Some good ideas. I appreciate it. I'll definitely look into less than 1"
steel LOL..

-Mike

--
A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT
Cold air intake
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255/60R-15 rear tires
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Aluminum adjustable clutch quadrant

"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
Like... if I needed a piece of mild steel for making a welding table..
and
I
needed it maybe uhh... say 36" x 48" x 1" for the top. I am pretty sure
I
could buy the 'legs' at home depot or Lowes.. or any other hardware
store..
the wheels as well. But I'd need at least 1 flat piece for the top. I
could
make an "X" connecting the 4 legs to help solidify the structure. Where
could I obtain the flat piece? Any ideas? Thanks!

-Mike

My weld table is that size, but made of 3/4" steel plate, not 1". That
very
well could be overkill. Steel is at a relatively high price right now,
so
you might want to reconsider the thickness. 1" plate should run 40/lbs
square foot and you're likely to pay at least 60¢/lb. right now,
considering
market prices. Could be more or less, though, I haven't made any inquiries
of late. .

I see talk of thin tables, but I'm not convinced it's a good idea. A had
a
friend make mine, a friend that was a part owner of a large commercial
weld
shop, and I let him make the decisions where materials were concerned.
Too
thin won't serve you well and is more likely to distort over time. What
good is a buckled table? You rely on the flatness for assembling things.
So far my 3/4" one has been very stable and reliable.

Check in your phone book for steel suppliers in your area, and give
serious
thought to buying everything from them, even is you have to pay them to
make
the cuts. You're likely to be charged three times more than the value
when
buying from retail stores such as HD or Lowes. If they want more than
75¢/lb, run like the wind. Before price increases, you could buy
structural
metal for around 34¢/lb.

If all else fails, check with a local weld shop and talk to them about the
material you need. You might be surprised that they would be willing to
supply you at a reasonable price (or not!). Worked for me!

By the way, you might check HF for wheels. Great prices, and likely the
same wheels you'd get elsewhere for more money. My table sits on the
floor and doesn't move (no wheels). I like it like that, so make sure you
get locking wheels if you choose wheels for yours.

Harold