Rolling Worktable

From Fozzee.net

Around here, workspace is always at a premium. I have two stationary benches in the garage already, one about 6x2 (feet) and the other like 30"x18". The smaller of the two is where my bench-tools are bolted down. These two surfaces are along the front of the garage and usually well-piled with stuff. Moreover, I was looking for a solution that was sort of portable, to bring the table/cart to the junk. As much a way to move crap (batteries, motors, etc) as a place to work on it.

When a random desk dropped into my lap, it seemed like now was the time. I had the piece of steel plate laying around (it's about 1/8" thick, with some ribs welded to the back) and cut all 4 rails down using my chop saw. At first, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to hold everything square to weld it (yes, it bolts together, but I tacked every joint to help make it rigid... I'd have welded more thoroughly but paint makes welding a PITA, and I wasn't inclined to grind it all off for such a quickie endeavor) Anyhow, I realized that the "nuts" that they were using to bolt the thing together were just pressed into the tubes, and the tube-ends crimped, so the nuts couldnt be pulled out, as the bolt tightened. I pressed the nuts out of the tube-scraps and pounded them into the ends of the now-shorter tubes. This worked really well, especially since I promptly burnt through into the nuts, to lock them in place. This was more than sturdy enough to hold things square whilst welding.

In summary, I know this thing could be better, but it's built from what I had. Eventually, maybe, I'll reinforce the corners, and put some "trim" on the top, to protect the sharp edges. That said, it works fine as is, and I'm in no hurry.