Picked this up at a garage sale...the guy had it over in the corner and i asked is the flat table for sale...he replied yeah its for sale...I didn't think anyone would be interested... $25.

I'm thinking this is cast steel 24"X 36"...I'll  be building a stand and this will go in the middle of the shop....I'm cranked over this...I'm thinking this weighs in around 200lbs+

What are your guys thoughts on the height of flat tables?

surface plate for checking stuff / marking out, mostly ground to very flat.

can cost a lot of money in good condition, cast iron normally but granite is also used

I saw a guy pay over $300.00 at an industrial sale a while back for one...I worked in a pattern shop for years they had several & they would never part with any of them. 

I'm sure it will come in handy. I laid my straight edge on it and it appears very flat. ☺

depending on grade and size seen them for over 1000 uk pounds

 

Height is going to depend on how YOU will be using it.  As YOU didn't share that info all I can say somewhere between 3 feet below ground level and 12' (or more) above ground level.

They are usually used on the workbench, and put away for safety (to avoid accidental damage) when not needed, often a plywood or similar top cover is fitted. The larger ones 3 foot square or more are paerminently mounted on their own base as they are simply too heavy to move easily and are usually a little lower than work bench height. As I haven't got one, I use the top of an engine block for my surface plate, limited area but it works for most of what I need at the moment.

Nice score at the price, looks like it should clean up a treat.

one of my previous employers used a large one set low to true up chairs he was regluing so the feet would be coplanar 

I do a variation for trivets stacking rounds till I get the height wanted and then bending the legs in till they touch the slab.

Iron dwarf what and how would you use a granite table?? I have always been wondering do to the fact I run a stone countertop shop.  All our stone is 3cm thick.  I can laminate two pieces to make 6cm but talk about heavy.   Would it be good to put a granite table in my shop?  How is it going to react to welding and everything else?? What is the advantage?

RE ID's post and your question matto,

ID refered to a granite surface plate, not a table. A surface plate provides an extremely true flat surface for measuments, marking out work to a high accuracy and checking the true of surfaces place upon them. Granite has the same required qualities as cast iron for this purpose and is often used as a cheaper alterrnative, it is not used as a table for working on, hammering, punchng, welding etc.

 

What would the best size be?? a slab of granite is about 120"x 78"

Rocks DO bend.

For granite, one has to have adequate thickness proportional to surface area. A 12" x 12" surface plate would not be less than 2" thick (approx.) to be considered sound. Below is a typical 3" x 12" x 18-1/2":

Then here is a 6" x 14" x 19-1/2" piece taken from the center of a 4 foot by 8 foot table:

You might build a frame with a grid of levelling screws under two sheets of granite, and make any size table you wish. Even one sheet at 3 cm (1.181") might work,  Matto.

You work with the stuff, explore. I like granite a lot, it's pretty tough.

Robert Taylor

 

I'd love to have a cast iron table like that.  I wouldn't use it for welding on simply because I'd want to keep the surface as pristine as possible.  Still, It would be great for a small work desk where I could build knives and the like.  Just having a nice flat surface to tape sandpaper to when I'm flattening grip scales and the like would be dreamy!

A stone table.... very nice to have if you do any kind of precision work.  I used to have a small one that mostly got used when I was doing a lot of leatherwork; it was the backer that allowed the leather stamps to get a really nice impression.

Here's a nice little video showing how easy it is to surface a stone, but the same technique (sort of) also works for refurbishing cast iron.  

Surface Plate Calibration and Conditioning

Vaughn T...Ill be like you...ill set it in the middle of the shop...Can use it to check items for straightness, knife building, desk - open books, drawings, catch all etc. lol

Im thinking height will be about top of pocket / belt height. I think she'll clean up nice!

Most blacksmith, welding, fab shops have little need for a surface plate.

Even many general machine shops don't have them...it is truly for extremely precise work.

Table height depends upon the user' height. 30-36" is "normal" 40" or more if you are 6'6".

A good idea is to make it the exact same height as another table. 

I would bet the OP's plate is cast iron and not steel as he stated. It would make nice plate for welding on as the splatter would not stick but it will not survive being hammered. Don't think this can be use the same way a welding platen would.

Use a surface plate for welding on! A surface plate is a prescision tool, not a lump of scrap steel. As an apprentice I'd of had my backside kicked round the workshop for a month just for thinking of welding on a surface plate! I was not permitted to place anything on our surface plate that did not absolutely have to be there, and that included my grubby hands!

A first grade surface plate will be more accurate than almost any of the measuring tools usually used by machinists. If the only use one has for a surface plate is as a work surface of any kind, sell it on to an engineer who will use it correctly and use the revenue to buy something suitable for your needs.

Sell it?...No way am I selling it...This thing will come in so handy and not for welding either...Thats crazy talk -  selling it...lol

I didn't think for one minute you'd payed $25  to use it as a sacrificial welding surface......I was refering to those who would abuse it.

Certainly don't use it as a bench. As others have said if you want a bench sell it and buy a mild steel plate which you can use for both welding and measuring and marking.

I have a 40mm (1¹/₂") mild steel plate bench top that has as slight crown in it (1.6mm over 2500mm) (¹/₁₆"over 9'). It is accurate enough to use a scribing block on for 99% of the time for the accuracy level of the work I do. I have an 18"x12" surface plate for the 1%.

You just need a scribing block and a couple of vee blocks and you are set.

As far as height goes I would tend to set it much higher than a work bench. You will be marking and measuring parallel to the plane of the surface. In order to reduce the parallax effect you want eye level to equal the measuring/marking point. The classic scenario is putting the plate on a normal bench and then having to go down on one knee to lower your eye level.

Raise the table and save your back.

Alan

On 06/30/2016 at 11:24 AM, arftist said:

Most blacksmith, welding, fab shops have little need for a surface plate.

Even many general machine shops don't have them...it is truly for extremely precise work.

Thanks arftist, I feel special now!

looks like a lower platen from a small press....   See any signs of heating elements in the underside?

Should make a grand tall layout bench or sharpening station after some vinegar, steel wool and oil/wax.  Appears to have bosses in the support structure, maybe holes for press posts to take legs easily.