Welding bench top.

Chas66 · May 7, 2009

I've got a base made from box section that I'm looking to put a piece of plate on to make a welding bench.

Now all I need to know is how thick plate should I get and where should I get it from.

The base is 600mm x 1200 mm.

From reading the archives it I have gathered that 6mm is a minimum but 10mm would be better.

Searching ebay suggests that 600 x 1200mm in 10mm is going to cost a fortune.

I'd also like some overhang on the sides of the bench for clamping etc.

How much should say 750 x 1500 mm of 10mm plate set me back. Any likely sources?

Chas

Archie · May 7, 2009

10mm would certainly be best though on a bench of that size 8mm would probably suffice if cost is a big consideration. Don't look on eBay, the steel prices there are usually OTT.

Nearest plate size is 1000x2000 so you'd probably have to have it cut down in which case I assume you'd have to buy the whole sheet anyway. Plenty of scraps for practice anyway! I had a 1mx2m sheet of 10mm off my supplier a while back for about £120+VAT.

Check out this thread for local suppliers.

Luke · May 8, 2009

Rather than ebay, find a steel supplier who will guillotine to size, for reasonable money. They are out there, and worth looking for.

chunkolini · May 9, 2009

I made a work bench using a 1" marine ply top skinned over with 1.6mm sheet, no problems, if I am doing a very hot job I tend to put a piece of 3mm plate under the workpiece.

Have had no problems in 6 months. I have sen peple saying they have to be at least 10mm thick, why?

Chunko'.

Barney1973 · May 9, 2009

Depends what kind of fabrication you are doing,heavy duty fabrication requires a heavy duty table ie 10mm + thick.

zardoz · May 9, 2009

thasa nice size "shed" you have there Chunko

Archie · May 9, 2009

I started off with a bench of 3/4" chipboard with a 3mm steel top but quickly discovered it's not perfect for welding. Firstly, I've set it on fire several times. Secondly, it's not flat and without a large amount of lattices underneath I don't think it ever will be. To have added these would probably have cost as much as using a thicker piece of steel. Third, if you whack things on it it cushions the blow. For general workshop use it's fantastic, not least because I went a bit OTT and made it the length of an entire wall. :whistle:

But I still ended up making another bench with a thicker top for welding on and it really is much better. Although I confess that quite a bit of the improvement is because I can walk all around it.

Delgado · May 9, 2009

Personally, I think that there are several advantages to going heavier (10mm+) with the work surface; as has already been said, it will me more solid/better to hit things on. Also, when you start tacking things to it in order to make jigs etc, it will have less chance of distorting. Although, at the end of the day, I guess it just depends on what you are going to be using it for.

jwt873 · May 9, 2009

I built a bench that's almost the same size as yours.. (914 mm x 1219 mm ) I topped it with 3.4mm steel plate... As mentioned, this thickness it won't soak up a blow from a large hammer, but It's plenty strong enough for supporting anything I can lift by hand. I weigh 91 Kg.. I can climb on top and there is no give to the plate if I jump up and down

I just hobby weld, so I've never wished the top was thicker.

The plate cost me about £25 (after converting from CDN dollars to GBP). This includes having the steel yard shear it to size for me.

Hitch · May 9, 2009

Thicker the better.... 6mm is a light duty job, if your planning on hammering on it, although hammering directly over a leg makes quite a difference. Although your bench isnt very big. id say 8mm would be a good choice between cost/weight/use.

Rather than a stockholder, you might be better off with a fabrication co, 600x1200 would come nicely off the end of a 2500x1250 sheet.

chevyman_de · May 9, 2009

I've got my table top from ebay, 600 x 1200 x 20 mm brand new mild steel for a little bit over 40 Euro. :clapping:

Just had to drive 2 x 150 km to pick it up.

But I started the other way around. I looked for a plate first and built the table to fit the plate.

jwt873 · May 9, 2009

chevyman_de said:
I've got my table top from ebay, 600 x 1200 x 20 mm brand new mild steel for a little bit over 40 Euro. Just had to drive 2 x 150 km to pick it up..

Wow.. 20mm plate... Out of curiosity, how much does it weigh?

chevyman_de · May 10, 2009

It's 113 kg.

Arsonista · May 10, 2009

chevyman_de said:
I started the other way around. I looked for a plate first and built the table to fit the plate.

That's a good way to go. If you need to hammer a job you will dent it if it's too thin, and you will be deaf.

Welding bench top.

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