Five parts. Thirty-two chapters. Eight appendices. From first principles to the heirloom standard.
Part I: What a Welding Table Actually Is
1. Why This Book Exists
2. It’s a Tool, Not a Wedding Ring
3. A Short History of the Welding Table
4. The Anatomy of a Modern Table
5. What to Keep Your Eye On
Part II: The Physics That Marketing Hopes You Never Learn
6. Load, Deflection, and Flatness Under Load
7. Design Safety: A Table Should Never Hurt Anyone
8. Flatness: The Spec That Actually Matters
9. Hard vs. Tough: The Anvil Fallacy
10. Steel: A Commodity, Not a Secret
11. Surface Treatments: What Nitriding, Coatings, and Oxides Really Do
Part III: Table Architecture and Design
12. 2D vs. 3D Tables
13. Tops: Solid, Holes, Slots, Slats, and Blocks
14. Thickness: What You Actually Need
15. Legs, Leveling Feet, Casters, and Mobility
16. Sizes, Configurations, and Growing a Table System
17. How Tables Are Actually Made (and Why the Method Doesn’t Matter)
Part IV: Using the Table
18. Ergonomics: The 36-Inch Mistake
19. Workholding: The 16mm and 28mm Ecosystems
20. The Tooling: What to Buy and What Each Thing Is For
21. Fixturing Strategy and Repeatability
22. Grounding, Electricity, and Safety
23. Process-Specific Realities: MIG, TIG, Stick, and Stainless
24. Planning the Shop Around the Table
25. Production Fixturing and Welding Automation
Part V: Buying, Building, and Owning for Life
26. How to Read a Spec Sheet (and a Salesperson)
27. Buying for an Institution: Schools, Shops, and Government
28. Budgets, Value, and Total Cost of Ownership
29. DIY: Building Your Own Table or Assembling a Kit
30. Shipping, Delivery, and Installation
31. Care, Repair, and Restoration
32. The Heirloom Standard
Appendices
A. Table Height Selector
B. Tooling Compatibility Matrix
C. Field Flatness Measurement Procedure
D. Maintenance Products and Schedule
E. Steel Grade Quick Reference
F. Vendor Question Checklist
G. Structural Safety Checklist for Builders and Buyers
H. Glossary