Brew Stand - Build yourself or get someone else to build?

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Stevorino

Well-Known Member
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Location
Alpharetta, GA
Hey guys-- I'm really wanting to get a sweet brewstand built for Xmas.

Right now I have 3 keggles, 3 burners, but no stand.

I wanted to see if anyone had any input on where I can get a brewstand built and for how much (I live in Atlanta).

I'm also considering building it myself, although I do not know how to weld (willing to teach myself though) and don't really know where to acquire the steel/metal. I've considered building a wood stand in the past, but have decided if I'm going to drop $750-$1000 on a stand, I want it to be as close to perfect as possible.

I'd eventually like to upgrade to a HERMS/RIMS System, but that's not necessary for right now.

Thoughts/Suggestions?

Thanks guys!
 
You should have some local weld shops around, I would look in the phone book and call them. Have some plans sketched up with dimensions and they should be able to give you a price to weld it, possibly with materials. I'm not a welder, but would love to buy a small welder just for these applications. Maybe someone can chime in and tell us both what type of welder would be best to buy for this type of stuff?

On a side note I have seen some members "wooden" stands on here and if you take the time you can make them look pretty awesome.
 
Build it yourself. You'll end up with a nice brew stand, a new skill (welding),a new toy (welder) and the ability to change/update it whenever you like.
Check the yellow pages for steel dealers, maybe even used steel dealers. Even with buying steel and a small welder (check Harbor Freight or Craigslist) you won't spend $750 and will have money left for a pump,so build the setup you want now.
 
After 3 years of building, revising, upgrading, swapping, etc...

I am at a point where I'd rather just buy the damned thing and get to brewing. Problem is, I still have to assemble the dang thing.

It sure is expensive tho' and definitely not worth compounded interest.
 
Welding is not absolutely necessary, nuts and bolts hold things together too. Here is one example. While he use an heavy duty shelving unit to start with you can probably get angle iron/steel and drill it yourself if you need more flexibility with the design.
 
From someone who is putting the finishing touches on his brew stand, I would recommend you build it yourself.

Sure, it has taken me about a year to put everything together but it's also been a lot of fun to design it from scratch. I borrowed ideas from others but it is truely one of a kind design, to me that is more rewarding then buying a stand that just anyone with the cash can buy.
 
If you are a DIY guy get the welder and the steel, otherwise go to local welding ship and talk about it with them and work out a design.

I plan on making a wooden rig (with cement board top) due to cost, but a nice steel heavy frame would be neat too :)
 
I'm leaning towards building it myself-- it just seems that not knowing how to weld is a silly obstacle and I'd love to have the holiday project :)

My biggest question is what kind of welder to get and where to procure decent quality steel at a low price. Ideas?
 
I'm sure most racks/stands you're seeing around here are grossly overbuilt, especially the brutus clones. You really don't need 2" square tubing. I saved a lot of money in raw materials by salvaging bedframes. If you have any scrap dealers near you, go walking around looking for surplus materials. I would recommend sticking with tubular steel rather than angle though. It's much easier to grind your welds.
 
The easiest and fastest way to learn welding is MIG. You can buy a 110 volt MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welder for around $500. With a little practice you will be able to run a "Bead" in a very short time. It won't pass an X-Ray but it will be plenty good for a brewstand. Be sure and get one that uses Gas, they also sell Wire Welders that look the same but don't have provisions for gas, they use a Fluxcore wire rather than gas for shielding. They weld fine but leave an ugly weld. Lots of splatter. In the end you will have one of the best tools and ability to weld things. You may consider local Pawn Shops for purchase, just be sure and study up before shopping in a Pawn. You need to be informed before you get a good deal in those shops. A local welding supply would be the safest place to buy and will likely teach you how to weld before you leave with your welder.

Obviously I'd go for it. But that's just me. I probably have a dozen welder in my homeshop.
 
I'm sure most racks/stands you're seeing around here are grossly overbuilt, especially the brutus clones. You really don't need 2" square tubing. I saved a lot of money in raw materials by salvaging bedframes. If you have any scrap dealers near you, go walking around looking for surplus materials. I would recommend sticking with tubular steel rather than angle though. It's much easier to grind your welds.

That's another question-- what tools would I need to cut this metal to size?
 
You really don't need 2" square tubing.

Insanity. I wish mine was 3".


