When the square isn't so square

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I have a small gokart steering shaft that I am going to weld to a receiver plate that will bolt to the steering wheel.  Both are small enough that my square magnets don't work great, and my square isn't of any effect.  I discovered the square isn't so square when I can only use a small corner of it.....Anyway, looking for ideas on how to keep this perfectly square when welding it (don't want it to move at all).I tried a piece of angle iron too, but even that didn't seem so square.......Squaring up larger material isn't a big deal, but this smaller stuff seems to be.  I will keep trying things  in my garage, but my ideas aren't always the simplest or best.  Thanks in advanceThe Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:Update:  I was able to finally weld it on there square (tried again with my small, square magnets).  I would still like to know, for the future, how you guys have found success in squaring up small items with the magnets don't work (when they are too large or impracticable for something that needs to be welded up)The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:Originally Posted by jdh239Update:  I was able to finally weld it on there square (tried again with my small, square magnets).  I would still like to know, for the future, how you guys have found success in squaring up small items with the magnets don't work (when they are too large or impracticable for something that needs to be welded up)
Reply:Your assumption that clamping something square then welding will make it square is weak.  When you release the clamp or magnet then the weldment will relax or pull moving out of square.   Every time you put welding heat into the assembly you will put shrinkage stresses in and it will try to move.   I find it easiest to tack weld then check for square.  I then move it with a hammer and put another tack weld in.  From then I rely on putting welding heats in that fight each and cancelling out.  The goal is to get it as square as you can but in the end it is not going to be exactly 90 degrees.  If you are careless it might be out five degrees.  If you are more careful it might be out 30 seconds of arc.  Or if you are really careful ......  At some point you have to decide on what level of accuracy is time efficient.
Reply:tack it tap it tack some more check and if square, (normally a little off) so the warp will pull it in to square,I find some small wedges, can help adjust things  many times when or after you tack them,of course it depends on what it is many times one can make a jig to hold things   and tack or weld them, a lot just depends on what you have for tools and imagination to use them,
Reply:Put a locking shaft collar over the sheering shaft, this gives you a nice flat, perpendicular surface to weld the plate to. Then weld the shaft colar tot he steering shaft if you want. They're only a few bucks shipped on ebay. a 5 second dip in muriatic acid ($6/gal from home depot, etc) removes all the zinc coating leaving perfectly weldable steel.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Originally Posted by MikeGyverPut a locking shaft collar over the sheering shaft, this gives you a nice flat, perpendicular surface to weld the plate to. Then weld the shaft colar tot he steering shaft if you want. They're only a few bucks shipped on ebay. a 5 second dip in muriatic acid ($6/gal from home depot, etc) removes all the zinc coating leaving perfectly weldable steel.
Reply:I use small V-blocks and clamps for any round to flat work, typically Shars and the other import tooling places carry them for cheap and they work for many uses and are avialable in sizes that hold a 1/4 shaft up to 6" and many others. The smaller ones are maybe 20 bucks a pair. MikeGyers clamp collar is a good idea as well, but the v-blocks give more reference surface. "Anybody can talk $h!t behind a monitor, I let the quality of my work speak for itself"Lincoln Square Wave 255 and 355 Tig Lincoln 255 Power-Mig w/ spool gun Koike 5 x 10 CNC plasma Hyd-Mech DM-10 bandsaw Ineco QB-76 NC tube bender
Reply:Watch out when welding steel shaft collars.  You might get something made out of a leaded steel like 12L14 because of the ease of machining.  Not something you want to weld.