easy way to cut wide flange beam?

[dstig1]

MF Red ... sir - if you have 45 years of welding experience, why the heck are you asking how to do this here? The number of people indicating it is a bad idea should be an indication that it IS a bad idea...but with 45 yrs of welding experience you already know that....

 

[MF RED in MT]

Agreed. Excellent point on the trusses.



Agreed on the bad Idea part, but wide flange beams are ok for trolleys as long as the flanges arent extremely far away from the web. I actually prefer them because the top of the flanges are flat instead of sloped. The beams he has only have a 4" flanges that are over 1/4" thick. So they would be just fine for a trolley IMO.



Agreed



Add me to the growing list of those that think it is a bad Idea as well.

OP: I dont know your intentions on how you plan on suspending the Tee beam when done, or what you plan on lifting, But cutting that beam in half is not a good Idea. I-beams get their strength from their flanges. And removing one of them as well as half of the web:confused2: That thing is going to be like a wet noodle up there with a load on it.

Why not just get a 24' length of appropriately sized beam and call it a day. Something along the lines of a W6x9 I beam @ 24' would only weigh 216lbs, and shouldnt cost more than ~$200 from a steel supplier. So is it really worth trying to save that little and having to spend a whole day cutting/welding beams + the cost of consumables to do so??? Save them short peices for another project:thumbsup:

I am retired and the longer my projects take means the lest honey doooos I have to do, :laughing:. Thanks for the post, KC

 

[MF RED in MT]

I ripped a 12" x 31.8 # S-Shape for the trolley to run on for my crane, I skip welded (6 on 12) it to a 12" x 87 # WF, for a 24 feet span. I used a tractor torch to rip the S-Shape.

Very nice job!!... But that is a little over kill for an elk/deer, :laughing:. Thanks for the post, KC

 

[MF RED in MT]

If you can get someone to spray some kind of lube in front of you it would be a big help. Once I had to cut an 8-feet dia circle in 3/4 aluminum plate with a router, had a helper spraying in front of me the whole time.

I usually do not use any lube or water when sawszalling, just good control of the variable speed so I do not burn up the metal blade, . I do use a product called "west lube" for drilling larger holes and using hole saws, works great. Any time you can keep the heat low, your tools will last longer, :thumbsup:. Thanks for the post, KC

 

[MF RED in MT]

MF Red ... sir - if you have 45 years of welding experience, why the heck are you asking how to do this here? The number of people indicating it is a bad idea should be an indication that it IS a bad idea...but with 45 yrs of welding experience you already know that....

I am always willing to listen and learn, everyone has some good ideas, :confused2:. Most may not agree, but I have lots of time on my hand, :thumbsup:. B.T.W. I only ask for your/others thoughts on this, . Sorry if I hit a hot spot for some. Thanks for the post, KC

 

[rjmack]

nice job on the replies.:thumbsup::laughing:

i've got a feeling it's going to work out just fine.:laughing:

 

[mjncad]

MF Red:

Good luck on this, and I hope nothing bad happens to you with this Red Green rig.

 

[Shield Arc]

Very nice job!!... But that is a little over kill for an elk/deer, :laughing:. Thanks for the post, KC

You might be surprised! That crane is only engineered for one ton. The rails are the weak spot between the post. The center of the span beam is the strongest point. Things like this happen when you use scrap material.

There are a lot of factors in building and working with cranes, spans, and radius can bite you if you are not careful!

 

[LD1]

I can envision perfectally well what you are planning on doing, and I still think it is a bad idea.

The beam (even cut) will probabally handle anything your trusses can assuming they are only 4' or less appart. If they are 8'OC, then the beam bay sag with a load in the middle.

But either way, I dont like suspending a steel beam from wooden trusses for use of a trolley. Too heavy of a load and you can bring the whole building down on yourself. Just be mindful that the load capacity isnt foing to be much at all.

If it were mine, I'd do it right. $200-$300 would buy a beam pleanty strong enough to span the entire distance and still be able to lift over a ton. And use your short sections welded together for the colums:thumbsup:

just my :2cents: though

 

[SpringHollow]

I trust my welds.

That was not meant as a comment on your welding skills, just mine.

I believe your post mentioned a 1 ton chain fall. For a few hundred pounds on a track supported every couple of feet, many concerns go away. My rolling bridge crane uses wide beams with HF trolleys and it works extremely well. When I was designing it, I figured I would use it once a month. But I find that I use it constantly.

You might consider a lube like boelube or even paraffin. Both are available as solids so you could run a line of lube before you start cutting. I use paraffin on my horizontal band saw when cutting thin wall tubings and it works reasonably well. It certainly makes a big difference. There is no reason not to help the blade out if it is easy and not messy.

Ken