Seriously though, just keep your eyes open. As soon as I started thinking about building a stand, I saw materials everywhere. Bedframes, old weightlifting benches, hell I even got a bunkbed frame from right down the street. Go to the scrapyard if you're too proud to garbage pick (or don't have a pickup...) Even the carpeting sales place down the street from me has three full 10' heavy duty shelving units sitting out back. I stopped in one day just out of curiosity, and sure enough, they were mine for the taking. (I declined) But that would have been enough to build at least two single tier systems....and yeah it's heavy duty but it's also free...My SWMBO is so lucky I don't have a welder...
 
I picked up 1x1x1/8 thick square tubing last week, I got 10 pieces 56" long for $25 off kijiji (online classified ads) . I've been looking around and I have a mig welder for $200.
 
I sacrificed my old 10" Ryobi compound miter saw to the project by loading it with 7" thin cutting discs. It still works, sorta.. but I only paid $99 for it and put moulding up in every room of the house before I took on the brewstand project. You could get away with an angle grinder with a cutting disc but the cuts won't be as precise without extra cleanup work.
 
Well if you are willing to drop that much, then check out 8020.net. I am planning on building a brew stand using their frames. Just design your rig and determine how many pieces you need, what lengths, and where you want the holes drilled. Few weeks later you have a damn sexy looking brew stand that can easily be bolted together. We use these guys at work all the time for instrument racks and test setups. The best part is that you always have the option of rearranging the design or even adding more space.
 
Thanks! I'm going with wood for my brewstand (as mentioned) so I don't think I'll be cutting into the couple bedrails I have, but thought that perhaps that would have made them easier to cut and drill.
 
find a server rack from a company going out of business, upgraded, or moving. Flip it on its side, cut or drill if you need to in order to make it work, add casters. Done.
 
Build it yourself. You'll end up with a nice brew stand, a new skill (welding),a new toy (welder) and the ability to change/update it whenever you like.
Check the yellow pages for steel dealers, maybe even used steel dealers. Even with buying steel and a small welder (check Harbor Freight or Craigslist) you won't spend $750 and will have money left for a pump,so build the setup you want now.


+1

I was in a similar position and decided to go the DIY route. I spent a little more than $750, but I got a really nice welder out of the deal (Hobart Handler 187) as well as a new skill, which I've already planned on using to save some dough on a few other projects. Learning to MIG weld well enough to make a brewstand or similar projects really isn't that hard, and there are a lot of good resources on the web. It was a fun project even though it was a lot of work, and it's a great feeling to build something like that pretty much from scratch. Plus, you get to make a lot of noise, sparks, fire, etc...and what kind of guy doesn't dig that :ban:
 
Dude.....you can build a pretty good rig out of wood. Just look at the link in my signature.
 
Dude.....you can build a pretty good rig out of wood. Just look at the link in my signature.

Yeah, Scuba, your stand has always made me salivate...I'm starting to get excited about welding now though-- there seems like there are a lot of upcoming projects that could use welding (Gas Lines, HERMS, HERMS Panel Arm, etc.) that I'm really tempted to make the plunge...
 
Stevorino, you can rent a 110 mig from a welding supply store. If you know anyone in the auto-body business, they have small migs. You can make it out
of 1x1x16 ga square tubing. People tent to over-kill on material. Welders generally have amp/wire feed settings on them based on the material you are welding. Cut some short pieces and practice. Nothing to it really. Get it set, pull the trigger and your welding. Just remeber when you weld, tack together 1st, because as the weld cools it will draw the material out of plumb. Tack and then weld. Hope this helps
 
Going back and forth now...I just realized that I have a friend of the family that knows how to weld-- I think I'm going to ask them for an estimate....if that doesn't go over well, I think I'm going to learn how to weld-- Either way, I'll post pics!
 
Going back and forth now...I just realized that I have a friend of the family that knows how to weld-- I think I'm going to ask them for an estimate....if that doesn't go over well, I think I'm going to learn how to weld-- Either way, I'll post pics!

Why not see if he will work with you and teach you how to build it? Once you have the basics down, you can tackle your next project on your own.
 
I agree, offer him a couple home brews and see if you can use his equipment and have him help/teach you how to do it. Or even better, Offer to teach/help him homebrew and allow him to use your equip....
 
I'm going to trade some brew for welding lessons. The guy is supposed to be very skilled, and did the welding for a local brewery, so I know he can do stainless, too. Can't wait!! :D
 
Buy a mig welder, you won't regret it. I bought mine almost 20 years ago from a friend and I have easily saved thousands of dollars doing repairs with it. If you do any work at all on cars or mowers you will use it alot. I did 1 small weld repair on a shock mount on my truck that would have cost hundreds at a shop, that one job practically paid for the wleder. I have no training and I can weld almost anything after playing around with it.
 
