warping

Flyrod

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Hi Guys - I am pretty new to welding

i wish to make a 5"x 5"x 26" long column as part of a pedestal stand for a belt sander - material is 1/4" flat stock, mild steel (HR)

i assume that on the first two welds, they should be on the inside, correct?

if I make multiple tacks, is there an issue then going down the rest of the seam where the material will distort from the heat build up?

once the fourth side is on, i have no choice but to weld on the outside...so i guess 2 seams will look a little different than the other two...just grind to try to make it not noticeable? (i am planning to overlap the pieces - so 2 pieces 4.5 and 2 pieces 5)

thanks
 
i suppose another way to go (to not have to rip a 1/2" off of two 26" lengths of 5" flat stock is to abut all the inner edges and weld all four seams on the outside?

same question there as to warping

that also avoids 2 seams looking different
 
Not sure why you need to weld the inside. If the weld is clean and proper, then welding the outside will be enough.
Tack the corners one, then the opposite corner and it should pull it back to straight if done quickly before the first tack cools.
 
I think this is what Flyrod is suggesting, and how I would do it. Weld on the outsides of all 4 joints, staggering short welds to avoid getting the metal hot enough to warp. The bead should be about 1/4" so the finished product will be a nicely corner rounded part.
If the pieces are 5" wide x 1/2" thick this would end up as a 51/2" square column. Start with 41/2"x1/4" to get a 5" square column.5x5.jpg
 
Thanks guys

I agree it should all be done in the outside that's clear now

In terms of progressing should I do two pieces to Corners than the other two pieces both Corners in order to get the whole thing together before welding on it or is it better to weld two sides all the way and then Mount the other two sides all the way

I think I know the answer but the stupidest question is the one left unasked

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
And groundhog yes that's what I was looking for the idea of doing these short welds to not warp thanks for confirming









When you talk about alternating do you mean seam to seam or just different spots on the same seam until one seam is entirely complete

Thanks

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I would tack all 4 sides (maybe a good tack every 4" or so), then make short beads (1" to 2") and stagger them from side to side and end to end. Try to visualize how the heat from one short bead will make the metal bend (it will shrink when it cools) then make the next weld in a position to offset that shrinkage. But most importantly try to keep from getting the metal too hot. Cool it down (wet rags work or just blowing with compressed air) or allow cooling time between beads.
Also, depending on your desired outcome you might want to think about "stitch" welds. Have a finished part with a 2" weld (or some measured distance), leave a 2" gap, another 2" weld and so on.
A very good site for welding instruction and videos is Jody's site; http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/.
 
My apologies if I'm missing something, but why not just buy a short length of square column to begin with rather than welding one from scratch?

-frank
 
26" of 5" sq 1/4 tube costs about 2 times as much as 104" of 5" flat stock

the flat stock (5" x 1/4" x 10' piece) cost $34
 
I would tack all 4 sides (maybe a good tack every 4" or so), then make short beads (1" to 2") and stagger them from side to side and end to end. Try to visualize how the heat from one short bead will make the metal bend (it will shrink when it cools) then make the next weld in a position to offset that shrinkage. But most importantly try to keep from getting the metal too hot. Cool it down (wet rags work or just blowing with compressed air) or allow cooling time between beads.
Also, depending on your desired outcome you might want to think about "stitch" welds. Have a finished part with a 2" weld (or some measured distance), leave a 2" gap, another 2" weld and so on.
A very good site for welding instruction and videos is Jody's site; http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/.

thanks Mike

last question - would you tack all four corners first? - or would you put a few tacks on one seam then another and so on until all four sides are tacked?

thanks

PS - i am subscribed to Jody's channel and searched "make a square tube out of flat stock" across youtube - nothing useful came up - there were a ton of videos on how to weld with square tube but not how to make a square tube
 
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