Welding/ Cutting Table Design and Build

Here is my design and build of a welding/ cutting table. I adapted this table from Richard Finch's plans in HPBooks "Welders Handbook," 2007. I used square tubing instead of angle iron and made the cutting grid removable/replaceable. This is a great first project for a novice welder. Lots of welds to perform. You will also get experience cutting the mitered edges of the table top frame and setting up jigs properly for 90 degree corners and legs. This is a picture with a temporary welding surface. I ended up using a 7/16 inch thick welding surface which at 14 X 28 inches weighed in at 51 pounds!

Design Considerations

There are basically two ways to build the table top support out of square tubing, cutting the 1-1/4 inch square tubing square and butting the ends square OR mitering a 45 degree angle into the ends of the tubing and welding a right angle rectangle. Cutting the tubing square is more accurate and leaves the open end of the tubing exposed. You can cap or plug the open ends if you wish. I ended up mitering the corners. If you try to miter the ends of the tubing you may want to use a "cold cutting" metal miter saw or a horizontal metal cutting band saw. It is possible to make miter cuts with an abrasion metal cutoff saw and this requires deliberate technique that I describe below.

This table is divided into two sections. One section is for welding and has a 14 inch X 28 inch work surface. You may wish to use 3/8 or 1/2 inch thick steel for the welding top. This will create a flush edge against the table top support which is less likely to bash you in the head. Note that the center table top support is offset forward (not centered) to fully support the welding table top. You may wish to use a larger welding top with say 3 inches of overhang if you have room and a hard head. The overhang will make clamping easier. You may wish to be judicious welding the top on so that you can replace the top in the future.

The second section is an 14 inch X 28 inch opening for a removable/ replaceable cutting grate. This provides access for clamping on all sides of the welding top if you remove the cutting grate before clamping.

I choose a 34 inch work height for the table support. An expert welder friend suggest choosing a height that allows you to rest your elbow on the table with a slight bend in the back while welding. So the basic dimensions of the table are a 28 X 28 inch support surface standing 34 inches off the ground.

The use of square tubing makes it difficult to apply the grounding clamp so I drilled a hole through the table top support and installed a horizontal screw for grounding. You may want to do this on a drill press before you weld the side rail to the end rails. You may also want to weld on a tool hook to store cables or hang a welding gun.

I decided to place two 3 inch non swiveling wheels on one end of the table. It really makes it much easier to move the table around on a concrete floor. I ended up just welding the galvanized "wheels" to the square leg tubing. I did this outside with a painting respirator that did not play well with my welding helmet resulting in some welding by braille. Welding a lot of galvanized steel can emit toxic metal fumes. A more sophisticated build is to place the wheels on a horizontal extension such that the wheels do not touch the ground when the table is flat, sorta like a two wheel wheel barrow. In real use I have not regretted the use of non locking wheels on concrete since there is so much weight on the capped set of table legs.

The layout of the support framing is designed so that the cutting half of the table can be boxed with aluminum sheeting to deflect cutting sparks. Alternately, if you plan on adding a plasma cutter to your arsenal at a later date, you could add a flue and shelf for a water bucket under the cutting grid.

You can paint the welding table when it is completed and you would not want to paint the table top or the grounding screw. The welding top was already welded on before I painted the frame.

You may want to weld a 2 inch hitch receiver onto the underside of the welding top such that the hitch receiver opening is accessible from the left side of the table. I welded on a bumper hitch receiver using two short pieces of 1-1/4 inch square tubing as spacers. Be sure to grind off any paint down to bare metal on a painted hitch receiver before welding. This may prove difficult if the hitch receiver is powder coated.

You can then mount a vise on a hitch mount and attach the vise/hitch mount to the table only when needed. You may want to drill a new 5/8 inch receiver pin opening into a store bought vise mount. I ended up using 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch carbide drills and a then a 5/8 step drill to make the new receiver pin opening.

You can use the vise to hold a tube notch-er for added versatility. A tube notch-er allows you to put "fish mouths" in round tubing using common bi-metal hole saws. Even if you decide to continue to fabricate with square tubing, you can use a tube notch-er to make handles and "grab bars" out of small round tubing, for your square tubing projects.

