"Z" Square

OK I bit, I don't do fabricating but I saw Ernies' "Z" square and use a cast "ground inside" one (only 8x8") for machining often, So I just bit....

Went to the neighbors Wednesday and snagged 5 shorts 1 1/2"sq tube, gonna make (2) 18x24x30 squares....

Tacked the first X,Y and Z and tuned it (brought the good hardened Stanley framer from home, which is right with my 18" engineers square).

Everything good, cut the "Z" supports too quickly, (some gaps), lightly tacked supports (once), and all is still good....

Welded out!!! Too much filler needed on the "Z" supports and everything above pulled, A LOT :-(

Sawed off above the "Z" supports (looks goofy but at least it's right).

Did the 2nd the same but cut the supports longer and close enough for a hard melt bead tack (no filler).

Better, X-Y (tunes easily), X-Z (dead on), Y-Z (- 1/64" in 30") I'm very happy!!!!

Neighbor shows up today, (got his deer), sees the squares, says those are neat! I said you supplied the steel, he says "again", I said "yep".

He took the second (best) one and left saying "it's worth 15 lbs at best and no roasts".

At least I know where to get it if I need it.

I don't know how fast Ernie builds them, but it took me a good bit of the day...

Matt

Reply to
matthew maguire
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If you make a few jigs, it gets much faster.

BTW The handiest addition to the Z square is a piece of angle iron welded to a piece of square tube. Use 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" angle and weld a piece of 1" x 1" square tube to the outside of one leg.

Like this (gotta love ascii art)

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

make this a little shorter than the length of the Z square leg. If you clamp the square tube to the leg of the Z square so it looks like this...

# # # # # # # # # # # @@@@@ # # # # @ @ # # @ @ # # @@@@@ # # # #

You can use a vise grip chain clamp to hold round or square tube to the leg of the Z square for assembly. Makes welding posts to bases and legs to tables so easy. And it is removable.

The only problem with Z squares is storing large ones.

I did come up with a design for a folding Z square, but it is a bit complicated.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

I made some small squares out of 1/2" tubing. they are about six inches on one leg, and nine on the other. A piece of 3/16" round runs diagonal to stiffen. I made about a dozen of them, and they are really handy when you want something to stay put as you weld it out. About as good as those magnets for holding corners, but way less money.

Also, I have various thicknesses, widths, and lengths of flat bar, all with a washer welded on the end for hanging. These are for spacing the spindles up from the table inside the outside frame of a gate, so that the spindles are centered on the connecting piece. I painted them all Rustoleum green so I don't chop one up when I need a short piece. Got them from one foot to eight foot long.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Coming in late, and must have missed the pics. Source?

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

Ernie Leimkuhler linked to pics of his sometime back, I'm using motzarella so the original post is gone now. Perhaps he would post them in the RCM dropbox for posterity.

Matt

Reply to
matthew maguire

matthew maguire wrote: (...)

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--Winston

Reply to
Winston

Thanks Winston, much appreciated.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

Jon Danniken wrote: (...)

Certainly. Also, if you haven't already seen it:

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Awesome.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

I guess I'm dense. What do you clamp to? How are the three intersecting pieces held in there so they don't warp as they cool? Do you clamp them on the diagonal? I'd like to build some of these, but I'd make the bottom rail so it could be clamped to and hold everything until it cooled.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

From:

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"This is a picture of a tiny one I made for TIG welding tube frames." ^^^^ ^^^^^^

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

(snip)

That's the way I built mine (without the bottom x-y brace). It's pretty stiff on the x-y, but not so stiff that it can't be moved a bit with a firm rubber mallet blow.

I would imagine Ernie more than likely clamps stuff to the outside of the square (very rigid braced all three ways). I wanted mine to work for both inside and outside use on the x-y.

The real deal with this tool is the "Z" leg.....

Matt

Reply to
matthew maguire

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