Possible grate material

[Casaba]

So I need to replace the grate on my Samson and have been contemplating slats from .125 x 2” HRS flat bar however I recently came across a company selling a bunch of steel catwalk. It’s painted, not galvanized and comes in 97.25” X 18” or 24” and is 1” thick.

I'm wondering if it might make a good grate system for the table. Has anybody ever tried this? Thoughts about pros/cons?

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[djreiswig]

I'm not sure about the paint, but I would think running it upside down with the connecting bars down would work better.

[acourtjester]

The only problem I see is small parts dropping through and you would have a hard time fishing them out

[djreiswig]

I was assuming a table without a water pan.

[Casaba]

no water pan, eventually a downdraft setup. I was imagining it would keep less parts falling through BUT I don't know if the grating will also affect the cuts more with the torch running across them. Its either this or go buy new slats to replace the existing highly worn grates (I recently bought this well-used table). The ones I have now are garbage and making cutting a nightmare with uneven height.

[abmetal]

I agree with acourtjester. I think you're going to have problems retrieving parts that fall through.

Allen