# Height Adjustable Stand



## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

I will make a post on this project. This is a height adjustable stand that will be tasked with holding up 2 1/2” square tubing or 1 7/8” pipe that could have as much as 150 pounds on it.

This carbon steel, height adjustable stand could be used for anything, but I’ll be using it on a welding fixture stand. I would anticipate that I would often be leaning against it while it is doing it’s job.

The minimum height is 36”, give or take. The max height is 60”, give or take.

The base is a 12” square of 1/2” plate. The fixed, outside tube is .120” wall tubing with an I.D. of 1 3/4”. The telescoping tube is .120” wall tubing with an O.D. of 1 3/4”.

Both tubes are 36” long. I have just TIG tacked them together, & now I am drilling the holes which will accommodate the 1/2” diameter hitch pin (see photo).







EDIT: I gave up on the idea of TIG welding the tubes together & then drilling dozens of holes through 2 tubes *real fast*! That seemed like a good way to get the tubes stuck together forever.


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## mmcmdl (Mar 29, 2022)

Looks like one of my many Kubota pins !


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## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

That was way too many holes!

The DRO was a huge help.


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## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

After I drilled the holes in the outer tube, the inner tube would not slip in to it due to so many burrs from the drilled holes.

I am turning this inner tube down .007”, and I will pound it through the obstacles!


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## WobblyHand (Mar 29, 2022)

erikmannie said:


> After I drilled the holes in the outer tube, the inner tube would not go in to to so many burrs from the drilled holes.
> 
> I am turning this inner tube down .002”, and I will pound it through the obstacles!
> 
> View attachment 402284


That's a way to do that.  The tube may still hang up from the burrs.

There are inside deburring tools you could use.  Noga makes some nice ones.  I have two of them and found them very useful for inside holes.
Maybe you could use the RC2200?  10-22mm holes?
or                                      RC2000      5-10mm holes?


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## Firstram (Mar 29, 2022)

If you pound it in there, you'll really have to pound it out! Take off .020" *and* de-burr!


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## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

They are 1/2” holes. I had to remove .014” from the diameter to do what I needed to do (pound past the many burrs).

Now I have clamped them together, and I have a nice *template* for the holes on the inner tube.


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## mmcmdl (Mar 29, 2022)

erikmannie said:


> Now I have clamped them together, and I have a nice *template* for the holes on the inner tube.


And , more burrs to deburr .   I would just drill it separate without the " template ". You could spot drill it just above 1/2" so you wouldn't be raising those outside burrs also .


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## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

That was so much easier with the template!


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## Cadillac (Mar 29, 2022)

Why wouldn’t you insert the inner tube prior to drilling the holes. There would have been no burrs on the outer tube, holes would align perfectly, and it would have been one shot. It’s looks like you had them tacked in you first pic?


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## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

mmcmdl said:


> And , more burrs to deburr .   I would just drill it separate without the " template ". You could spot drill it just above 1/2" so you wouldn't be raising those outside burrs also .


This is the only way that I can assure myself that the holes will match up perfectly!


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## mmcmdl (Mar 29, 2022)

erikmannie said:


> This is the only way that I can assure myself that the holes will match up perfectly!


You don't trust your DRO ?


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## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

Cadillac said:


> Why wouldn’t you insert the inner tube prior to drilling the holes. There would have been no burrs on the outer tube, holes would align perfectly, and it would have been one shot. It’s looks like you had them tacked in you first pic?


I drilled one hole like that, and the drilled hole sort of fused the tubes together.

I imagined that with all that fusion, I would never have gotten them apart.


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## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

mmcmdl said:


> You don't trust your DRO ?


I sure do!

OK, you busted me. I will show a picture of the holes on the *other* side LOL.

I was only showing you guys the good side.




As you can see, this side has issues.


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## mmcmdl (Mar 29, 2022)

BTW , you're busted !


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## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

Boy, the tubes were really stuck together after using the template on both sides! I put the assembly in a bench vise & hammered out  the inner one with different sizes of round bar.

Now I am making the exterior as beautiful as possible.







Wonder why the surface being turned looks like it has stripes? Those are the holes spinning around.


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## mmcmdl (Mar 29, 2022)

I see an extra witness mark there on the right side !   The stripes are because you have the holes and interupted cut . It tears a bit .


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## erikmannie (Mar 29, 2022)

The inner and outer tubes are ready for paint.




I still need to make the homemade piece of channel that goes on the very top of the stand, as well as weld it all up.

The homemade piece of channel is 3/16” thick and will be 4” long (see photo of raw material).


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## D.sebens (Mar 30, 2022)

Just a thought. Since the holes aren’t mirrored perfect, it would be nice to have some sort of keyway to keep it lined up. Probably not necessary when you will be the one using it though. Also I wonder if you could put the hinge pin under the inner pipe at times allowing you to rotate the table when working with smaller stuff.

