Stupid workbench idea?

[Dcal]

The wood will take the bounce out of it but the added mass of the concrete will as well.
The concrete will comfort more closly to the steel so will protect row steel plate better but I agree both will work very well.
Concrete will be a lot more bother for probably little extra benefit but why not try it

 

[sardine]

My welding bench is made of a piece of galvanised steel grating, its flat, rigid, and takes a lot of weight, and you can clamp through it anywhere you like, or bolt a vice on. The spatter and grinding dust falls through to a tray underneath.

A sheet of 4 mm tacked on top would probably equal the strength of 20 mm plate.

 

[thinfourth]

The wood will take the bounce out of it but the added mass of the concrete will as well.
The concrete will comfort more closly to the steel so will protect row steel plate better but I agree both will work very well.
Concrete will be a lot more bother for probably little extra benefit but why not try it

I think that wood is more expense and more hassle. As to get a significant mass below the bench i have going to need a shedload of timber. Where as concrete should be a bit more welding and two batches from the mixer to give me 200kg of concrete

 

[Burdekin]

Stiffen with flat bar welded/tacked on it's long edge and an additional leg or two where you will be hitting if required.

 

[bigegg]

Sleepers are 10-30 quid each, so 30-90 quid for a 2ftx8ft bench top about 6in thick.
That's 8cu ft, or about 230l.= 0.25 cu m = 600kgs of concrete
Make it 4" of concrete = 400kgs
Concrete is going to be 6:1?
So 35 quid?
£60 f you go 4:1
Plus another £10 or £15 in reinforcing bar?

Consider concrete *will* crack if you hit it hard enough or get it hot enough; sleepers won't: and will have some resale value if you decide to change design.

Do it right.
Do it once.

 

[thinfourth]

Sleepers are 10-30 quid each, so 30-90 quid for a 2ftx8ft bench top about 6in thick.
That's 8cu ft, or about 230l.= 0.25 cu m = 600kgs of concrete
Make it 4" of concrete = 400kgs
Concrete is going to be 6:1?
So 35 quid?
£60 f you go 4:1
Plus another £10 or £15 in reinforcing bar?

Consider concrete *will* crack if you hit it hard enough or get it hot enough; sleepers won't: and will have some resale value if you decide to change design.

Do it right.
Do it once.

Okay

Crete mix which is sand and gravel mixed together is £35 a ton plus 2 bags of cement at £6 each is £47 with 3/4 a ton left over.

Cracking of the concrete due to heat

What heat? It’s a work bench not a welding bench

Cracking of the concrete due to hammering

So what. It will have a load of mesh reinforcing plus a ply bottom so if if cracks it won’t be falling off and due to the steel top i probably won’t even notice.

I can’t see any major problems with the concept and it is easier then working with sleepers as concrete just gets tipped into a former that will be the bottom of the bench. If i go with wood it will need as much welding and work as i will need to make a frame to support the sleepers.

I am probably going to give it a go and it if turns out terrible i can sell the complete bench just make sure it is buyer collects

 

[Burdekin]

If you just want to add mass just fill your tank with sand.

 

[Gwil]

Okay

Crete mix which is sand and gravel mixed together is £35 a ton plus 2 bags of cement at £6 each is £47 with 3/4 a ton left over.

Cracking of the concrete due to heat

What heat? It’s a work bench not a welding bench

Cracking of the concrete due to hammering

So what. It will have a load of mesh reinforcing plus a ply bottom so if if cracks it won’t be falling off and due to the steel top i probably won’t even notice.

I can’t see any major problems with the concept and it is easier then working with sleepers as concrete just gets tipped into a former that will be the bottom of the bench. If i go with wood it will need as much welding and work as i will need to make a frame to support the sleepers.

I am probably going to give it a go and it if turns out terrible i can sell the complete bench just make sure it is buyer collects

Concrete and steel, oddly, share a similar coefficient of expansion. This is why a thin ferro cement structure like a boat survives fire very well. I think your idea will fly.

Not literally, I'm sure you understand......

 

[fixerupper]

Yeah I kind of think it's an interesting idea, the curing of the concrete will make it a slow job don't let it dry out, the slower the cure the stronger the concrete. So if you need a workbench soon .....

 

[Maker]

Good point, it might be as much as a couple of months until it's fully cured, ideally without the steel plate on top so you can keep spraying it with water.