Tools

Well you will need all the normal welding tools, magnets, clamps, cutters, brushes etc. I just used two sawhorses and the welding table top to practice my welds and weld the table. I used a MIG welder from Lincoln Electric (Dual 180) and a 75% Argon 25% CO2 mixture.

Lincoln Electric Dual 180

Dewalt 14 inch Abrasion Cutoff Saw

Bench Grinder

4-1/2 inch Electric Angle Grinder

Grinding disk 4-1/2 inch

Flap disk 4-1/2 inch

Carpenters Triangle

Scratch Awl

The folks at Industrial Source were really helpful in sorting out my "user errors" in welding.

Industrial Source

3100 N Pacific Hwy

Medford, OR 97501

I also used an abrasion cutoff saw, a bench grinder and a 4-1/2 inch electric angle grinder. My favorite toy was a three axis welding clamp from Strong Hands. This heavy duty clamp helped me build build square corners and attach legs at a right angle.

I also converted a miter chop saw stand for use with an abrasion cutoff saw. Since my abrasion saw was too large for the mounts on a chop saw stand, I simply took the 14 inch by 28 inch by 1/4 inch thick steel welding plate that I had on hand and drilled four holes into the plate. I then mounted the plate onto the chop saw stand using the provided screws.

Materials

20 feet 1-1/4 11 gauge square tubing

14 X 28 X 3/8 inch steel "plate"

Grounding screw, washers and bolt

3 inch non swiveling wheel X 2

1-1/4 inch angle iron

1 inch X 1/4 inch steel strap for the cutting grid

1-1/4 inch steel strap for the end caps

Pictures

General Technique

I did use an abrasion saw to cut the mitered ends. It is almost impossible to get repeatable length cuts with a portable abrasion saw. First there is no length stop. Second the blade deflects. I was able to cut PAIRS of tubing the same length by safely stacking two pieces of tubing and safely securing the tubing using the saw clamp fence and a second clamp aimed "downward." So I cut opposite sides of the table top support together giving me a right rectangle. I cut pairs of legs together, one pair for the fixed end and one pair for the wheeled end. I used a carpenter's triangle to set the fence at 90 or 45 degrees. I used the bench grinder to de-burr the cut ends.

I ground the edges of the butt welds 30-45 degrees about 50% of the depth and this is not necessary for metal less than 3/16 of an inch in thickness. I did a lot of moving and turning (of the table, not me) so that I could make flat or horizontal welds. I did not need to do any vertical welds. On the mitered corner ends I welded the butt welds first from the inside corner to the outside corner. I then welded the "T" or fillet weld and finally I welded the outside corner. I closed off the ends of the legs with no wheels by cutting, grinding and welding on a square of metal that was a bit smaller than 1-1/4 inch opening.

You may want to cut one of the capped legs short and weld a nut into the leg for a leveling bolt.

I used Krud Kutter to clean the oil off the metal. Right before welding, I used lacquer thinner to prep the weld. I did this in a separate area from the welding area. I used a respirator when I welded the galvanized wheels to the table legs which resulted in my inability to see what I was welding! For some reason I had better results welding with .035 wire on 120 volts rather than 230 volts. Your results may vary. At 120 volts I was able to weld at a slower wire feed speed which seemed to give me more "time" on the weld. I suspect that the same time on weld can be obtained using .025 wire on 230 volts and I had a lot of .035 wire on hand. I still like the fact that I have the flexibility of welding thicker metal with .035 wire at 230 volts.

I used a Strong Arms three axis clamp as a jig and then tacked the pieces in place. I did not otherwise weld in the three axis clamp. I did NOT use the three axis clamp to position the final two opposite corners of the table support. To be clear, I welded the rectangular table support with no legs first, then I added the legs, again using the three axis clamp as a jig. I inverted the table and legs to weld on the wheels. You can use a piece of strap metal or square tubing and clamp this jig to the outside of the table leg. Then position the wheel flush with this temporary jig and clamp the wheel to the jig. Now just tack the wheel in place. It should be flush with the outside edge of the leg.

You will need to think ahead before you add the side supports. I used the three axis clamp to set up the T shaped side supports, tacked and then welded the T side supports. THEN I welded the T side supports to the table.

Note that there is room for my feet when sitting at the welding end of the table. This design makes it easier to roll the table around without the need for handles and provides a place for a TIG pedal if needed.