Tweet
I built my original welding table in my home shop over 30 years ago. Later in some part time work I did, I had the opportunity to build an 8 foot long, 1/4" plate welding table, with storage underneath for the MIG, Plasma cutter and other related tools. One of the things I learned in my first home shop table is that while a vice mounted on the work surface is handy, it is also in the way..
Table as originally built. I learned something handy from the scrap piece of diamond plate I built the table from.. It had a thin spray of primer on it which over time I learned to be an asset rather than a hindrance.. The thin spray of paint works as well as PAM which some use to keep slag/splatter from sticking hard on the work surface.. When I rebuilt the table i used up the remaining paint to put a thin spray on the work surfaces.. The lighter color reflects light better for aging eyes...
After getting used to an 8' table my tiny 4' table at home seemed mighty small, with its overall length being limited to the 4' space between an outside walk-in door and a 10' x 10' garage door on the left. Also the newly acquired Hobart 190 MIG and Hobart 700i Plasma cutter would have to space along side my trusty old 295amp ac welder that I still use..
So this became a bit of the exercise of how to stuff 10lbs in a 5lb bag... Shelves for each piece of equipment. A swing out holder for the CO2/Argon bottle. Still has heavy duty can crusher the wife asked for from many years ago..
The 2' swing down extension, made mostly out of angle iron for light weight, some round pipe for torsional rigidity, accurately aligned in all directions to be a 90 deg square, area for using plasma cutter, ability to use clamps around the edges and internally in the open slots.
Extension folded down out of the way when not in use.. Note the lower mounting of the vice off the table surface. Not in the way as much when not needed. Provides much better hold of heavy materials with the vice jaws at suitable level so heavy material can rest on table while being clamped by vice jaws.
Table as originally built. I learned something handy from the scrap piece of diamond plate I built the table from.. It had a thin spray of primer on it which over time I learned to be an asset rather than a hindrance.. The thin spray of paint works as well as PAM which some use to keep slag/splatter from sticking hard on the work surface.. When I rebuilt the table i used up the remaining paint to put a thin spray on the work surfaces.. The lighter color reflects light better for aging eyes...
After getting used to an 8' table my tiny 4' table at home seemed mighty small, with its overall length being limited to the 4' space between an outside walk-in door and a 10' x 10' garage door on the left. Also the newly acquired Hobart 190 MIG and Hobart 700i Plasma cutter would have to space along side my trusty old 295amp ac welder that I still use..
So this became a bit of the exercise of how to stuff 10lbs in a 5lb bag... Shelves for each piece of equipment. A swing out holder for the CO2/Argon bottle. Still has heavy duty can crusher the wife asked for from many years ago..
The 2' swing down extension, made mostly out of angle iron for light weight, some round pipe for torsional rigidity, accurately aligned in all directions to be a 90 deg square, area for using plasma cutter, ability to use clamps around the edges and internally in the open slots.
Extension folded down out of the way when not in use.. Note the lower mounting of the vice off the table surface. Not in the way as much when not needed. Provides much better hold of heavy materials with the vice jaws at suitable level so heavy material can rest on table while being clamped by vice jaws.
Comment