Welding Table?

[dragoneggs]

Well, shipping is hardly ever "free" on something that weighs so much. It is just factored into the price.

Finding a local shop with the tools and time to create such things are what most folk have an issue with. If you have such a place local, most times a small table like OP wants can be made from scraps of other jobs. An hour on laser to cut the parts and an hour in the weld shop for assembly would be cheaper than the tables listed. Since he plans on assembling the shipped unit, he could even save some by doing his own welding.

Unless you have the CAD plans, there is no way you or anyone else is going to come close to the tables we are talking about near their price point.

 

[Sysop]

The way they are keyed together? That is a common fitment and easy to program into a cutter. The grid of holes? Those are common. They are just 16MM holes on 2" centers that work with tools like STRONG brand etc... That can be programmed into a cutter easy as well. Like I said, an hour of labor on a cutter, another hour of welding it together. Finding the place local to you is the difficult part, making it is a breeze in the right shop.

 

[dragoneggs]

The way they are keyed together? That is a common fitment and easy to program into a cutter. The grid of holes? Those are common. They are just 16MM holes on 2" centers that work with tools like STRONG brand etc... That can be programmed into a cutter easy as well. Like I said, an hour of labor on a cutter, another hour of welding it together. Finding the place local to you is the difficult part, making it is a breeze in the right shop.

Knowledge and experience is worth something. Obviously you have it. For the general Joe... not so much.

 

[Sysop]

Any company with the equipment to do it is going to have more knowledge and experience than necessary. As I said, the hard part is finding a company local to you. Some places have such shops all over, some do not. The thing to do is pick up the local phone directory and start calling the various machine shops and ask.

 

[WranglerX]

I wonder about all the setup time (cost) at local shop and acquisition of materials and my time trying to find shop and explain what I want is it really going to be a lot less expensive that a pre engineered product probably produced hundreds of times and the design, manufacturing and assembly flaws worked out and delivered to my door is going to be that much more expensive .... Something many have overlooked is nearest shop that is capable to me is 40 miles away and MY time is worth something...If my time is worth $20 a hour and I put say 5 hours into project (before any welding) that is $100 more in "costs" over what fab shop is going to charge me for "cut materials".......

So far I have gotten many solutions that are non relevant... All I was asking was does anybody have a statement to make on quality of the product in question...

Dale

 

[Big Barn]

I wonder about all the setup time (cost) at local shop and acquisition of materials and my time trying to find shop and explain what I want is it really going to be a lot less expensive that a pre engineered product probably produced hundreds of times and the design, manufacturing and assembly flaws worked out and delivered to my door is going to be that much more expensive .... Something many have overlooked is nearest shop that is capable to me is 40 miles away and MY time is worth something...If my time is worth $20 a hour and I put say 5 hours into project (before any welding) that is $100 more in "costs" over what fab shop is going to charge me for "cut materials".......

So far I have gotten many solutions that are non relevant... All I was asking was does anybody have a statement to make on quality of the product in question...

Dale

I think it gets pretty good reviews, Dale. Kinda think what you see is what you get.

Under the right circumstance I wouldn’t hesitate on purchasing one. IMO of course.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Out of curiosity I googled that table. There is a fair amount of discussion on the various welding sites, garage journal, etc. What it boils down to is pretty much what folks here have said - it is probably a decent table, but why not just make your own from basic materials or get something from CL.

My advice though would be a bit different. Just get one of the $70 welding tables from Harbor Freight and get going with it. After a while you will know if it is suited to your needs. Or if not, you will have a clear idea what kind of a heavier or more complicated table you really do need.

 

[dragoneggs]

Dale, I watched a bunch of videos on that table and was ready to pull the trigger as I thought it would be a fun beginning welding project. Probably would have bought it but in the mean time I found a 'bruised' craftsman tool chest that I fixed up and threw a 2ft x 4ft by 1/2in steel top on it. I have a couple of small vices that I clamp on it but they get in the way sometimes.



I do wish it was bigger though. In the pic you can see I was laying out a DIY trenching tool from the scrap from shortening my back blade that was too long for my BX. Obviously, if space is a constraint, you got to do what you got to do... but I would highly recommend the 3ft x 4ft table over the 2ft x 3ft. Also I would really like the holes in the top for alignment and local clamping!

For such a small table top, the HF one could work too (I have one) but I use that one for supporting a couple bench tools at the moment.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I don't do a lot of metal work but I did make a SSQA adapter for the loader on my backhoe. That was a fairly complicated project. The HF welding table was perfect for that.

 

[Sysop]

I wonder about all the setup time (cost) at local shop and acquisition of materials and my time trying to find shop and explain what I want is it really going to be a lot less expensive that a pre engineered product probably produced hundreds of times and the design, manufacturing and assembly flaws worked out and delivered to my door is going to be that much more expensive .... Something many have overlooked is nearest shop that is capable to me is 40 miles away and MY time is worth something...If my time is worth $20 a hour and I put say 5 hours into project (before any welding) that is $100 more in "costs" over what fab shop is going to charge me for "cut materials".......

