Storage rack

[Paul.]

A bit of mild steel work for a change, a storage rack for tubes, all migged together, way over the top for what it will be carrying, but over engineering is a speciality of mine, the customer will paint it and the open ends will have plastic plugs knocked in, its 2 metres high, mug for scale as per the rules.

 

[chunkolini]

Tidy.

 

[badersbus]

Nice work

 

[Welderpaul]

Tidy job as ever.

It will be suprising what that carries. We have a similar one for 'small stuff'. I made it many years ago, 40mm box and bolted to the wall, otherwise similar to your design. When we had a sort out earlier in the year we reckoned on about 3T of steel on it.

This is our 'outside rack', made from 406UB's. A lot fuller now, reckon theres about 10T on it with another 30T scattered round the yard.

No mug, sorry.

 

[Paul.]

I've made loads of them in different styles over the years, A company I used to work for had a contract refitting the warehouse racking for a steel stockholding group with branches all over the country, this is for a local compressor company, it will be carrying a few different sizes, mainly smallish stuff, but as we know storage racks are much abused so I though just go with a previous design that I have already done some calcs for.

 

[F.J.]

It's nice when something different comes in to break away from the norm, I repair machines and tanker trailers for a living but tomorrow I'm meeting a customer who wants some spiral stringers making set of stairs for a train station. The steps are going to be hardwood so I'm quite looking forward to it

 

[Maker]

Looks good. Why did you put the arms on alternating sides of the column?

 

[Paul.]

Looks good. Why did you put the arms on alternating sides of the column?

Good question, and I've been waiting for someone to ask it,
2 reasons,

1. Its stronger than butting them on the face of the column, the way I've done it there is 300mm of weld to each arm, all in shear, attaching to the front although probably still more than adequate, puts the top fillet and the side welds in tension, the bottom fillet would be doing almost nothing other than acting as a pivot.
2. Welding to just one face of the box section will shrink the vertical at every joint, with the result that the 100 x 50 will bow along its length, by staggering the arms each side there is still distortion but you just don't see it as they even each other out

 

[Richard.]

Looks good. Why did you put the arms on alternating sides of the column?

Balance I would of thought.
I suppose it keeps the weight even on both sides

 

[ukracer]

When you fabricate something like that do you profile the tabs before welding or shape them after welding?? I think I know the answer but just checking. lol

 

[Paul.]

When you fabricate something like that do you profile the tabs before welding or shape them after welding?? I think I know the answer but just checking. lol

I make all the bits up, and de-burr them, knock the corners off before assembly, much easier and safer to do it on the bench than clamber about on a frame with a grinder,

 

[Richard.]

Do you have to provide guidance on safe weight loading when providing fabrications designed for storage?

 

[Kent]

I don't think I have ever done a single free standing rack that I can recall, lord knows I have done enough back to the wall. Tidy job

 

[Paul.]

Do you have to provide guidance on safe weight loading when providing fabrications designed for storage?

Yes I've given the customer the safe loading limit for each arm, he will never reach it though, just hydraulic and pneumatic tubing will be stored on it.

 

[Maker]

Yes I've given the customer the safe loading limit for each arm, he will never reach it though, just hydraulic and pneumatic tubing will be stored on it.

How do you work out the SWL for something like this?

 

[Paul.]

How do you work out the SWL for something like this?

I went to technical college and studied mechanical engineering.
But there are software tools available nowadays to make life a bit easier, steelbeam and superbeam are two of the easiest to use, but you will still need some knowledge to use them properly (and safely)

 

[Maker]

I went to technical college and studied mechanical engineering.
But there are software tools available nowadays to make life a bit easier, steelbeam and superbeam are two of the easiest to use, but you will still need some knowledge to use them properly (and safely)

In a few years, I'd like to do mechanical engineering but my English GCSE is so bad it's unlikely I'll be able to.

 

[BuiltnotBought]

Bulll S**T the only reason YOU wouldn't be able to do it is if YOU allow yourself not to, "if you want something bad enough you will make it happen". I did it at college, its obviously an important part of the course but if you have strengths in maths and physics then you will be fine.
My biggest difficulty was sitting my ass down and doing the theory stuff outside of class! oh what a pain that was to do.
One of the lads on my course had a really poor GCSE English result as It happens and he managed to complete the course, they do key skills rubbish now which makes it even easier to get onto the course.

If you really struggle to get onto the course leave if a few years and as long as you go back into education before 21 (I think but don't hold me to that) its free, and being a "mature" student makes it easier again to get onto a course (that bit I know from first hand experience )

 

[Maker]

Bulll S**T the only reason YOU wouldn't be able to do it is if YOU allow yourself not to, "if you want something bad enough you will make it happen". I did it at college, its obviously an important part of the course but if you have strengths in maths and physics then you will be fine.
My biggest difficulty was sitting my ass down and doing the theory stuff outside of class! oh what a pain that was to do.
One of the lads on my course had a really poor GCSE English result as It happens and he managed to complete the course, they do key skills rubbish now which makes it even easier to get onto the course.

If you really struggle to get onto the course leave if a few years and as long as you go back into education before 21 (I think but don't hold me to that) its free, and being a "mature" student makes it easier again to get onto a course (that bit I know from first hand experience )

I definitely have strength in (and actually enjoy) maths, physics and chemistry. I'm applying to sixth form (in the above subjects) - possibly so go on to uni to do mechanical engineering and to collage to do a mechanical engineering apprenticeship. Whichever I do however, I'm still gonna have to do "functional skills", because you really need to be able to evaluate the feelings of a poet when your an engineer.

 

[The Devils Reject]

you really need to be able to evaluate the feelings of a poet when your an engineer.

When I was a teenage drunk and trying to do my English A level I turned in a masterpiece of an essay. After reading Far From The Madding Crowd the title of said essay was 'Why did Boldwood Shoot Troy?' My essay was 4 words long...He didn't like him. I wonder why I never finished the course?