Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi there...
I'm not sure where this should go exactly, so I'll drop it here.

I'm looking to build a 3m long bench with plate tops kinda like a SH Tools table though without any of the quality, finish, CNC work etc... (wish I could afford a couple of theirs)
The top rails I have are 40mm square hollow 2.5mm wall and 1.5m long.
I want to be able to pull the bench apart in case I have to move it in the future.
It will have 4 support frames built from 40mm square, braced in each corner under the total length giving 3 "sections" of 1m each.

The top plates are about 40kg each. There are 8 of them to get screwed to the top 3m rails.

What is the best way to join these 4 top rails (8x1.5m) lengths?

Can I place a sleeve in the tube? or should I look at an external U shaped channel and bolt through.

Dont really want it to sag obviously.

Ta

Do you intend to wekd this joint?

Mick

weldin mike 27 wrote:Do you intend to wekd this joint?

Mick

Ideally not. I could tack it if required but I would like to have the ability of being able to disassemble the whole kit to shift it.
The plates will come off and the uprights will be bolted into brackets.

(In the worst case I could live with it if I had to though)

Okay, Thats sweet as, do a google search for "telescoping RHS chart" this will give you reasonably close tolerances to slide a sleave down the inside of your tubes and put a couple of bolts through it. a two foot section (600 mm) on each joint should hold it nice and straight, If not 4 bolts in each join, 2 on each side of join, will be as good as gold.

Mick

Telescoping RHS... Never heard of that I must say.
Will save me making up the sleeves or brackets.

Cheers Mick

Hey,

Sorry, RHS is our term in Australia . Stands for rolled hollow section. That chart will give you exacting sizes, providing you follow the wall thickness as well, with a minimum of fuss.

Mick

weldin mike 27 wrote:Hey,

Sorry, RHS is our term in Australia . Stands for rolled hollow section. That chart will give you exacting sizes, providing you follow the wall thickness as well, with a minimum of fuss.

Mick

Ha. Love it... I'm an Aussie too. Adelaide Hills. I still hadnt heard of telescoping rhs though. RHS yes and SHS yes.

Tony

Awesome, go aussies, I believe that member AnvilJack is from Adelaide.

weldin mike 27 wrote:Awesome, go aussies, I believe that member AnvilJack is from Adelaide.

Where are you from Mick?
I'll keep an eye out for AnvilJack too...

Hey,

Im from Bendigo in Vic. Only a lazy 7 hours from you.

Hey guys
Did not realise you were Aussies
Glad to meet you. Keep in touch. I am from Perth and working in Malaysia.

So do you have to reverse polarity to get proper welds there in the Southern Hemisphere? LOL!

Couldn't resist, and that isn't an impedance joke, I just love my Australian mates...a couple good friends of mine saved my life after I broke my back while surfing in Indonesia. Now we meet up nearly every year for a trek down there to score good warm water waves.

After living in Hawaii my whole life, this cold California water doesn't cut it!

Good luck on the build...Aloha, Chuckles.

We use AC down here for everything . Stands for AussieCurrent. . lol

weldin mike 27 wrote:We use AC down here for everything . Stands for AussieCurrent. . lol

hahaha hell yeah...

Found some telescoping RHS in a one steel catalogue. stated as being 35x35 to suit the 40x40 2.5 wall stuff with zero tolerance.

Sounds like a perfect thing.

Sweet as man.

I reckon I best call me mates down under, two of you have got me thinking in Australian and talking to my poor Mum with a Sunshine Coast track mixed with a Whale Beach polish.

Took her about 3 minutes to understand my best impression of my buddy's voice saying "Wehs thah? Neva erd uv iht Mum!"...poor thing bout hit me with a dough roller til I came clean!

He is a bit of a brute though, and half built from sand, so anything he says sounds like rocks rolling off a cliff, LOL!

And spot on fit, that is "sweet as!"

Dont be too hard on your self. 'straya language is pretty hard. But Queensland takes the cake. They have all sorts of words that no one knows. Kind of like byou people.

I'm not too clear about your plan. It seems logical to bolt with threaded holes in your top plates or if they aren't sufficiently thick supplement the plate with squares of 2" square X3/8" thick welded to the bottom. We have a number of sources for 1-1/4" square receiver tubes made for light duty trailer hitches. Four of these could be welded and braced to your horizontal frame members. Ball mount stock is here available in 30" lengths. I would cut one in 4 equal pieces, slip partway into hollow stock and weld in place. The whole bench would be heavy, but one man could move it by pulling pins to remove legs, and if necessary, unbolt from the top plates.