I get why you designed it this way which is why I didn't add the fact you could have borrowed mine with my power attachment. I have that A frame style and its a b!tch (make that impossible) to roll back into its self for a complete circle.The ends are always a waste, unless you pre-bend them somehow. I deliberately made this as compact as possible to minimize end waste- I only lose the distance between the drive and idler roll centerlines on each end; in this case about 4". I have seen commercial rollers where the idlers are 2' apart, you would lose at least a foot on each end. They do this to reduce the bending stresses required to allow a lighter (less material is cheaper ) frame structure. They also won't bend as small a diameter as the rolls are further apart. I elected to go much heavier on my design with the rolls closer together. Harder to turn, but I am not using this everyday for commercial work. I'll hang it from the gantry crane and get a weight when I get a chance.
On this 5/8" hoop, when it looped back on itself I just nudged one end over to clear the frame, then continued to roll it out.
The top works is removable with (4) 7/16" bolts in the event I roll a heavy flat bar hoop that I can't wrestle out of the frame.
Trimmed the excess material on each end with my M12 cordless cutoff tool after verifying fit with high precision CAD (cardboard aided design) radius gauges and a full-size templates. In this case I could have used the excess rolled material for curved spokes, but I used 1/2 rebar instead... Gotta use a bit of rebar or diamond plate somewhere on my welding projects...Who knows where the test pieces and ends will show up? Probably have to start a new scrap bucket just for bent pieces.
Puget Dude’s creations and fabrications (Random project thread.)
- Thread starter PugetDude
- Start date
Cam, I looked at multiple commercial designs and a bunch of DIY YouTube options and decided to go with a heavier, more compact design inboard and outboard rolls for flat and round stock respectively. This thing is less than half the footprint of the A frame designs and will fit under my weld table or on a shelf until I need it once or twice a year. Of course, I may get a hernia moving it, but that's another story...
I do have an old HF pipe threader power head that bought on EBay that I may adapt to drive this and the Eastwood bead roller I got from @readhead. Another project for another day...
First (and smallest) of 11 wrought iron wall toppers and two gates I need to build for the courtyard project. 
Built a sectional jig to do these, way too many pieces to cut and fit individually. Just have determine whether I start on center or straddle center based on section length, drop the pieces in, bar clamp on each end and weld away..
The new adjustable stop on the cold saw sure came in handy. Made quick work of cutting the pickets to 19" long.
...now if I could just get them all to drop in the bucket.
Built a sectional jig to do these, way too many pieces to cut and fit individually. Just have determine whether I start on center or straddle center based on section length, drop the pieces in, bar clamp on each end and weld away..
The new adjustable stop on the cold saw sure came in handy. Made quick work of cutting the pickets to 19" long.
...now if I could just get them all to drop in the bucket.
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TimeWarpF100
Well-known member
He is block off of kings rch rd so quite close.Thanks for keeping your detective skills to yourself.
PM me for the gate code if you're out this way again. I believe Uncle Mel is just around the corner.
He had ‘56 at show over weekend and won this trophy. He seemed quite pleased
Not bad as car painted in 1998 or most of it. Front clip in 1999-2000
Send them out to be metalized before you powder coat if there's a place nearby. We finally did that for our gates and rails. Really inhibits rust.
www.zincnation.com
www.zincnation.com
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Beautiful work on the railing Scott.
I need to do this on the front of our house. I have been promising the wife for two years now to fabricate a hand rail for the front steps leading up to the front door of the house but I just haven't had the time. I think as soon as I get caught up on a few side jobs on my list, I will tackle them so I can install them come spring.
Mine won't have the ornamental aspect like yours however, as I just want mine to match the deck perfectly, so they all look like they were built at the same time, with hopefully better welds though.
I need to do this on the front of our house. I have been promising the wife for two years now to fabricate a hand rail for the front steps leading up to the front door of the house but I just haven't had the time. I think as soon as I get caught up on a few side jobs on my list, I will tackle them so I can install them come spring.
Mine won't have the ornamental aspect like yours however, as I just want mine to match the deck perfectly, so they all look like they were built at the same time, with hopefully better welds though.
Beautiful work on the railing Scott.
I need to do this on the front of our house. I have been promising the wife for two years now to fabricate a hand rail for the front steps leading up to the front door of the house but I just haven't had the time. I think as soon as I get caught up on a few side jobs on my list, I will tackle them so I can install them come spring.
