Bed Frame Steel Projects
- Thread starter bmxdad
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strength_and_power
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I recall hearing a friend talk about trying to repurpose a bed frame and he had a most horrendous time cutting and welding it. No clue why. Sometimes free material isn't cheap enough.
On a separate but similar note, I built my bedframe out of steel
On a separate but similar note, I built my bedframe out of steel
PCO6
Well-known member
I used rectangular tube from a bed frame for part of my Jeep TJ tailgate tray.
View media item 48347
Here's how it turned out.
View media item 48346
View media item 48347
Here's how it turned out.
View media item 48346
csp
Well-known member
Funny, I did the same search on google and found more than one thread on this site.
I just built a rolling frame for my horizontal bandsaw. No pictures yet. I hate working with bedframes. They're as hard as woodpecker lips, so saw blades wear out quickly and you have to drill holes at a very slow speed or you burn up drill bits. The steel welds really weird too. I almost thought I didn't have my shielding gas turned on.
I had it on hand and it was the right size though.
I just built a rolling frame for my horizontal bandsaw. No pictures yet. I hate working with bedframes. They're as hard as woodpecker lips, so saw blades wear out quickly and you have to drill holes at a very slow speed or you burn up drill bits. The steel welds really weird too. I almost thought I didn't have my shielding gas turned on.
I had it on hand and it was the right size though.
Youngguns
Well-known member
It's my understanding that bed frames are produced from recycled railroad track, which lends to their hardness. I have worked with it a few times, and there's really no easy way to deal with it in my experience. Welding is a bit tricky as well, as previously mentioned.
Vegaman_Dan
Well-known member
Brittle hardened pieces of frustration. I won't deal with it. My time isn't worth that hassle.
48RON54
Well-known member
Its funny this post came up. On Saturday the neighborhood kids wanted me to work on a skateboard project for them. It was an old piece of bed frame that they wanted mounted to some pieces of 2x4 so they could grind/rail slide or whatever you call it now. I really struggled drilling holes in that thing and it took about 2 hours to do that project. The kids sure are happy, and that is all that matters, right?
Doogbert1
New member
owenst7
Well-known member
I used the site search with "Bed Frame" as the term. Link to your project?
Pretty much ...
Any metallurgist on the site? Be interesting to know what kind of steel it is. I don't see it as being brittle either, just tough.
Yes, but I couldn't tell you anything about it cuz I've never looked in to it lol. They always looked like some kind of recycled mystery metal, so I never really considered it for fab work. I do seem to recall it appearing more elastic than 1020 (mild steel), but I can't think of why ofanyrhing expensive would be used.
I suppose if they are hot rolling it and immediately quenching it, it would end up really hard. Higher Fe content would make it more abrasive to cutting tools too. Like I said, never thought about it much. Kind of figured it was pretty loose quality control and the composition would depend on the day of the week and rotation of the earth.
Grind it and see what color sparks you get. That'd be a starting point.
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csp
Well-known member
No, there's no link.
Do a google search on "metal bed frame projects". If you don't get something on the first search you do sometimes you gotta change your search terms. Site searches limit you to the site you're on.
I would think quite the opposite.
Sparks aren't any different color than regular hot rolled or cold rolled steel.
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PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I used the site search with "Bed Frame" as the term. Link to your project?
Pretty much ...
Any metallurgist on the site? Be interesting to know what kind of steel it is. I don't see it as being brittle either, just tough.
Most old angle-steel bed frames are medium to high carbon steel hot-rolled angle. No annealing or secondary processing, so the tensile and yield strengths are fairly close... It tends to tear (tensile strength ) if you try to bend (yield strength) it. Some of the newer frames are rollformed or pressed from cold-rolled steel. You can tell the difference by the mill scale; hot rolled will have it, cold rolled won't.
Not a metallurgist, just a guy who has spent 30+ years in the metal forming industry.
nonhog
Well-known member
I used some on my utility trailer and agree with others. Not worth it.
I suppose it depends on what you are doing. I'll buy from now on.
I searched also, could have swore there was a thread or two? I couldn't find them. Ah well.......
I suppose it depends on what you are doing. I'll buy from now on.
I searched also, could have swore there was a thread or two? I couldn't find them. Ah well.......
owenst7
Well-known member
raddksn
Well-known member
raddksn
Well-known member
raddksn
Well-known member
I tig all joints and try not to drill anything!
csp
Well-known member
Nobody said they would be. I just stated that they are the same color as your basic mild steel.
You're the one that suggested grinding to see what color the sparks are, inferring that there would be a difference..
