Fireball Square recommendations

[Reebz]

I want to get a few squares. I'm not sure what to get. I make gym equipment and steel furniture. Cast Iron or Aluminum? Size?

[Bob]

I use combination squares mostly but only if they are high quality. They do it all but the speed squares that are magnetic are pretty nice when the project is mostly normal stuff.

[Capt B]

I want to get a few squares. I'm not sure what to get. I make gym equipment and steel furniture. Cast Iron or Aluminum? Size?

I have a few cast-iron fireball squares and love them. The reason I got cast is I do a lot of aluminum work and didn't want to worry about accidentally welding something to them. I have the Mega Square and 2 Monster squares. The only drawback to cast is they are heavy.

[Louie1961]

I have a bunch of them. For my needs, aluminum is best, but there's nothing wrong with the cast iron ones. I wouldn't bother with the smaller ones. I find they are limited for the tables and such that I build. I like the mega square and the monster square...you can do different things with both. If starting over, I would go with a 12 inch mega and a 12 inch monster. If you can only afford one, I would probably make it the monster square.

[Louie1961]

I use combination squares mostly but only if they are high quality. They do it all but the speed squares that are magnetic are pretty nice when the project is mostly normal stuff.

This is why I almost never use a speed square anymore:

[Louie1961]

Reebz, watch this before you decide.

[Capt B]

Yeah, mine are all 12" the little tabs also really come in handy when lining stuff up. I just recently bought the magnetic shim kit he sells as well which saves a ton of time when squaring things with offsets.

[Woznme]

I have the small alloy two piece magic square. I find it doesn't resist weld shrinkage so the frame goes out of square. Never use it anymore and I regret buying it. Stay with the one piece squares you can't go wrong.

[Capt B]

Glad you said that because I have been considering getting one of those.

[Lis2323]

Not nearly as nice as the Fireballs but I made my own from a couple of FREE cast iron table-saw extensions.






I mentioned “FREE” didn’t I ?


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[tapwelder]

I have a few. They are pretty good and handy for large projects for fixturing before tacking
I use a speed more.

Only issue I have is clamping through the holes. I typically use vice clamps without swivel pads. There is no way to angle the clamps, thus potential interference in tight spaces. Not aways convenient to clamp on the open side.

Mine are cast iron. I thought that was the most durable choice. Less chance for marring when used as a hammer

Bonzoo and other members posted some alternative squares that seemed nice.

[psacustomcreations]

I have the 8 inch cast iron versions of all of the squares, Mega, Monster, Magic, and then Minion.

I am not doing really large projects so did not need the 12 inch versions. I was able to buy mine directly from Jason when I attended several Fabtech conventions. That gave me a good discount over the online price. I chose cast iron over aluminum for durability since I have a habit of dropping items or letting them hit each other.

The Minion squares I have are nitride coated so they resist rusting. I would get that coating or the black oxide on any other squares if possible. It was not available when I bought mine.

I use the Magic square to hold items at weird angles so I can tack them in place or start welding.

The longer pins available now and the tabs make these even more versatile.

If you are still making the gym equipment, you might need the larger versions. Watch the clips or pics of how he is using them together to set known heights, angles, combinations, etc.

I also have a set of the magnetic shim blocks. They come in handy for my uses. He now has some thin shims which are a nice addition. I may end up getting them. It looks like he is using a better quality box for the shims now. The version of the box I have is pretty cheap and not up to my expected quality considering the quality of his other items.

[slodat]

I have a pair of all of the squares in black oxide cast iron. I really like them. I have a bunch of his various clamps as well. Very happy with it all.

[BD1]

I know you asked about Fireball , but have you considered Bessey Welders Clamps ? I don't know if they will work for your application or not.
I had a job for custom gates for a horse farm and these paid for themselves. There are knock offs avaiable but Bessey are definitely worth the dollars.
They are avaiable in two sizes. The largest ones are really BIG ! Mine are made in Germany, not sure about current ones.

https://www.amazon.com/Bessey-WSM-9-...9248787&sr=8-3


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[psacustomcreations]

I know you asked about Fireball , but have you considered Bessey Welders Clamps ? I don't know if they will work for your application or not.
I had a job for custom gates for a horse farm and these paid for themselves. There are knock offs avaiable but Bessey are definitely worth the dollars.
They are avaiable in two sizes. The largest ones are really BIG ! Mine are made in Germany, not sure about current ones.

https://www.amazon.com/Bessey-WSM-9-...9248787&sr=8-3


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We have some of these Bessey clamps at work and agree that they are very high quality worth it.

[slodat]

I recently picked up one of the Stronghand 3 axis clamps. Nice piece.

[Capt B]

I recently picked up one of the Stronghand 3 axis clamps. Nice piece.

I have a couple of those as well and they are great but I find unless I'm clamping something with all 3 axis I usually use the fireball.

[BD1]

The bottom line is you can't have enough styles of clamps or vise grips.
And don't forget the usefulness of a ratchet strap. My cheap 1" Harbor Freight ones have been used for many fabricating projects.


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[Reebz]

Thanks guys.
Great advice, I will probably get the mega and monster. I seem to build big crap. I also have the 3 axis is it great.

[Reebz]

Thanks guys.
Ok stepping on my own thread. What do you use to spread a work piece? Like two uprights need spread apart.

[Lis2323]

I use a hydraulic porta power. Do you have woodworking type pipe clamps you can reverse?

If you have holes in your welding table "pusher" clamps from Stronghand are available.





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[ronsii]

Thanks guys.
Ok stepping on my own thread. What do you use to spread a work piece? Like two uprights need spread apart.

I grab the biggest BFH I can find unless it's a really tough frame then I do like Terry and grab the porta power

[Lis2323]

I grab the biggest BFH I can find unless it's a really tough frame then I do like Terry and grab the porta power

Whaaat?? Thought for certain you'd grab the mini.....how disappointing.


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[ronsii]

Whaaat?? Thought for certain you'd grab the mini.....how disappointing.


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Well....... if it was sitting right nearby... it would stand in for a BFH


Right now all our machines are out on jobs... I would have to find a hammer even our littlest one is away from home right now...

[VaughnT]

The cast iron Fireball squares are awesome, but they sure are heavy!

Don't forget that there are other options out there....

The fellas from Genuine Metal Works offer some neat squares that are just bent sheets. I've heard nothing but good things about their product and might have to add one of their gauges to my collection!
https://genuinemetalworks.com/produc...e-speed-square



The only downside is that they aren't really great for doing a 45º set up. You can bolt them together to get something that'll work, but it's nowhere near as convenient as the Fireball tools. Of course, they are also far more economical than the Fireball squares and come in a range of sizes that might be better suited for your needs.