Welding Project #1 - Welding Table Part 1

The next few days I will be going over some general construction techniques and plans for welding projects, and hopefully encourage some venturing out on your own to build what you need for your welding shop instead of buying ready made projects.

Of course, one of the main items on the list to build for most guys is a welding table. Welding on the floor gets old, and at point is nearly impossible. A pitfall of most welding table projects is figuring out a good size to go with in all three dimensions. This really isn’t rocket science, but it is a common error made from lack of experience common to all new welders. Let’s deal with the height issue first. Not everyone is the same height. The best thing to do is to measure your height at the waste (below your hips) and then figure roughly about 3-4 inches above that for your table top height. Add adjustable legs made out of two sizes of tubing that telescope inside of each other with holes drilled through the top piece of tubing with several corresponding holes drilled into the bottom piece of tubing that allows you to select the height needed. Or you can add adjustable bolts that screw in and out at the very bottom of the leg to adjust the height or level the table. This can be done by welding a plate on the base of the leg where it meets the floor, drilling a hole in the center of the plate, welding a nut to the plate surface and then screwing a bolt into it so it acts as a height adjuster.