Work bench upgrade

[Thrashsmith]

Hi all, I need some advice regarding flat tables.

I'm looking to replace my 2m x 1m x 10mm plate table which has a 5mm+ bow in it with something flatter in approx the same size. Can anyone offer any words of wisdom on cast iron surface tables VS fabricated steel tables, price tags to expect, pros and cons etc?

Sorry that's a very open and lacking in direction, any info that can help me make sense of my options will be really appreciated. I don't really have a definite starting point as every time I think that I like the benefits of one type I equally think of pros in another type. Cheers

 

[Welderpaul]

Weld heavy flat bar on edge underneath to straighten out what you have.

 

[gordon stephenson]

My metal table is not your size, But I agree with Paul, Mine has a couple of bars, set on edge with nuts welded to them for jacking bolts,Quite easy to correct a bowed table top,

 

[Thrashsmith]

Sorry to be misleading, I'm not necessarily looking to upgrade just because my current table is bowed, I'd also like to upgrade so I have a dedicated flat table. My current table has vices etc bolted to it as well.

 

[frank horton]

mines just counter-sunk screwed in the corners alowing for bow adjustment and well supported in the middle and I never beat on it, framed on 100x100x8mm angle iron........
a cast iron table that size would be allmost imposs to find let alone buy it.......need a mortgage I'd expect....... 10mm steel plate is expensive enough anyway........
Frank

 

[Thrashsmith]

mines just counter-sunk screwed in the corners alowing for bow adjustment and well supported in the middle and I never beat on it, framed on 100x100x8mm angle iron........
a cast iron table that size would be allmost imposs to find let alone buy it.......need a mortgage I'd expect....... 10mm steel plate is expensive enough anyway........
Frank

Ah...see mine's been welded too, loads of gas torch work on, loads of beating/hammering onto, drilled in a tonne of places. I think mine's kinda had it's Muhhamad Ali days and now is a bit of bar room brawler.

 

[8ob]

Slotted tables come up cheap on occasions, I cant remember what I paid for this 8x4 one but it was not £300. You can always chuck a thin sheet of steel over it when not using the slots.

Bob

 

[bigegg]

Cut your plate into 200mm wide strips, and level each one individually.
Leave a 30mm gap between each strip for clamping.

 

[Kent]

Can't say enough about mine for gates and railings it's not super. Cut time spent on a recent racking system for a local garage by at least 30%
16mm lasercut holes at 100mm pitch allows packing out and squaring. Repeats are easy!
Legs are adjustable to level up with a bubble on the floor, makes fitting uprights and transoms a dream.
I don't ever weld to it and I don't bend stuff with the torch on it

Plans on here someplace

 

[clarkey31]

i have just made a 1250x2500x 10mm plate table struggled a bit to get a flat plate got one off a laser cutting company in the end there was the closest to flat..

 

[Kent]

i have just made a 1250x2500x 10mm plate table struggled a bit to get a flat plate got one off a laser cutting company in the end there was the closest to flat..

What you do is cut it then roll it perfectly flat. You then bolt it down not weld it to the base unit. This way if you do damage it then it could be rolled flat again or replaced easily.

 

[Thrashsmith]

How do cast tee slotted benches and/or cast iron benches with the regular square holes compare to surface tables in terms of flatness?

The holy trinity I'd love to be able to achieve is:
Flat, can do heavy hot work on it, can fit jigs in.

 

[8ob]

How do cast tee slotted benches and/or cast iron benches with the regular square holes compare to surface tables in terms of flatness?
.

The two I have are spot on, the big one above has the very ends slightly shouldered where its had grinders touched down . The smaller one below is bang on and only been used for jig work and a vice bench . You could always fabricate a bench top and send it off to be plough ground http://www.malthouseengineering.com...MI4byZvfqp2AIVzZPtCh0vdQDPEAAYASAAEgLUivD_BwE.

 

[Kent]

How do cast tee slotted benches and/or cast iron benches with the regular square holes compare to surface tables in terms of flatness?

The holy trinity I'd love to be able to achieve is:
Flat, can do heavy hot work on it, can fit jigs in.

Cast n ground is flat as a flat thing, you still risk cracking it with dropping heavy jobs or torch use.

It would not be hard to make hot bending jigs that I could take on and off mine just add four 16mm pins so they align with the 100 mm pitch holes to a decent bit of plate.

 

[Thrashsmith]

T.B.H i'm an open vessel, if I see someone's £300 fabbed up mild steel table does the same job as the £1500-ish I'm prepared to spend on a cast iron beast that does all I want then I'm more than game.

But I'd prefer not to spend twice & have to fab up a table that I can put jigs on - but not be able to do hot work on - then have to get a separate thick cast table to do hot work on. I haven't got infinant space, I'd rather spend once & be done.

 

[Kent]

T.B.H i'm an open vessel, if I see someone's £300 fabbed up mild steel table does the same job as the £1500-ish I'm prepared to spend on a cast iron beast that does all I want then I'm more than game.

But I'd prefer not to spend twice & have to fab up a table that I can put jigs on - but not be able to do hot work on - then have to get a separate thick cast table to do hot work on. I haven't got infinant space, I'd rather spend once & be done.

Fair enough it's your cash, worked on them all the only real upside I have found with the cast top benches is the facility to connect them in big shops for big jobs when you have the machinery to move them