More welding table questions

dgapilot wrote:So I currently have a small 27" X 27" table that I made for O/A welding with a fire brick surface. For practicing TIG, I threw a piece of 3/16 steel on top of it that is about 10"X 30", but it isn't very flat. It's great for practice, but really won't do for projects.

I have a 48X96 table that I made out of OSB, and I have a roll of .032 T3 Alclad that I haven't used for about 20 years that has been sitting around. I'm thinking of putting a piece of MDF on top of my existing table so I have a nice flat surface, then cutting a 48X96 piece of the Alclad to put over it so I have a metallic surface to ground to. is not a weldable alloy. It's all materials that I already have, so it's cheap! Would the .032" be a reasonable surface for a welding table, or would it warp and twist on the first application of heat? Would I be better off just using the MDF and ground to whatever project is at hand?

My other thought is to get a FabBlock but that's lots of $$. Main advantage is that it would be more mobile depending on size, and it is set up with holes on a 2" grid for modular tooling. I've got enough room in the shop that I could keep my existing table and still fit a 24X48 FabBlock. By the time I buy the FabBlock, legs, castors and shipping I'd have almost $800 into that table.

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I bought a certiflat table from Tab and Slot myself. If I had it to do over again, I would not buy a table with all the holes in it.

But that is me personally, for the projects that I've done thus far. The fixture tables are mostly beneficial if you are building vertically. And especially if you are setting up fixtures for batching things out.

One thing that really annoys me about my certiflat table, is the insert holes are not as square as I would like when setting up a 90*. And regardless of the torsion box style webbing that you weld together on the bottom side, it's really not all that flat. The webbing on the underside also gets in the way of certain clamps when you want to clamp from the under side of the table. Clamping at the edges, also a pain. Might be better on a Fab Block than my pro table, not sure.

If I were to do it over, I would get a 1/2 to 5/8 slab that is 3 ft x 4 ft. And then I would invest in things like 1-2-3 blocks, 80/20 extrusions etc for creating set-ups. Then if I needed to build vertically, I would get some of the Fab Squares from Tab and Slot, or possibly something from Fireball tools.

Strategically drilled and tapped holes, like an x pattern through the table would serve just as well as the full grid, and wouldn't require gingerly threading a bolt into the magnetic adapter.

The holes, tabs and slots tend to catch things as well. They'll catch a weld bead and prevent you from rotating your part without lifting the part off the table.

The sum of all the (minor) annoyances, in my mind, have been greater than the benefits of the fixture table itself.

I sort of made out though, because the first table arrived damaged, and they sent me a second table (top only) for free.

I'd gladly trade both of these for a thick slab.


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I bought a certiflat table from Tab and Slot myself. If I had it to do over again, I would not buy a table with all the holes in it.But that is me personally, for the projects that I've done thus far. The fixture tables are mostly beneficial if you are building vertically. And especially if you are setting up fixtures for batching things out.One thing that really annoys me about my certiflat table, is the insert holes are not as square as I would like when setting up a 90*. And regardless of the torsion box style webbing that you weld together on the bottom side, it's really not all that flat. The webbing on the underside also gets in the way of certain clamps when you want to clamp from the under side of the table. Clamping at the edges, also a pain. Might be better on a Fab Block than my pro table, not sure.If I were to do it over, I would get a 1/2 to 5/8 slab that is 3 ft x 4 ft. And then I would invest in things like 1-2-3 blocks, 80/20 extrusions etc for creating set-ups. Then if I needed to build vertically, I would get some of the Fab Squares from Tab and Slot, or possibly something from Fireball tools.Strategically drilled and tapped holes, like an x pattern through the table would serve just as well as the full grid, and wouldn't require gingerly threading a bolt into the magnetic adapter.The holes, tabs and slots tend to catch things as well. They'll catch a weld bead and prevent you from rotating your part without lifting the part off the table.The sum of all the (minor) annoyances, in my mind, have been greater than the benefits of the fixture table itself.I sort of made out though, because the first table arrived damaged, and they sent me a second table (top only) for free.I'd gladly trade both of these for a thick slab.Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

I ordered two of the table tops yesterday for my garage fabrication shop/business.
I&#;m curious where people are sourcing tooling: stops, pins, clamps, etc.

Goto Hengfeng to know more.

My previous (current) table top is a 7/8" thick aluminum plate
that I&#;ve drilled some 5/8" holes in for drop-in clamps
which I made by welding Harbor Freight clamps to 5/8" bolts.
I might make more of them and commission them for this table,
but I&#;m also curious what other options are out there.

StrongHand has a really impressive lineup of tooling,
but the only pricing I can find is for the big packages like the Rhino Cart.
Their website only provides a catalogue to show you what they make
without providing prices anywhere.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit 3D Welding Table.