Welding table/bonfire

[rockweasel]

I'm just a hobby welder, trying to teach myself as I go along. I don't weld often, and I haven't tackled any difficult types of weld, but my projects tend to be big. I'm learning the hard way that (like painting) preparation is key and that includes getting the pieces secured into position. My problem is that I don't have a flat level surface anywhere to weld on. I end up with the steel on the floor trying to put spacers underneath to get the pieces to line up. It rarely works. So a level work surface is what I would like next. I've seen small welding tables with 6mm tops for £ 100ish. They look flimsy and some of my projects may only have a couple of joints, but they're 3m long heavy box section. A local steel merchants sells 6mm x 2m x 1m sheet for £120 ex del. More my size. My question is: has anyone used a plywood sheet covered with a welding blanket as a welding surface? Not ideal for the serious fabricator, but good enough for naïve pyromaniac?

FYI: I stick weld and am surrounded by fire extinguishers

 

[Paul G]

Plywood is useless IMHO.
Clamp bits to it, put some tacks on, it burns under the metal. Fire blanket would just get in the way.

Make a pair of trestles. A small sheet on top for small jobs, on there own for big jobs.
The ones in the photo were made to put my car on, to save the old back.

Paul G

 

[Dee J]

At the moment my weld bench is a large heavy timber pallet - about 6' x 4' and mostly boarded on top. It's straight enough and rigid - scorches a bit... but nothing too serious. Good enough for my diy fabrication.

 

[rockweasel]

Thanks, that's given me some ideas

 

[gordon stephenson]

You could always go the route taken by some other members and have a decent thickness plywood sheet covered by a thiner metal top. Eg; 3mm.

 

[Kent]

6mm plate is too thin for a 3000mtr bench top wants to be about double that and that's a 6 man lift for the top alone
Yes I have welded like that on rubbish floors as you mention. Sometimes thier is no option
To plonk something like a pile of ply down is also something I have done
All said and done you won't do your best work wearing out your knees and being uncomfortable even if you keep everything flush and square it will never look as good
If your working on 3000 long fabrications on your own without the right equipment then I respectfully suggest your taking on too much not least for your own safety

 

[ukracer]

I'm just a hobby welder, trying to teach myself as I go along. I don't weld often, and I haven't tackled any difficult types of weld, but my projects tend to be big. I'm learning the hard way that (like painting) preparation is key and that includes getting the pieces secured into position. My problem is that I don't have a flat level surface anywhere to weld on. I end up with the steel on the floor trying to put spacers underneath to get the pieces to line up. It rarely works. So a level work surface is what I would like next. I've seen small welding tables with 6mm tops for £ 100ish. They look flimsy and some of my projects may only have a couple of joints, but they're 3m long heavy box section. A local steel merchants sells 6mm x 2m x 1m sheet for £120 ex del. More my size. My question is: has anyone used a plywood sheet covered with a welding blanket as a welding surface? Not ideal for the serious fabricator, but good enough for naïve pyromaniac?

FYI: I stick weld and am surrounded by fire extinguishers

welding tables with 6mm tops can be made stronger than any 19mm plywood using strips welded underneath.

 

[ukracer]

I'm just a hobby welder, trying to teach myself as I go along. I don't weld often,

I am going to be moving some stuff around in my garage/ workshop so I will take a pic of the ones I made and I can stand on top of them jumping up and down with no deflection. ....

 

[rockweasel]

6mm plate is too thin for a 3000mtr bench top wants to be about double that and that's a 6 man lift for the top alone
Yes I have welded like that on rubbish floors as you mention. Sometimes thier is no option
To plonk something like a pile of ply down is also something I have done
All said and done you won't do your best work wearing out your knees and being uncomfortable even if you keep everything flush and square it will never look as good
If your working on 3000 long fabrications on your own without the right equipment then I respectfully suggest your taking on too much not least for your own safety

If I used 6mm plate I'd use enough supports under it to stop it warping.
The fabrications are for my own use, it's not work I'm taking on. I'm aware that relatively light box section becomes unwieldy when it's an awkward shape and size, but again I have no choice if that's what the design dictates. My first project, a power rack (pictured) was an awkward beast to put together, but I took my time and with enough ratchet straps to use as an extra pair of hands I got the job done. I'm pretty old and beat up as it is. I won't be risking any more injuries in my twilight years!

 

[chunkolini]

I used a sheet of 1" marine ply with a skin of 1.6mm mild steel sheet as a welding table for about four years. Ok not the flattest thing ever but it worked a treat. I had screws in lines across and along the top holding the sheet in place.

 

[Richard.]

6mm is fine for a welding bench. Mine is 2m x 1m with a 6mm top and it's perfect. The trick is to take the flex out with the frame.

See badly drawn sketch.

 

[fixerupper]

I think a couple of heavy steel trestles are the way to go ...more adaptable than a table for clamping stuff and you can stack them out of the way if you are pushed for space ...jeff...

 

[Kent]

don't get me wrong I have one smaller bench with a 3mm top and a lot of support cross members but 6mm on a 3000mm bench top?
Hey wasn't thinking you were taking stuff in for profit just there are limits that you want to mess with alone, we all push them time to time and I am certainly no exception to that but I do so knowing the consequences of a mishap very clearly

 

[ukracer]

Not sure if that table is 4 or 5mm but it's made with 2 inch strips welded underneath

I will get a photo of that tommorow. ...

 

[ms08]

I use a sheet of 3mm steel with a small plate welded at 90 degrees clamped in a work mate.