Weldless brew-stand help.

[jmorter1]

Hey guys,

I've been browsing the forums and got a little overwhelmed trying to find answers to specific questions. Im looking for any advice on building my first stand. I don't have any fabricating tools or power tools for that matter so I was thinking of either having all the wood cut to size at Home depot, then assembling, or going the metal route with angle iron that I can bolt together. I have saved a bunched of images for reference. What is the simplest and most wallet friendly option? What materials would you/ have you used? Where did you buy it?I may end up buying to some of the required tools along way so if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear em. Couldn't hurt to outfit my garage a little along the way. I think a 3 tier gravity is my best option. I'm looking to spend around $600-800 on this plus another $900-1200 on other equipment upgrades.
Thanks!

Here is what I am thinking but a metal option:

 

[HD3]

You might want to consider either talking to a welding shop and seeing what they can do for you, or potentially even consider buying a welder from HF and some material and giving it a shot yourself. Buying the $100 welder with roughly $100-200 in material will put you way under your budget. Since you are going gravity, you could even build each tier separate and they could fit into one another when you are done. The options are endless!

Wood is a good option if you would like to go that route. Also, there are a few threads on uni-strut stands. Seems like the average cost for the stand alone (no burners, etc.) is $200-400.

I really think it is personal preference. Cheers!

 

[Takuie]

There is also 80/20 t slot extruded aluminum. A little pricey, but it's like an erector set for grown ups

 

[humblehops500]

Greetings: if you're looking to spend that much money on a gravity rig, why not build a simple single level set-up, should be a lot cheaper and simpler, and with leftover $, buy a pump to move the liquid around. I use gravity myself, but its piecemealed together with tables and cement blocks. El cheapo but it works. I would do the pump version but later on as my budget allows.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

If ya' plan on using the stuff pictured up top, be advised, that every corner will need a brace or a "gusset", for stability.

As pictured above, that structure will "rack" on you very easily under a load, where someone might get burned or hurt.

 

[jmorter1]

So that 8020 stuff looks perfect! After more research I came a across misumi, which seems to offer the same type product and i think they even cut the material for free. Both the 8020 and misumi websites are so overwhelming with parts and components I have no idea where to begin my shopping list. Any recommendations on a parts list or where to see some sample plans?

 

[marshallbeer]

I used unistrut and I really like how it cam out. There are a few threads on here that talk about them.

 

[poconobrewer]

There is a you tube video of a guy that built a gravity stand out of old bed frames that you can pretty much find for free or very cheap. He had help from a friend that welded for him, but you could easily go the $100 welder route and do it yourself.

Here is a link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MDQLQ1EMLY

I will be going a route similar to this just as soon as I can clear some room in my garage to work.

Cheers!