Amateur Welder - Need Guidance

[Tooms22]

Building a bar for the garage and using 2" steel tube for the frame. I am the guy who learns to do shit on Youtube.

I have a super basic Harbor Freight welder.

The longest piece of tube I have is a 11 feet. So a welding table would have to be pretty big.

What's the best way to weld the pieces level and not jack up my epoxy flooring (ground ain't level outside)?

My current thought is use pieces of 4x4 under the steel tube pieces so they are all off the ground the same amount. But what can I put under the area I'm welding to protect the epoxy floor? Sheet metal? Plywood? Test the lifetime warranty on my epoxy?

 

[Ziggy]

Welding blanket(s).
HF has those too

 

[SOD]

2" square tube or round tube?

 

[Tooms22]

Welding blanket(s).
HF has those too

I feel dumb for not knowing this and also happy that there is an easy solution

2" square tube or round tube?

Square

 

[Done-it-again]

Building a bar for the garage and using 2" steel tube for the frame. I am the guy who learns to do shit on Youtube.

I have a super basic Harbor Freight welder.

The longest piece of tube I have is a 11 feet. So a welding table would have to be pretty big.

What's the best way to weld the pieces level and not jack up my epoxy flooring (ground ain't level outside)?

My current thought is use pieces of 4x4 under the steel tube pieces so they are all off the ground the same amount. But what can I put under the area I'm welding to protect the epoxy floor? Sheet metal? Plywood? Test the lifetime warranty on my epoxy?

Welding blankets would be your best bet, but if you are only a couple of inches above them, you will burn right through them. Better to work off sawhorses to give the embers a chance to cool before landing on the floor.....

Or plywood would work as well..... just make sure you have a fire extinguisher nearby

 

[SOD]

Given it's square tube, and assuming you're building a rectangle, clamp a diagonal piece across the corner (corners if you have enough clamps) to hold the two pieces square and aligned. Then you can weld it on sawhorses or anything elevated and don't have to level it on the floor.

 

[wzuber]

Saw horses will put you in a better working ht. And postion.
How flat and square do u want it to be? If very Then use a digital level that reads in tenths and start at 1 corner and work your way around the perimiter shiming and leveling as you go. Check your material to see if its bent at all and locate bend accordingly. Clamp flat plate at underside of joints to help keep joint surface tru. Square 1 corner and tack weld on 3 sides ( tube corners) to help hold shape. Verify sq. Then tack a piece of scrap tube at angle across tubes to retain/hold square.
If you want more insights feel free to pm me.

 

[monkeyswrench]

I've done this before. Heavy C-channel as a welding backer. Shim or even turn them to level the pieces to weld. Flux core spatters more than gas shielded. Welding blankets work good, but I've also used plywood and sheet metal.

 

[wzuber]

Do you know how to do a 3,4,5 square?

 

[Bajastu]

Heavy plate backing and a sheet of plywood.

 

[Icky]

Along with all the great advice above.
When you weld, metal moves, so tacking a piece to keep the corners square while you weld helps keep it from moving. A stitch on one side of the scrap piece will allow you to break it off when you're done, example below.

If building off saw horses, like mentioned above, if they're out of level, you're finished product will probably be twisted.

Obviously you will measure length and width on both sides to make sure it's correct. You can double check square by measuring opposite corners, they should be the same.

 

[Tooms22]

Do you know how to do a 3,4,5 square?

I didn't think of welding blankets. That's a major clue letting you know that I'm fuck around hobby welder

But this project is important because my hope is... that, at some point, women will be dancing on this bar. And I need it to sustain the dancing of women of all shapes and sizes

 

[dspracing]

If you're in LHC and need a hand, lmk. I've got clamps and magnets you can use as well.

permanent or temporary bracing will be your friend. Sounds like you have the material already but spending a little more on thicker material helps control the warping. Jump around with your welds so you don't concentrate too much heat in one place.

 

[Your ad here]

How thick is the steel?

 

[wzuber]

I didn't think of welding blankets. That's a major clue letting you know that I'm fuck around hobby welder

But this project is important because my hope is... that, at some point, women will be dancing on this bar. And I need it to sustain the dancing of women of all shapes and sizes

3, 4, 5 sq. (and mulitple of. I.e. - 6, 8, 10 etc.) Is just a simple method to very sq. If you don't have a physical square. It's just measurements. Measure 3' up 1 leg of the sq., place mark @ outer edge. Measure 4' up the adjoining leg, place mark @ outer edge there. Then carefully measure diagonally across the rt. Angle to achieve a 5' dimension, adjust legs until you get the 5' dimension.
Also, as Icky noted. Diagonal measurement across outside corners should be = distance when corners are "square". Asuming end cuts of tubing are square. You could also messure to inside corners w/assistance or clamping tape measure accordingly.

 

[monkeyswrench]

How thick is the steel?

He's talking dancers of all shapes and sizes...

