Discover how to make a basic welding table from rebar steel and used bed-frame metal.
Rodney is an award-winning multi-media artist and craftsman residing in the Southeastern United States.
Looking for a large welding table to add to your home workshop or small business? If so, then you know that they don't come cheap. A quick search on the popular website eBay will bring up a number of tables for sale, with prices ranging from $75 for small used tables to prices exceeding two thousand dollars for commercial-sized models.
Even after you find a suitable table and make the expensive purchase, you will have to deal with the extra expense of freight-truck delivery or gasoline for the pickup, in what may become an all-day road trip.
A better option for those with welding skills is to make their own table. A lightweight and functional welding table can be constructed easily using rebar from the local hardware store and used metal bed frames that can be purchased for a few dollars at garage sales and thrift stores. Once the components are cut to size, a good welder can assemble and weld the table together in just a few hours.
The materials list to build the table you see in the photographs is remarkably simple. In fact, you will only need to purchase three sets of items:
Use a chop saw or metal band saw to make the following cuts:
Now that the table top is completed, keep it upside down (remember, make a metal bowl).
I designed this table mainly because it used materials that I could acquire easily and cheaply, and I wanted a welding table that was light enough to move around my shop easily (sometimes I weld outside, and sometimes I weld inside). This table design met these goals easily.
I personally spent less than $45 to obtain my materials, and I can pick the table up and move it around without any assistance. Not bad for a table that has a welding surface that is nearly five-feet long and two-feet wide.
The table design also prevents liquids from pooling on the table top and causing excessive corrosion damage. Any bare metal will corrode when exposed to the elements, but by keeping the top porous, this corrosion is kept to a minimum.
I also like the advantage of being able to clamp a work piece to the numerous rebar sections lining the top. Bulky pieces (such as sculptures) will rest securely in the two-inch crevices between the rebar table top, and sometimes clamping is not even necessary. For welding smaller pieces of metal, simply place a small section of flat iron on the table top, and work off of the flat iron.
I hope that this information has been helpful and will assist you in improving the quality of your workshop or studio. For more information on basic welding terminology and the machines that are used, please see my previous article on Basic Welding Techniques for Metal Art Newbies.
clearick on January 10, 2018:
great idea, just what I was looking for.I was looking to buy a welding table until I found out what they were asking, I have an old bed frame so all I need is the rebar . this is my project for this weekend . thanks for the idea.
Rodney C Lawley (author) from Southeastern United States on May 17, 2012:
Sure. Lots of good metal is thrown away every day. The rebar can also be bought for about 35% less if you can find a local steel supply house that will sell to the public. As for the table, I still use mine almost every day. It is a great little work station outside of my shop. Thanks for the comment.
Jason from Indianapolis, IN. USA on March 31, 2012:
Yes I will have to construct one soon. Might want to point out that metal bed frames can sometimes found in trash or in dumpsters. You may only have the cost of rebar and your time.
Rodney C Lawley (author) from Southeastern United States on August 17, 2011:
Thanks Simone, but that would require another article, "How to Build a Lady-Size Welding Table that You Don't Need, but Kind'a Want Anyway." Cool avatar Simone, and thank you for the read and the comment.
Simone Haruko Smith from San Francisco on August 17, 2011:
GREAT guide! I don't know what I'd ever do with a welding table... but now I kind of want one. And hey, if I ever decide to build one, now I'll know what guide to read! Thanks for putting this together.
Rodney C Lawley (author) from Southeastern United States on August 13, 2011:
Thank you Icbenefield. I enjoy making each piece.
lcbenefield on August 13, 2011:
You have such a creative talent! I am enjoying reading about the different art that you make. I hit the useful and interesting button on this great hub.
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