Welding table/work bench

[gravdigr]

Here's my table. I built it on the cheap with stuff I had laying around. It's not really good to use as a jig since it's just wood skinned with thin guade tin but it doesn't burn and cleans up easily.

 

[Kiwi John]

Tables

Can't do pictures folks, sorry. the best table i had was made for a medical equipment company, found at the scrap yard with 3x3 legs(threaded adjusters for levelling on each) and a stainless steel top (1 inch thick) welded on. It was used for laser alignment of optical instruments so it was v.rigid. Cost me £20.
I've done lots of work on wooden benches, just gotta be careful like the other guys say with hot spots. Even used an upside-down packing crate sat on an old babys pram chassis as a mobile work bench when i was a kid starting out with spanners. It's still in my dads garage 35 years later!
Tin plate over wood is ok for most stuff.
I had a bench made for my mobile workshop van which is similar to TJ's style & quality. Points I would make are:

Secure the top properly and make sure that it can't warp or lift at the edges.
Extra cross members are needed in the area where you mount your vice. Remember that you may want to wield the big hammer on somethin and you want the vice to hold it to the bench. Put the vice as near to a corner leg as possible. (The face of the rear jaw of vice should be foward of the front edge of the bench.)
If you want to use the all metal bench for welding it is important to make the top as flat as poss so that fabrication work sits flat for assembly.
Weld a small 'peg' or 'post' to a leg for attaching your ground clamp to. Then you can paint the frame and your clamp wont scratch paint finish.
Occasional spray with WD40 or similar keeps rust away from bare metal tops.​

Some of the benches pictured in this thread are inspiring to say the least and yes, BadDog, nice trolly!

 

[Roz]

i built my bench a few mo ago out of yard logs (the 3-4"x8' traeted ones home depot $1.80ea) and a 4x4. cost all in all $30 and is sturdy as heck- i jump up on it to get into my garage overhead. i then put a 1/8" plate of steel on one side to do my welding.

i cut one side of the log flat (it has 2 sides flat already) then lag-bolted together. if u want pics i can get some.

 

[84gmcjimmy]

Heres mine.The top is 4'x8'x3/4",the legs are 4"x4"x1/4",and 1/2"x4" to keep it flat.Everything is inset from the edge of the top enough to not get in the way of C clamp vise grips and there is angle between the legs on the ends to hang clamps and grinders from.I also cut two slots out in the middle of either end to be able to clamp stuff down away from the edge if I need to.

Its a little light,but it gits the job done

Is that your work or your home garage?

 

[FRIZZLEFRY]

Thats my shop at work.Its cool having everything Two mills,lathe,mig,tig,plasma,big band saw,belt sander,surface grinder,finger brake,shear,40 ton press,lot of room to work,and a rollup door that my truck can just fit through.And Im lucky enough to have the owners let me use it any time I want day or night after hours and weekends n stuff.

I have a mill,mig,tig,plasma,and junk at home too.Its just all stuffed into a two car garage that has my Mustang,two bikes,and a ton of other stuff in it.Its a 1000lbs of sh*t in a 10 lb bag.I hardly got room to work

 

[84gmcjimmy]

Wow your lucky.

Whats your job title? Fabricator?

 

[FRIZZLEFRY]

I am lucky,and thankful I have access to all this stuff.There is no way I could have the truck that I have now paying someone else to do what I have done myself

Im a maintenance supervisor/machinist/die maker/general fab guy for a vinyl window manufacturer

 

[84gmcjimmy]

Alright thanks frizzlefry