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48RON54
Well-known member
If you could just go ahead and send me a larger pic of your avatar for educational purposed that would be juuuuust greeeeaaaaat
owenst7
Well-known member
I said nothing about the color of sparks being different between cold worked steel and hot rolled.Nobody said they would be. I just stated that they are the same color as your basic mild steel.
You're the one that suggested grinding to see what color the sparks are, inferring that there would be a difference..
dr_clyde
Well-known member
I can't fathom why people deal with bed frames. The cost savings of the "free" steel is immediately negated by the broken tools, extra time and effort and inconsistent results.
Bed frames do make excellent scrap metal, however.
Bed frames do make excellent scrap metal, however.
Tinner
Well-known member
I just set two of them on the curb a few weeks ago. They were gone in the morning. 
Well, till I'm happy with the way my welds come out I won't be wasting time and money on good steel. In the mean time I can make a few helpers for around the shop. If I like a particular one, and my welding is up to par, I'll do it with the good stuff.
Meanwhile I can burn holes through it and not care to much. And as you said ... I can get some money for scraping it later on. Win-win for me so far ...
csp
Well-known member
Holy cow. I'm saying that the color of sparks from bed frame steel are no different than the color from mild steel, whether hot rolled or cold rolled or whatever. You suggested that the color of sparks might point to a material makeup. It doesn't.
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dr_clyde
Well-known member
The spark test is a valid and industry approved method for roughly determining carbon content of steels. Color and shape of sparks absolutely change with different metal composition. There probably won't be a difference between hot and cold rolled, due to similar carbon content, but grind a piece of wrought iron next to a piece of high carbon cast iron. The difference will be clear as night and day.
Craptain
Well-known member
is that part of the bedframe project?
It could be if she was any where near MY bed frame.
And to keep the thread on track. I use bed frame for practice and those small projects where quality is not as critical as the need to do something right now. I am not expecting pretty welds or long term use just a quick fix or temporary tool type use.
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csp
Well-known member
I fully understand the spark test dr clyde! All that I'm stating is that the sparks of bed frame steel don't have a different color than mild steel. That's all that I'm stating.
I should have said earlier that in this case the spark test isn't an indicator of a difference in composition.
I'm not comparing cold rolled to hot rolled or wrought iron or cast iron or whatever else, or questioning the validity of watching spark color.
I should have said earlier that in this case the spark test isn't an indicator of a difference in composition.
I'm not comparing cold rolled to hot rolled or wrought iron or cast iron or whatever else, or questioning the validity of watching spark color.
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Man Cave
Well-known member
I hate to throw away steel but I only chop saw and weld bed frame scraps. Many have a paint dip coating that is a bear to remove too. I only drill bed frames when absolutely necessary.
I cut them with an angle grinder and the slimmest cutoff blade I can find.
Weld them with a buzz box with 7018 AC. Welds look very nice and hold well with that stick.
Drill them with a Milwaukee mag drill on S-l-o-w speeds and titanium bits.
Put a washer around the area where you are drilling and fill it full of cutting lube or even some oil out of the oil can and you can drill most anything. Most people try to drill this stuff way too fast.
Cheers,
Jim Don
Weld them with a buzz box with 7018 AC. Welds look very nice and hold well with that stick.
Drill them with a Milwaukee mag drill on S-l-o-w speeds and titanium bits.
Put a washer around the area where you are drilling and fill it full of cutting lube or even some oil out of the oil can and you can drill most anything. Most people try to drill this stuff way too fast.
Cheers,
Jim Don
Almost done with a small cart for scrap steel. As it is now, it'll slide under a table just fine. And the steel is weird, sometimes a bead will seem to float on the top, then burn through, just like that Might add some 6" tall pieces to keep material collected.
Swapped over to solid wire and gas ... so much nicer to work with. How much gas flow is need? Set to 25 CFH now.
Might add some 6" tall pieces to keep material collected.Swapped over to solid wire and gas ... so much nicer to work with. How much gas flow is need? Set to 25 CFH now.
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Not sure what you mean,I've made hundreds of things using them and have no broken tools. The time it took to get them is nothing compared to the time I spend drive to steel shop and dealing with those idiots and the frames are stamped by a machine so where's the inconsistency?
and fro the AVATAR requesters
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dr_clyde
Well-known member
I guess I just don't see the value of saving $20 when I have to deal with paint, extra holes, unknown material alloy, hard spots, and having to monkey around with cutting up an old bed frame.
Angle iron is cheap, consistent, reliable, clean, available in numerous sizes, and delivered to my door. Why would I screw around with an old bed frame?
Angle iron is cheap, consistent, reliable, clean, available in numerous sizes, and delivered to my door. Why would I screw around with an old bed frame?