welding question

I need to weld a 1/4" thick bracket to the end of a 1-1/4" .120 wall DOM tube. The bracket will have a hole and slide over the tubing.

I need the bracket to be at a true 90 degree to the tube. The angle is important.

If I add a 90 degee gusset and tack the gusset and bracket first, will the bracket remain at 90, or will the shrinking of the welds change the angle?

 

it should hold it but let it cool completely before removing the gusset.

 

I meant that I would leave the gusset welded in.

 

you'll be fine

 

You have not seen my welding skills...ha!

 

Tack and check angle each time if your that worried about it. Smaller the tack, the less pull.

 

you can do it

 

What about the angle 90 degrees from the gusset placement? You would need another gusset to keep the tube perpendicular all the way around.

 

***uming the bracket sticks out towards 9 o'clock position, I thought I would start the tack the bracket at 12 and 6 positions, so it can rotate and adjust slightly to 90 degrees, then tack the gusset at 9. Do I tack the gusset at the innermost point first or at the ends first?


The angle perpendicular is not as critical.

 

judging by the diagram, there isnt enough bracket.

 

you are right, not enough bracket for a second gusset.

 

ship it here, lol

 

I know, live dangerously and chuck it in a lathe and try to face cut it...

 

If you are worried about the tube moving towards the gusset and breaking the 90 degree mark, I would fit the gusset snug up to the pipe and tack weld the gusset really good to the 1/4 inch plate. That way when you tack the pipe to the gusset, It shouldnt have any room to pull. i always over clamp eveything I weld so it doesnt move out of measurment. If you can, clamp the hell out of that pipe

 

any advantage to welding the gusset to the pipe first , then if you need to you can chuck it in a cut off saw to square it up, then weld the plate to the front? just a thought , sounds like you weld like I do

 

If the part is not very large, you could weld without a gusset, chuck the pipe in a lathe, and cut the plate so that it is at a perfect 90-degree angle in all planes.

For that matter, you could chuck the pipe in a lathe so that the amount sticking out from the chuck is the same as the thickness of the plate, and push the plate against the chuck to keep it square. After welding, you'd probably still need to face the plate to nail the right angle.

 

Patience here...tack one side, check square, tack the other side, check square, tack a third point, then the fourth, all evenly spaced. Weld your **** off, just take your time tacking, no gusset required, unless the gusset has to be there. Once its tacked square, its not likely to move.

 

It's pretty much a given that it's going to pull, and even if you weld the gusset on, the plate is going to get a slight warp in it. If it's really that important to be exactly square and straight, you're going have to either machine it, or hand dress it. That was one of the first things I learned in trade school was how to hand fit something critical. Get out your machinists square and a file....or a piece of gl*** and your blue ink and go at it!