eBay measurements... And then what to do next with my table?

[SHogan]

Morning all! First off a quick rant about people selling stuff on eBay with measurements that bear no resemblance to reality. A table advertised as being 150cm x 75cm actually turned out to be 175cm x 90cm. While that's great now that I've got it home it did mean that I had to haul it up onto the roofrack rather than being able to get it into the back of the van. Grumble, grumble...

Anyway, it's a pretty sturdy workbench with a wooden top that I'd like to make into some sort of welding table. Any advice on how best to go about it? I was just going to put a sheet of steel on the top and go from there but what type of steel is best and then how thick should it be?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bigegg]

mild steel, ungalvanised.

thicker the better, but 3mm minimum for low heat/small parts (like TIG welding sculpture from 1mm steel plate).

if youre doing anything with lots of heat -like 10mm aluminium - youre going to need 30mm thick.

but 6-20mm is a good range.

I have a couple of 3ft sq 13mm road plates as a welding table top which works for the sort of stuff I do - stick welding mild steel in the 1.5mm to 6mm thickness range.


having said that, I worked off a wooden (MDF) bench top for two years without too much difficulty - just needed to damp out the flames every so often.
I still use it for tig welding bike chain

 

[rtbcomp]

Moved to Brew Room, more appropriate for technical stuff.

 

[MoreWellie]

If going for the thicker lumps then I would prefer an all steel frame to hold it up as you are looking at 100kg plus

depending on how big your welding requirements are it might be worth plating one end and leaving the wood at the other, just make sure the legs and frame are strong enough. Non weld related I find a wood bench is nicer to work on

 

[SHogan]

Thanks for moving the thread and that's a great idea about the road plates; they definitely seem like a cheaper way of buying some large lumps of steel.
The frame of the table is pretty hefty, I wouldn't have any concerns about putting a reasonable amount of weight on it and also leathering things with a large hammer! I think it's also a good idea about keeping one end with a metal cover and leave the other 'wooden' end uncovered.

 

[rtbcomp]

I like that wood/metal idea too, 2 benches in one. Perhaps even hinge the metal plate so you can swing it up out of the way if you don't need it.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I like that wood/metal idea too, 2 benches in one. Perhaps even hinge the metal plate so you can swing it up out of the way if you don't need it.

But REALLY secured, lest it turns into a guillotine if dislodged by all the hammering.