Steel plate table top?

[DonInReno]

Has anyone else liked the solid feel of a nice welding table and used a fairly thick (1/2"ish) steel plate for a sewing table top?   1/2" x 18"x 42" piece is less than $100 so it's not a huge investment other than time to fit and finish it.

This is for a heavier than normal welded stand with casters that's on a concrete floor so weight isn't a problem.

It seems kind of cool to have a top with the same familiar edge curve, thickness and hammered paint surface finish as the machine.

The attached pic isn't my table - it's just one that got me thinking :-)

 

 

 

 

[CowboyBob]

It should work great,just don't plan on moving anytime soon.LOL

[dikman]

No reason it wouldn't work, although it seems like overkill to me (why not paint wood to get the hammered finish?). If you were fitting a cylinder arm machine then it would minimise the cutting needed, but I wouldn't fancy making the cutout for a flat bed - unless you've got access to a CNC laser cutter! Even with the right tools steel still requires more work and effort to finish (which you probably already know).

[brmax]

Thats a real nice work station there. Although I dont understand the feet, maybe temporary. 

Its possible you could find several color and texture patterns in the plastics now days for countertops. They still need to be thick like 1.5” minimum, that still is ? In my oppinion  

Im sittin doing some coffee here in the warm ( I think 72 )next to my bandsaw, its on an outside wall. I just touched it and cannot imagine having to use gloves to keep my hands warm as would be required at a sew table. Imho

So I had to get the temp gun, suprising sew machines and table surfaces are 70-71 but it sure seems the cast and steel is colder. 

But I will say, it only matters what you want. As your going to be working around it. Besides we have used both steel and wood working together for a long time. I myself was serious about steel frames though the need for lots of table surface so some good mdo plywood was the ticket here. 

Good day

Floyd

[Uwe]

It would look very cool and, unfortunately, it would also be uncomfortably cool. Resting your arms on that steel top as you sew may get uncomfortable quickly because the metal will quickly suck the heat out of your forearms, making them feel cold. Just like a tile floor feels colder under bare feet than a wood floor because stone is more thermally conductive and quickly cools off your skin from near 100˚F body temp to 70˚F room temp. This will not be an issue if you're sewing in a place where the ambient temperature is close to 100˚F.

 

[DonInReno]

Yes, the coolness to the touch appears to be the major drawback during the cooler months.  (About half the year Reno is on the warm side so feeling a little cool would be a plus!)  

Perhaps warming the steel top with an electric heater of some kind would make it more comfortable than wood in the cooler months?  I looked at a thin automotive battery warmer that would tuck away from sight quite nicely - still a requires remembering to turn it on a while before use - not ideal.

With 1/2" steel being about 20 lbs/sqft the top will be around 90 lbs, which seems manageable for the 20 yr old boys I'll talk into helping! Lol

 

[OLDNSLOW]

Like the others have said that is a lot of over kill for a sewing table, I have only passed through Reno, well over night stays years ago and Winter can be brutal and summer is the desert heat.  The table is going to swing both ways with the ambient heat, stay with wood, a nice oak plywood stained looks real nice.

[DonInReno]

A quick update - walking through a garage sale of sorts there was a large cast iron industrial machine table with nice legs so I grabbed it and plopped a 111w155 on it.

Metal tops are simply cold and clammy feeling for a flatbed machine even if the room temp is in the low 70's!  5 minutes sewing on it made it obvious that a heater for the top would have to be used every time - that's a deal killer.  

Oh well, I have a nice metal table for a bench drill press. Lol

[chrisash]

Don't place it over the top of the basement

half inch steel is quite heavy

[SheltathaLore]

Clearly, you should give the table top a snazzy powder coat job.  Don't your machines deserve some bling?