Ideas with i-beam scraps?

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Hi, I have a piece of i-beam 35 inches long from a construction project, and I was hoping someone could come up with some interesting/usefull project to make use of it.There's no chance I can get more i-beams (no room for it in the apartment) and the tools I have are limited to : stick welder, angle grinders, hand tools, hand drill, squares and a few clamps My first idea was to build a press or a sheet metal bender, but I guess the beam is to short for that. Then I though about building some kind of bench vise but couldn't figure out a good design for it.Well, If you have done somethingwith i-beam scraps I would very much like to read about it. Thanks!Mariano
Reply:Maybe a little collapsible welding table?  Or weld pipe couplers to the I beam and use threaded 3/4" pipe for legs.  Then when not in use you can break it down and store it.  heck you could pimp it out with a clamp or vise and make it like the ridgid tripod pipe stands plumbers use.
Reply:Make a log splitter. I made this one for my brother-n-law out of my scrap pile. 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:@ CEP - that is one sick log splitter.  Heavy duty all the way!  "Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Originally Posted by ManoKai@ CEP - that is one sick log splitter.  Heavy duty all the way!
Reply:@ CEP - appreciate the additional shots of the splitter build! Cool flip up design."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:He bought a PTO powered hydraulic pump to power it. I had the cylinder, and valve, and most of the hydraulic hoses. 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:You say it's 35" long, but what are the other dimensions, height, width and thickness? Those could help determine what can be done with it.
Reply:It's a 10x5cm beam
Reply:Shop horses, A frame crane and welding table. I used guide rail posts for all of the above.
Reply:CEP,if you build another splitter, put the flat pusher on the cylinder, and the wedge at the end of the beam. I built a similar (but uglier) one that way and it keeps the knotted up wood flying away from you instead of back into your crotch.Last edited by whtbaron; 12-16-2014 at 10:25 PM.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:if you cut them legthwise down the center of the web, you will have two pieces of T bar.    T bar makes good gussents.    I also use some as jack stands for cribbing stuff up.   I put them side by side, and welded them together, so they wont tip sideways.   Use them under axles instead of a buch of wooden blocks
Reply:Ok.... 35" of beam. That could give you 2 10" arms and a 15" upright to make a little C frame press. Limited in size, but add a 10 T Harbor Freight jack/pump outfit and it would be good for a lot of smaller jobs you'd have around the house etc. No 50 tonner, but a lot of the stuff I use my press for really doesn't need a lot of oomph. If you don't want to buy the jack, you could use a lever and a gear to make an arbor press. Actually, with the right leverage you wouldn't even need the gear.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:You could use it for a pedestal vise, grinder , ring roller , or compact bender stand. Cut to height , add a base and top . You could use a rim too as many have done. Add receiver tube to it or cut web to set inside. Then you could drop almost anything in it.
Reply:Originally Posted by whtbaronCEP,if you build another splitter, put the flat pusher on the cylinder, and the wedge at the end of the beam. I built a similar (but uglier) one that way and it keeps the knotted up wood flying away from you instead of back into your crotch.
Reply:Ahhh....ok.... mine is a pull-type that operates off the tractor's hydraulics..... it is horizontal when in use.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPMake a log splitter. I made this one for my brother-n-law out of my scrap pile.
Reply:What kind of jobs? I don't have a press but find many people seem to find it a very useful tool
Reply:@whtbaron What kind of jobs? I don't have a press but find many people seem to find it a very useful tool
Reply:Originally Posted by PavinsteelmanShop horses, A frame crane and welding table. I used guide rail posts for all of the above.
Reply:I beams for bridge of the nose.Last edited by Bosco99; 12-17-2014 at 04:08 PM.
Reply:I was thinking something like this.....    http://www.princessauto.com/en/detai...ss/A-p8246589eWith a 10 ton jack you could straighten bolts, rods, push small bearings off... If you live in the US it might be cheaper to go to Harbor Freight and buy one than build one though.Edit....yea, you can pretty much buy a 20 ton Chinese press for the price of the 10 ton jack kit. Unless you have a specific job for a small C frame, probably not worth it. If you are determined to build something, maybe just a arbor press with lots of leverage.Last edited by whtbaron; 12-17-2014 at 06:56 PM.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:marianov, I had a chunk of 12" I beam about 30" long i kept for a while before I built my fab table. It served me well for a table/something heavy to hit stuff on thing. Another thing I did was to cut a small V in to the edge of the top flange to make a poor mans crimper, put the crimp lug in the V and smack it with a two lb ball peen.Ranger 250 thick stuffHobart Handler 140 not thick stuffthe pane and oxy setup
Reply:Any ideas for this? Around three foot tall and the same long, maybe a bit less. Came from an interstate overpass that was rebuilt. -Spike
Reply:Originally Posted by melsdadYou must have a nice scrap pile!I use this beam as a oil drain pan holder I believe it would work perfect!! Haha
Reply:You need plate ,cut out the web . Need a deeper beam castilate it .Diamond Span R Beam copied by others. Tees and angle homemade bar joists. Make your own channel out of beams too.