Steel Tubing for single tier stands...

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Anthony_Lopez

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I found a great deal on some steel tubing, however I wasn't sure if 16 gauge steel would be strong enough for a brew stand. I'm assuming its not, however I thought I'd ask anyhow... The other issue is that its only 1"x1" box tubing, which seems like it would be too small...
 
FWIW, I used 2"x2" 16 ga tubing on my single tier, and I think it was WAY overkill. Once it was welded up, I could stand on it, jump up and down, and do whatever I wanted and it wouldn't budge a bit. This was the same standing on the individual kettle support bars along the top too, not just distributing my weight evenly across the whole thing. I'm about 195 lbs, and it just laughed at me. I'm no expert, and I'm sure others will chime in, but I would have no qualms at all about using 1"x1" 16 ga to build another one.
 
Quick rough number. Say you build your single level stand as 3 side by side 2 foot square cells, with vertical supports at the corner of each cell. With the 1X1 16 ga steel tube, with Dustin_J (195 lb) standing in the middle of a tube, it will sag less than 1/16 inch. Beefy enough? I would say so.
 
Quick rough number. Say you build your single level stand as 3 side by side 2 foot square cells, with vertical supports at the corner of each cell. With the 1X1 16 ga steel tube, with Dustin_J (195 lb) standing in the middle of a tube, it will sag less than 1/16 inch. Beefy enough? I would say so.

YUP.
I have what amounts to a burner stand made of 1/2" 16 ga as you've described, 18" x 18" uprights at the corners, expanded steel in the middle....it holds my 300+ pound ass off the ground.
 
There is no doubt that it is heavy enough. I do fabrication for a living and it is what I'm building my structure from this weekend. My trucks have racks made of 1 x 1 x 10 guage and I've had 2000# on them. Welded together, No doubt!
 
Jeez, at that price I'd order extra and build other random stuff as well. Cages for the kids, new bedroom furniture for the dogs, maybe even somethin' special for the missus.
 
I emailed him... No response yet. I did talk to my machinist about the 16 gauge tubing, and he told me it would probably not be a good application for it... Granted, we build everything here OVERKILL, but he suggested that I go with atleast 1/8" box tubing thickness.
 
Your 16 gauge is only .0625" wall thickness, rather thin.
The above post with 1" x 1" x 10 gauge well heck that's .140"
wall thickness, better be strong at that thickness.

Be different and build it all out of tubing with slotted tube ends and gussets
at the intersecting corners.
Better yet fishmouth all tubing joints, that would look clean, light, strong and slick looking.
Sorry I have to laugh everytime I see those stands made to hold up a Gray Hound bus. All that money spent on materials instead of into brewing equipment.
JMO's not to flame anyone.
 
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