how to weld conduit (emt) ?

• Jan 22, 2006

• #1

billy673

Senior Member

gettin' ready to build some shootin' houses & instead of paying the price or building 'em outa wood i thought i'd look into building 'em out of metal electrical conduit tubing. (like all the ones you see for sale) what kinda weld do they use to do this? thanks

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #2

T

Timbo

Member

Do you have a mig welder?

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #3

Bigtimber

Senior Member

Set of torches and some prefluxed brazing rods ( brass with the white coating).....works for me.

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #4

billy673

Senior Member

Timbo said:

Do you have a mig welder?

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no, but is that how they do it? mig?

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #5

T

Timbo

Member

It can be done yes.

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #6

Burl E.

Senior Member

Heating emt will weaken it. If it is going to be a stand you do not move very much, I would use some IMC or ridgid conduit. I have made about 30 of these type stands. The EMT were junk after the first year.

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #7

T

Timbo

Member

Burl,thanks for the tip.you are right.


Billy,have you ever thought of using scaffold stands.We use them at our club and very easy to make a fine stand house.

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #8

Bigtimber

Senior Member

All the tomcat stree stands were made form brazing emt together. Had one for many years....no problems....had ladder stands made of emt for years I brazed together...no problems.

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #9

billy673

Senior Member

Burl E. said:

Heating emt will weaken it. If it is going to be a stand you do not move very much, I would use some IMC or ridgid conduit. I have made about 30 of these type stands. The EMT were junk after the first year.

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what do they use on most of the stands you see for sale on the side of the road?

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #10

billy673

Senior Member

Bigtimber said:

All the tomcat stree stands were made form brazing emt together. Had one for many years....no problems....had ladder stands made of emt for years I brazed together...no problems.

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sounds like the first approach i might take, the easiest way!!

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #11

P

Perry Hayes

Senior Member

You can weld EMT with carbon steel wire.However if it were me I would use 1" Box Tubing.Its much stronger and easier to work with.

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #12

Bigtimber

Senior Member

Perry Hayes said:

You can weld EMT with carbon steel wire.However if it were me I would use 1" Box Tubing.Its much stronger and easier to work with.

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I would have to agree with you on that one. It makes them much heavier...but they are easier to build and its definity stronger material. If you don't feel safe and trust it.... whatever material or design you go with you don't have nothing....just is not worth getting hurt over regardless

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #13

billy673

Senior Member

i agree with the safety issue, but the ones they sell seem to be plenty safe & they're made out of welded conduit w/ cross braces , i'm a carpenter & the conduit blinds seem to be a better bet on the safety / weight department vs. wood made

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #14

rayjay

Senior Member

Be very careful welding any galvanized metal. The gases created by welding galvanized metal can KILL you or permanently harm you if you do not have good ventilation and use the proper respirator. If you are not an experienced welder/fabricator I do not think you should be gaining experience on objects that could fail and cause you to get severly injured or killed. For what a good welding set up will cost you can buy the nicest tree stand made.

rj-

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #15

J HESTER

Senior Member

be very careful if you use conduit.

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #16

U

Uncle Joe

Senior Member

Be sure to find steel couplings, most of the new ones are aluminum. and drink buttermilk before welding, all the guys I knew that welded galv. ductwork for a living always drank buttermilk B-4 they started they said it countered the effects of the fumes.

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #17

billy673

Senior Member

i'm not sure that the conduit is galvanized?

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #18

roadkill

Senior Member

I just wish I could find someone to show me how to use the welder I bought brand new over a year ago. I can't get that wire to melt and stick for nothin. It's a mig/tig I think. You can weld with or without gas.

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #19

billy673

Senior Member

roadkill said:

I just wish I could find someone to show me how to use the welder I bought brand new over a year ago. I can't get that wire to melt and stick for nothin. It's a mig/tig I think. You can weld with or without gas.

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sounds nice, i'd like to get one for personel use, but then again, i don't know how to use one either!

 

• Jan 22, 2006

• #20

roadkill

Senior Member

I bought it to fix cars, but would like to build some stands too. I tried to let a friend borrow it for a while just so I could go over and learn, but he was afraid he'd break my new welder.