.185 wall chromoly should do it

 

[wzuber]

I didn't think of welding blankets. That's a major clue letting you know that I'm fuck around hobby welder

But this project is important because my hope is... that, at some point, women will be dancing on this bar. And I need it to sustain the dancing of women of all shapes and sizes

Soooo, your a upskirt admirer? I can digit. Lol
As long as it has a sufficient foundtion to support it.

 

[Tooms22]

If you're in LHC and need a hand, lmk. I've got clamps and magnets you can use as well.

permanent or temporary bracing will be your friend. Sounds like you have the material already but spending a little more on thicker material helps control the warping. Jump around with your welds so you don't concentrate too much heat in one place.

Yes, I'll be starting this in Havasu next weekend (5/19 - 5/21)

How thick is the steel?

Can't remember, I bought all of the steel over a month ago. I'll take at look at the receipt when I roll into town next Thursday. But I did explain my idea to the guys at Havasu Iron and Metal and I went with their suggestions on thickness.

 

[Hoodoo]

These are handy for building a FLAT table from scratch and you can put anything from tubing to sawhorses under your work piece. The tabs on the squares will self level your workpiece

 

[92562]

Building a bar for the garage and using 2" steel tube for the frame. I am the guy who learns to do shit on Youtube.

I have a super basic Harbor Freight welder.

The longest piece of tube I have is a 11 feet. So a welding table would have to be pretty big.

What's the best way to weld the pieces level and not jack up my epoxy flooring (ground ain't level outside)?

My current thought is use pieces of 4x4 under the steel tube pieces so they are all off the ground the same amount. But what can I put under the area I'm welding to protect the epoxy floor? Sheet metal? Plywood? Test the lifetime warranty on my epoxy?

Lot's of great ideas here but I often use spare sheets of aluminum.

 

[bonesfab]

I didn't think of welding blankets. That's a major clue letting you know that I'm fuck around hobby welder

But this project is important because my hope is... that, at some point, women will be dancing on this bar. And I need it to sustain the dancing of women of all shapes and sizes

Because you know the biguns will be the first to try it. Did the same with the vertical exercise pole at the old house. Xtra heavy duty.

 

[ChrisV]

Cardboard boxes works fine also. Are you using gas for the welder?

 

[Icky]

On a side note, fiberglass fire blankets are itchy to lay on

 

[Gelcoater]

I didn't think of welding blankets. That's a major clue letting you know that I'm fuck around hobby welder

But this project is important because my hope is... that, at some point, women will be dancing on this bar. And I need it to sustain the dancing of women of all shapes and sizes

This thread has potential

 

[riverroyal]

If it's directly on the floor then Masonite with weld blacket that is damp
It's best to do it elevated with something. Even 2x4s on the corners.

If it's elevated still Masonite and blanket. No damp.

Only damp directly under the weld spot.

This is for epoxy. Bare concrete then sparks are fine

Also harbor freight mig or stick?
If it's mig with light Flux core wire clean the metal if it's oily.
If it stick get a grinder. You will need it.

Last zero gaps. The fit needs to be metal to metal. That welder will not do well with gaps.

 

[Crazyhippy]

Do you know how to do a 3,4,5 square?

Pythagorean theorem
A^2 + B^2 = C^2

3^2 + 4^2 = 5^2
9 + 16 = 25

Geometry from 500BC! Super useful for lots of things!

 

[530RL]

I just make a welding/ work bench to weld on. Four by eight sheet of 1/4 inch and bent as desired. Paid 300 bucks each to a fab shop to whip these up.

Weld up a base with 4 inch tube at whatever height you prefer and you have a cheap and sturdy workbench to weld or do whatever you want with.

 

[rrrr]

I didn't think of welding blankets. That's a major clue letting you know that I'm fuck around hobby welder

But this project is important because my hope is... that, at some point, women will be dancing on this bar. And I need it to sustain the dancing of women of all shapes and sizes

After it's tacked but before you weld it out, you'll need to cross measure from one corner to the opposite corner, then do the same with the other pair of corners. The measurements should be the same. If they're not, you're going to have a parallelogram bar top.

Fast forward to 3:10 for details.

 

[Hoodoo]

If you don’t totally hate welding when you’re finished, think about a tig machine.
You can weld with zero mess wearing shorts and flip flops.

 

[MPHSystems]

Buy your materials from someone who will make your cuts for you. IMS has band saw’s which make really good cuts.

square and precise cuts make setup easy. Pretty good cuts make setup a lot more difficult.

 

[kev4dez]

Look up genuinemetalworks.com "Speed Squares". I have a few of these and they work great for welding square frames. Clamp the tubes on both planes and you are set.
Kevin

 

[bonesfab]

If you don’t totally hate welding when you’re finished, think about a tig machine.
You can weld with zero mess wearing shorts and flip flops.

Until you drop the hot filler rod in your lap.

