Floor plate

[Welderpaul]

I'm still searching for a decent floor plate to go in the unit. Like a T slotted table, but without the legs, and set into a concrete floor. Somewhere around 8m x 5m would do. I think they are usually cast iron and made to quite a degree of flatness.
Are they known by any other name? Some i've seen just have a series of square holes 80x80mm ish to allow a clamp to be passed through.

 

[scott0031]

Paul, they can sometimes be known in the trade as a 'slab' so worth doing a search on that term.


Kind regards,


Scott (ward eng)

 

[TechnicAl]

There are often plates on this site....if its waht youre looking for
https://www.apexauctions.co.uk/auct...&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Civad Email+03

 

[wyn]

I've had this site bookmarked for a while.

 

[Welderpaul]

Thanks fellas.

 

[Welderpaul]

Just blown coffee all over my keyboard when i found out prices of them. Think i'll wait for an auction one to come up that no ones bothering bidding on cos it wants digging out of a floor.

 

[Hitch]

A nice big plate not do the trick then?
No clamp holes, but youd be able to tack to it wherever you wanted....

 

[Welderpaul]

Yeah, that was my other option.

 

[Hitch]

You can get some pretty heafty plates, seen ones covering artic trailers and stuck out a foot each side, but i believe they do bigger fro shipbuilding.
A quick look finds 18x3m

 

[TechnicAl]

The problem with any old plate is flatness....the special plates are perfectly flat the as rolled stuff wont be (but that may not be an issue)

 

[Hitch]

Thats a fair point TA, but for general fab work, a carefully placed and shimmed bit of 25 ought to be accurate enough...id think.

 

[Welderpaul]

TBH our benches are made of 20/25mm plate, and whilst not as good as a surface plate etc, are fine for general fab work. A thickish plate should be fine - probably go and pick a specific one thats flat, rather than take pot luck on a delivered one.
Drill and tap a grid of holes for clamping, or as Hitch says, just tack to it.