Commercial Tree Stand Repair

[Don52]

I didn't realize that a commercial Christmas tree stand could cost $472. Figure 1 below shows a typical one.

1. Commercial Tree Stand


One of the engineers that I work with dropped off an heavy duty Christmas tree stand to be repaired. Originally it had 4x 1/2"-13 UNC PEM type nuts pressed into tabs that held screws that contacted the tree as shown below. Two of the four PEM nuts had pulled out.

2. Broken Tree Stand


3. PEM Threaded insert


My friend had replaced the missing PEM nut with two nuts as shown below.

4. Nut to replace missing insert


The tab that supported the PEM nut was kind of wimpy as shown below.

5. Not much metal on tab

[Don52]

Some of the tabs were bent right at the hole instead of the base of the tab.

6. Bent tab


The other problem was that the base of spike that supported the tree was cracked where it was attached to the water pan.

7. Crack at base of spike


After I removed the spike from the pan, I found that there was a cold lap joint on the weld that attached the spike to the pan. The rusty metal in the next two pictures show that there was large areas of the weld with no penetration.

8. Cold lap on weld-1


9. Cold lap on Weld-2


This defective weld also minimized the foot print supporting the spike, The minimum foot print in conjunction with the damaged PEM nuts caused a moment on the base of the spike that cracked the bottom of the pan as shown below. This is a problem because it would cause the tree water to leak out of the pan.

10. Bottom of stand

[Don52]

11. Crack on bottom near spike


I cut out a disk to beef up the area where the spike attaches to the pan.

12. Cutting disk


13. Disk cut


I TIG plug welded the spike to the disk as shown below and then fillet welded the top of the spike to the disk on the other side (not shown in this picture)

14. Spike plug welded


Next I MIG welded the spike/disk assembly to the bottom of the pan as shown below.

15. Spike replaced-1

[aametalmaster]

Nice, Gotta love Jacobs Rubber flex collets...Bob

[Don52]

16. Spike replaced-2


I also TIG welded the spike to the bottom of the original pan.

17. Spike welded to top-1


18. Spike welded to top-2


I decided to remove the wimpy tabs and replace them with thicker wider tabs. Notice the fill-in weld shown in the upper left hand view. (You have to work with the geometry that you are dealt.)

19. SolidWorks drawing of new tab


I tap drilled the tabs for 1/2"-13 UNC threads. I wanted to orient the flats of the nut parallel to the chamfer so I made a threaded arbor to align the tap drilled hole in the tab with the threaded hole in the nut.

20. Nut alignment arbor

[Don52]

Next I TIG welded the nut to the tab.

21. Nut in place for welding


22. Nut TIG welded


Then I ran a 1/2"-13 UNC tap thru the nut and tapped the tab as shown below.

23. Tab tapped


24. Tab - nut asm done


Next I cut off the four tabs.

25. Old tab cut off

[Don52]

Then I clamped the new tab/nut assembly in place.

26. New tab clamped in place


Finally I TIG welded the tabs to the base.

27. Weld on bottom of brace


28. Top weld on tab


29. Bottom Weld on tab


And here it is all done except for painting.

30. Tabs all welded

[Don52]

Last but not least I painted it.

31.Bottom Painted


32. Top Painted


33. All Done


-Don

[ryanjones2150]

Now it’s a $1000 tree stand. Good work, Don.

[Metjunkie]

Don, I bet they could use that for the tree at Rockefeller center. Another job well done.

[Don52]

Nice, Gotta love Jacobs Rubber flex collets...Bob

Yes, I like the Jacobs Rubber flex collets. They make my 15” lathe behave like a small lathe.

-Don

[MetalnTrucks]

Nice! I always love the final stages of repainting a project and making it look new again. Great job