Fabricating swinging barn doors for my new shop! Need advice on Steel sizes to use.

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I am making some swinging barn door style doors for my new shop! The opening is 12' wide and 10' tall. So I will have 2 doors about 6' wide and 10' tall. I would like to use 2x steel tube for the overall frame and put 2" rigid foam inside the fab'd frame for insulation. Here are my steel size thoughts. 2x2x.065 for the verticals and 2x4x.065 for the horizontals with a 2x2 in the middle running horizontally. Then weld in 1/16"x2" strap from corner to corner on both side. I'm thinking about putting steel siding on the outside and plywood or something like that on the inside. I know these doors will be heavy. Are they going to have that balance of strong enough and light enough to hold together for the long term? Has anyone used expanding foam to insulate inside of steel tubing? Does it deform the tube as it expands? Promote rust inside the tube?Thanks for any and all suggestions,Peter
Reply:2x2" tubing should be good for the frame....What kind of hinges you trying to put on?Here's a door I mounted last week.This might give you an idea or two.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...with-a-redface!!!
Reply:I was working in Alaska when my Dad built his barn. He went back to California before I got home. I built the doors for his barn. I framed them with 2”x6”s, and T1-11 siding. The doors are the same size as you have. Here are the hinges I made for all the doors. Be careful with that foam, it really expands!  Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:I built a pair of doors that way although the opening is only about 8x8. 2x2 should be fine but I would consider at least 2 horizontal pieces maybe 3  just so you have something to screw the tin to. Also you wont have to worry about the x bracing that way.Lincolin Power Wave 450, Lincoln Powermig 255, Lincoln Pro Mig 140, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 275, Miller Big 40 G(with Hobart Hefty suitcase), Thermal Arc 95S and Esab PCM875 in an already full machine shop.
Reply:Thanks for the replies! I will be making the hinges. I do a bit of Blacksmithing so making stout hinges will be a fun project! Good point on the 3 horizontals. Two of them could become my hinge points. That expando foam is crazy how it keeps on growing. I put some in a wall years ago and it bulged the sheetrock about 4" over a 5' length. Made a real mess. I'm thinking I'll drill a 3/8" hole every 2 feet or so and fill it a bit from the can. Anybody done that?So you guys think 2x2 will be sufficient to use for the whole door frame? No gussets or strapping? That would be cool... and cheeper...
Reply:I got stuck building 200 of these bus shelters one time. Under the tin roof is plywood. We drilled holes everywhere in the plywood. We had 3 large canisters of spray foam that mixed automatically. Every once in a while we would screw up on the time spent spraying in each hole. The plywood would buckle. We would have to remove the plywood, and take a hand saw to shave down the foam to the correct height. Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:As for the foam, they make a low expansion type. Drill multiple holes and only fill till it runs out. Afterwards cut off the icicle and smear caulk or silicone over the hole.