Small update. Made an arm for the grinder. Didn't copy the plans exactly but it came out nicely and it is square.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...c95b9fef48.jpg
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Small update. Made an arm for the grinder. Didn't copy the plans exactly but it came out nicely and it is square.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...c95b9fef48.jpg
I remember guys making stands like those back in the day. I don't really remember the purpose but I think it was for notching. What are your plans for it?
Yep I made it for notching my angles. I think of it as an extra hand. I want to make my outer frame out of only 2 pieces of steel.
Sadly the tubing came in 20ft sticks instead of 12ft so I think I actually have enough left over to take a stab at making a ladder for this top rack. We shall see though.
**Update**
I spent most of the day working on the outer frame making sure the angles were right and everything....somehow I still have to bust two welds tomorrow to relieve the stress out of the frame. Honestly I don't know how it happened but it did. On to the pics...
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...633/SdPjL0.jpg
It was a little troublesome to work with the longer pieces of steel but it paid off when I could nudge the angles and have them come out perfect.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...537/dbk5y8.jpg
I found that before welding I actually needed .4 deg. more to come out with a perfect angle. I think the most my rack is out is .2 or .3.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...673/00qSch.jpg
First attempt at a level workspace....fail
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...913/Dx99Pj.jpg
Second....
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...913/XQ8Vzb.jpg
Third....and I still wasn't super happy with it but I didn't have 4 buckets (which would have been perfect)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...661/e18IiY.jpg
You can see the dip in the front right corner....grrrrrrr. It messed up the subsequent weld which will probably take a little bit of time to correct....but this thing will be flat.
Looking great! It is a nightmare to get stuff close to flat when nothing is level, flat, straight, etc.
My roof rack wasn't straight and it bugged me big time. I won't be making that mistake twice!
Yeah I consider myself lucky that it wasn't worse than what it was....although if I would have had my head on straight I would have used my sheet metal clamp to ensure they were flat....oh well.
I am giving some serious thought to the idea of building a ladder on the rear hatch. I have enough 1x1" and the other necessary supplies like VHB tape and thin sheet metal for the brackets. I'm just not sure on how to bend the square tubing. I suppose I could make slices and weld them back together like I did on the rack. Anyone else have a good idea? Never tried to bend square tubing before.
I would have tacked it all together flat on the concrete. Put down a small square of thin sheetmetal to protect the concrete from scorch marks.
It doesn't have to be level, it just needs to be flat and that concrete is flatter than the dip in your steel. Besides, you're using jackstands which are following the contour of the concrete anyway or at least in 1" increments if you're compensating with the adjustment in the jackstand.