Home-Built Portable Work Table
Clair and Warren Wilson, Winchester, Ill.: "We get a lot of use out of this portable 4 by 5-ft. work table, which was simple to build. A sheet of 3/4-in. thick plate steel makes up the table top. Lengths of 4-in. sq. box steel, with small wheels at the bottom, were welded directly to the table top to make the legs. There is no additional bracing. There's a drawer on one side of the table and brackets at both ends for holding squares, clamps, bars, etc. We do a lot of fabricating and have a series of cranes along our shop ceiling. We use the cranes to set objects on the table for repairs. We can even weld stuff that we want to repair right on top of the table. When we're done welding we just cut the part off and grind the welding material back down to make the table smooth again. Also, we cut holes into the table for hold-down bolts.
"A few years ago I tore down a building at a local state hospital and got a wall-mounted, 3-phase electric fan free. I mounted the 48-in. dia. fan, which has only two blades, inside a 52-in. sq. metal box which I mounted on wheels. The fan turns very slow so it's quiet. However, it pushes a tremendous amount of air. It'll push air a distance of 100 ft. and helps keep our shop cool on hot, still days."
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Home-Built Portable Work Table FARM SHOP Repairs 24-6-40 Clair and Warren Wilson, Winchester, Ill.: "We get a lot of use out of this portable 4 by 5-ft. work table, which was simple to build. A sheet of 3/4-in. thick plate steel makes up the table top. Lengths of 4-in. sq. box steel, with small wheels at the bottom, were welded directly to the table top to make the legs. There is no additional bracing. There's a drawer on one side of the table and brackets at both ends for holding squares, clamps, bars, etc. We do a lot of fabricating and have a series of cranes along our shop ceiling. We use the cranes to set objects on the table for repairs. We can even weld stuff that we want to repair right on top of the table. When we're done welding we just cut the part off and grind the welding material back down to make the table smooth again. Also, we cut holes into the table for hold-down bolts.
"A few years ago I tore down a building at a local state hospital and got a wall-mounted, 3-phase electric fan free. I mounted the 48-in. dia. fan, which has only two blades, inside a 52-in. sq. metal box which I mounted on wheels. The fan turns very slow so it's quiet. However, it pushes a tremendous amount of air. It'll push air a distance of 100 ft. and helps keep our shop cool on hot, still days."
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