Table

[JOHN1]

Very Fortunate

I do have a fork lift




John1/JWELD

[Vernon]

4'x8' By 1/2" Steel Bench

Here is a steel bench 4x8 by 1/2 I had a 3/4 before both built the same :note Do not weld the top down to much 4 to 6 welds 1 1/2" long @ 3/16" welding the table to much will warp easy so try not to weld the top to much.
Vernon

[aametalmaster]

Here is a steel bench 4x8 by 1/2 I had a 3/4 before both built the same :note Do not weld the top down to much 4 to 6 welds 1 1/2" long @ 3/16" welding the table to much will warp easy so try not to weld the top to much.
Vernon

Lookeee at all those Vise Grips ...Bob

[Arcaholic]

On a 4X8 welding table, is a 1/2" thick top overkill??

Also, most of the upper sized Mig welders are rated at 1/2".
Anything beyond that thickness, is it advisable to "Stick" weld or do you go with multiple passes (Steel)??

Thanks

John
You didn't mention what type of fabrication you hope to accomplish on your table. I think the choice of thickness and the supporting structure really depends completely upon how heavily you intend to load it. Also, if you intend to do layouts on this surface, leveling is critical. If you are just doing light work, say fabrications that you can easily move around manually, a half inch top should work just fine.

[Flyingpig]

Thats convenient to have a window right beside your table to throw a hammer thru when something doesnt work right.

[fjk]

Also would it be a good idea to go 4X10 or a different size?

In general, bigger is always better -- up to a point.
Without knowing what you're likely to be welding, it's
hard to say.

What is a good height. Probably depends on how tall you are I guess.

And what kind of welding you are doing (eg, for TIG, a lot of guys
like to sit while they weld)

And how much overhead space you've got along with
And how big the pieces are that you are going to be welding
(gotta have enough room between the top of the table and the
bottom of whatever is hanging from the ceiling for the weldments
including space to maneuver it around, get it up there, and so on)

And how old you are (if the knees and back are "not what they used to
be" you may desire the table to be a bit higher than otherwise...)

And of course, how tall you are...

One rule of thumb is to look at the height of your kitchen counters
and use that as the starting point for figuring out how high to make
a work table. From that, you adjust up/down to take into account
other factors. Another starting point rule of thumb is to stand up,
arms hanging down, and bend your wrist until your palm is parallel
to the floor. Start with that distance as the height of the table (again,
adjusting from that for other factors).

The advice I usually give in the end is to look around at woodworking
stuff -- they spend a lot of time figuring out "the best" bench heights...
They've written books on it (I have yet to see a book "great welding
benches")... I know, they do wood and we do metal - but from
a human factors point of view, the work is the same.

Frank

[Vernon]

Table

My table is 35" to top of plate I'm 6'4" tall but my dad is 5'10" tall same table for him Just a starting point.

[MMW]

I used a 35" high table for 20+ years. It was never to high but wished it was lower on occasion. Now I have a 30" high table. Easier to block it up than to shorten it.