Reinforcing a rack for truck tires. SMAW on thin C channel

[EchoSixMike]

Not a particularly interesting project, but it needed to be done and the materials were limited. I used what was on hand (ie no cost) which made things harder than it should have been, but it got done and does what it's supposed to do.

OK, so I started with this shelving section, which is made of 16ga C-channel and is supposed to be reinforced with cross stringers and decking and is fairly medium duty regardless. It's going to hold truck tires, which are not light. That little 19.5 would bow this thing noticably when in the center of the span.


Anyhow the material I had on hand was 2"x2" box tubing, 3/16" wall, ie thick and heavy. I had to cut it with a torch, which meant fitment was "meh", and that was on the sections I cut, someone else "helped" and that definately fits into the "good intentions pave the way to Hell" category. I had only 115v(otherwise would have MIG'd for choice), so I used the 160STH, which has proven to be a handy little unit. I used 1/8" 6013 on DCEN at about 70amps, trying not to blow out the C channel. Wrapped with chopped up jumper cable for a ground.



Bad fitup didn't make it any easier. I tried to favor the square tube as much as possible. Certainly not my best work, but it does the job.



On the flat, it welded much nicer, unsurprising there. Yes, I welded right through the paint and other crap, time had priority.



And finally when it was completed.



Total time invested, a little over two hours, mostly gathering tools and materials and cutting the square tube. I used a 1" ratchet strap to pull the gap closed on the C channel to try to correct poor fitup, it works, although obviously you need to watch your heat and sharp edges. S/F.....Ken M

[Brian Ski]

Looks like you got the job done. There have been a lot of times... I should say most of the time where I am in a hurry and get the job done. Most of my projects are done from what I find in the scrap barrel. If I am getting rid of anything I always try to gut it and see if there is anything left for me to salvage. Yes I have been called Fred Sanford several times. If any of you yung uns remember that.

[EchoSixMike]

Yeah, it was definately a "whatever is cheapest but still works" type of job. I think I'm going to tie the bottom legs together with a piece of "something" just to keep them from bowing out or in should somebody catch it with a tire or something. S/F...Ken M

[redbeard]

I used what was on hand (ie no cost) which made things harder than it should have been,

Is that why my projects take so long?

Most of my projects are done from what I find in the scrap barrel. If I am getting rid of anything I always try to gut it and see if there is anything left for me to salvage. Yes I have been called Fred Sanford several times. If any of you yung uns remember that.

Many times the dimensions of my projects are actually determined by what is in the scrap heap. If I need a set of wood shelves, they will be exactly the width of the shortest 1x8 in the pile.

Sometimes I think it would be good to make a long-distance move to force me to get rid of some stuff, then I could start all over acquiring new junk.

[undercut]

Sometimes I think it would be good to make a long-distance move to force me to get rid of some stuff, then I could start all over acquiring new junk.

Nope. That won't work. As you are throwing stuff out, you'll find stuff you forgot about and think about how handy it would be "someday" and end up keeping it. At least, that's what always happens to me!

[EchoSixMike]

Redbeard, could be

This was a job I did at work, so I guess technically I qualify as a "professional" welder. I certainly don't call myself that, as I use shovels, brooms and chainsaws too, but I'm not a ditchdigger, streetsweeper or lumberjack either I have no issues with spending money to get the job done, but I don't spend money I don't have to either. Some projects have a time priority, some a cost priority and most are sliding scale, IOW "get it done as cheap as you can within this timeframe." I'm sure most folks are familiar.

We just went through a move and we found all manner of things we didn't know we had, to include this square tube. The shelving was "repurposed", which is why it needed reinforcement. I try to get rid of crap while keeping a decent supply of stock materials for projects, the problem is deciding what's what. Invariably, the stuff you just tossed will be needed in the very near future. S/F.....Ken M

[redbeard]

Invariably, the stuff you just tossed will be needed in the very near future. S/F.....Ken M

I think there is actually a Murphy's Law corollary pretty similar to that. "If you keep something long enough, you can throw it away. As soon as you throw it away, you will need it."

[EchoSixMike]

Would not surprise me in the least.

I used another piece of square tube to join the legs together. I used 1/8" 6011 and max 115v amperage (circa 100 amps) and really burned it in. Radically different in joining 16ga to 3/16 and joining 3/16 to 3/16. Sorry, no pictures. S/F.....Ken M