Show us what you welded today

[davec]

Cwby, that’s some nice looking work.

DaveC, I used to work for a tower engineering and manufacturing company. Communication towers are designed for a specific loading of antennas and coaxial lines. Let’s say that you are an FM radio station building a new radio tower, and you would like to be able to rent space out to cell companies, local 2-way radio companies, etc. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing what these potential future tower loads may be, so the tower designer will make an educated guess about future loading when the tower is designed and fabricated.

So time goes by and your tower is loaded up to the original design specs, but now you have more folks wanting to rent space on the tower. In order to accommodate the additional loading, the existing tower has to be strengthened (if possible - not all towers can be upgraded). For a solid round bar tower, the solution is to add sleeves around the existing legs and either add, or replace the inner members as needed. Guy wires and anchors also may need to be upgraded.

It is not easy to find someone to do Competent aerial welding work on a communication tower. Back in 1991 I spent some time in Fargo ND in January welding on the top of a 1000’ TV tower. The upper section of the tower had pipe legs, and the weep holes in one leg had gotten clogged up when the tower section was galvanized and quality control missed it. Over time the Pipe leg Filled Up with a few feet of water, froze and split the leg. I spent most of a day on top of that tower fabricating and installing temporary braces, welding a sleeve in place and then adding new permanent bracing. I still remember how bitterly cold it was working at 1000’ in Fargo ND in January!

To do the work I rented a trailer mounted welding machine and torch from a local welding company. The tower was already rigged with a triple drum winch when I arrived and we lifted the entire trailer up to the top of the tower so I could do the work.

Thanks for that explanation! 1000' in the air in Fargo in Jan! Yikes. They couldn't pay me enough even if I was competent at that!

[Munkul]

I made a tote box/tray/carry all for tools/bolts etc for installation work. Thought my plastic bucket was a bit amateur.

[duramax-rob]

wow, very nice! good work.

[geezer]

Nice, looks good

[Bls repair]

Nice work

[Lis2323]

Geez. It looks too nice to use.

[ronsii]

Geez. It looks too nice to use.

LOL!, was thinking the same thing

[tapwelder]

Nice box. Well done.

Will you add a tray? Will it bow when loaded? Can you stand it?

[davec]

What's this alum crap? You run out of copper? Very nice work!

[therider]

Made a quick and simple brake attachment for the harbor freight 20 ton press.

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[acourtjester]

I made one like that years ago the only difference was no middle angle and there the arrow points I added shims so the inside angle was slightly over 90 to compensate for the spring back.

[therider]

Very interesting. What is a spring back? I did notice that if I press too much I get less than 90 degree even though middle angle is thick.

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[!sledhead!]

I made something just like that for a customer a few years ago.

[!sledhead!]

[Welder Dave]

Depending on the thickness you are bending, you need to space the bending die (angle irons) appropriately to get a 90 deg.+ bend. Steel will spring back some so may need to experiment a little to get an accurate 90 deg. bend.

[geezer]

like it, hope you add progress posts

[Munkul]

you guys

[Oscar]

Made a stand for my metal blade chop saw, using scrap 1¼ " square tube and scrap ½ " OSB.



Small cutting "station" away from my welders and other machines

[BluCllrPlt]

Not a lot of welding yet as I wanted to build a proof of concept with cheap materials before I committed to steel. A lot of people build these tables with fishing line so they appear to be floating but I was after a more substantial look and the chain would be able to hold up the table top and have a useful load. I made the top as the Gadsden flag logo out of 11 gauge and the chains are welded to all thread so they have some adjustment. Planning on making the steel one out of 2x3 tubing and the support arms will be 1/4” with lightening holes.

[therider]

Upcycled a scrap SS pipe to a holder in the style of old forts.

My Ellis 1800 was very helpful in cutting the slices.



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[geezer]

[QUOTE=BluCllrPlt;8765706]Not a lot of welding yet as I wanted to build a proof of concept with cheap materials before I committed to steel. A lot of people build these tables with fishing line so they appear to be floating but I was after a more substantial look and the chain would be able to hold up the table top and have a useful load. I made the top as the Gadsden flag logo out of 11 gauge and the chains are welded to all thread so they have some adjustment. Planning on making the steel one out of 2x3 tubing and the support arms will be 1/4” with lightening holes.




So the chain links are welded together and the ends welded to all thread for vertical adjustment?????

[cwby]

That's some heavy welding cwby, but I gotta ask ...WHY? Someone screw up the tower design or what?

Nah - these carriers just keep adding more loading to the existing structures & it is cheaper to upgrade the tower than replace it. Also the standards that determine the structural capacity of the towers has changed a couple of times since the original design making the old design less than required.

[hddnis]

[QUOTE=geezer;8765725]

Not a lot of welding yet as I wanted to build a proof of concept with cheap materials before I committed to steel. A lot of people build these tables with fishing line so they appear to be floating but I was after a more substantial look and the chain would be able to hold up the table top and have a useful load. I made the top as the Gadsden flag logo out of 11 gauge and the chains are welded to all thread so they have some adjustment. Planning on making the steel one out of 2x3 tubing and the support arms will be 1/4” with lightening holes.




So the chain links are welded together and the ends welded to all thread for vertical adjustment?????

I think it all hangs from the center chain and the four corner chains act in tension to keep the top parallel to the base. Don't think the links are welded.

[BluCllrPlt]

The center chain is what hold the table top up. The four corner chains just keep it in place.

[ronsii]

Made a cover for the battery compartment on the big tex flatbed trailer today. hopefully this keeps the methmaggots from getting another battery from us

I had welded in this separator to keep the chains/straps away from the battery a year or so ago but never bothered with a cover... hindsight says I should have...


Had some 10 gauge pieces laying around that just needed a little cutting and fitting to throw together a slide in cover, but went to grab the milwaukee grinder I keep in the front of the truck and the switch was gone??? WTH!!! I don't even know what could have 'bumped' it but this is one more thing to add to my list of never buy milwaukee chincrap again!!!


Finally got it welded up and painted but forgot to take pics of the process... was too mad at the milwaukee crap

And I also forgot to take a pic of it installed-- I'll add one later it has two bolts - one bottom front and one top back on the left side plus a padlock hole top center