As someone who is still pretty new to welding, it’s really easy to get distracted by all the cool tools I come across.  There are a lot of great tools out there but there are also a lot of gimmicky tools that you can certainly live without.  One of the most important tools I’ve had my eye on is a proper welding table. I’ve had a little makeshift table I set up by laying a 2’x2′ piece of sheet steel on top of a folding Black & Decker Workmate but it’s pretty low, it’s not very big, and it definitely not flat!  The Workmate still has a place in my shop but not as a makeshift welding table, haha!  Sooooo, after saving a few bucks and stockpiling some Christmas and birthday money, I pulled the trigger on a 30×48 Certiflat welding table from weldtables.com.

 

After watching several videos about their tables and seeing the whole assembly process, I was fully expecting (and kinda sorta looking forward) to assemble the table top myself.  When I cut open the box however, I was happy and excited to see the table top was already assembled!

 

I also ordered a leg kit (comes with heavy duty caster wheels) and I still needed to assemble that.  No problem though, the leg kit comes pre-cut using the tab and slot system, making it the worlds easiest puzzle…I didn’t even need instructions!  Everything fits into place so easily…

I was also expecting the caster wheels to be a little different…and to be honest I was kind of expecting them to be a little “cheaper” because in an assembly video I had seen, it looked like the included wheels were just the basic black, threaded stem casters from Home Depot and because of this I actually considered skipping the leg kit and just buying my own steel tubing and better casters and making my own base.  I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the casters included in the leg kit though.  They feel beefy and sturdy and thread into place securely without the need for any tools.  I was expecting weldtables.com to include a cut-out wrench to tighten the casters (per the leg kit description on the website), but this style caster the included instead is way better!  Once all my parts were dry fit in place (I welded the nuts to the backside of the little “foot” insert first) I clamped everything in place with some Forney locking clamps and some Genuine Speedsquares from Eric at Genuine Metalworks and tacked it up. Once it was all tacked, I took off the speedsquares and clamps and proceeded to finish out the welds using the mig process on my Forney 140MP welder.

Right off the bat, the first thing I wondered was if the welding table might be too tall.  It’s about bar-height and I decided to break in the table with a small project….a wall mounted clamp rack for my Forney clamps.  Nothing major, just something to get the sparks flying.  I instantly appreciated the height of the table.  Instantly.  It was so nice to not be bending over or even sitting like I’d do at my old table. Sometimes you want to be able to move around for certain welds and when you’re sitting in a chair it doesn’t always make it easy.  Sure you can get a chair with wheels but then you’re rolling around bumping into stuff, or your wheels hit a tiny wood chip or other debris on the ground…at least that’s how it’s been for me in my small shop.

It was so so nice to be able to have such a dead flat surface to do my project, even a little project like this clamp rack!  Having the table at this height was also nice when it came to grinding the welds.  I clamped the piece to the edge of the table and went at it.  Again, it’s just such a comfortable height and I’m glad I added to leg kit to my order!

Another feature I can’t wait to take advantage of are all the fixturing holes in the table top.  The holes allow you to use other kinds of clamps and accessories to hold down workpieces.  In fact, you can modify some cheap Harbor Freight clamps to be table fixture clamps pretty easily. I’ve made one so far and will be making a few more soon.  Furthermore, the Genuine Speedsquares from Genuine Metalworks are made with holes in them, spaced in the same configuration as the welding table holes and this allows you to bolt the Speedsquares to the table in custom configurations.  This is especially helpful if you need to make multiples of things.  Boy I wish I had this setup a couple months ago when I was welding the table bases and booth for the #wokouPBproject (see my Instagram for more on that).

Adding the Certiflat Welding Table to my shop is definitely going to play a major role in the success of my future welding projects, and I’ve got plenty of projects lined up!  If you’re new to welding, or have been welding without a proper welding/fixture table, I’d highly recommend the Certiflat Welding Table from weldtables.com.  They have a lot different sizes available to fit a variety of shops.  I ordered a custom size, 30”x48” and it’s just the right size for my shop.  They also carry some other jigs, fixtures and accessories that are great for metal fabrication projects and I’m sure I’ll be needing some of those down the road.

If you’re ready to add a Certiflat Welding Table to your shop, I’d greatly appreciate if you use my affiliate link to make your purchase:

http://weldtables.com/#_a_cust13d

Thanks for checking out this blog entry!  Stay tuned for more projects (woodworking and welding) and if you’re not already following me on Instagram or YouTube, I’d love to have you!  Use the following links to get there:

Stuff Seth Makes – Instagram

Stuff Seth Makes – YouTube

Thank you!!