in mind a hitch receiver for a spare swiveling/tilting vice I have here.

Not sure what else to add as I've seen some beautiful benches over the years, and have been googling the past few days while the shed and under the attached house is getting a total rearrangement finally after 2 1/2 years, lol.

[OxxAndBert]

I find an adjustable height stool far more convenient than what I imagine an adjustable table would be.
For me at about 185cm tall, nipple height is still quite a comfortable height to weld at and standing that gives me about 500 above the 900 high table.

The only time I could see lower table being useful is if you were welding something higher than 500, and chances are that it would start out as lower pieces, and I’m pretty sure if it was me I’d be throwing it on the floor or grabbing a small step to reach the top with it on the table instead of manually raising and lowering the table it as you work around to weld it up.
Of course if you’re going to make it powered with hydraulics or linear actuator etc then ignore all that dribble and enjoy

Steve

[Mk1_Oz]

...hydraulics...

[Dave J]

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

I guess I'm 35 years to late for my first project for a welding table as I'm just building one, lol.
I've just always used a piece of steel on saw horses, built off the floor or my main bench for smaller stuff.

Getting older and having back issues has made me see the need for one lately.

For someone that has a welding gun in my hand at the minimum 1 day a week I should have thought and built one many years ago.

[Commander_Keen]

Particular attention to Heavy work, Light work, and Optimum control levels.
Mine is about 950mm. But I can adjust the legs with a bit of effort if needed. Haven't needed/wanted to do it yet though...

[Mk1_Oz]

Na that pic doesn't apply to me.........he has way more hair

[Gavin Newman]

...but will have my smaller gas/gasless mig I rairly use, stick welder and plasma cutter under it...

I would think carefully about storing machines or cylinders under a welding table. In my experience, that area will get a lot of grinding dust and welding grit and so forth showered down on it from the work surface above. Not the best environment for electrical stuff.

It may be better to make up a trolley on wheels for welder storage perhaps. In my case the MIG is on it's own wheels (250A Kemppi job) but the TIG is on a mobile trolley that holds the power source, the gas cylinder and tubes of filler rods. Both have G size bottles. The stick welder sits on a shelf when not in the ute.

Once you have a welding table you'll find that you acquire more and more clamps so you'll need all the under table space for them anyway..,.

[Dave J]

Thanks, my G size lives on the back of my Transmig so no bottles under there, the smaller mig, plasma and G clamps all have lived under my main bench close to the top for years with no hassles.
If I leave them there in my smaller shop they will definitely get showered with sparks from grinding etc.

I have plenty of G clamps here as I've collected them up over the years, so won't be needing anymore.
I was thinking about doing a grid of holes on half the plate, but then it makes it useless for anything else, and crap can drop through it.

[Charleville]

Hi Mk 1_ Oz
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.

As a boofhead amateur who occasionally welds ambitiously big projects at my home, I am constantly in admiration for the wisdom that Mr Collins brings to this forum because he is happy to scale down needs expectations for us inexperienced, largely unskilled mugs. A multiplicity of thanks to you, Sir!

Grahame's comment above is very reassuring. Having just bought myself a Christmas present of a TIG welder that I am yet to fully unpack and start using, I have been contemplating scaling up my welding facilities by getting a welding table but have been a bit wary of what should be the minimum size. Grahame's comment, based on experience, is very welcomed to this metal scratcher. Indeed, as described below, it is not too hard to prop up the rest of the project on adjustable height stands or sawhorses with shims or whatever to support the piece.

Over the years, I have welded some very successful longish RHS gate frames on common old saw horses and have achieved getting all of the pieces in the same plane by using a digital angle gauge such as one of these...
https://www.tradetools.com/renegade-...CABEgJXifD_BwE

I bought mine several years ago and it is a Wixey brand which, I think, was the original manufacturer of these things but nowadays there are dozens of knock-offs on the market.

These are very useful for a multitude of accurate set up tasks such as on saw bench blades. However, with a magnetic base, they are also super useful for setting up RHS or SHS materials in the same plane for welding. It takes a while, using shims to get the levels right but it works.

[Mk1_Oz]

Yes there are a number of very knowledgeable people here who are willing to help.

I have finalised my design and am about to order some hideously expensive metal. It has a 16mm top with 16mm holes supported by Fireball Tool style adjusters to enable 100% flatness. It is also height adjustable via a scissor jack in a central position. around 2000 x 1000. Overkill, yes. Extravagant, yes. This will be a welding, fab and everything table. I really enjoyed drawing it up. I also drew plans for my storage cabinet and metal brake and am just about to design a 3 phase large belt grinder along the lines of the Fireball Tool one.

Table2.jpgAttachment 390465