Hi All,
I've been wanting to build myself a fabrication table for a while, and have finally got round to making one. So I thought I might post up some pics of it, to join the numerous other welding tables projects scattering the internet.
At work we recently had a bit of a clean up of the yard, which included chucking a load of unused/unlikely to be used steel in a skip destined for the scrap metal merchant. I saw the opportunity to turn some of this scrap steel into something useful and luckily with the boss’s permission was able to set aside enough pieces to build a pretty robust fabrication table.
We have quite a nice fabrication table at work (see below), and something similar would be ideal, but its solid 20mm thick top and rigid base mean it’s really heavy and difficult to move / transport or store. So I’ve made my table out of smaller elements which when bolted together make a table of a similar size / weight, and added a few features that I’ve seen on other people’s tables.
Features include:
- 2100 x 1200mm surface area – made of 100 x 20mm flat bar...
- Easily transported (or stored away if necessary) – can be broken down into parts small enough to fit in a small van.
- A degree of height adjustment using adjustable scaffold feet with, scaffold tube set within the bottom of the table legs.
- Plenty of flexibility for clamping work pieces – 75mm overhang at table edges, with a large enough gap between plates to work with large Bessy clamps.
- 3 fixing points along one side to allow a vice to be attached without taking up surface space, as repositioned as necessary. Projection of vice will hopefully also give better access for working on items.
- In addition to the side fixing points there are fixing points at the ends of the table, all of which could also be used for outriggers to support larger work pieces.
- Flat between end legs allow for clamp and angle grinder storage.
Adjustable table leg detail
Welding up table legs
Flat pack fabrication table
Main frame
Fabrication table
I've still got to finish the vice mount, and get two more scafold feet for the middle legs, but so far I’m pretty pleased with how its turned out, the real test will be in using it - I can already see myself dropping quite a few bits down the gaps.
Unfortunately I made one proper schoolboy error – I had hoped to be able to slide all the flat bar together to form a solid surface, but in my rush to crack on with the project I didn’t accurately measure the width of the plates and assumed they were 100mm wide. It turns out they’re just a little wider which means when sat next to one another the error in hole centres rapidly increases to the point where the holes won’t line up – doh!
Now I’ve just got to get myself to a position where I can get a workshop to put it in. But for now its sure going to beat welding on a small steel plate sat on top of a milk crate that I’ve been using until now, Ha.
Cheers,
Mark
I've been wanting to build myself a fabrication table for a while, and have finally got round to making one. So I thought I might post up some pics of it, to join the numerous other welding tables projects scattering the internet.
At work we recently had a bit of a clean up of the yard, which included chucking a load of unused/unlikely to be used steel in a skip destined for the scrap metal merchant. I saw the opportunity to turn some of this scrap steel into something useful and luckily with the boss’s permission was able to set aside enough pieces to build a pretty robust fabrication table.
We have quite a nice fabrication table at work (see below), and something similar would be ideal, but its solid 20mm thick top and rigid base mean it’s really heavy and difficult to move / transport or store. So I’ve made my table out of smaller elements which when bolted together make a table of a similar size / weight, and added a few features that I’ve seen on other people’s tables.
Features include:
- 2100 x 1200mm surface area – made of 100 x 20mm flat bar...
- Easily transported (or stored away if necessary) – can be broken down into parts small enough to fit in a small van.
- A degree of height adjustment using adjustable scaffold feet with, scaffold tube set within the bottom of the table legs.
- Plenty of flexibility for clamping work pieces – 75mm overhang at table edges, with a large enough gap between plates to work with large Bessy clamps.
- 3 fixing points along one side to allow a vice to be attached without taking up surface space, as repositioned as necessary. Projection of vice will hopefully also give better access for working on items.
- In addition to the side fixing points there are fixing points at the ends of the table, all of which could also be used for outriggers to support larger work pieces.
- Flat between end legs allow for clamp and angle grinder storage.
Adjustable table leg detail
Welding up table legs
Flat pack fabrication table
Main frame
Fabrication table
I've still got to finish the vice mount, and get two more scafold feet for the middle legs, but so far I’m pretty pleased with how its turned out, the real test will be in using it - I can already see myself dropping quite a few bits down the gaps.
Unfortunately I made one proper schoolboy error – I had hoped to be able to slide all the flat bar together to form a solid surface, but in my rush to crack on with the project I didn’t accurately measure the width of the plates and assumed they were 100mm wide. It turns out they’re just a little wider which means when sat next to one another the error in hole centres rapidly increases to the point where the holes won’t line up – doh!
Now I’ve just got to get myself to a position where I can get a workshop to put it in. But for now its sure going to beat welding on a small steel plate sat on top of a milk crate that I’ve been using until now, Ha.
Cheers,
Mark