Yeah, Scuba, your stand has always made me salivate...I'm starting to get excited about welding now though-- there seems like there are a lot of upcoming projects that could use welding (Gas Lines, HERMS, HERMS Panel Arm, etc.) that I'm really tempted to make the plunge...

I don't blame you....I was pretty close to going the welding route myself. The equipment will definitely come in handy later....and it's a good skill to have.
 
+1

I was in a similar position and decided to go the DIY route. I spent a little more than $750, but I got a really nice welder out of the deal (Hobart Handler 187) as well as a new skill, which I've already planned on using to save some dough on a few other projects. Learning to MIG weld well enough to make a brewstand or similar projects really isn't that hard, and there are a lot of good resources on the web. It was a fun project even though it was a lot of work, and it's a great feeling to build something like that pretty much from scratch. Plus, you get to make a lot of noise, sparks, fire, etc...and what kind of guy doesn't dig that :ban:

Good little welder that Hobart 187 vs the 180 it replaced. You have a 7 position voltage control switch vs 4 of the older 180 model. 24 gauge to 5/16" with 25 to 185 amps output range. Just stay within the duty cycle of that welder which is 30% at 130 amps. You'll enjoy that 230 volt welder over a 120 volt unit. Get a large owner owned bottle as over time it will be cheaper than a small lease bottle needing to be refilled more often. At www.cyberweld.com Welding Supplies have Miller and Hobart, they have the 187 for $698. The bottle is extra. I use C-25 vs straight Co2, less splatter.
If you get hooked with welding a lot check into a auto dark hood, Speedglas is one manufacture that has a large lens window as an example. No matter what your welding clean the metal to a bright iron finish plus tight fit up joints before welding. Don't be afraid to use some heat as a cold weld is a useless low strength joint without good penetration. A Mikita 14" chop saw is a good investment tool that will last you many years, check for used on ebay. Keep the gearbox full of grease for a longer life. Get a 4 1/2" angle grinder with grinding wheels plus a flat sanding flap wheel. This will give a smoother finish after grinding down welds if they need to. On ebay check into a used Milwaukee portable band saws. It's fun spending your money. Should you expand on welders look into mig machines that have infinite voltage and wire speed controls allowing for better fine tuning of your welding. Millers are my only brand after owning many different welders over the years. Tig is a whole different animal besides the high cost of the machine and the learning curve. Squares, clamps, levels and good accurate measurements and cuts result in great project rewards. Congrats on your welder purchase, why pay when you can build your own brew stand to your design plus other future welding projects.
 
Good little welder that Hobart 187 vs the 180 it replaced. You have a 7 position voltage control switch vs 4 of the older 180 model. 24 gauge to 5/16" with 25 to 185 amps output range. Just stay within the duty cycle of that welder which is 30% at 130 amps. You'll enjoy that 230 volt welder over a 120 volt unit. Get a large owner owned bottle as over time it will be cheaper than a small lease bottle needing to be refilled more often. At Cyberweld.com - Welding Supplies - Miller, Hobart & More Welding Supplies have Miller and Hobart, they have the 187 for $698. The bottle is extra. I use C-25 vs straight Co2, less splatter.
If you get hooked with welding a lot check into a auto dark hood, Speedglas is one manufacture that has a large lens window as an example. No matter what your welding clean the metal to a bright iron finish plus tight fit up joints before welding. Don't be afraid to use some heat as a cold weld is a useless low strength joint without good penetration. A Mikita 14" chop saw is a good investment tool that will last you many years, check for used on ebay. Keep the gearbox full of grease for a longer life. Get a 4 1/2" angle grinder with grinding wheels plus a flat sanding flap wheel. This will give a smoother finish after grinding down welds if they need to. On ebay check into a used Milwaukee portable band saws. It's fun spending your money. Should you expand on welders look into mig machines that have infinite voltage and wire speed controls allowing for better fine tuning of your welding. Millers are my only brand after owning many different welders over the years. Tig is a whole different animal besides the high cost of the machine and the learning curve. Squares, clamps, levels and good accurate measurements and cuts result in great project rewards. Congrats on your welder purchase, why pay when you can build your own brew stand to your design plus other future welding projects.