 

[bigegg]

Okay

Crete mix which is sand and gravel mixed together is £35 a ton plus 2 bags of cement at £6 each is £47 with 3/4 a ton left over.

Cracking of the concrete due to heat

What heat? It’s a work bench not a welding bench

Cracking of the concrete due to hammering

So what. It will have a load of mesh reinforcing plus a ply bottom so if if cracks it won’t be falling off and due to the steel top i probably won’t even notice.

I can’t see any major problems with the concept and it is easier then working with sleepers as concrete just gets tipped into a former that will be the bottom of the bench. If i go with wood it will need as much welding and work as i will need to make a frame to support the sleepers.

I am probably going to give it a go and it if turns out terrible i can sell the complete bench just make sure it is buyer collects

I'm buying into this now:
for a workbench, crack on!

If you're going to be using a bfh, I wonder if dividing the concrete into 1ft? sections with some strips of 6mm plate set vertically, and running front to back would be a good idea.
sort of a torsion box?
it will transfer the impacts from the top to the base, hopefully bypassing the concrete, and if the concrete does become too badly damaged, one section could be replaced without compromising the integrity of the entire worktop.

 

[thinfourth]

I'm buying into this now:
for a workbench, crack on!

If you're going to be using a bfh, I wonder if dividing the concrete into 1ft? sections with some strips of 6mm plate set vertically, and running front to back would be a good idea.
sort of a torsion box?
it will transfer the impacts from the top to the base, hopefully bypassing the concrete, and if the concrete does become too badly damaged, one section could be replaced without compromising the integrity of the entire worktop.

I like that idea

90% of the purpose of the concrete is to be heavy

I can't see it bring much if any strength to the party

If it falls out i have a workbench with a 6mm thick top

Which is a metric ****-ton better then what most folk have

 

[thinfourth]

If you just want to add mass just fill your tank with sand.

Sand might wrk

I can see the follwing issues

It will flow ut the bttom if my welding ain't top notch
Any air gap between the sand and the top will allow the top to bunce without the sand getting involved

And yes i am back hme with the O key

 

[Dcal]

If you do this right - with shear keys welded to the 6mm steel plate and re-bar or re-bar mesh the size if the concrete slab welded to the tank edges and concrete made with plenty of cement and the right amount of water this will be pretty much indestructible with hand tools.

If it was me I would just weld flat bar on it's edge to the 6mm plate to form the tank.
Then install / weld the re-bar / shear keys and cast the concrete.
Float up the concrete and cover it with cling film or plastic sheeting.
In 5 days it will be 20 or 25N and plenty strong enough to use but will get stronger over the months.
You could also cast in a few fixings to secure it to the bench and even lifting eves to help with moving it.

Good luck to anyone having to take this apart with a hammer and chisel.

 

[gaz1]

I wouldnt build it that way unless its thick it will fail once you start hitting the top or anything on top of it vibrations arnt good with concrete unless its thick

id use 4x2 box section with 2" angle iron or box section as middle strengtheners welded inside of it then buy 2" beams and slot them inside of it the box section or 2" angle iron can then fasten to the wood beams

then 5mm or 10mm sheet above that

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

By the time you have finished welding your tank up id have built a bench and be using it.

Cant see what your gonna gain by using concrete other than a lot of faffing around making it.

 

[gaz1]

second post

this is my shed table now those legs arnt even welded to that table

but the back is welded to a 12mm round bar into brick wall there solid into wall

now ive hit this table top often and those legs have gone no where its only made out of 3mm but its heavy i also put a strengthener in the middle but that table isnt level

 

[Burdekin]

What’s your budget? I got a 20mm plate laser cut locally and didn’t cost much and was delivered.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Rather than casting concrete why not use ready made paving slabs ?
Personally I prefer wood under the steel. My own workbench is scaffolding frame with KeeKlamp joints with three layers of 20mm water resistant flooring chipboard (glued and screwed together - blinking heavy) that will be clad in 3mm galv sheet when I get it bent to shape. I don't intend welding directly on the bench and will make an angle iron "tray" with grating that will be used for that. Larger items get done on the floor !

 

[CornishPete]

Maybe consider using granno dust instead of concrete: i redid some steps on a job which were basically a series of galvanized trays about an inch deep filled with granno mix and floated flat. Quite literally set like granite with a very hard wearing surface.