warped table frame

[monte55]

Santa's watching................be good guys

[JSFAB]

It's fine, Monte .... no squirrels or bunnies have died ....

[Desertrider33]

I'd cut out the whole 'top' section, all 5 tubes, and re-weld in only 2 tubes going straight accross, one at each outter edge surrounding the perimeter of the table, no joints in the middle.

I don't understand why it needed the extra tube crossing the other way in the middle. One tube along each side would have been perfect. To support the top in the middle, a single tube going straight accross the middle parallel to the other 2, with no extra tubes joining it, would support the middle fine with no chance for warping anything.

[fjk]

how far out is the top?
can the low spots be shimmed
and/or the high part be ground down?

frank

[kevin]

stump

i got an oak stump under my table be it a small one but drag a dirty torch over it when its burning and it cleans it real nice, if that tube table was mine, i would put a spacer in the middle, lay some channel on it and push it down with some c clamps, mayby a hammer to shock it, mild steel dosent take much to move,

[andyman]

For every action, there is a reaction!

your absolutely right lol i cut the side welds and got the top flat and now my holes dont match.

i may do something along the lines of Desertrider's advice and cut the whole middle section out then get my plates to on the 2 outside peices of tube then put the middle tube back in but weld some 1x1 3/16 angle to support it like so.

[Sonora Iron]

andyman as you progress in your career as a weldor / fabricator you’ll learn there is always more than one way to do things, a smart craftsmen watches, listens, and never stops learning. In time you’ll figure out what works best for you in each situation.

About the middle of the last century I worked in a shop, well over 2 years of building nothing but square, and round tube structures. Not much I can’t do with a torch, rag, and a bucket of water.

[4sfed]

andyman as you progress in your career as a weldor / fabricator you’ll learn there is always more than one way to do things, a smart craftsmen watches, listens, and never stops learning. In time you’ll figure out what works best for you in each situation.

About the middle of the last century I worked in a shop, well over 2 years of building nothing but square, and round tube structures. Not much I can’t do with a torch, rag, and a bucket of water.

Years ago I bought a book titled "Flame Straightening Technology" by John P. Stewart . . . describing, in detail, methods of distortion control and straightening of welded fabrications. Looking at his diagrams, there's no doubt that Sonora Iron mastered these skills. This is a good reference for anyone wanting to learn them.

Jim

[Sonora Iron]

Thanks for the compliment Jim! Given enough time, the right size tip, enough O/A, and enough water I don’t think there is a shape I cannot straighten. Be it a beam, C-channel, angle, pipe or square tube. Where I’m weak is sheetmetal! I can destroy a thin sheet in short order!
Someone on one of these boards suggested this book; it didn’t show me a dam thing about straitening plate! But the guy does know what he’s talking about with shapes!

[jimmy_pop]

weld a bunch of leveling feet to the top of your warped frame to set the top on. this is my default design method to eliminate warp as a concern in the frame.

[SundownIII]

Maybe my old eyes are deceiving me but it seems he's got more problems with warpage than just the middle section.

From several of the pictures, it appears that the legs also have a distinct camber. Doesn't appear that any of the 4 are truly vertical.

Generally comes from improper tacking or not correcting the fitup prior to final welding. Pretty obvious that he could use some angle clamps or securely clamp his frame to a solid support for welding.

Flame straightening is as much an art as it is a science. Sonora could probably straighten that frame with a torch/wet rag, but I'd probably have it looking like a piece of modern art.

On the other hand, my uncle (who taught me the basics of welding about 55 yrs ago) had been a hard hat diver/welder in the Navy during WWII. That guy could weld the crack of dawn and it'd stay dark. Best autobody man I've ever seen. Seeing him form sheet metal was a thing of beauty. Remember too that this was during the "lead" days before bondo became fashionable.

Newcomers to the trade arn't taught those skills anymore it would seem.

[Sonora Iron]

[QUOTE=SundownIII;216567]Seeing him form sheet metal was a thing of beauty. Remember too that this was during the "lead" days before bondo became fashionable.QUOTE]

Oh this is so true! The old body men were beyond craftsmen nothing short of artiest! How they could relieve the stresses in sheetmetal is amazing. Couple taps of the hammer here, and there, little heat here, and there, and wa la! These bondo artiest of the modern era just like to slap on the mud, sand it somewhat smooth, and off to the paint booth!

[monte55]

Ya just got to stay up with the times guys. There is a guy selling liners and Bondo on a spool for your mig welders. Might work

[kiwi]

Hey Guys,
Tell me if I am incorrect. When I try to make thinge square I clamp them in all directions with large pieces of steel. An older welder taught me to do this. He explained that the large pieces of steel keep the structure in place and also act as a "heat sink". He also told me to move the heat around welding in small amounts of time on opposite sides. The best advice he gave me was to think and plan before you do.
Nick

[Sonora Iron]

Hey Guys,
Tell me if I am incorrect. When I try to make thinge square I clamp them in all directions with large pieces of steel. An older welder taught me to do this. He explained that the large pieces of steel keep the structure in place and also act as a "heat sink". He also told me to move the heat around welding in small amounts of time on opposite sides. The best advice he gave me was to think and plan before you do.
Nick

He gave you some very good advice!

Take the time to make good fits, tack everything real good, move around a lot, back step, and above all monitor the movement with a square, and tape measure. Don’t just drop your hood / shield and weld like crazy to see how fast you can weld it, remember your building a product, the very end result is what counts!