Make your own welding table!

Kurssilla keskustelun kohteena on usein harjoituksissa käytettävä hitsauspöytä. Rakenne on varsin yksinkertainen, joten se soveltuu mainiosti ensimmäiseksi harjoitusprojektiksi kurssin jälkeen – sekä myös muille vaikka et olisi ikinä kuullutkaan koko kurssista.

Mikäli seuraat ohjeita materiaalien osalta tarkasti, pöytä kasautuu kuin palapeli ilman kovin suurta kiroilua. Pöydät eivät ole mitään suojeltuja salaisuuksia, joten tässä kaikki mitä tarvitset valmistukseen, olkaa hyvät.

This article covers the required materials, where to source them, an overview of the manufacturing process, and DXF files for the necessary laser-cut parts. Premium-course participants receive the tabletop as part of their course package. The tabletop alone works well for welding, even without a frame. Simply set it on a normal workbench with small feet made from four bolts.

As a courtesy, I kindly ask that you build this table primarily for yourself, your workplace, or a friend, rather than producing them for sale. But if you do decide to start selling them, at least consider sharing a commission—or, at the very least, some warm thoughts in this direction.

Quick links to the content

DXF files
Steel tubes for the frame
Other accessories and tools

Making the table:
Top part of the frame
Legs
Bottom plate
Mounting plates for wheels
Final welds
Table top plate
Welding table done

DXF files

Below, you can download the files for laser-cutting the table top plate, bottom plate, and wheel mounting plates. DXF is a commonly used file format for laser cutting, containing a precise two-dimensional representation of the desired part. In addition to the file, the cutting service will need information on the material type, material thickness, and the required quantity. To simplify ordering, the filenames already include the material type, thickness, and the number of pieces needed for a single table. They are in Finnish language, use online translator if needed.

You can send the DXF files above to a laser cutting service of your choice. Water jet cutting is also a viable option. Keep in mind that laser cutting services primarily cater to business customers, though there may be exceptions.

In the Helsinki metropolitan area, I can recommend two excellent companies:

Keravan Teräsmiehet Oy
Laserle Oy

Steel tubes for the frame

The frame is made from 50 x 30 mm steel tubing with a 3 mm wall thickness. It is commonly referred to as "rectangular tube," "RHS tube," or "structural steel." With some luck, you might find this tubing at stores like Puuilo, Motonet, or IKH. However, as a business customer, you're more likely to source it easily from a local steel supplier. Personally, in the Helsinki metropolitan area, I frequently use a small gem in Tattarisuo: Terästarvike Oy

You can cut the tubes to the required length yourself or order them pre-cut from the supplier. Keep in mind that the dimensions are specifically designed for 50 x 30 mm tubing. If you choose a different tube size, you will likely need to make some adjustments to fit the laser-cut parts and tubes together properly.

Here are the required lengths and quantities:

Other accessories and tools

If and when you want a mobile version of your table (and yes, ALL workshop furniture should be on wheels), you'll need four caster wheels. The laser-cut parts and table height have been designed for 125mm wheels. These are fairly universal, and even if you buy them from different stores, the dimensions tend to be quite similar. And make sure to get locking wheels—never go for non-locking ones! You can find these at Puuilo, Motonet, or IKH.

125mm locking caster wheel, Motonet

Needed tools:
- Angle grinder
- Tape measure
- Square
- Clamps
- Bolts and nuts to clamp caster wheels (M8 x 25mm bolt)

Making the table:

Once you have all the materials listed above, the actual work begins. You will start by preparing the 50 x 30 RHS tubes for welding. Round off sharp edges and grind the surface clean from the areas that will be welded. Remember to clean an area of 20–30mm around each weld zone to have enough of clean surface.

Top part of the frame

Assembly begins with the frame beneath the tabletop. Check HERE - the right-side image shows the top section of the frame naked. It consists of a rectangle made from four tubes.

The following tubes are required:

Find the flattest possible surface for assembly. In the image below, the frame is assembled on top of an already finished welding table, which might be a bit confusing in the picture.

Position the 390mm tubes so that their ends sit inside the longer tubes by 20mm. This provides a good welding surface in the corner and the hole pattern on the tabletop remains unobstructed. Tack-weld the tubes together first—do not make full welds yet.

Legs

Next you will need the 790mm tubes and the laser-cut bottom plate. Position the lower plate symmetrically in the center of the frame. There should be around 60mm of clearance on both sides (depending on cut accuracy). Use the corner notches in the bottom plate as guides for positioning the 790mm tubes (legs).

