Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding

   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #1  

Dadnatron

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My wife asked me whether I could make her a portable saddle rack which she could move in and out of her Tahoe. She showed me a wooden one, which I could make in an hour, but I'd get no satisfaction in doing. I thought about a different idea of making it contoured similar to the topline of her horse (which would also preserve the tree of the saddle to a greater degree). But, when I began thinking about building it out of wood, I realized it would get pretty heavy quickly, thereby negating the 'mobility' of it.

So, I began thinking about making it out of aluminum. I think if I mainly used 1 1/2" tubing for the topline and main vertical supports, it would be strong enough. And if I used smaller tubing to add to the overall shape of the topline, filling out the 'shape of a horse's upper back and withers' it would work well. But I've never worked with aluminum in any fabricating way.

The bends/curves wouldn't need to be small radius for the most part, although the front and back would have a tighter curve at around 180. Most would be 10-30 curves with big radii.

I've also never attempted to weld aluminum. I have an Everlast 251si MTS but it does not have AC Tig. I don't have a spoolgun so I suspect I would have to either rent an AC TIG machine or buy a spoolgun. My preference would be TIG I think, as I don't know whether I'd ever use the spoolgun for much. What are your thoughts on the best and 'EASIEST' way to weld aluminum for a beginner?
 
   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #2  
I'm curious to see the responses here. I make a lot of stuff from aluminum, but I've always had to go with bolted or pop riveted connections.
 
   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #3  
As a hobby I have welded aluminum on many small projects, TIG with a Lincoln Precision 225 and a with a 30A Spoolgun on a Miller 212. By far the spoolgun is the easiest for me. I find that the TIG makes a stronger weld, but for me much more difficult to perfect. Usually about the time I am finishing the project, I'm getting good with the TIG, lol, then I don't TIG for a month or so. Good luck. Hopefully more experienced welders will chime in.
 
   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #4  
For a one time only project, it might be best to draw up your project. And take the drawing to a fab shop. For a bid on the price for them to build.
I can't say I've ever bent aluminum tube. Hole saws work great for notching the aluminum tube.
 

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   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #5  
It might help eliminate kinking if the aluminum tubeing is filled with sand.

As mentioned some shapes may require a jig to bend properly. Experienced folks could probably get by with a tubing bender but it is much harder than it looks to be.
 
   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #6  
It might help eliminate kinking if the aluminum tubeing is filled with sand.

As mentioned some shapes may require a jig to bend properly. Experienced folks could probably get by with a tubing bender but it is much harder than it looks to be.

Yes, fill with sand, or with water, and freeze. Note that some types of aluminum don't bend well.
 
   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #7  
You'll need some heat and an iron worker to properly bend 1.5" tube. You can cut all of the tubes and take them to a fab shop to be bent. There is however no easy way for a beginner to weld aluminum. Thin wall steel or stainless would be nearly as light and easier for a beginner to weld.
 
   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #8  
Aluminum comes in different tempers from dead soft to very hard (T1---T6) and also many alloys.
Soft bends easily an also welds well.
Some is so hard and brittle that it will simply snap.
 
   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #9  
You can buy mandrel bends and weld them to straight lengths easier than bending aluminum tubing, assuming you don稚 have the proper equipment.

It’s pretty easy to teach someone to lay down a MIG bead on steel but with aluminum I think its easier with a TIG, HF AC.

Notching can be done with a hole saw, drill press and vise but there are also cheap fixtures the prevent risk to your spindle if you have one of the more common, less robust drill presses.

If you want a light weight, fold up type setup, I would suggest some EMT and a conduit bender, maybe some cap plugs for the feet and call it a day.
 
   / Bending Aluminum tubing, notching, and welding #10  
I've never seen a saddle rack up close but would it work to have an aluminum or thin steel sheet slip rolled in to a bend to kind of match the horses back? You might be able to build the supporting frame without so many bends.
 
 
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