How to build brew stand

I cant weld. What is the best way/material to use to make a sturdy brew stand that would be no-weld. I was thinking unistrut or something like that. I would like to avoid wood if possible.

Thanks.

Hello, I was in the same boat as you. Check out my stand, it's not done yet but it's coming along. It's a erector set type, no welding. I modeled it under the wallis type stand. hope this helps I will update my stand as it is being built.

I'm using slotted angle iron. Very easy to cut and can be bolted together. If you do a search on HomeBrewTalk for weldless brewrig, you should find a thread with some pics of one. That is where I got the idea. Super easy and cheap.

I am building mine out of old bed frames get a colbalt drill bit and 1/4 inch x 1/2 bolts and lock nuts, its really pretty strong and later if I decide to make mods to it I just unbolt. I have 3 kegs and getting a couple pumps heres mine so far

I bolted mine together too:

Dougie63 said:

I am building mine out of old bed frames get a colbalt drill bit and 1/4 inch x 1/2 bolts and lock nuts, its really pretty strong and later if I decide to make mods to it I just unbolt. I have 3 kegs and getting a couple pumps heres mine so far

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Did you just cut the frame with an angle grinder? I just bought my first angle grinder. Any tips for safely cutting the frame?

Angle grinders are for grinding, not cutting. With that out of the way, Ive used mine to cut. Just make sure you are wearing eye protection! Practice cutting on some spare scrap so you get the idea of how to use it. Also, when you are doing this, you will creat a TON of heat so dont go touching the metal for a few mins after

drewmedic23 said:

Angle grinders are for grinding, not cutting. With that out of the way, Ive used mine to cut. Just make sure you are wearing eye protection! Practice cutting on some spare scrap so you get the idea of how to use it. Also, when you are doing this, you will creat a TON of heat so dont go touching the metal for a few mins after

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Then why do they manufacture and sell abrasive wheels specifically labeled and sized as cut-off wheels for angle grinders?

I work at a metal fab company and we use angle grinders to cut/trim ALL THE TIME!

My angle grinder is my tool of choice for most of my (small) metal fab jobs. Hearing and eye protection and a pair of gloves and you'll be just fine. Cut off wheels are for cutting - grinding wheels are for grinding. Just make sure to un-plug the thing when you change wheels. I'd done this with the thing plugged in about 300 times until I just about took the tip of my finger off this past summer.

Huaco said:

Then why do they manufacture and sell abrasive wheels specifically labeled and sized as cut-off wheels for angle grinders?

I work at a metal fab company and we use angle grinders to cut/trim ALL THE TIME!

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I guess the wheel I have is only for grinding then because it says all over it, for grinding only.
Thanks for putting me in my place.

drewmedic23 said:

I guess the wheel I have is only for grinding then because it says all over it, for grinding only.
Thanks for putting me in my place.

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Ahh... yes, Grinding STONES should not be used to cut.

There are special wheels for cutting. They are very thin compared to grinding wheels and you work with only the edge of the wheel whereas with a stone you are using the flat surface or the very outside portion of it anyway...

Wasn't trying to put you down or anything...

You could easily cut that with a jig saw also.

SaevaVeritas said:

Did you just cut the frame with an angle grinder? I just bought my first angle grinder. Any tips for safely cutting the frame?

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yeah, just cut all with a metal cut off wheel with an 4 1/2" angle grinder just wear some eye protection

I thought that I would share the finished product, thanks for all your help

I would recommend using strut. There are hundred of connectors to suit just about any application you have.

I am using Unistrut to build a two-tier system. The strut channels were purchased from Home Depot for less than $20 per 10 ft channel. There are other places to go that you might get it cheaper, but there are some places that are charging $60 or more for the same length of channel. It is also sold at Lowes for about the same price.

I also purchased my connectors and other hardware at StrutChannel Fittings here. They have good prices. I got this piece of information from another thread on using strut for their build, here. Look through the thread and you will get an idea of what can be done with unistrut.

I believe that you can use an angle grinder with a cut-off wheel to cut the strut. Some have used a chop saw with a cut-off wheel. I have also seen cut-off wheels for circular saws. And if you are really desperate, you can always use a hack saw. I used a Sawzall with a metal blade.

Once it is cut, assembly is quite easy. I hope that you find this helpful.

Mark