Preparation

Introduction

In this post I will cover how I prepare for construction of a large DIY project. A large build can be a daunting task, but if you take the right steps and honestly assess your current situation, you can make the best choices.

Preparation is the mother of success! I will take you through my preparations and list a few things you need to consider if you have never tackled a project like this. Whether it is a gantry crane or another build you are considering, these steps can help you succeed.

If you have not read the previous and supporting posts in this series, please take a moment to do so.
DIY Gantry Crane – Design
DIY Gantry Crane – Height Adjustment
Finding The Right Beam For Your Project
3D Printed Plasma Cutting Guide

Finalize Your Design

If you don’t have a CAD program or don’t want to take the time to learn how to use one, at least take the time to prepare a detailed scale drawing of your design. You need to look at both how the outside dimensions work as well as internal dimensions of your parts. Make sure all of your strength calculations are correct (don’t skip this step). If you don’t feel comfortable doing those calculations, find a qualified person who can. Serious bodily injury can result from skipping this step. And be sure to reference codes and best practices for any build.

Once everything is prepared and the numbers look good, start writing down your components, including the size, shape, and length. I like to use an Excel spreadsheet to track my materials for the job. On one sheet, I list the components, type of material, length, and how many I need. Then I have another sheet where I do my cut schedule. A cut schedule is critical for reducing waste (saving money!!!). You’ll need to know which cuts and how many you can fit on a piece of metal. Don’t forget to account for the thickness of the cutting blade you are using. That is material you don’t get to keep. This will tell you how many pieces you need. Don’t skip this step! It will cost you big time!

Ordering Steel

Ordering steel from a local steel supplier is your way to go for a large project like this. An online steel supplier will not only cost you more for your steel, but the shipping on it is ridiculous! However, if you have never ordered from a steel supplier, there are a few things you should know.

The first are the lengths of material they provide. For example, square tubing comes in twenty or twenty-four foot sticks, which is a little more than your average pickup truck can carry. The good news, if you are ordering material for a large build, many steel suppliers will deliver for free if it is over either a certain weight or dollar amount. My steel supplier gives me free delivery if it is over 100 pounds. The gantry crane order (plus some pieces for other small projects) was around 1500 lbs.

Get to know your steel supplier and don’t be afraid to visit their warehouse to see their stockpile or services they provide. Many supplier will cut the pieces for you if you don’t have the means to cut it yourself. Just bear in mind that if you only need a little bit of a piece, you may still be buying the whole piece plus paying for the cut. Talk to your supplier about their services and start getting quotes on your material early. This may make you adjust your design to save money.

Material Handling

You need to start thinking about how you are going to accomplish the build even before you place your first order. Steel is heavy. If your supplier is delivering, how are you going to get it off the truck? That is your responsibility. I use my tractor, but many tractors won’t lift 1500 lbs at the height of a semi bed. I specified with my supplier that the order could have a bundle weight of no more than 750 lbs. Meaning that the material they strapped together could not weigh more than this amount. This is information that they love to have because it saves them time and money during deliveries.

Once you’ve unloaded your material, how are you going to move it around your shop? Getting the material from the delivery truck to your bandsaw can be the most difficult few feet of your life, especially if you are a one-man show like me. Roller stands and dollies are essential to move heavy things around your shop. Don’t forget you have to lift it too!

Where are you going to store the material while it’s waiting to be cut to size? Even with a bandsaw, cutting 4×4 steel tubing can take 5+ minutes per cut, not to mention moving it into position, making sure everything is square, and don’t forget to measure twice! Storing it outside is possible, but make sure it is covered.

Cutting

How are you going to cut the steel? If you think you’re going to do it with a hacksaw, call me in 100 years and let me know how its going. You need a bandsaw with a quality blade, to make good cuts. It doesn’t have to be an expensive bandsaw. My cheap Harbor Freight bandsaw works just fine, with the exception that it can’t cut miters on large tubing. Angle grinders with cutoff wheels will work, but its a miserable way to go for a lot of cutting. A plasma cutter is also a great way to cut, if you have access to one, but you’ll have to clean the edges a little.

If you have a bandsaw, keep in mind that the cutting surface is a few feet off the ground. You’ll need a way to support the material while you are cutting. Sometimes on both sides of the saw. Roller stands are the way to go, but you can use other means as long as you keep the material supported and level with the saw. And do use a level if you want straight cuts! Don’t use L.A.R. (Looks About Right)!

Drilling

This is an area where I have some major preferences and will spend money to get my way. I hate drilling holes in metal, especially thick metal. However, if you work with metal on a regular basis, this is unavoidable.

