Welding Tips and Tricks

Matthew here from Austin TX. I learned to weld in 1978 with an AC stick welder, my boss needed a glass rack for the shop truck and I was the guy elected to make it. Steel tubing and he showed me the welder and said the trick is to not let the rod stick to the metal. In 1981 I started my own business blowing glass (off hand the old style) and I made all of my own equipment (glass furnace, reheating chambers, cooling ovens, and grinding wheels). I still used an AC stick welder (an old Craftsman that I still have). In 2007 I shut down my business and got a job. Last February I got laid off. So now I have started my own business, I am doing maintenance and fabrication. I have a Miller Econotig, and a Hobart 210mvp. I also do art type projects when they come along. Thanks for Jody's videos they are a big help.

Here is my question. My main customer is a food production company. On the roof of the plant is an open shed (all steel construction) that covers the condensing units for their coolers and freezers. I have been securing this shed by welding expanded metal on the sides, and now I am making doors for the ends of the shed. These also are covered with expanded metal. I am making the doors out of 2" x 2" x 3/16" angle iron. The first set of doors for one end (4 doors total 45" x 76") I cut 45 corners with my abrasive chop saw. I clamped up a short end and then a long end on my small steel table, made sure they were in square and tacked them, flipped them over and tacked them. Then I would repeat with the other two pieces. Then clamp everything together. I have been having the hardest time keeping them in square. Before I tack the two pieces are in square, and when everything is all clamped together it is in square. But by the time I am finished tacking both sides the diagonals are about 1/8" to 1/4" out of square. For the purpose that I am making them this is OK, but I would like to make them in square. I know from Jody's videos that as you weld there is shirking, so how does one compensate? Any feed back would be great, and sorry that I am so long winded.

Hey,

Welcome to the forum.

Now, i have never been really good at that sort of stuff, i always move things the wrong way. All I can suggest, is when the parts are first square, to put 3 tacks on each joint. 1 on the top corner of the L one on tje bottom outside corner and one on the very inside. Use small tacks, check sqare, adjust with hammer then proceed as you were.

Hope this helps

Mick

Thanks Mick, I will go get a really big hammer this weekend. Matthew

Hey,

The real problem in framing with 45° cuts is how the bind up. as i n not allowing movement whilst allowing free movent the other, Usually the way you dont want it to. Maybe if you set the joint up with a small gap, 1 -1.5 mm and put one tack on the out side, that should allow for a bit of move ment. An easy way ive found is to tack the frame up and then pick it up (if posible) and drop it carefully on its long corner and use the weight of it to move the tacks. Also dont trust the angle gauge on the chop saw, those thing are about as trust worthy as a wall st banker.

Mick

You either need a crook stand, or clamp the short leg down to something substantial and just tweak it by pulling on the long one. 3/16 will move really easy, especially while it's still hot. This way, two of your corners are square. After that, alternately weld the remaining two corners and take your corner to corner measurements. Then you just have to hold the frame by one corner and bounce the other corner off of something like a chunk of wood on the floor or something.

Here's a crook stand that I use. Every fab shop ought to have something along these lines.


Typically, I measure the amount it moves and compensate the opposite direction. After awhile, it's second nature.

Thanks for the feed back. Yesterday I was helping a friend fabricate walls out of 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" tubing for a pump house. We did butt joints, and started having the same problem. We came up with the idea of clamping a framing square to the two pieces before tacking. It sure worked a lot better. Thanks so much for the feed back it is much appreciated. Matthew