Hi guys, I currently have two 4x8 foot welding tables that we built with stainless tops. My guys are asking for some more tables that size and those were just really expensive to build with that big sheet of stainless on top LOL. They also want thicker tops and its a big wad for that much stainless.

I see a lot of guys welding manifolds and headers on mild steel top tables. Do you get any contamination in the stainless you are working with or are you coating the steel tops with something that prevents that?

Right now I don't allow them to keep or cut any mild steel in that area, but we do have another saw for steel if we need to cut some. Even with containing the steel away from the stainless, we sometimes have to passivate the stainless with nitric acid to pull the carbon.

I'd like to use the steel top if I can coat it with something that will keep carbon out of the stainless tube. Thanks.

 

Nothing? Sorry if it is a basic question. I have come into this section maybe 3 times in the last 13 years

 

if contamination is a concern you have to stick with a ss top. I did some work for a large fab company that was adamant about contamination of material that was just being machined. it made it a bit of a challenge, but it was their requirement. I think you are going to be stuck with going ss. you could roll it into the cost of a few projects you are doing over time.

aaron

 

Why not use a steel core top and line it with 18-16ga SS sheet? The sheet can be replaced when it gets beat up over time.

 

^ Exactly my thought. Build the table out of regular steel and lay sheet on top of it.

That said, where I work we all use carbon steel tables and really don't have any issues with contamination.

 

Just drill a bunch of holes in the stainless top and plug weld it with some 309l rod.

 

I ended up talking them into 2 smaller 4x4 tables, which I think will be a better addition to what we have. So I got away with 1 sheet of stainless.

We tried the sheet on top before and its just too thin.

 

How thick did u go with? and do u mind sharing how much it was?

 

We put a 1/4" top was $596 for a 4x8 sheet.

3/16 was $459, and I have a 3/16 table and it works pretty well actually. They don't like them that thin. Sometimes they will weld fixtures to the table then knock them off when they are done and they say the 3/16 moves around. Originally I was going to do 1/2" but the 1/4 worked out fine.

 

I know it's too late since you already got tables, but for anybody else that may read the thread...

Plug welding, as mentioned, is a good idea. You need to go with 1/8" stainless on top to keep it from getting beat up and bucking from heat. PUt the sheet down on the table, put small tacks around the edges, tack the plug welds, weld plug welds, then complete stitch welds around the edge of the table. Finally, grind your plug welds flush.

On the topic of contamination... you can touch the two metals together, but you just don't want to scratch deep or rub with a lot of force, or let them get wet and stay in contact. Grinding dust from carbon steel, thrown onto stainless, will make little rust speckles on the stainless.