shop table top finish

[vic_ny]

those of you that have a steel plate top work bench, what is the best way to get that swirled finish look that the benches you can buy have. i use my bench for metal and wood work and the top is slightly rusty and is leaving stains in the wood i have been working on lately. i want to have a smoother and cleaner surface to work on. is there an easier way to get this finish than with a grinder and a flap wheel? could i use my belt sander or would the sparked wreck it?

[Jim314]

Vic, I don't know about the swirl finish, but if your using the table for woodworking also, why not cut a piece of MDF to fit the top and clamp it down when your doing wookwork. That would protect the metal top from stains, paint, varnish, glue, etc you use in woodworking. MDF also stands up very well as a woodworking bench. I have one and put a couple of coats of spar varnish on it to protect it from coffee or whatever other liquid refreshment I might spill on it.
I would think the swirl finish would have to be done with either a grinder or orbital sander.

[vic_ny]

thanks jim i didnt even think of that

[MAC702]

I've used a belt sander on a solid steel top before. It does a great job of removing light spatter from the table. I wasn't concerned with the finish, but it kept it looking like clean steel, just maybe a little scratchy depending on the grit.

[nitsuj]

Is there a good reason to not buy a sheet of stainless to screw down to the benchtop? No rust, still have a metal top.

[Royal Fe]

$

[Cletrac]

That swirled finish is from blanchard grinding the slab to a finished thickness. I would run a sander over it from time to time and keep a light coat of oil on it when not being used.

Dave

[BillC]

Do you guys with steel table tops ever tack your work to the table as a fixturing aid?

[Main]

Do you guys with steel table tops ever tack your work to the table as a fixturing aid?

But of course. If I can't clamp it I just tack it and smack it or tap it with a hammer to put the piece in position. To remove just smack it with your hammer or use a grinder.

[Guest]

Originally posted by BillC
Do you guys with steel table tops ever tack your work to the table as a fixturing aid?

Yep. When i need repeatability, I tack angle clips to make a jig, so that each part comes out the same. It takes 2 clips for each detail part. The angle clips I use are 2' x 2" x 2" x 1/4", but you can use anything that you can clamp to and has a flat side sticking up. I use the clips, both legs vertical, and three tacks to nail it down. For single parts, unless it's difficult to position, I just use clamps and magnets. I also have two cold rolled steel blocks with the sharp corners, 3" x 2" x 2" that help to position stuff.

[Cletrac]

At work we have very large tables with 1" tops for injection mold assembly and repair. I had the table tops drilled with a big magnetic drill and threaded 3/8-16 on about a 6"X6" grid so we could clamp things down to the table. You can rent a magnetic table and do the same thing which saves on having to grind off the tack welds.

Dave

[vic_ny]

Originally posted by nitsuj
Is there a good reason to not buy a sheet of stainless to screw down to the benchtop? No rust, still have a metal top.

a sheet of 26 ga. cheep grade ss is $75 . i am probably going to go with 3/4 plywood of mdf, thanks guys

[nitsuj]

I'm as cheap as the next guy, but $75 isn't really too much money for something as important as a bench top is it? It's the one thing in your shop you'll use almost every time to mame something. Don't get me wrong, I don't have an SS bench top, I was just curious if the surface would have any draw backs besides cost.

[BillC]

My welding table top is 3ft x 4ft 1/2 inch thick aluminum plate. I was using it today and it would have been nice to be able to fixture with magnets. I am going to drill and tap some holes in it one of these days for screwing stops and clamps to the table.

[Thomas Harris]

Originally posted by BillC
My welding table top is 3ft x 4ft 1/2 inch thick aluminum plate. I was using it today and it would have been nice to be able to fixture with magnets. I am going to drill and tap some holes in it one of these days for screwing stops and clamps to the table.

1/2 thick AL? That must have been a gift from someone!