Single Tier Brew Stand Tubing Thickness Question

[cubalz]

I called my local steel guy looking for pricing on 2" mild steel box tube for my upcoming single tier brew stand and he asked what thickness I wanted. Said that I could order 3/16", 1/4" or 1/8". Honestly, my buddy is welding this up and I have no clue what thickness steel I should use. 1/4" is by far the cheapest and I think that should provide enough strength but I want this to be safe and not weigh a ton.....

Can someone provide me some guidance?

Thanks!
John

 

[northcal]

If 1/4" is really the cheapest, I'd go for that, it's stronger. Usually the thinner stuff is cheapest though.

I used 3/16 since it was in the middle strength vs. price.

 

[cubalz]

Shoot, I am sorry. I meant to say 1/8" not 1/4".

Is 1/8" ok to use?

 

[30Bones]

1/8" is plenty, anything else is a waste of money. 1/8" is what most sanctioning body's require for roll cages in race cars, so you will be fine. I am using ~0.095" wall in 2" size, mainly due to price. I prefer to weld on 1/8" or thicker, but this will be plenty thick

 

[Bobby_M]

At 1/8", I'd be looking at 1.5" square tubing. There's no reason these thing need to be built like the frame of a Mack truck.

 

[Dog House Brew]

I'm making a frame for a friend that is 1 1/2" x 12 gauge. It is more than heavy enough. I tried to get him to go 14 or 16 gauge, but he wanted Mack truck. When it is sq tubing, it is so strong at 16 gauge. If I where making myself one, I would consider 1" x 1" x 1/8". I want it as easy to move as possible. Too heavy = no good IMO.

 

[cw_racefan]

I'm in the final stages of building my single tier and used 1 1/2" 1/8 thick square tubing. To me it feels like overkill, could have probably used .065 thick and been fine.

 

[homebrew57]

1/8" wall thickness is MORE than enough. Go with that, it won't be too heavy, especially if you put casters on it. I have built industrial sized machinery out of 1/8" wall. Those machines do a heck of a lot more than your brew stand will. If you can go thinner, go thinner.

 

[day_trippr]

I did my single tier with 14ga (0.083" wall) 1-1/2" square tubing - and did all the welding myself, even though my only credentials were acquired via the Youtube School Of Welding More than strong enough but I could still pick the whole thing up without blowing a disc.

If I was an experienced welder I could have dropped down to 16ga and I'm sure that would still have been plenty strong enough, but I wanted that little extra wall thickness to avoid rookie blowouts...

Cheers!

 

[Ariando]

Great info. I am surprised no pics.

A gun without bullets is just an expensive rock. A gun and bullets without training are not much better.

 

[day_trippr]

Didn't want to poach on someone else's thread, but I reckon one pic won't bunch anyone's panties

Assembled but unpainted (it's VHT 2K Red now). Will be going to 20g pots and a bigger MLT this Spring.
The pumps retract, the plate chiller pivots 90°, and everything else is inside the outer perimeter so it can be laid on either side in my Durango...

Cheers!

 

[Cardog]

Whether you use 2" or 1 1/2" 16ga (.065) is plenty thick for any brew stand.

Now consider a few things here...... most brew stands are about 60" long, if you use 16ga. then you would need a center support. If you were not going to put a center support then you definitely want to go a thicker wall. If you did use 16ga. and had a 60" span with no support (in the middle) then you have some deflection. Another thing to consider is if you plan on threading holes with a tap in the frame then you would need a thicker wall as well.

Bottom line is if the build is structured properly then 1 1/2" 16ga. is perfectly fine. If you want to feel good about it then I wouldn't go more than 11ga with 2"
and 1/8" with 1 1/2". Anything more then that is simply throwing money away.

 

[dcbc]

1/8" is plenty, anything else is a waste of money. 1/8" is what most sanctioning body's require for roll cages in race cars, so you will be fine. I am using ~0.095" wall in 2" size, mainly due to price. I prefer to weld on 1/8" or thicker, but this will be plenty thick

I have a 2" box steel 1/8" thick and it is a beast. It is plenty for my puny 20 gallon kettles and, I estimate, it could hold 4x as much. It is a heavy sonuvagun (from my experience lifting it out of the truck and screaming like a girl while I did). The stand is 74" wide x 24" deep. I have a pair of thinner, steel, vertical supports (front and rear) at 1/3 intervals as well as a couple of 3 horizontal supports (mostly for mounting pumps and chillers). Several years of use without any structural problems.

 

[cubalz]

Great! 1/8" it is. Thanks everyone for your help. Will post pics as it comes together.

 

[JDGator]

1/8" steel, good welds and penetration, bevel your ends that are getting welded and your laughing. Don't grind down the welds too much either. you can always fish plated all the corners to make sure your corners are good and strong.

 

[30Bones]

1/8" steel, good welds and penetration, bevel your ends that are getting welded and your laughing. Don't grind down the welds too much either. you can always fish plated all the corners to make sure your corners are good and strong.

IMO grind the welds you will see smooth for looks. It's hard not to get enough penetration on mild steel. Plating corners is overkill on something like this. I like fabbing, but I am not over thinking this project.