Welding Benches

[RWD3M]

Hi all,

I was up at R-Tech welding last week buying a foot pedal for my recently acquired R-Tech TIG welder and whilst there I had a bit of a nosey at their welding benches.

They look very nice, and useful obviously, but they're not cheap. I was specifically looking at the 1250 x 750 Midipro table.

So I was wondering if anyone else has one (of the ones from R-Tech) and could offer an opinion on them?

 

[overload]

Nothing to offer on the table you’ve mentioned but one option to consider would be a Aluminium tooling plate.

I use one which is 25mm thick and 500 x 500mm square, machined flat and very sturdy. Handy for clamping bits to for welding.

Cheaper than the table for sure.

 

[doubleboost]

R Tech stock these really handy bit of kit

 

[RWD3M]

R Tech stock these really handy bit of kit

Hi, yes, I saw one. They do seem pretty robust.

 

[hotponyshoes]

Depends what you want to use them for.
For location and set-out of one-off/small run items they are very handy.

If you want to use the peg type hold down clamps you really want a thickness at least 3/4 of the hole size or the holes will wear quickly. Ie, a table with 16mm holes wants to be 12mm thick.
The 3/4 rule seems to be followed by the big name (expensive) tables so some of the hold-down pins etc won't work on thin tops unless you use spacers.

They (that type) are ok for tig welding.
For arc/mig you'll be constantly fighting weld splatter both on the surface and in the holes. You can use anti-splatter spray but you'll have to clean it off after use and oil the table or it will rust.
Or you can use non-waterbased splatter spray and leave it on there but it will go all sticky and attract dirt and dust.
Or you can use ceramic spray at £50 a can..

A mate of mine has one and he has a wooden worktop for it lined with oiled carpet that stops it rusting. Needs wiping off before use but that's ok if you only use it now and again. If you use it every day it probably won't rust anyway.

Whichever table you get you'll end up finding you want better alternatives for other jobs anyway,
I've got all sorts ranging from 50cm upwards. The one I use the most is 2m but its full of holes tapped at m6. It's easy to make angled brackets and bolt them down rather than faff about setting up adjustable clamps and m6 bolts are a lot cheaper than 16mm clamps.
Even a 28mm system table will struggle to hold big stuff flat. You'll still need to account for weld distortion and work around it. I've had plenty of stuff that's stayed flat when welding but springs up as you undo the clamp That's when the jigs are an advantage as you can set them up so you can weld both sides .

If you are making runs of anything then a dedicated jig is better/quicker.
If you are making anything that doesn't match to whatever hole centers your table has then you either need a huge range of tooling to cover the jobs, or you end up making blocks/spacers that may or may not ever get used again so you may as well just make up a jig in the first place.

One useful thing is to have a 3d printer as well then you can just print out spacers/angles/risers that drop into the holes. I often do that sat on the sofa and print them out in the week so it makes for a quick job at a weekend. They don't like the heat though so you either need to think about placement carefully or move them about when in use.

I notice the base price for the rtech one needs you to weld it up yourself so I guess you don't get any warranty on how flat it will be! If you are going to do that then maybe have a look on ebay etc as there are often people selling flat-packed kits at sensible prices.

Aluminium tooling plate works very well but a piece of that will probably cost as much as the table and you'll still have to drill the holes.

Another option is look locally and see if you can find a cast iron surface table.
They weigh a ton (literally) so not many people can move them. That makes them cheap if you have a van and enough mates.
You'll buy one of them and a mag drill for less than the price of a 6mm table, spend a weekend working on it and you'll have something properly useful!

 

[dieselsamurai]

I dont think this will distort....

Welding table noble and Lund

Welding table made by noble and Lund weighs 3.5 ton 10cms thick

www.facebook.com

 

[dieselsamurai]

I like the idea of these and not a bad price but as said before the holes are too big for the thickness of the plate , i dont think they would stay round for long if you used it a lot

Welding tables

Weld tables 1500mm x 900mm 6mm plate Comes with legs and castors fully assembled Legs bolt of for transport £995.00 Can also come as a DIY kit £695.00

www.facebook.com

 

[hotponyshoes]

I dont think this will distort....

Welding table noble and Lund

Welding table made by noble and Lund weighs 3.5 ton 10cms thick

www.facebook.com

Nope. That's what you want!
Then get yourself a sheet of 1/2 with a 16/50 hole pattern and hold it on top with pin clamps for the smaller jobs

 

[RWD3M]

Depends what you want to use them for.
For location and set-out of one-off/small run items they are very handy.

If you want to use the peg type hold down clamps you really want a thickness at least 3/4 of the hole size or the holes will wear quickly. Ie, a table with 16mm holes wants to be 12mm thick.
The 3/4 rule seems to be followed by the big name (expensive) tables so some of the hold-down pins etc won't work on thin tops unless you use spacers.

They (that type) are ok for tig welding.
For arc/mig you'll be constantly fighting weld splatter both on the surface and in the holes. You can use anti-splatter spray but you'll have to clean it off after use and oil the table or it will rust.
Or you can use non-waterbased splatter spray and leave it on there but it will go all sticky and attract dirt and dust.
Or you can use ceramic spray at £50 a can..

A mate of mine has one and he has a wooden worktop for it lined with oiled carpet that stops it rusting. Needs wiping off before use but that's ok if you only use it now and again. If you use it every day it probably won't rust anyway.

Whichever table you get you'll end up finding you want better alternatives for other jobs anyway,
I've got all sorts ranging from 50cm upwards. The one I use the most is 2m but its full of holes tapped at m6. It's easy to make angled brackets and bolt them down rather than faff about setting up adjustable clamps and m6 bolts are a lot cheaper than 16mm clamps.
Even a 28mm system table will struggle to hold big stuff flat. You'll still need to account for weld distortion and work around it. I've had plenty of stuff that's stayed flat when welding but springs up as you undo the clamp That's when the jigs are an advantage as you can set them up so you can weld both sides .

If you are making runs of anything then a dedicated jig is better/quicker.
If you are making anything that doesn't match to whatever hole centers your table has then you either need a huge range of tooling to cover the jobs, or you end up making blocks/spacers that may or may not ever get used again so you may as well just make up a jig in the first place.

One useful thing is to have a 3d printer as well then you can just print out spacers/angles/risers that drop into the holes. I often do that sat on the sofa and print them out in the week so it makes for a quick job at a weekend. They don't like the heat though so you either need to think about placement carefully or move them about when in use.

I notice the base price for the rtech one needs you to weld it up yourself so I guess you don't get any warranty on how flat it will be! If you are going to do that then maybe have a look on ebay etc as there are often people selling flat-packed kits at sensible prices.

Aluminium tooling plate works very well but a piece of that will probably cost as much as the table and you'll still have to drill the holes.

Another option is look locally and see if you can find a cast iron surface table.
They weigh a ton (literally) so not many people can move them. That makes them cheap if you have a van and enough mates.
You'll buy one of them and a mag drill for less than the price of a 6mm table, spend a weekend working on it and you'll have something properly useful!

A very informative write up, many thanks for taking the time to compose it. Certainly some food for thought.