How to attach an appliance bracket to a stainless steel table

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I need to attach this base plate to a stainless steel table in a commercial kitchen. It'd be attached to the top surface off to the side.

It's for a commercial size can-opener.

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How do I go about that? Drill holes and then use bolts? Use some special type of screw? Do I need a special drill bit to create the holes?

The tables aren't a solid slab of steel…they're actually pretty thin on the surfaces.

I'm a woodworker…doing anything with steel is way out of my wheelhouse. 🙂

Here's a photo showing the item attached so you can see what I'm after.

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Best Answer

That application obviously results in a lot of torsional stress on the part. You'll want to drill the top for bolts and nuts, as opposed to using sheet metal screws, which will eventually work loose.

I'd size them to the holes in the bracket plate. The type of bolt isn't really important, but you probably want something with a low head profile. It must be stainless, of course. Use lock washers under the nuts, or use flat washers and stop nuts (with nylon inserts).

You may also want to add a backer plate of heavier material to reduce flex in the table, depending on its thickness gauge. 1/4" aluminum bar between the nuts and the table would do well.

Drilling stainless can be challenging. Do a little reading on tools and technique.