HELP!! Warped Gate

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I built two 16'x4' gates using 2"x2" square tubing for the frame and 1"x1" square tubing for the ribs. The ribs are spaced about 6" apart. When I finished welding the whole thing it is badly warped, is there anything I can do a side from building another 2 gates or cutting the ribs out that will straighten it?Please respond soon if you have any ideas cause I need this project finished soon. Thanks!
Reply:Can you post a picture?  It's easier to figure out what is causing the warp if you can.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:In which direction is it warped? Is it warped out of plane, meaning laying on a flat table is bowed up or down?  Or is it bowed up or down in the line of the pickets (ribs)?If it is out of plane, which is not uncommon, then you can bend it with c-clamps and spacers and a strong piece of metal.  I place c-clamps on either side of a spacer(spacer sandwiched between strong metal and what you are bending)  and then tighten the one clamp the other clamp hold the metal.  with 16 foot it should not take much persuading.  You can also use cargo straps with ratchet action and a spacer.  Do what works.   If it is warped  in line with the pickets, then yu can try to use the clamps. Though, with the completely built gate you have system and when you bend the one place you are bending other places simultaneously. Thus, if you bend the bottom rail the top will get a dip or hump.  Though, try it you might find a compromise, you can live with.  Depending on how badly they are bent, don't hesitate to start over, salvage what you can and build again.  At least you know it will be right the second time.  Clamp your work well, tack first, then weld.  Heavier gauge metal is easier to work, 11gauge or heavier for framing.  16g is fine for picket.   Good luck.
Reply:We need pictures to help you better. The more the merrier, front, side, ends, etc. Often heat applied opposite the weld will help.Just my  opinion, not from a book, just from the road.Howes Welding Inc.www.howesweldinginc.com
Reply:When you lay it flat on the ground it rocks on the corners, so when you level one side to the hing post the other side will line up at the bottom but the top is leaning over a couple of inches. Hope that made sense. Rebuilding is an absolute last resort kinda out of the question at this stage. Best case would be to cut ribs on one side then reline and clamp. But that may be more than it's worth still. I did how ever tied it off on 2 post and used a come-a-long to tweak it while I heated with a rose bud it straighten it a little.If it is out of plane, which is not uncommon, then you can bend it with c-clamps and spacers and a strong piece of metal. I place c-clamps on either side of a spacer(spacer sandwiched between strong metal and what you are bending) and then tighten the one clamp the other clamp hold the metal. with 16 foot it should not take much persuading. You can also use cargo straps with ratchet action and a spacer. Do what works.
Reply:Sounds like you need to tie the diagonals together.  Add a turnbuckle across the diagonals.  I usually add mine from top on post side to bottom on latch side. Experiment with that come-along.  The gate is 16 feet, a couple of inches is not much over that span.  You will have to stablize it somehow.   I typed the below portion first, then the above hit me.That is what I describe as being out of plane.  The gate does not lay in one plane or sit flat on a table. If you are willing to use heat then you need to stick with it.  With pickets installed you have a strong system.  Keep working the heat.Basically what I was describing, Find where you want to bend.  Take a 4 foot piece of metal. Place the spacer (2x4"x4"" block of wood) over the bend.  Lay the metal across the spacer,  clamp both ends of the metal to the gate.  Tigheten one clamp. loosen and move the spacer along the bend.  You can apply heat, too.  It's a see-saw with the spacer as the fulcrum and a fat kid (Fixed clamp) on one side and a skinny kid(adjustable clamp) on the other side.    As described above you can do it with a racheting cargo strap and spacer also.  I am sure there are many variations of lever and fulcrum method.Sounds like your situation is fixable without rebuilding.Protect your metal from marring with wood.
Reply:I wonder if you could tweak it back into plane by parking one wheel of a car on each of 3 corners while you have the offending corner resting on a 2x4 or two?
Reply:I wonder if you could tweak it back into plane by parking one wheel of a car on each of 3 corners while you have the offending corner resting on a 2x4 or two?
Reply:Something like this would scare me. I'd be afraid of getting the old cookie sheet thing going if you use a lot of brute force. Ya know, where it pops back and forth out of plane but never will be straight? It's warped out of plane because it's under a lot of stresses. Probably from doing a lot of welds on one side then doing the other, or working it from one end to the other. This one calls for a lot of carefull thinking and less bending. I think I'd use a little carefully placed heat, then some more and some more till I brought it in.
Reply:If you sight down the length of it, you can see if the top or the bottom is bent the most. Then try bending those independent of each other, instead of trying to tweak the twist out.Don't know what you have but if you can park some weight on one end and lift the low corner(back-hoe, chain hoist to tree)you might untwist it. Good luck and keep us posted
Reply:Next time be a little more careful while welding up the gate.  Chances are most likely the warpage came from an out of level table or floor if it was welded up on the floor.  Or it was tacked up and then welded starting from one side and worked towards the other end.Everyone these days does the layered material gates instead of cutting in the pickets etc for a single plane.   It's really hard to build a decent gate without lots of clamps and some luck using the layered method.Building a straight gate starts with laying it out to fit the opening.  Tight fitting joints is the next most important aspect of good gate making.  When you fill a gap you get pull  which distorts the gate.  If the fit is too tight then you get push.If the fit is tight you can compensate for the heat distortion by duplicating the heat on the opposite sides of the welds.Try to do your welds so they work against each other with one pulling against another weld's push etc.  And don't start at one end after it's tacked up and work towards the other welding.  Do your weld up like you would torqueing a head on a motor.Things don't just happen.  They happen for a reason.  Figure out the reason and you can either take advantage of it and make it work for you.  Or you can build in techniques to compensate for distortion.life is good
Reply:OK, the basic thing here is that every weld in the universe, be it the smallest laser weld to the largest submerged arc weld, shrinks when it solidifies.  Like George Costanza says, ITS SHRINKAGE!!!   The weld bead shrinks both laterally and longitudinally, and trust me, there is no force in the universe that will overcome it during welding.  So the trick when welding something like a gate, or a boat, or a trailer is to keep the shinkage uniform so that all welds end up pulling on each other evenly.  Here are some things I have learned:1.  Use tacks versus beads on your setup.  I know a guy who makes 25' boats from aluminum.  When he welds the hull, no seam bead is longer than 6 inches.  The temptation, especially with a mig welder, is to keep going and going - not good if you want to avoid warpage.2.  Use the "little bit of this, little bit of that" welding method.  Tack one corner, then tack the opposite corner. Do just a little bit here, then move opposite to do a little bit there. The guy who welds the boats will do one tack, then move to the opposing side for the next tack.  He is jumping all over the place, but the hull is straight when he is done (largely WITHOUT the use of jigs).  3.  Corner joints are the biggest troublemakers.  You go to weld the inside, the angle gets smaller.  You go the weld the oustide, the angle gets bigger.   However, if you have it all tacked first, use short beads to weld inside, then outside, your life will be much easier.4.  Use a jig and plenty of clamps.  However, again, no jig in the world will keep a frame from warping if you dont keep your welds even and small.  Like Harv says, tight joints help a lot.This is just the beginning - theres lots of guys out there with lots more tricks and I'm sure they will have more to say in the matter.Regards, Nelson
Reply:heat and hammer
Reply:Just bend it in the opposite direction