Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

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Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby Capebuild » Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:02 pm

Hello.... for those of you that have welded your own frame, did you grind the welds flush with the base material so your floor framework would sit flush on the frame?
I've read grinding the weld beads could weaken the weld, but If you've got this bead sticking up, I don't see how the floor frame is going to seat itself properly (flush). I'd rather not
grind the weld bead down, but I could see grinding out the wood areas of the flooring frame that contact the weld beads allowing the frame surface to sit flush on the chassis frame surface.

Just wondering what other's have done.

thanks

John
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Re: Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby martymcfly » Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:52 pm

I ground my welds on the top of my frame so that the floor would sit flush. I mitered the corners, I also welded gussets into the corners. The way that the 2x2 tubing is, most of the weld on the gussets was below the top and didn't require a lot of grinding to get it flat with the top.
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Re: Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby saltydawg » Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:54 pm

I grind them but grind the edges before the weld so most of it is below the top of the metal.
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Re: Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby GTS225 » Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:37 am

Yep......bevel the mating surfaces of the tubing so that the majority of the weld bead is below the surface. Grind the top smooth and run with it.

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Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby Az Pete » Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:58 am

if you are getting full penetration with your welds, grinding the bead is no issue. If you are not getting full penetration, practice more on some scrap until you do. It would be a fearful experience for your frame to fail while towing. The practice of grinding a beveled edge serves to aid in getting a full penetration weld
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Re: Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby tony.latham » Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:45 am

Yes, and I prefer a flapper wheel on my angle grinder for this, btw.

T
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Re: Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby QueticoBill » Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:46 am

If you butted square cut ends against a tube with the rounded edges, that groove is probably enough to hold and be ground flush. On your tubing that radius should be twice the thickness, so a pretty good groove to fill. Your only problems should be where you butted square cut against square cut, and not sure you needed to based on sketches.

Anchor your floor on both sides of joints and it will hold the frame together. Early teardrops had wood frames anyways. Based on what you've posted I'd wager you'll never have a frame failure.
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Re: Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby Capebuild » Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:08 pm

Thanks all for the replies. QueticoBill, I had the same thought about the butting of one member into the member with the radius edge. So thanks for confirming that "occurrence".
I'm still going back and forth between grinding the weld beads .... or not.... or as an alternative, grinding out a slight recess in the mating areas of the wood floor; or a combination of both, which is what I might settle on. Almost done with the frame so a little time to give it some thought. After going through building/welding this frame, I now have a lot of respect for welders and their craft knowledge.

Thank you, again.

John
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Re: Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby halfdome, Danny » Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:55 pm

John, are you welding all 4 edges?
I grind flush my top and bottom welds flush and weld a flat plate of steel at each intersection on the bottom side.
May seem like an overkill but it makes me happy.
:D Danny
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Re: Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby QueticoBill » Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:24 pm

John - if they are inline, on inside of side tubes I suspect, rather than grind a recess in wood, consider just a dado or rout the full length. I'm planning that for bolt heads. A shallow V or U should do it.
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Re: Grinding Welds on Top Side of Frame

Postby saltydawg » Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:12 pm

John just out of curiosity where in mass are you?
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