welding bench work top

[robin osborne]

hello I am making a welding bench and wondered what the thickness of the top should be. money is an issue. also any ideas as to trick cheap clamping ideas work bench ideas would be appreciated

 

[skotl]

I was on a budget when I made mine, too. So I got 3mm sheet and then formed it round some old kitchen worktop.

The whole workbench story plays out here; http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/bending-3mm-sheet-with-a-blowtorch.50244/

There's a couple of videos of me forming the metal - I used a cutting disk in the angle grinder to cut 1/2 way through the lines over the wood, then whacked it round to form it. I then welded up the seams.
There's a short vid on the very last post on page two of the finished product.

FYI; cost of the 3mm x 2m x 1m sheet was around £50 and I spent another £50 on 12m of (?)40mm box steel to make up the frame.

Good luck!

 

[robin osborne]

cheers for advice. watched vid as well. didn't think of cutting and folding. I have made base with 40x 1.5mm box which I thought would be too fin but feels ok now all welded together with cross braising at 500mm. I was also thinking of cutting a few slots in top that clamps would drop throw and twist into.

 

[Kent]

You can make a welding bench that is very functional with a 3mm top just put in plenty cross members and stich them underneath. 1.5mm box is way to thin BTW I should use 4mm but you could get away with a bit less

 

[Mr shiney]

Like Kent says.

I used 3mm sheet on a 25x25x3mm box section frame. It's reinforced where the vice is bolted on by a square 5mm plate welded on the underside to the 3mm and into the corners of the box section. I bolted it to the wall although there is enough weight on for it not to move anyway.

It's 4m long by 600m and has my bench press, pilot drill, grinder and vice all bolted to it. I have had my Landrover engine on it without so much as a creak!!

You don't need to use brute force when a little engineering will do the job and a damn sight cheaper!!!

 

[BrokenBiker]

I used 2mm box on a small table as it had to be light and portable, was only as big as a workmate but it took all 18 stone of me at the time, I used it as a step to put a light up and it was alot more sturdy than my ladder

 

[Mr shiney]

You can see my bench in this pic.

 

[Bigjoe]

Ooooh you show off!

 

[Mr shiney]

Ooooh you show off!

 

[BrokenBiker]

my mate wanted a steel bench, cant remember why as he doesn't weld at all, but he wanted it to be strong as he likes to get the BFH out every other day on something, part of bodgit and legit LTD I think, but I made a bench for him using 50x50x5 I think, for the frame, thick angle iron for the top and then dropped a kitchen worktop in and screwed a sheet of 2mm on top. I have welded on it a few times and it does seem to warp a bit when you get things really hot but its nto as bad as I thought it would be