 

[wzuber]

These are handy for building a FLAT table from scratch and you can put anything from tubing to sawhorses under your work piece. The tabs on the squares will self level your workpiece [ View attachment 1228962

Those are badass fixtures.
Is that a blu- mol table they're resting on?

 

[WildWilly]

when I jumped in to welding, the first thing I built was a welding table to practice lol

it actually came out decent, way over built (its a tank). have you though of making something else to start on that requires less accuracy and requirements?

if I remember right the basic HF welder isn't gas. I can tell you from watching a buddy using one of those, gas is your friend and makes a huge differnce

 

[Done-it-again]

If you don’t totally hate welding when you’re finished, think about a tig machine.
You can weld with zero mess wearing shorts and flip flops.

Better wear long sleeve. You might not have the splatter burns, but the sun burn you can get is brutal. Lol.

If you can’t mig, you are not going to tig very well.

 

[WildWilly]

Better wear long sleeve. You might not have the splatter burns, but the sun burn you can get is brutal. Lol.

If you can’t mig, you are not going to tig very well.

yea I remember that lesson well too....who knew lol

 

[Your ad here]

Reason I ask about thickness is because any welding machine can weld but not all have the power to make a weld that holds, as the material gets thicker. Figure you need 1 amp of welding power for every .001" of material. So a .125" wall (1/8") will need a 125 amp welder to get a good weld that penetrates.
Think of it like this. A weld is like a wood screw. The longer the screw the deeper it goes in the wood thus holds stronger. A 3" screw holds stronger than a 1-1/4" screw. The more power a welder has, the deeper it pushes the weld into the metal. A low power welder will still make a weld that looks the same but the weld won't go very deep into the metal and have no "hold" and will break or crack easily.

 

[ChrisV]

Better wear long sleeve. You might not have the splatter burns, but the sun burn you can get is brutal. Lol.

If you can’t mig, you are not going to tig very well.

I can tig but cannot mig for the life of me.

 

[Done-it-again]

I can tig but cannot mig for the life of me. View attachment 1229129

You must play the drums then. Lol.

 

[Done-it-again]

yea I remember that lesson well too....who knew lol

Me too the fist time, my forearms were toast.

 

[Icky]

Me too the fist time, my forearms were toast.

Sun block works

 

[bonesfab]

Way back in the young and dumb days I would mig weld the exhaust together in shorts sitting on the ground. Amazing how smoked the inner thighs would get from the light.

 

[traquer]

I want to get a welder now... In college we got to play with the big boy Miller syncrowave, the guys who were really good could weld soda cans together. But that's overkill I had an old Miller arc welder that my grandpa was a master at. That and a grinder, sander is all you need for a project like this honestly, you're not building a nuclear reactor lol.

 

[wzuber]

Had enough guidance yet? Haha
We'll have you structurally certified in no time flat.

 

[wzuber]

Way back in the young and dumb days I would mig weld the exhaust together in shorts sitting on the ground. Amazing how smoked the inner thighs would get from the light.

Nothing like welding hitches n shit laying on the ground, welding overhead and having sparks bounce off the ground into your ears, down you shirt collar, sleeves etc.
Other fun ooopsies...mindlessly resting your arm onto or grabbing something moments after welding it....
Leaves a subtle lasting reminder...

 

[Hoodoo]

Until you drop the hot filler rod in your lap.

Or have the sharp tungsten fall straight down on your leg at 1400*
Jeans won’t help
Good news is it self cauterizes and heals quickly.

 

[Icky]

Or have the sharp tungsten fall straight down on your leg at 1400*
Jeans won’t help
Good news is it self cauterizes and heals quickly.

Depends how far your tungsten is out, I had one take a few months to heal

 

[ChrisV]

Nothing like welding hitches n shit laying on the ground, welding overhead and having sparks bounce off the ground into your ears, down you shirt collar, sleeves etc.
Other fun ooopsies...mindlessly resting your arm onto or grabbing something moments after welding it....
Leaves a subtle lasting reminder...

Fooook datttt

 

[rrrr]

Nothing like welding hitches n shit laying on the ground, welding overhead and having sparks bounce off the ground into your ears...

Taking a little ball of hot slag in the ear is the worst! You suddenly remember your cap is laying on the bench instead of on your head.

 

[Ol Man]

Many years ago I went to adult school in Simi Valley to learn how to weld. I would highly recommend an adult school near you. We started with to learn to braze/weld with gas, used an AC buzz box and then moved on to mig. I never got to learn to tig. I don't weld enough to be good, but know enough to stick stuff together so it doesn't come apart. I used to make some of my ball mounts and never had one break. My boys were pretty young and talked me into making a three wheel bicycle for them out of a bunch of different parts. It had a bench seat. They enjoyed that for a long time. I have a Premier Welder on my buggy and have done a number of trail repairs from broken link mount tabs to driveshafts.