Until now I've been using 2mm plate resting on some thick ply as my welding surface, but the plate has recently started to warp so I'm thinking about investing in building a proper bona fide welding table. It doesn't need to be massive, since I only currently participate in small Tig projects. The idea presently is for it to measure ~150cm x ~90cm.
So my questions are thus;
1. Many of the welding tables I've seen consist of quite chunky box section frames. What is the reason for this? Why would a 3mm x 50mm box section be preferable to say 40mm or even 30mm? 3mm box section is pretty strong, right? If designed well, wouldn't the frame comfortably hold the 60kg table top, plus some stock? Does anyone know what weight a frame constructed from 30mm box would actually fail at?
2. Looking online, some people have constructed their table tops from rectangular box section instead of steel plate. Would this be beneficial in any way i.e. lighter, stronger, less inclined to warp, etc?
As usual, any help would be gratefully received.
So my questions are thus;
1. Many of the welding tables I've seen consist of quite chunky box section frames. What is the reason for this? Why would a 3mm x 50mm box section be preferable to say 40mm or even 30mm? 3mm box section is pretty strong, right? If designed well, wouldn't the frame comfortably hold the 60kg table top, plus some stock? Does anyone know what weight a frame constructed from 30mm box would actually fail at?
2. Looking online, some people have constructed their table tops from rectangular box section instead of steel plate. Would this be beneficial in any way i.e. lighter, stronger, less inclined to warp, etc?
As usual, any help would be gratefully received.