My particular dislike in this field comes from using a portable hand drill to drill holes. I can’t stand doing that. So I’ve invested in drill presses over the years. I have a 10 inch Craftsman bench top drill press that I’ve had for over twenty years and its still humming along when I need it. I also recently purchased a Bauer 17 inch floor drill press for bigger items.

For this job, I did purchase one more drilling tool. A magnetic drill. This drill has an electromagnet in the base that can be turned on to make it stick to the metal. Then you can drill your hole on any piece of metal. This is especially useful when drilling several holes on your telescoping shaft for the retaining pin. When a part is too cumbersome to fit in a drill press, it is handy to take the drill press to it. I bought the cheapest one I could find with adjustable RPM, which is the Vevor. I’ll be doing a product review on this in the coming weeks. I have seen some Youtube videos where people have mentioned being able to rent a mag drill, but I haven’t looked into it.

Welding

This one deserves its own heading. After you cut all of your pieces, it is time to assemble them in a manner that resembles a gantry crane ( or whatever other project your are doing). To do that, you are going to have to weld at some point. Sure, you can make your design where it is completely bolted together, but that will present some strength and clearance issues at some point.

The Right Equipment

A competent welder can weld almost any mild steel with any welder. But not all of us are competent welders. Most of us are hobby welders that get tickled to death when we put down a decent bead. When you are welding thicker materials, you should really have a 220 volt machine. You can manage with a lower power machine, using beveling and several passes, but you need to be spot on to get the weld to penetrate the base material.

I use a Vulcan (Harbor Freight) Omnipro 220, which is a multi-process welder. I use a 0.035 welding wire, which helps carry more energy in the welds. I have found this welder to be quite capable and also not draw too much power from the wall (about 22 amps max). Obviously, you don’t need to have the same welder as me, but do check the specs on your welder and make sure it is capable of welding the thickness of the material you plan to use.

The Right Skills

This is a time to be honest with yourself. Do you have to right skills to weld a project like this? Any type of heavy lift equipment is dangerous when it is perfectly designed and assembled. It is a deathtrap when it is done haphazardly. Even if you feel confident, practice a little with scrap similar in size to what you are going to weld to knock the rust off, and get your settings right. Practice in awkward positions and different angles too, because you are bound to find yourself in these positions.

If you don’t feel like you have the skills, do the right thing and find a qualified welder to weld this project for you. It’s easy to say, “I can weld it!” It is hard to say, “I can’t weld that. I need help.” Just keep in mind that a project like this has more on the line than your ego. Anyone near it can be seriously hurt or worse, if a component fails.

I have been a hobby welder since I was a teenager, so I’ve done quite a few welds. However, I don’t have the artistic side of things to make my welds look like pieces of art. Instead, I concentrate on my prep work for the weld and try to make the strongest weld possible, even if it doesn’t inspire others visually.

Work Space

I don’t have a YouTube quality studio for my workspace. You’ll see in my photos that my shop has plenty of clutter from the five or six projects I’m working on at any given time. Many of you will be no different. Then you throw in the fact that your work space often doubles as a storage unit, and you have a crowded workspace. You also have to account for the floor space your tools take up, as well as the space needed to feed those tools. I’m looking at you Mr. Bandsaw.

Movable Equipment

If you don’t have much space, or even if you do, it benefits you to put tools on movable dollies. That way you can move your tools that you don’t need in the moment, out of the way. Of course tools like a lathe or milling machine need to stay stationary and leveled, but other tools like bandsaws, drill presses, bench grinders, and welders can all be moved around your shop.

Is Just Enough, Good Enough?

Sometimes you only have to create just enough space to get that portion of the project done. That is okay. However, the exception to this is if you are welding outside of your normal welding area. Welding sparks can travel quite a ways and will set things on fire.

I set three paper towels on fire during the gantry crane build because I didn’t get them far enough away after wiping down my parts. Most of my welds were done outside of my normal welding area, so my routine was different and not up to par. Be extra careful about welding and grinding sparks when it comes to space requirements. Other than that, as long as you can work in your space comfortably, just enough space is good enough.

Don’t Rush

If you follow the steps and guidance in this post, you will likely progress through your project with relative ease. But don’t rush things. One mistake in measuring or cutting can tank a project or at least cost a small fortune to fix it. Even after you have all your pieces cut, measure everything again before you weld. Then check alignment after you tack it in place.

If you do mess up, or something is not coming together like you envisioned it, don’t panic. Take a step back, put on your engineering hat (or Pretend Engineering hat), and figure out how to solve the problem. I had a problem that took me two days of thinking and another two days of sourcing parts to fix it. But it’s fixed. You can fix your problems too!

Thank You

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