Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello everyone, new member here. I’m looking for some advice on an aluminum frame. I’m building a frame out of rectangular tubing with 1/8 wall. There’s roughly 20 components going together and bosses all over this thing to be machined after welding to +\- .005. Welding itself is a non issue, I’m not asking how to weld aluminum. What I am asking is how in the world can I keep this thing flat! Dimensions on the frame are roughly 3 feet by 5 feet with welding in all directions imaginable. Please give me some advice on how to keep this as flat as possible so the machining operation is a breeze.

Lock it down, tacks everywhere! Weld one edge, move to a completely different area, and weld again. Patience is the key. Leave it locked down while it cools. Think about the distortion you create and be strategic in your welding. Opposite sides of the frame to pull and push.

I prefer to tack all corners, but weld inside and outside edges first. Leave the flats for last. But take your time. You can also add some thick billet blocks near your weld to suck heat out of the leg as you weld, and after. Keep a bucket of cold water handy and drop the block in between welds.

This will likely be one of those jobs where "No welder ever said I have too many clamps".

what cj said....and maybe keep a damp cloth on the billets as you weld, making sure the material is really cooled off before removing the clamps. A thousand welds to be a perfectionist and one OH SHITTT ruins the game.

It would be helpful to see a print of what your doing, before any welding the end cuts should be machined square and flat.
If you don't start with square and flat ends then...

It’s been a long time and a crazy year for us all. Hope you are all well and still welding. Thanks to your help I was able to make it through this run of frames. I got better as I went and by the last two shipments they were perfect. Unfortunately obsolete now but the new generation is underway and all is going well. Very much appreciate the tips.

nice to see you back