Single Tier Welded Brew Stand

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nyx

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Hi there friends!

I started building my new brew stand yesterday and I figured I'd start a new thread to document my progress.

The design is a three-keggle, two-pump, single-tier configuration. It'll be made out of 2" 14ga square steel tube.

Here are a couple SketchUp renders. First, the frame by itself:

xGX8Jnc.jpg


The frame with the banjo burners, heat shields, pumps, casters, and keggles (one of them is hidden so you can see the burner assembly):

EJU6hBe.jpg
 
OK. Time for some actual pictures from the build.

It took quite a bit of tinkering to get straight miter cuts out of my cut-off saw, but I think the results were worth the trouble:

60U1tbz.jpg


The top ring, where the kettles sit, all cut and ready to be tack welded:

taVauRJ.jpg


Hopefully by the end of the day today I'll have the rest of the tube cut.
 
I work in a metal fab shop and I want to build something like this. Im gonna follow your progress for ideas!
 
CCBrewer: Thanks! Yep, it's the 90 amp flux core wire welder.

Brewmex41: Eek! A Pro! Just promise to be kind. This is my first time welding or doing any kind of serious metal fab work. Please let me know if you see me doing anything boneheaded! :)
 
Done working for the day. I got the top ring welded up and made a rough pass over the (ugly) welds with the angle grinder. Did I mention I've never welded before? What fun! I also got the legs and bottom supports cut.

When measured diagonally, the frame is only 1/16" off square.

The legs resting on top of the welded top ring:

9fLVoX5.jpg


A close-up of one of the miter joints. You can see a tiny crack in the joint. I've since rewelded it and it's looking much nicer now:

gJa6kO1.jpg
 
I run a sheet metal shear. I dont know how to weld... lol. I'd have to have a coworker do that for me.
Just make sure you measure everything 3 times before you cut and you'l be fine haha.
 
Stealthcruiser: I did! But maybe I didn't cut enough of a chamfer. Or I just suck at welding. Probably both!

Ultimately, I'm not as concerned about the strength of these particular welds compared to some of the others. The frame is designed to distribute the weight down through the legs. Out of principle, of course, I'd like the frame to be as strong as possible.

Any suggestions as to how I might fix this? Simply lay a new bead on top of the crack? Use the angle grinder to cut a channel along the crack first?
 
Got most of the frame welded up this morning, but I ran out of wire so the rest will have to wait. Some of the welds are really ugly, a few are passable, a couple are almost nice. It's even pretty square!

yTuF4kU.jpg
 
You're doing a great job. I'm just giving a heads up, plan to vent the combustion gasses some were.
 
Isn't a stick welder better for this job?

A journeyman stick guy would make an art piece out of a stand without breaking a sweat, but in the hands of a novice the results would likely be utterly discouraging. For those of us educated at the Youtube School Of Welding, a squirt gun gets us in the game...

Cheers! ;)
 
I might attempt something like this one day. Why miter the corners instead of butting them?
 
Thanks for all the great feedback, everybody! It really helps keep me motivated.

mikescooling: Check the picture I just posted after this reply. You can see a triangular hole in the front of the kettle; it's symmetrical in the back. My plan was to cover the front holes to redirect the heat backward. This make sense? Think it'll work?

day_trippr: Bingo!

grathan: I mitered them so I wouldn't have "holes" from the open ends of the butt welds. Sure, I could just cap them, but I thought miters would look nicer.
 
doublehaul: We had a pretty brutal winter this year so I had to take a break from the build. But it's starting to warm up and my goal is to finish it up before the NHC in June.
 
Here's another quick shot of the top of the stand with one of the kettles in place:

tekCtux.jpg

I'm going to attempt this soon as a beginner welder. Do you need to weld the bottom and sides of all of the pieces or just the top like show in this photo?
 
These are awesome drawings. I am in the process of doing the same. What format are the drawings in? Solidworks? Is it possible to get the files so I don't have to reinvent the wheel and create all the pieces? You can email me at [email protected]
 
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