Mine won't have the ornamental aspect like yours however, as I just want mine to match the deck perfectly, so they all look like they were built at the same time, with hopefully better welds though.
Here now, Mike. My welds look great from 10' away.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Here now, Mike. My welds look great from 10' away.
I wasn't implying your welds Scott, I meant hopefully better welds than the ones on my deck which came with the house.
Understand making stuff look like it was all done at the same time. I have a lot of wrought iron already on the house, fences and gates so I had to incorporate some of the decorative elements on this project. I did minimize them as much as possible, but there is a railing on a second story balcony directly above this. 
It's a bit too ornate for my taste, I am already thinking about how I can tone it down a bit.... Sawzall, die grinder, maybe a bit of welding...
It's a bit too ornate for my taste, I am already thinking about how I can tone it down a bit.... Sawzall, die grinder, maybe a bit of welding...
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Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Probably be less work to just make it from scratch like you want.
Keyblazer
Well-known member
Awesome work!
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Désolé
@Old Man Roger - I might have expected that from our Canadian friends but.... Florida? Ooh-La-La....
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Ole grams was french.
senlow
Well-known member
Have you found the problem yet???
Started by raising the bed and welding in 2 pieces of 1-1/2" x 1/8" wall square tube and so I could work under it safely. Also put in a piece of pipe on one corner, just in case.
First step on the repair was cutting out the twisted frame channels (6" horizontal and 3" vertical) so I could replace them with something heavier. 6" Angle grinder and my M12 Hackzall got it done with minimal damage to the bed and adjacent frame members.
The crack was very impressive, the factory welds were not. The 1" thick clevis was welded in with plain fillet welds, no bevel- and not welded at all on the back side. 1/8 stitch welds on the main mounting channel and cross members.
No wonder it tore loose; that changed the load on the hydraulic ram and bent the cylinder rod at the clevis since the load was no longer in line with the centerline of the piston rod. A few cycles more and this could have failed catastrophically.
I had some 2x3 x 1/4" wall rectangular tubing so I used that to replace the 3" channel. Put a crush sleeve in it and added another piece to carry the load path back to the next cross member. The clevis got beveled, welded in with 3/8 fillets and then I drilled a couple of 9/16 holes on the back side of the mounting channel ( same 6" channel, just patched the tear out and flipped it end for end) so I could burn in a couple of hot plug welds for additional strength.
Tested the fit-up, tweaked the cut ends of the existing 3" channel then added 1/4" fish plates for additional strength at the weld joint. The 3/8 bolts allowed me to fit everything up, I was working by myself and could have used an extra pair of hands.
Welded it all back together, put in about 4x the weld the factory used. Apparently they thought 1/8 skip welds were a good structural solution on a 10,000# dump trailer.
Also repaired the safety brace bar and built a simple locking mount for it. It had broken off at some point in the past and was duct taped to the axle...
Welds on the fenders were broken loose and the rear of the fenders were held on with a chunk of lamp cord, so I built new mounting brackets out of 1" square tube, flat bar and rebar. Beat a few dents out, welded up a few cracks, and added reinforcement plates at the center supports.
Calling this one done. Interestedly, the bent cylinder rod would not allow the bed to go all the way back down. It's up about a foot in the front ..He's taking it to the dealer for a new hydraulic cylinder on Monday.
Now, back to the big wrought iron project for the courtyard; masons finished up the stonework today. Would like to get everything off to powder coat this coming week.
First step on the repair was cutting out the twisted frame channels (6" horizontal and 3" vertical) so I could replace them with something heavier. 6" Angle grinder and my M12 Hackzall got it done with minimal damage to the bed and adjacent frame members.
The crack was very impressive, the factory welds were not. The 1" thick clevis was welded in with plain fillet welds, no bevel- and not welded at all on the back side. 1/8 stitch welds on the main mounting channel and cross members.
No wonder it tore loose; that changed the load on the hydraulic ram and bent the cylinder rod at the clevis since the load was no longer in line with the centerline of the piston rod. A few cycles more and this could have failed catastrophically.
I had some 2x3 x 1/4" wall rectangular tubing so I used that to replace the 3" channel. Put a crush sleeve in it and added another piece to carry the load path back to the next cross member. The clevis got beveled, welded in with 3/8 fillets and then I drilled a couple of 9/16 holes on the back side of the mounting channel ( same 6" channel, just patched the tear out and flipped it end for end) so I could burn in a couple of hot plug welds for additional strength.
