easy way to cut wide flange beam?

[AKwelder]

I have cut beams down to "T" shapes before, and want to warn you, if you set up a track or hand torch, and slice through the web it will warp the beam. I have seen it warp a 5 ft piece a whole inch. If you do use a torch, leave an inch of steel at both ends and in the middle and cut them last.

I don't quite get your plan, but i to have gone down a path mainly because i could use steel or something that i had on hand.

Good luck and keep us posted

 

[RickB]

Add me to those who think this is just a bad idea. But if you are worried about the amount of gas and O2 it would take to cut those beams with an oxy/acetylene torch, you have no clue how many sawzall blades or cutoff wheels it would take to get the job done. Not to mention the time it would take. I would use a torch in a heartbeat, and plasma cutter if available. No way would I use a handheld saw or cutoff.

Sounds like a good way to drop something very heavy on yourself when it is all done.

 

[Gary Fowler]

If cutting beams with a cutting torch, guaranteed it will be warped and wowed (warped= bent in a circular fashion, wowed= bent side to side) when finished. You will have the same forces working when you attempt to weld them all together so the joint is not going to be very straight even with a knowledgeable steel fabricator and will have to be hot worked to draw it back in a straight line. Assuming that you are a highly competent welder, it could be done, but cost wise I think you are going to find it untenable to do what you are planning. Cutting 1/4" steel with a zipwheel(1/16" thick grinder disc) will take a lot of wheels at $2 each for Dewalt. Harbor freight are about half that, but last about half as long so you are going to have lot invested in just abrasive wheels.
My advice is like most everyone elses here, get a single beam the length and weight that you need for your span and avoid the cost of grinding, welding and heat straightening the drop pieces which will likely cost you more than buying a new beam.
If you intend to go ahead with welding them together, I wouldnt split them to make tees due to the warping factor, weld them together and then buy one more beam to splice in to make your length and make sure you get a good 100% penetration weld at the joints by bevelling the edges. Double V bevel the web so you can weld from both sides and single V bevel the top and bottom flange of the beam so you can get full penetration welds and weld it all from the top of the flange (flip it to weld the bottom) You would need to keep all welds equal during the welding so you will be doing a lot of flipping in order to weld everything in flat position.

 

[Craig Clayton]

Friends of mine have a family owned house moving business. Several years ago they bid on a contract to haul new double ended streetcars from the factory to a major city. The run was about 300 plus miles.

They built a custom trailer about 80' plus feet long.
They bought 2 steel beams about 14"wide by 24" tall and 100' long.
They cut them length wise with a motorised OX ACT torch.
The 2 beams both crowned when they were cut.
They arranged them with the crowns up.
They had them welded with some big rods. 7018
The beams were lapped to make a 14"wide by 12" tall beam
I learned a trick
The hired welders laid some welding rods in the fillet and welded over them. The current was high

I rode that trailer with the load on the only trip of the contract. It humped and bucked the Mack truck for the entire trip, it took just under 10 hours. that means we had an average speed of 30 MPH.

The point of the story is that the beams crowned when they were cut.

Craig Clayton

 

[rjmack]

The point of the story is that the beams crowned when they were cut.

you can prevent that if you know what you are doing and you are determined to keep them straight... but that still doesn't make this a good idea.

this might be a better idea, but then you need concrete, but if you just want to do some fabricating with steel, it's pretty cheap to build and if you omit the hoist and casters (as i did for twenty years) then you don't need the 1/2x4 flatbar on the bottom either, and it will slide around fairly easy on the ground/gravel etc.. just not when it is loaded. break it down and throw it in the back of a pickup to go grab something heavy. or you could build some forks and a couple of jibs to carry around stuff you use to carry stuff around with.

 

[LD1]

By the way, the roof trusses may or may not be able to handle the load you are planning on lifting and moving.

Get an uncut beam and do it right. Be safe.

Agreed. Excellent point on the trusses.

however, i agree that it is a bad idea.

for starters, wide flange is not used for trolleys, I beam (eye beam) is, it has narrower/beefier flanges.

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.

, but there is no way I would do what your talking about. Too many variables, too much work and not enough return on your investment, including time.

Agreed

Add me to those who think this is just a bad idea.

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:

 

[Shield Arc]

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.

 

[MF RED in MT]

so your going to take all these lil 2-5 foot sections cut them down the middle...making 2 tee's....and weld them back into one 24 foot long STRAIGHT beam? good luck.... and by the way lil cuts like that dont use hardly any oxy/act at all.... but if ur not good on a torch ur going to use grinding disks....so maybe go with "zip" disks and cut it with the grinder

Yes, 2 WF beams are 2ft long and 3 WF beams are 5ft long. Just got the 3rd free 5ft WF beam today, :thumbsup:.
I have welded thin (18ga.) to thick (1 1/2") metals for over 45 years and have learned the skills to perform preparing, welding, and grinding on these metals with a finished product as a end goal. Also, I am very good with a cutting torch, just have a lot more time on my side to complete my projects, . I will start using the sawszall because I have cut through a lot of 1/4" material angle/flatbar/etc.. using it. The trick is to use control of the variable speed and not to burn up or cook the good quality metal blades that I have, :thumbsup:. Thanks for the comment, KC

 

[Shield Arc]

I will start using the sawszall because I have cut through a lot of 1/4" material angle/flatbar/etc.. using it. The trick is to use control of the variable speed and not to burn up or cook the good quality metal blades that I have

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.

 

[MF RED in MT]

I know you're trying to save a buck; but how do you intend to hang the tee since there won't be a flange to connect to the trusses, which is what I'm guessing you have in mind.

By the way, the roof trusses may or may not be able to handle the load you are planning on lifting and moving.

Get an uncut beam and do it right. Be safe.

I am sure some of you have laid a 4x4 across two trusses and hung an elk or deer from it? I do not know the loads, but my trusses hold up very good, :thumbsup:.
This rail is going perpendicular to the trusses, and I am planning on welding about a 3" piece of 2x2x1/4" angle about 1/4" to 1/2" above the tee section. These angle pieces will make contact at the bottom of each truss (and will alternate on both sides of the tee rail) and I will have a 1/2" threaded rod going through the angle and up along side of each truss. On top of the trusses, I am laying a 4x4 rough lumber (I have plenty of) the length of the tee rail plus I will extend the lumber pass to the next truss on both ends of the tee tail. The 1/2" threaded rod will pass through a hole drilled in the center of the 4x4 lumber and then have a 2x2x1/4" flatbar washer with a hex head nylock nut, :confused2:. I hope this make some common sense to all of you and that I have explained it so you can visualize it, :thumbsup:. Thank you everyone for your post, KC