Place each 790mm tube into the corner notches of the lower plate. Do this one leg at a time to minimize hassle. Use a square to align the legs as straight as possible. Keep in mind that the cut ends of the tubes are never perfectly straight. And the legs will slightly pull toward the tack welds—this is normal. They will be straightened in the next step.

Bottom plate

Once all four legs are tack-welded, start positioning the lower plate. Measure 700mm up from the joint between the leg and frame (or 90mm down from the top of the leg). Mark this line and clean the area for welding.

At the 700mm mark, install temporary supports to hold the lower plate in place before tack-welding. I used laser-cut wheel mounting plates as supports, and secured the plates in place with Irwin Quickgrip clamps - the best ones I've found that come in various sizes. You can use any method you prefer—whatever works best for you. Ensure the marked line stays above the support block—this guarantees sufficient storage space underneath the table.

Now the bottom plate can be lowered into position from the top. It should rest against the temporary support blocks. Bend the table legs so that they fit securely into the cut notches of the bottom plate. If necessary, use a light ratchet strap (as shown in the image) to pull the legs into position. Once the legs are aligned with the notches, tack-weld them to the bottom plate.

Mounting plates for wheels

After the bottom plate has been tack welded in place, insert the caster wheel mounting plates onto the ends of the 790mm tubes. Center each plate symmetrically on the tube ends. Tack-weld them in place. At this stage, the entire welding table frame (except the tabletop) is tack-welded together. Before attaching the tabletop, it’s best to fully weld the frame—this makes handling much easier.

Final welds

When you are making the final welds, always rotate the frame into a position that makes welding easiest for you. My personal preference is to weld pulling the weld downward from top to bottom. If you prefer welding left to right (or vice versa), you may need to adjust the frame position accordingly. Following pictures show the frame in positions suitable to weld in vertical position, from top to bottom.

When welding the frame tubes (in fact any parts attached), you don’t need to weld the frame tubes all around. Instead, only apply single welds at 90-degree corners, on both sides of each tube—this means two welds per tube. Avoid welding the flat sections between tubes—this offers no real benefit and only adds unnecessary work. If you’re new to welding, you might question the strength of this approach. The answer: It’s more than strong enough. Just observe similar welded joints in your surroundings and consider their load-bearing capacity. Compare that to the expected stress on your welding table. You will notice that the first part to fail would be the wheels, and even they can support 100kg+ per wheel.

Table top plate

The final step is to attach the table top plate into the frame. Place the tabletop on a flat surface. Flip the frame upside down and position it on top of the tabletop plate. This makes it easier to weld the tabletop from the inside. Alternatively, you can weld it while the table is upright—whichever method feels best. I prefer as shown in the pictures. Measure the frame center over the tabletop and tack weld in place. After that you can do the final welds to attach the top plate to the frame. No need to over do the welds, evenly spaced 20-40mm welds will do. They only keep the plate from moving sideways.

Now it is time to install wheels. You will need M8 x 25mm bolts, washers and M8 nylock nuts. Bolt the wheels onto the mounting plates. Flip the table upright onto its wheels.

Welding table done

And ta-da! The welding table is ready. Congratulations, you’ve just made something extremely useful with your own hands. In the image below, you can see the ground-off heat marks on the tabletop—these will give you an idea of the spacing I’ve chosen for the welds when attaching the tabletop.

If you’re wondering about the holes in the table, here are the explanations:

• The four round holes in the corners are for hanging the welding torch. Just stick the torch tip through a hole, and it stays securely in place under its own weight.
• The two square holes in the middle of the plate are clearance slots. If the workpiece has some protruding part on its side, you can slide it through the clearance.
• The 10mm holes across the tabletop are for clamps and fastenings. Their use is only limited by your imagination—you can attach locking pliers, stops, or custom fixtures. Designed for 8–10mm bolts. Or drill the holes to 10.2mm and use a threading tap to make M12 threads.
• The holes in the lower plate are for securing loads with ratchet straps. Handy for transport jobs when you don’t want things flying around.

The table in the image below is my personal unit, which I’ve modified with features I find useful. On the right side, there’s a holder for a shielding gas cylinder, and on the left, a rail where I can slide in my most-used hand tools and locking pliers. On both sides, there are welded pins for hanging various items. On the lower shelf, I keep my welding machine and two SmartStore Pro 31 boxes - one for angle grinders and accessories, the other for die grinders and their accessories.

The welding table’s structure is simple and straightforward, making it easy to design and implement different attachments according to your own needs.

If you haven’t taken a course and just stumbled upon this article by accident—but you’re still interested in making your own welding table or something similar—go check out some articles on welding basics. You might find them useful.

Articles:
Adjusting the welding machine
Push or pull?
Contact tip to workpiece distance
Welding torch work angle
How quickly can you learn welding?

---