Odd Layout Question

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Hey yall!!So, I got a really simple job building a bunch of really heavy duty tomato cages. The wind out  where I live is unreal, and the normal store-bought wire cages get beat/mangled up pretty bad...Anyway...These cages consist of a 3/4" rod that is 4' long, and a set of three 1x1/8" rings that I rolled on my homemade roller. I need to weld the rings, one above the other horizontally, to the vertical rod.How the heck do I get this "right" and "square" and all? I cant for the life of me figure it out...Any tips are greatly appriciated, hope everyones enjoying their weekend [Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:How about a sketch of what you are trying to do?
Reply:The last tomato plants I raised had no eye for square or even crooked.  They just hung out together and talked about pollen. Mac
Reply:just use spacers between the rings.  get the first one square to the verticals then space them out as  they go up.  to reference just measure from the bottom ring to quarters on the rings your working onVantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:What's the diameter of the rings ?  8''  ?  Anyway, get a piece of pipe about 4''diameter or larger 4' plus long Slide rings on pipe and set to required centers. Lay round stock on top and tackone edge. Slide first ring off of pipe and place framing square on ring and check for squareon round stock before tacking. Slide down to next ring.
Reply:I used to have a jig for doing things like this. I took a length of angle iron and welded 2 "arms" at one end 90 deg to the angle. Basically it looked like an "L" when viewed from one side. The rod would get clamped to the angle in the V and the "ring" would get clamped to the 2 legs. I had a length of pipe fixed vertical that I'd slip the rod into, then clamp the jig so the ring sat at the top of the rod and weld it in place. Unclamp the jig, slide it down, and weld on the 2nd ring... I'd usually set up so that I had a vertical wall ( usually the side of a cabinet) to use as my "stop" for the rings. With the rings touching the cabinet, they were all in the same plane to the fixed tube I was using to hold the rod. The top of a table will work also if you lay things flat, but you need to set the jig up off the table a bit and make sure it's parallel to the top.Hope this makes sense..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Draw it out full scale on a piece of card board. Cut out the card board and use it as your template to cut / bend / form your metal. It may require a bit of tweeking but this gets you in the ball park.Lincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:If the bar is straight and the circle is rolled flat. You could just lay the bar on a table.  Place the  rings tangent to the bar and table, measure and weld.  If you have multiples, then chalk marks on the table and bar-- and a stop for the bar placement would get it done.Last edited by tapwelder; 06-30-2012 at 11:40 PM.
Reply:If you're making more than, say, 4-5 of them, you'd be wise to develop some kind of jig. I like DSW's idea for a JIg. The way of doing it I just thought of seems a bit cumbersome after I read his suggestion.Are all the rings the same diameter? 3/4" solid rod seems excessively heavy to me. Are you going to set this entire assembly in concrete? A possible problem is the fact that all the load is transmitted into the soil at only one location.  That's kind of like shooting squirrels with a .30-06, if you catch my meaning. It doesn't matter how big your vertical support is, the imposed torque is just going to rip the soil out and tilt over gradually. Like a certain tower in Italy.  I humbly suggest you may want at least three vertical support legs. For that, you might use 1/4" or 3/8" reinforcing bar. Rebar is good because the ridges make it grip the soil better. Originally Posted by Dualiejust use spacers between the rings.  get the first one square to the verticals then space them out as  they go up.
Reply:3/4"?! Is that a typo, maybe he meant 1/4"I would make a simple jig that holds 3 or 4 legs or whatever at a slight cone/teepee arrangment, then drop your different sized rings down and level them where they land and weld them on. I'm assuming a lot about your design, I know lol.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:I'd get 2-3 pieces of cheap azz HVAC metal ducts at HD and cut them lengthwise.  Mak a big cone with them that's the shape of the inside of the cage you're looking to make.  Then build cages around it upside down.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:A one inch wide ring can soak up a lot of heat in full sun. I'd be afraid that much steel might burn the plants."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:I made mine similar to what you are talking about.  I used 1 piece of 3/4 X 1/8 angle about 5 feet long.and make my rings out of 3/16 rod.  I welded the rings into the v on the angle starting about 2 feet from one end.  Then spaced the other rings about a foot apart.  It lets you drive the angle about a foot into the ground and then gives you 3 rings about a foot apart.  That seemed to work pretty well.  Hope that helps.Last edited by cavedweller29; 07-01-2012 at 03:30 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by MikeGyver3/4"?! Is that a typo, maybe he meant 1/4"I would make a simple jig that holds 3 or 4 legs or whatever at a slight cone/teepee arrangment, then drop your different sized rings down and level them where they land and weld them on. I'm assuming a lot about your design, I know lol.
Reply:No need to turn it into a science project. It's for holding tomato plants, not nuclear fuel rods. Eyeball it and stick it together.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:lay the 3/4 rod, the vertical, horizontally across 2 sawhorses with the three rings laying  on the rod spaced where you want them. weld the top and bottom of the 1 x 1/8 flat bar to the rod. i would use #4 rebar myself..next
Reply:Originally Posted by PangeaNo need to turn it into a science project. It's for holding tomato plants, not nuclear fuel rods. Eyeball it and stick it together.
Reply:Originally Posted by Tool MakerThe last tomato plants I raised had no eye for square or even crooked.  They just hung out together and talked about pollen. Mac