So far I have gotten many solutions that are non relevant... All I was asking was does anybody have a statement to make on quality of the product in question...

Dale

They're dandy tables just like an iphonexs is a dandy phone. My only point is it is overpriced, just like an iphonexs.

The setup time is literally telling the computer to make 16mm holes on a 2" grid. It takes them no longer to setup the machine to do it than it did for me to type it. Even the website for those tables says that's all it is.

As for making it a tabbed assembly like the premade tables, that does take slightly longer because the framework that makes the base of the table needs ran through the laser cutter as well. The tabbed assembly is primarily to prevent beginner mistakes in assembly. Let the shop assemble it and the tabs are an unnecessary expense. If you really want to be the one to weld it all, just ask them to tackweld it together.

I don't think that table should run you more than $150.

 

[Big Barn]

They're dandy tables just like an iphonexs is a dandy phone. My only point is it is overpriced, just like an iphonexs.

The setup time is literally telling the computer to make 16mm holes on a 2" grid. It takes them no longer to setup the machine to do it than it did for me to type it. Even the website for those tables says that's all it is.

As for making it a tabbed assembly like the premade tables, that does take slightly longer because the framework that makes the base of the table needs ran through the laser cutter as well. The tabbed assembly is primarily to prevent beginner mistakes in assembly. Let the shop assemble it and the tabs are an unnecessary expense. If you really want to be the one to weld it all, just ask them to tackweld it together.

I don't think that table should run you more than $150.

The labor rate for any established shop in my area is $100-$135 an hour.

 

[WranglerX]

The labor rate for any established shop in my area is $100-$135 an hour.

Bingo.....

Plus materials and my time, to could well go over delivered to my door price....

Dale

 

[WranglerX]

Out of curiosity I googled that table. There is a fair amount of discussion on the various welding sites, garage journal, etc. What it boils down to is pretty much what folks here have said - it is probably a decent table, but why not just make your own from basic materials or get something from CL.

My advice though would be a bit different. Just get one of the $70 welding tables from Harbor Freight and get going with it. After a while you will know if it is suited to your needs. Or if not, you will have a clear idea what kind of a heavier or more complicated table you really do need.

I want a welding table, looked at the fold up HF and a few others.... Not acceptable....

Dale

 

[Sysop]

The labor rate for any established shop in my area is $100-$135 an hour.

$80 - $120 here, but I'm still pretty sure I could have a similar table made for $150ish out of scrap they have on hand from their day to day operations.

 

[WranglerX]

Well looked on CL and there was a 4x10 for $900 and 3x4 Certiflat for $500... Both to big and above budget....

And some thing I have learned... If a item cost $200 new, I can get one used for $60 and I can spend $400 repairing it...

If I want something custom manufactured its going to cost at least double of what I had estimated.....

Dale

 

[Big Barn]

Well looked on CL and there was a 4x10 for $900 and 3x4 Certiflat for $500... Both to big and above budget....

And some thing I have learned... If a item cost $200 new, I can get one used for $60 and I can spend $400 repairing it...

If I want something custom manufactured its going to cost at least double of what I had estimated.....

Dale

If I may add to this. Often times I come across individuals who say “XX DOLLARS!? I should start making them and selling them myself. “.

I usually just reply “Yes, you should” as I am much too polite to say more.

 

[dragoneggs]

$80 - $120 here, but I'm still pretty sure I could have a similar table made for $150ish out of scrap they have on hand from their day to day operations.

Let me know when you are in production. Happy to pay you an extra $50 for your troubles for one.

 

[Ritothebull]

$80 - $120 here, but I'm still pretty sure I could have a similar table made for $150ish out of scrap they have on hand from their day to day operations.

With the price of materials as high as they are lately about the only metal they consider as scrap is the stuff you sweep of the floor.

 

[Gordon Gould]

$80 - $120 here, but I'm still pretty sure I could have a similar table made for $150ish out of scrap they have on hand from their day to day operations.

There is a great one man shop down town. He will order me anything. For common stuff I can even order a short piece and that is all he charges me for. He gets a delivery every Thursday. Saves me a long drive and shipping and his mark-up is very fair and charges by the pound. He lets me look thru his drop piles for small pieces too. However there is no such thing as scrap. If I pick up a handful of pieces he throws it on a scale and charges me the same rate per lb as stuff I order. Seems very fair to me and I can always estimate the cost of a project by figuring the weight.

gg

 

[WranglerX]

Never heard of "scrap" at steel supplier.... Usually it called "drops" and on special rack and (sometimes) discounted but never free....

Dale