Budweiser John
Platinum Member
I've been in the trim carpentry/building game (retired) and lumber span tables were the bible used to select lumber sizes for a particular load or span, such as floor joists.
Now having the retirement time to fabricate some labor saving goodies out of steel for storage or perhaps a boom lift for the FEL
I'm at a loss, other than gut feelings on how much (steel) and in what shapes, channel, sq. tub, angle, or pipe will support, carry or span. Yes, this the domain of the pet agreed engineering community but are there any rules of thumb or tables anywhere that would suggest for example, that a 2X2x1/4 sq. tube 6' long will support more weight evenly distributed than say a 3" channel of the same length.
I'm hoping members get the drift of my question. At this stage in the life time adventure, I'm not interested in a structural engineering degree but as a reasonably good barn yard welder with a head full of project ideas a little grass root TBN guidance is a beautiful thing.
Now having the retirement time to fabricate some labor saving goodies out of steel for storage or perhaps a boom lift for the FEL
I'm at a loss, other than gut feelings on how much (steel) and in what shapes, channel, sq. tub, angle, or pipe will support, carry or span. Yes, this the domain of the pet agreed engineering community but are there any rules of thumb or tables anywhere that would suggest for example, that a 2X2x1/4 sq. tube 6' long will support more weight evenly distributed than say a 3" channel of the same length.
I'm hoping members get the drift of my question. At this stage in the life time adventure, I'm not interested in a structural engineering degree but as a reasonably good barn yard welder with a head full of project ideas a little grass root TBN guidance is a beautiful thing.