Giant sign fab pics

admin

I thought I'd share some pics from work. We build signs, just about everything we build is a custom one-off. This one is a huge monument sign for a Lowes shopping center in Atlanta. It's a bit over 35' long, 15' tall, and 5' wide. Everything is 6061 aluminum except for the steel frame base. The base is about 4' high, after installation bricks will be laid around the bottom 4', covering the steel base.This is ALL I get right here, it's not worthy of being called a blueprint. They give me a drawing with  outside dimensions, and any noteworthy specifications. I just wing it from there.I built the steel base, and the trim piece that goes between the base and the large cabinet. I also built the decorative top, the part that reads "North Logan Commons" The other two guys who work in the shop built the large cabinet that goes between the base and the top section.Here's some pics of the base and the divider/trim piece.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:Here they are fitted together.These next pics are the top section. It is built from 2x2 tubing, skinned over with .125 sheet. The decorative trim on the very top is just .080 sheet that I bent to shape on the brake.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:Here it is after painting and with the plex push-through letters intalled.This last one is the center cabinet built by Kevin and Ashley. The sign faces are not installed yet in the pic. The faces are cut from white plexiglass, and then vinyl with the store logos is overlayed onto the plex. The faces slide in under removable trim pieces around the perimeter.All in all this thing took 3 fabricators 1 solid week to finish. Alot of that time is in fabricating fixtures for the flourescent lamps, and wiring. Almost 2 solid days were spend sanding. I'm not real fond of sandingThis thing was installed last week somewhere in the Atlanta area. I'm not sure of the exact location, but if any of you happen to see it I'd love to see a picture of it all put together. We built this for another sign company, they did the installation.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:That's some job, it's huge!Would be neat to see it lit up.  I never realized so much went into building signs."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersamm  I never realized so much went into building signs.
Reply:One more, these were really neat, they are in The D.C. area. Getting 2x4 tubing into that shape was "interesting"Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:I know you can slowly bend steel tubing by degrees by repeated heating and application of force.  But I don't know a thing about aluminum.  Does it have a tendancy to crack when you stretch and compress it?  I know I see a lot of aluminum stock trailers that fall apart because the aluminum doesn't take bending and twisting stress worth a darn.How was the bend for the arch made?"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Yeah, aluminum requires a different approach alot of the time. If you try to heat and bend it will just crumble into pieces. The 6061 that we keep in stock doesn't like sharp bends. It does ok in the brake, but if you look closely at the outside corner there will be thousands of tiny cracks. I faked the 2x4 tubing on top of those signs. I cut the 2 side pieces from .125" sheet, then made the top and bottom pieces. I welded the top piece in, then welded in some tabs to the sides so that I would have something to screw the bottom onto. I used countersunk screws and then filled them in with bondo to hide them.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:nice job.  you guys have some cool equipment. pretty good fab work considering the prints you got..
Reply:Very nice job!
Reply:Originally Posted by Joe HYeah, aluminum requires a different approach alot of the time. If you try to heat and bend it will just crumble into pieces. The 6061 that we keep in stock doesn't like sharp bends. It does ok in the brake, but if you look closely at the outside corner there will be thousands of tiny cracks. I faked the 2x4 tubing on top of those signs. I cut the 2 side pieces from .125" sheet, then made the top and bottom pieces. I welded the top piece in, then welded in some tabs to the sides so that I would have something to screw the bottom onto. I used countersunk screws and then filled them in with bondo to hide them.