Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi there, newby here! I have, or will have tomorrow, a problem joining two 38mm mild steel tube ends. This is to be the handrail of a balustrade where the rail starts-horizontal, at the top of the stair and starts to run down.
I would think the angle is approximately 32deg but I was wondering if anyone here knew of a formula to get the correct cuts on either end to get a snug fit for a good weld(stick).
I'll be up for a while and hoping for an answer(help) as this job is going in tomorrow in-situ!

Thanks guys.

http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article. ... e_id=60182

If you can do this math, you can figure your angles with simple subtraction. Read through it, the light bulb will go on.

Thanks for the reply Steve, I'll check it now quickly.

Cheers,

Andrew(RSA)

Ok, so I didn't use a formula, I did it by dead reckoning and it came out fine. Lucky! Steve thanks for the link, it's an interesting site but couldn't find what I was looking for and no light came on...it's permanently dark up there!. Needless to say I had just finished the job when a buddy called to give me a formula for cutting the tube. Here goes, I hope it's right.

This is all supposing that we are working off 90* ie: floor and uprights of the balustrade are perpendicular. At the top of the stairs the handrail levels to run parrallel with the landing.
I first worked out the angle, in this case 32*, quite simple making a big protractor.
Half of 90* is 45*...
Subtract the angle(32*) from the 45* and that leaves 13...
Multiply that x 2 and you are left with 26...
Each end of the pipes to be cut are to be cut at 26* and then welded...
Apparently this works...anyone keen to try???

Cheers,

Andrew

That's a pretty easy formula your buddy gave you. The one I sent you would let you figure all the angles, lengths, etc, for a stair case and railings. It took me a couple of tries and a couple of slaps in the head by my Dad to get it right when I first learned it. That was 35 years ago and I've never forgot it.

Hehe, fortunately not too many 4lb hammers went flying aroung the workshop yesterday!
Thanks again and I'll pop in here now and then, keep well.

Cheers,

Andrew

'If you're not living on the edge then you're taking up too much space!'