Yeah, I really dig it so far. I got a great deal on a refurbished unit, ~$530 to my door and it was pristine. Add the spare 20lb CO2 tank that I had laying around for shielding gas (sometimes it's good to be a brewer :ban:), and I was good to go. The brewstand is complete (no pics other than crappy cell phone ones, so I'll spare everyone), and I 2nd pretty much everything BrewBeemer says here about construction, tools, etc. There are some great welding forums (weldingweb and weldtalk come to mind) that can really help to get things going on the right foot for these types of projects. The only regret I have is that I didn't buy a chopsaw or bandsaw and do my own cuts. I paid about $15 for the folks at the metal supply place to make them for me, and they were less than consciencious. That made the project a bit more difficult, but I suppose that won't be an issue in the future since the $250 security deposit I just got back will most likely be invested in a nice chop saw. :mug:
 
If you buy the MIG welder used, you likely will be able to resell it for what you paid, or close. Much cheaper than renting. Lincoln, Miller and Hobart are all reputable brands.

Another vote for not buying a cheap one. Avoid the Harbor Freight ones that use Flux Core only. That is not a good tool to learn on.

Spend the $50 for an auto-darkening welding helmet so you can see what you are doing. Sell it with the welder if you decide not to keep it.

Bedframes work great and are cheap or free.

I also used my 10" power miter saw with a 10" metal cutting wheel as a cutoff saw.

I would also recommend you buy a pair of inexpensive 4" electric angle grinders. The orange ones at Harbor Freight work fine. Keep a thin cutoff wheel on one and a flap disc on the other. The two tools will allow you to quickly cut and fabricate without having to stop and change wheels all the time. Trust me it is worth it. In the end, you will find other uses in life for these tools.

Try taking a hobby metalworking/welding class through your local community college. Here in Portland it is taught at a local high school's metal shop. I learned a lot and got exposure to a number of different tools. Even if you don't become proficient in five different kinds of welding and learn how to use a lathe, end mill, surface grinder etc, it is still beneficial to know how things are done and what tools are available for accomplishing different tasks.
 
I am a welder and I would reccomend Buying a 110 MIG welder for your self. Lincoln will sell a decent welder. If your a car this will also double as a decent welder for replacing floor pans or body work. Any local steel place will have mild steel. Right now steel is cheap so it should be fairly inexpensive to build. MIG is easy to learn. One of the best books out right now is MODERN WELDING. This had a wealth of information in it I use it alot when welding a way I haven't done in a while.

Happy Caps
 
Steve
I'm not trying to convince you not to learn welding it's a great skill to have or not to build your on sculpture, just offer a different point of view:

Here's what I did:

I got 2 folding metal scaffolds from Home Depot ($99 each). On the top rung
of the first scaffold sits a banjo burner with the HLT (Hot Liquid Tank). There's a bridge between the 2 scaffolds made of 2 each 1"x8"s at the mid level rung that holds the MLT (Mash Lauter Tun). On the lowest level of the
2nd scaffold sits the banjo burner and boil pot. Which is just high enough to allow gravity flow into the fermenter (4 level) which sits on the floor.

I use several drinking water quaility hoses to get the strike water into the HLT. I never have to lift anything until I take the fermenter to the basement.
I use a handtruck to move the fermenters to the basement.

Something that I thought about but have yet to try is moving to boiled wort to the basement in Corny kegs via handtruck then using compressed air to move the wort from the corny into fermenters that sit up on shelves. This would help aerate the wort in addition to moving it up high so I could start the gravity flow process again.

On the minus side this set up takes up more room than a dedicated brew stand when its in full operation. On the plus side the scaffolds fold up to store in a very small space and are easily portable, they have lockable wheels which also affords a great deal of portability and they are useful to me for a variety of other functions. Additionally there is also enough room to add another HLT, MLT and Boil Pot so I could double what I’m doing now if I wanted to. (which I do)

You could make a 3 level out of 1 scaffold by making a bottom shelf out of
2 each 1x8’s and count the floor as your 3rd level. 1 scaffold could easily hold 2 burners with 25 gallon pots on the top level and the same on a homemade bottom level.

Edit: Oh I forgot to mention Doug at Just Brew It in Fayetteville, Ga has brew stands for sale the last time I was in his shop. It's a pretty good hike from Alpharetta but it's not to bad if you don't go during rush hour which in Alpharetta is 6-10am and 2-8pm M-F.:)
 

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