Welding Table

I have an opportunity to pick up a pretty kick a$$ table. I'm new and need some advice. The legs and structure of the table are metal, the top is wood with 1/4" steel plate on top of the wood. Is this ok for welding? This table is for light use. I just need to find a place to put it. I haven't seen it in person yet.

They're practically giving it away. My hesitation simply has to do with real estate. I don't have a lot of space so I don't need another thing in my garage that isn't suitable for its intended purpose.


Thanks.

Okay for welding? I would say most likely yes. If all the wood is covered by metal, and there are no exposed gaps for sparks, welding berries, cutting slag etc to find their way directly to wood, then it should be safe enough. Unless you plan on some serious construction projects generating a lot of heat on the table top itself you won't likely get the wood below hot enough to cause problems.

As for the size, if it's too large for your space, consider cutting it down some. Maybe add some more legs and make into two smaller tables? Never pass up a good project.

Should be fine, even when welding directly on it, the 1/4" plate should absorb most of the heat before it can be transferred to the wood below

Perfect. Thank you.

Just to close this post out, I ended up getting that table. It's about 4 feet by 2+feet. It also has a lower metal shelf and I'm loving it. Set me back $20. Thanks again.

You did good! $20? Does he have any more? ?

This site needs a 'My Welding Table' thread. I should take a better photo but here's what I use, some scrap brackets that I think were for mounting a tv on the wall, welded together to make a 12" x 48" perforated tabletop. Portable because I have to weld outdoors away from all the old dry wood in the barn.

This plus occasionally a sawhorse to hold up the other end of a project has worked out surprisingly well. I haven't found a need to upgrade to something else. Photo that includes the welding table. Some day I'll take a better photo.

For $20 you got a great deal. I never liked trying to weld on the ground.

jhn9840
John

I have used a formica topped wood table for years as a fabrication/welding table. A few years ago, my neighbor gave me a piece of aluminum to place on top and it works fine. I did put a piece of 3/8" plywood on top to keep from damaging the formica.
This year my buddy brought in a 4x8 foot solid steel table that he picked up on the side of the road. It was all rusty and pitted but had a solid frame and 1/4" steel top. I spent several hours brushing off the rust, welding up some of the more severely pitted spots and then put a coat of clear lacquer to keep it from rusting again. I painted the frame silver, put in some 1/2" wood shelves under it. added some HF swivel/locking wheels ($25 ea) to it and now have a really nice rolling welding table. I moved my smaller wood table to the back of my shop for smaller projects and the big table is for large and heavy stuff. I can bring heavy stuff into the shop with my B26 TLB if needed and put it on the fab table.
My plans are to some day, put in a concrete apron in front of my shop so I can roll either table outside for use. Maybe in the spring I will scratch out a place in the gravel and form it up for concrete. I need to talk to my builder that did my shop and see if he can bring his crew over to do the concrete.

Apron out the shop door is great. I do as much cutting and welding out there as possible. Better light, less smoke and no fires.

I'm cheating. My dad was in Northern Tool and caught it on sale for $60. I was just waiting to run across some 1/4" plate for a top. I guess he knows how much trouble it is to do everything on the ground.

A-one said:

I'm cheating. My dad was in Northern Tool and caught it on sale for $60. I was just waiting to run across some 1/4" plate for a top. I guess he knows how much trouble it is to do everything on the ground.

https://m.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200712275_200712275

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Not bad if you have a small work area. I would put a solid plate on top though. Much easier to sweep up slag than to constantly be picking up items that fall thru the screen. Use the slag catcher area for a storage drawer if possible.

Gary Fowler said:

Not bad if you have a small work area. I would put a solid plate on top though. Much easier to sweep up slag than to constantly be picking up items that fall thru the screen. Use the slag catcher area for a storage drawer if possible.

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It is a small area. An 11x20 garage that is full of a lot of other different tools. I don't really have a problem with anything falling through though. That expanded doesn't have big holes. I'm able to drop a cut screw or something of that nature in. It catches some of the chips from the chop saw. I'll brush anything off the tabletop that will fit into the slag drawer. Everything else i just toss into a 5 gallon bucket.

It's not flat is the only problem I have. I usually have to work with my parts after tacking if I want them flat. As far as having something to keep me off of the floor, it's awesome. Nothing heavy duty, so I can't put a vice on it. But it's easy to get it outside when I'm ready to use it. Pull it out, pick it up, and set it outside the door.

If you put 1/4" plate on it, you may as well add some HF swivel rolling locking wheels to it. Nothing beats a rolling table especially one that you can lock the wheels on. On a table that size, only 2 of the wheels need to swivel so you can push it like a shopping cart.

I got a few photos of my shop tables and equipment. First is the table my buddy donated that he found on the side of the road. It took quite a while to remove all the rust, then we added the shelving. Next is the table I have used for 10 years that I got from a department store that was closing. It is 2"thick particle board with Formica covering. I put a piece of aluminum floor plate on top for welding and added a couple of small vises. Then there is my OmniPro220 and my Everlast plasma cutter/ welding machine and all my grinders and portaband saw and lastly my small wood table with my belt sander and my shelves holding my other tools.
Now if my elbows would just quit paining me, I might could use some of them. Just typing creates some pain.
Note in the third photo that my little rolling table holding all my grinders now has 5 Dewalt and 2 HF grinders. They used to be just one Dewalt and the other 5 were all HF but lately all the HF ones are starting to wear out. First the pins failed that locked the rotor for removing the blades, now all the brushes are failing so I am just tossing them out and replacing them with Dewalt. My local Atwoods had a sale on the Dewalt 8 amp (I think) for $49 so I bought 3 of them and one of the 11 amp heavy duty ones ($99). They all turn 11,000 rpm compared to the HF ones that only turn 6500 so the Dewalt remove metal much quicker and the cut off wheels seem to last longer with the higher revolutions.