Tested the fit-up, tweaked the cut ends of the existing 3" channel then added 1/4" fish plates for additional strength at the weld joint. The 3/8 bolts allowed me to fit everything up, I was working by myself and could have used an extra pair of hands.
Welded it all back together, put in about 4x the weld the factory used. Apparently they thought 1/8 skip welds were a good structural solution on a 10,000# dump trailer.
Also repaired the safety brace bar and built a simple locking mount for it. It had broken off at some point in the past and was duct taped to the axle...
Welds on the fenders were broken loose and the rear of the fenders were held on with a chunk of lamp cord, so I built new mounting brackets out of 1" square tube, flat bar and rebar. Beat a few dents out, welded up a few cracks, and added reinforcement plates at the center supports.
Calling this one done. Interestedly, the bent cylinder rod would not allow the bed to go all the way back down. It's up about a foot in the front ..He's taking it to the dealer for a new hydraulic cylinder on Monday.
Now, back to the big wrought iron project for the courtyard; masons finished up the stonework today. Would like to get everything off to powder coat this coming week.
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senlow
Well-known member
That repair will never last. There is no diamond plate! 
senlow
Well-known member
OK, OK, I'll give you extra credit for the prominent use of rebar. Those fenders may fall apart but will never fall off.
I'll allow partial credit for undocumented use of diamond plate.
I'll allow partial credit for undocumented use of diamond plate.
senlow
Well-known member
That's more like it. We can now rest assured that your repair will last forever, or at least until the diamond plate has worn smooth.
Jayman17
Well-known member
Good of you to help this guy out, is he the same guy you helped earlier in your thread?
driftpin
Well-known member
Sorry for what, that the typical GJ mission-spread came-up?Désolé
Where I lived in S.E. FL, Broward Co., we had a big influx of French-Canadians every winter. They had their own restaurants who offered smoked meats, poutine, and lots of alcohol. We are now south of that.
Yesterday I was in Hollywood (FL) leaving the Home Depot shopping center next-to I-95, and the intersection is pretty-easy to navigate (for most people). The left lane is 'turn-left' and the center lane is 'go-straight,' and the right lane is 'turn-right' to get onto I-95. I am first in-line, in the middle lane to proceed straight across the intersection. I have a white Tesla S pull-up on my right where there is no-other lane. He has a 'Je me souvenir' motto license plate (that would be 'province de Quebec' for those of you not familiar with that motto). I was wondering, "is he wanting to scoot across the intersection quand la lumiere est vert? (when the light is green?) Be my guest.
I rolled-down my window and asked him, "do you want to go straight?" His window was down, and he replied, 'yes.' At that moment, the light turned green, and I yelled out the window, "follow me!" and proceeded on my way. He fell-in behind me, and we were both on our way. In a bit he turned-off, and I was seule (alone). That oceanside area of Hollywood and Dania Beach has a boost of its economy from our French-Canadian visitors/vacationers en hiver (in the winter). The roads are filled with those blue on white license plates from Quebec province, and you will see them on the Mercedes-Benzes, dually trucks (for pulling their travel trailers to FL), and their Harley-Davidsons.
Scott, great work on the fence pieces, and you saved that local tradesman a big bill from some welding shop I'm sure. Many places probably wouldn't want to take the job because of liability over the condition of the trailer. I hope you got some 'in-kind' trade of goods and services for your work. I suspect you have some acreage? That's one thing I don't have, our 2-car attached garage doesn't have enough room for me, and off-site storage is expensive in S.E. FL.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Good of you to help this guy out, is he the same guy you helped earlier in your thread?
No, sent that stoner and his sidekick packing. They basically f*cked up everything they touched after smoking their lunch.
They were entertaining but incompetent. The Cheech and Chong amatuer act got old pretty quick. .This is for a young guy that does a lot of work in our community, he is always there whenever a resident has a sprinkler blow out, drainage issue, needs construction landscaping completed, or the community irrigation or landscape lighting needs work. He's really talented at landscape design, great with stone, pavers, concrete. stucco, etc. He and his 3-man crew are a real asset to the community, he's someone I was happy to help with something he was struggling to get repaired- told me he quit using the dump function on the trailer in May because he couldn't find anyone to fix it.
