Welders, I need a little help.

November 05, 2018, 09:01 AM

I have a 4' x 8' steel plate that is roughly a bit over an inch in thickness. I'm guessing the weight of the plate is well over 1,000 pounds? I was using it as a pistol backstop but have since built a berm.
I was thinking of making it into a nice big shop table. I went to a local place to buy 4 heavy I or H beams for the legs but they only had this profile [ in 5/16" so I butted them together, welded them with my Lincoln Buzzbox and made my own I beams.

Here are my questions:

Attachment to underside of table.
Just weld around the perimeter or should I weld a square plate to the I beams and then weld the square plate to the underside of table?

Is additional bracing needed around the perimeter of the table from leg to leg? What would you use?

Any recommendations on large casters (size & type) I could weld on. The table will end up on concrete but getting it there from the welder location it will have to roll on packed dirt.

Thanks

November 05, 2018, 09:04 AM

a1abdj

In our fab shop we build steel "saw horses" and lay the plate across the top of them. The saw horses have large nuts welded into the bottom of the legs with bolts so that it can all be adjust to level.

A plate that thick won't need much reinforcement unless you're setting a lot of weight on it. Our tops are 1.5" and we'll set several thousand pounds on top of them.

November 05, 2018, 09:59 AM

arfmel

To move a heavy table like that across packed dirt you will probably need some wheels (or a forklift) rather than casters. Probably something like trailer wheels. The steel sawhorse idea has merit.

November 05, 2018, 10:14 AM

MikeinNC

make the saw horses like in the pic above,

weld them to the topside

hook a line to the legs of the sawhorse and drag it to the shop with a tractor

once you get it to where you want it, weld a hook to an edge and attach that to a come-along in the rafters and hoist it to upright...

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November 05, 2018, 10:19 AM

szuppo

I like the sawhorse idea. Thanks. I should be able to move it with the Kubota and a bit of "engineering".
What's the thickness on the square tubing and angle iron on your horses?

November 05, 2018, 12:40 PM

bendable

what keeps the weight of that safe door from
tipping the whole sha-bang off of that table ?

November 05, 2018, 02:47 PM

220-9er

You're talking about 1308 pounds (40.84 per Square foot) so I'd have some cross bracing between the legs.
You can buy weld on top plates from industrial caster suppliers. They are very cheap, not worth making. Weld them to the bottom of the legs and bolt the casters on.
You could buy some extra top plates and weld them flush with the top of the square tube legs. Then drill & tap the underside to bolt or just a good tack weld.
Make sure these welds are sound. A failure of this structure wouldn't be pretty.

This is a place local to me that has all sorts of casters & supplies and has great prices.

http://www.aiecasters.com/casters.htm

November 05, 2018, 03:09 PM

Mikito

Heavier things like this i move with a pallet jack. a pallet jack is pretty handy to have around. The money for casters could go towards a pj and it can be used for all sorts of things. You can move things over dirt if you put some plywood down first.

November 05, 2018, 03:50 PM

hrcjon

if you have a Kubota moving it should be no big deal. I'd tack a small hook to it so you can lift an edge and then simple drag it where you need. If you have a big enough tractor you can just use the forks.

November 05, 2018, 05:38 PM

Oz_Shadow

Build a basic frame out of some box steel. Add a lower shelf out of wood if you want.

Like these

https://www.danscustomweldingt...m/products-services/

Just do not WD40 the top if you weld on it.

November 05, 2018, 08:33 PM

Chris42

I have a steel plate that is 5/8” x 3’ x 5’. It weighs some 450 pounds. I welded some D ring tie downs to the four corners. They are used on trailers for tying down heavy equipment. I use the rings for lifting with the tractor and for tying it down in the bed of my truck. It is handy when I need extra weight. Right now it is out in the yard with a welding project tied to it so the project doesn’t fall over.

You could have it cut in half to make it more manageable. The metal horse idea has merit as well - flexibility depending on the job. Mine was originally 5 x 6.

November 05, 2018, 08:58 PM

limblessbiff

Is this a 120 or 220 machine? When you weld it I’d either stick weld or flux core. If you just hard wire it, it will be weak. If you have a torch heat up the area on the thick slab prior to welding to get better penetration.

November 05, 2018, 10:09 PM

a1abdj

quote:
what keeps the weight of that safe door from
tipping the whole sha-bang off of that table ?

Physics!

quote:
What's the thickness on the square tubing and angle iron on your horses?

There are several sets of them, and I'm not the one who built them. If I had to guess, that's probably 1" or 1.25" tube with 3/16" walls, and the angle is probably 2" with 1/4" thickness.

November 06, 2018, 05:34 AM

szuppo

It's a Lincoln Electric AC 220 machine (Buzzbox or Tombstone as some call it) and I'll probably use 6011/6013 rods. I already welded all the legs up, just a matter of attachment and cross bracing now. The wheels were in case I ever wanted to roll it around the cemented area it will reside. I should have no problem moving it in with the Kubota tractor.
Thanks for all the info.

November 06, 2018, 06:02 AM

Oz_Shadow

Another thought - don't weld the table to the frame. Weld some short pieces of steel to the top just inside the frame and bolt them together.

November 06, 2018, 08:39 AM

MikeinNC

TAKE PICS!!!

November 06, 2018, 08:41 AM

henryaz

quote:
Originally posted by szuppo:
Is additional bracing needed around the perimeter of the table from leg to leg? What would you use?

I am not a pro welder by any means, just tinker with my Miller MIG. Though your top is considerably larger and heavier than mine (3/8" x 3' x 6'), I would brace the legs, perhaps with something useful. I welded heavy angle iron between each leg, all the way around, and placed a piece of heavy expanded metal in there for a bottom shelf. I welded some flat steel under the shelf across the short way (3') to help support the shelf from sagging.

November 06, 2018, 03:40 PM

medic15al

quote:
Originally posted by szuppo:
It's a Lincoln Electric AC 220 machine (Buzzbox or Tombstone as some call it) and I'll probably use 6011/6013 rods. I already welded all the legs up, just a matter of attachment and cross bracing now. The wheels were in case I ever wanted to roll it around the cemented area it will reside. I should have no problem moving it in with the Kubota tractor.

Why not 7018 AC rods?
Thanks for all the info.

November 06, 2018, 08:36 PM

limblessbiff

Might not be a bad idea to triple pass your beads on the thick plate either

November 07, 2018, 09:14 AM

szuppo

quote:
Originally posted by medic15al:

Why not 7018 AC rods?

quote:
Originally posted by szuppo:
It's a Lincoln Electric AC 220 machine (Buzzbox or Tombstone as some call it) and I'll probably use 6011/6013 rods. I already welded all the legs up, just a matter of attachment and cross bracing now. The wheels were in case I ever wanted to roll it around the cemented area it will reside. I should have no problem moving it in with the Kubota tractor.

Thanks for all the info.

I went with the 6011's for better penetration and I don't have a rod oven to keep 7018's in.

I plan on triple passing the beads as mentioned.

A guy on Youtube has a 2000 pound table using 1/4" thick square tubing for the legs and bracing. I'll stick with 5/16" though.