My First Welding Project – Small Welding Table

My first welding project was something simple. Something that didn’t need a lot of precision, and something that I could order most of the metal to be cut for me. It was a small welding table that I could weld the little projects on while having the flexibility to move the table around the garage as needed.

I believe I spent a total of $50 for the metal and castors. It was an investment that was well worth it and I still use it 7 years later. I followed plans offered at Lincoln Electric’s website which I have posted a link below for more information.

Required Materials

Table and Shelf Frame: 1″ x 1″ x 1/8″ Angle.

– 4 pieces at 18″ long

– 4 Pieces at 30″ long

– Cut at 45 degrees 

Table and Shelf Top:

– 2 pieces of 1/8″ Cold Rolled Mild Steel *

– Cut at 17-1/2″ x 29-1/2″

Legs: 1-1/4″ x 1-1/4″ x 1/8″ Angle.

– 4 pieces cut at 36″ long (ok to adjust as appropriate without changing other pieces)

Wheels:

– 4 casters of your choice (you’ll want the ones with threaded shafts)

– 4 coupler nuts to match the casters.

– 4 lock washers for the casters

Torch Holder:

– 1 piece of round tubing, 3″ long, 1-1/4″ inside diameter

Paint:

I would recommend purchasing 1 can of etching primer, and 2 cans of spray paint with your choice of color. I painted mine black, it works for me.

One thing I would add to this design after having built it myself is a tab for the ground clamp to hook onto. This tab would not be painted and should be protected from potential water. I recommend welding this tab to the bottom of the top plate (also not painted).

*Although 1/8″ thick plate for the welding surface (top plate) was a great thickness, I realized after I finished the project that I didn’t really need such a heavy plate for the bottom shelf. I could have easily used a 1/16″ plate, hot rolled to save money (since it doesn’t have to be perfectly flat) and it would have been lighter to move around. Keep in mind, this is actually a pretty substantial welding table and won’t be light. Cut costs and keep weight down by thinking ahead. Ask yourself, do I really need 1/8″ all the way around? For the legs, yes, you will want to keep those at 1/8″, I had one of them bend on me under the shelf during one of my moves over the years.

I hope this post has been helpful and if you’re new to welding, leave a comment below to let me know if you are going to use this information to build your welding table. Then when you’re done, send me a picture and I’ll put it up in a gallery made for our subscribers.

Happy welding!

Kelly

P.S.~ Here is another variation from a Lincoln Electric subscriber. He put handles on it to move it around. And instead of 4 casters, he put 2 casters and 2 adjusting feet.

credits: http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-ca/support/welding-projects/Pages/metal-welding-table-detail.aspx