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zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Nice save on the trailer repair Scott. That original picture looked like there was a lack of fusion, right of the pin keeper on the weld as it broke clean off the parent material. Did you see more of that once you got deeper into the repair?
Mike, the quality of the welds and joint details really shocked me. No bevel on the 1" clevis mount, tiny little stitch welds with little to no penetration . Bubble gum might have been a better choice- the only good thing I can say about them is they came off fairly easily. For a 10,0000# dump trailer I was not impressed by their engineering, everything looks undersized and barely welded to me. I had to stop myself from going around and adding more weld everywhere I looked...,
After a bit of rework beefing up the jackscrew assembly, I stuffed a scrap piece of 1" 16 gauge square tube into the bender and started rolling it.
Took quite a few passes of back and forth but it definitely proved it was going to work. Didn't have a radius gauge for the first test sample, was pleasantly surprised that it was actually overbent a bit. Bending did distort the tube slightly, but its not really noticable and I didn't get any sidewall collapse or crumpling. Felt like it was getting close to that if I had taken it much further.
Now that I knew this was going to work, the next step was to mark the centerline of the curved wall and cut a CAD pattern. My wife had a big piece of cadboard that she had used to spray snow flocking on some garland so I stole it to use for the pattern. Made a high-tech centerline gauge and scribed the centerline on the wall.
Cut the cardboard to match the centerline, the wall is not a true radius. Honestly didn't expect it to be as close as it was. I decided to do it in three sections- one tight radius, one slight radius, and one straight. Left enough extra length that I can trim these a bit to fair the curve.
I was able to roll the first tight radius section really close to the cardboard pattern.
Ran out of time to do any more rolled sections, I spent most of the day welding up the straight wall sections.
Hope to get the rest of the rolled sections rolled, fitted up and and welded tomorrow. Then I can start on the gates...
Took quite a few passes of back and forth but it definitely proved it was going to work. Didn't have a radius gauge for the first test sample, was pleasantly surprised that it was actually overbent a bit. Bending did distort the tube slightly, but its not really noticable and I didn't get any sidewall collapse or crumpling. Felt like it was getting close to that if I had taken it much further.
Now that I knew this was going to work, the next step was to mark the centerline of the curved wall and cut a CAD pattern. My wife had a big piece of cadboard that she had used to spray snow flocking on some garland so I stole it to use for the pattern. Made a high-tech centerline gauge and scribed the centerline on the wall.
Cut the cardboard to match the centerline, the wall is not a true radius. Honestly didn't expect it to be as close as it was. I decided to do it in three sections- one tight radius, one slight radius, and one straight. Left enough extra length that I can trim these a bit to fair the curve.
I was able to roll the first tight radius section really close to the cardboard pattern.
Ran out of time to do any more rolled sections, I spent most of the day welding up the straight wall sections.
Hope to get the rest of the rolled sections rolled, fitted up and and welded tomorrow. Then I can start on the gates...
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That’s a tough one bud. I’ve done this far too many times and suggest you leave these long. It’s much easier taking some bend back out of it but you’ll need something heavy enough to use as a stick point and a fulcrum. I’ve got a 1-1/4” hicky bender that you could use but I’m only in my office thru tomorrow then I’m gone until next week. The hicky will work fine for slight adjustments using it upside down.
Cam, thanks for the offer., but with a bit of increasingly fine adjustments during rolling, I was able to get a differential curve from end to end. If I do need to tweak anything a bit, I have learned that my trailer hitch makes a great fulcrum. Doesn't look like I will.
Got the two curved sections fitting up the way I wanted them this afternoon. The first set was easy, getting a matching pair was a *****. The tight radius tube deformed a quite a bit more on the second set, not really sure why. Still usable, but not as square as I would like.
Might try packing a piece with sand and see how that works.
Might try packing a piece with sand and see how that works.
larry4406
Well-known member
When bending seamed tubing like that, is there a preference on orientation/placement of the seam prior to rolling into shape?
Not sure why, but my mind is thinking that the weld should go on the side vs the inner or outer radius surfaces.
Not sure why, but my mind is thinking that the weld should go on the side vs the inner or outer radius surfaces.
What tree is that in the background?Test fitted in place on the shortest courtyard wall.
Need my masonry contractor to finish up the stone veneer before I can mount it permanently. (Which won't be until after after I send everything out for powder coat)