It’s looking great though!  What color paint?  Clear would look great I think.


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## erikmannie (Mar 30, 2022)

D.sebens said:


> Just a thought. Since the holes aren’t mirrored perfect, it would be nice to have some sort of keyway to keep it lined up. Probably not necessary when you will be the one using it though. Also I wonder if you could put the hinge pin under the inner pipe at times allowing you to rotate the table when working with smaller stuff.
> 
> It’s looking great though!  What color paint?  Clear would look great I think.


The color will be high temperature gloss black to match the fixture stand it goes with.

The holes only lined up perfectly if I left it in it’s original position. Upon making height adjustments, the holes usually would not line up because they are 1/2” holes for a 1/2” hitch pin.

This morning, I drilled all of the holes in the inner tube to 5/8”. Now I am reducing the diameter of the inner tube by .010” because it was way too tight of a fit.


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## D.sebens (Mar 30, 2022)

Gotcha. That like my projects, aim for tight tolerance and keep loosening up until it works!


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## woodchucker (Mar 30, 2022)

erikmannie said:


> I drilled one hole like that, and the drilled hole sort of fused the tubes together.
> 
> I imagined that with all that fusion, I would never have gotten them apart.


I don't understand why you needed holes in both tubes?  The height adjustment is the same 1 tube or 2 tubes... No diff.


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## erikmannie (Mar 30, 2022)

woodchucker said:


> I don't understand why you needed holes in both tubes?  The height adjustment is the same 1 tube or 2 tubes... No diff.


Yes, you are right. I just realized that this morning. I should have only made one hole in the outside tube.


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## erikmannie (Mar 30, 2022)

Here it is fully extended. I am moving on to the homemade channel.


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## MikeInOr (Mar 30, 2022)

woodchucker said:


> I don't understand why you needed holes in both tubes?  The height adjustment is the same 1 tube or 2 tubes... No diff.


1 hole for adjustment, the rest are lightening cuts so the inner tube isn't so heavy.


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## Firstram (Mar 30, 2022)

MikeInOr said:


> 1 hole for adjustment, the rest are lightening cuts so the inner tube isn't so heavy.


Exactly, speed holes!


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## erikmannie (Mar 30, 2022)

It took me 3 hours to make this homemade channel.

I find GTAW to be a *very* humbling experience. I was not successful today in making a stack of dimes. I was so focused on getting good penetrating tack welds that I ended up stitch welding (with tack welds) too much of the seam to put down a stack of dimes. At least that’s the excuse I’m going with.

I did get adequate (although not 100%) penetration. The tacks were great. I did a lot of weld washing.

I had problems with too much heat (me being *impatient*!) and porosity (from wind + me being cheap about conserving my Argon).

Now I am moving on to 2 socket welds to attach the tubes to the base and channel. These will be stitch welded! That’s why I’m making this weld fixture stand: so that one day I can lay down a stack of dimes.


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## Manual Mac (Mar 30, 2022)

Yes, more holes. Colin Chapman called that Adding Lightness


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## jmkasunich (Mar 30, 2022)

woodchucker said:


> I don't understand why you needed holes in both tubes?  The height adjustment is the same 1 tube or 2 tubes... No diff.



Exactly.

However, (too late now), if I was building such a stand I would put a bunch of holes in one tube on 1-1/2" centers.  Then in the other tube I would put six holes on either 1-1/4" or 1-3/4" centers.  The result would work like a vernier, and would allow it to be pinned in 1/4" increments.


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## erikmannie (Mar 30, 2022)

Welding the .090” or so tube to the .187” or so plate went very nicely!

Because the tube had come off the lathe, it had a perfectly straight edge. The plate had been ground flat with a flap disc (to get the mill scale off), so I had great fit up.

I made 4 serviceable tack welds, & then I had such great fit up that I was able to do a 360° autogenous socket weld. This caused undercut on the plate, but I was happy to see the surfaces fuse completely.

At that point, I stitched 
 with tack welds. It took a while, but I was patient. Finally, I washed the entire socket bead to make sure that it wet in at the toes.

These are very zoomed in, so all of the flaws are exaggerated. Always with the excuses, right?


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## erikmannie (Mar 30, 2022)

Let’s look at the back side of the socket weld to see what kind of penetration I got:




I am not so impressed with this penetration.


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## erikmannie (Mar 30, 2022)

Here is the .082” or so tubing (main mast/outside tube) on the 1/2” plate.

3 autogenous tack welds, 1 regular tack weld, 360° around autogenous (skipping around), lay wire technique with 3/32” filler rod (not skipping around), & the weld did not need washing.

150A max & usually using all of it.













See undercut in tubing, third picture down. Can you say stress riser?


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## erikmannie (Mar 30, 2022)

Ready for paint:


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## erikmannie (Mar 30, 2022)

Here it is getting it’s first coat of paint:


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## erikmannie (Apr 17, 2022)

Here is the stand in use:


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