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So contemplating cheap (wood or mostly wood )chassis table designs. I am using oxy-ace and don't care about grounding, and would like to avoid gluey partical type stuff like MDF (because fire, chemicals and cost pallet wood is free).

I am thinking about making a top that will take c clamps and such since I have them. Also maybe removable or sliding, 2xs/or thinner hard wood ( or worst case a series of "I" beams on top? Like some steel fab tables just without all the plate steel. Removable beams/planks could give access to hard to get to spots





Kinda like the below but not tilting


So anyone do or see anything like this? Any ups or downs I am over looking?

Mine! Built from scrap I-beam "drops" from a local supplier for under $300.

6"x8"x3/8"(approx 24" tall) legs with 3/4" bolts on the bottom as levelers. Those are welded to 2"x6"x3/8" c-channel. The I-beams are 6"x8"x3/8"(approx 10' long). I went to the local steel supplier and looked thru the yard for "cut-offs" / "drops" that they had from previous jobs. They charged me 1/2 of what they would normally charge and I paid them to cut them to the exact same lengths.

The pieces that get clamped across the beams are 3"x4"x1/4" I-beams.

The way that I figured it, I could use it for my builds and then sell it down the road and only lose $100 or so and in the meanwhile, I have one kick-@$$ build table.

It has served me well for 10 years.

_________________
Dan Lipperini Jr
www.RaceLabz.com

Great design! And use of the I beams! I was expecting to see way more I beams than I want to invest in. Yours is sweet and simple but gives loads of work room!

Thanks for sharing the sizes of the beams too. I have seen a few beams for sale but had to wonder if they were up to task.

The table is so useful, I find new uses for it all the time. A friend's son races go-karts and told me that he had an off-track excursion and now the cart doesn't handle like it used to. It was more than likely a slightly bent frame, so I suggested that he bring it to the shop and I would have a look. We stripped off the seat and wheels/tires, then threw it up on the table. After configuring a few cross beams in strategic places, we found that the frame was in fact "tweaked" a little bit. Since the table is attached quite well to the floor of the garage, we simply raised up two corners of the kart frame, strapped down one corner and in true Lo-Cost fashion, stepped up onto the table and bounced a few times on the raised part of the frame. It took a total of 10 minutes to get it back to 100% flat and no use of heat.

After this many years, I long ago figured out that this table will be with me forever.

_________________
Dan Lipperini Jr
www.RaceLabz.com