The little welder that could (easily get up on the roof)

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My house has a patio area that partially covered by roof and partially covered by open beams.  My wife and I like it a lot, except that we recently got concerned about our two-year-old playing there during the day -- we didn't like him out in the direct sunlight that much.  So I tacked up some shade fabric to the underside of the beams.  It wasn't pretty, but it filtered the sun.  There's no such thing as snow load, here.  And the area above the patio is pretty well protected from the wind.  So I decided to try curving some lengths of steel to make a new structure to support some lighter-colored sun shade that would sit up higher than the beams and hopefully have less of a claustrophobic effect.Making the ribs was pretty simple.  I used my Millermatic 211 to weld the legs and base pieces to steel I bent with a roll bender.Here the pieces are, ready for paint.Here they are held in place with clamps.  You can see christmas lights (pushed aside, in some places) we use to light the deck at night.  The trick was that I needed to weld perpendicular end pieces to the frame (and one in the center) to add some strength to the very light structure.  Pulling the welder and the tank up on the roof was out of the question, and my lead wouldn't reach that high.  So I figured I would just tote the 75-pound welder up and run flux core wire.  Still, the thing weighs 75 pounds.Except this morning I remembered that I bought a Harbor Freight stick welder a couple of years back.  It's 110v, 80 amps, and welds DC.  I have 5/64 6013 rods for it that I've never used.  I've never stick welded at all.But the thing only weighs 8 pounds.  And it was over 90 degrees today.  So I decided to teach myself stick.These welds aren't what I would consider structural.  If they all failed simultaneously, the shade fabric would still stay in place, and it would also hold up the piece that broke loose.  So I'm comfortable with the amateur stick welds I did this afternoon:But here's a small vote for occasional use of a machine that cost me about $80 on sale.  It's not something I'll use on a regular basis, but it made my work a lot easier today.I'm going to do the other side later this week -- hopefully the temps will drop.  And then I'll post some pictures when it's done.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:looks pretty darn good jack. nice project
Reply:Jack I think that is as messy as I've ever seen your shop...glad to see you are human like us after all..lolAnd nice job again.Seems like you give all your projects plenty of thought and it shows.
Reply:God job, Jack!! That HF welder is still the case of better to have it and not need it, but in this case you did need it. I have a feeling that in your mind it paid you back the $80.                                           MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:OK Jack, that is just a 'too cool' project!  Doesn't hurt to show Mrs. Olsen once in a while it pays to have all those big boy toys too.Looking forward to seeing the finished project and from what I can see from Orange, TX you don't have to worry about those stick welds holding up either.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:That little HF 80 amp inverter gets pretty good reviews from owners.Not sure I need another welder, but..........Under $100.00 (on sale + coupon) and very portable......Hmmmmm.It's a lot easier to move than a buzz box or a MIG.  Hmmmmm.Arrrrrrrg.......I gotta stop trying to justify another welder.
Reply:Thanks, guys.  The HF machine's low weight and small size don't give it any advantage in the shop.  But climbing up and down a ladder, it's a lot nicer to haul 7 pounds than 75.  Plus, the thing is smaller than a welding helmet.  I honestly felt kind of stupid for buying it after I got the Miller 211.  It's hard to imagine any hobbyist job the little Miller wouldn't be the first choice for.  (I still feel kind of dumb for also buying a big Oxy Acetylene kit.  But sooner or later I'm going to need to heat up a rusted exhaust bolt, right?)  But this was finally a situation where the little Chinese box being light and 110v worked in its favor.  (Don't get me wrong: I wouldn't see it as a machine that would be useful in a wide variety of applications or would be a machine you wanted to depend on when the clock is ticking and there's money on the line.)Above everything else, it was hot as blazes up there today.  I'm going to wait a couple of days to see if the mercury dips back down a little before I do the other side.  Tonight I get out my sewing machine (manly as hell, I know) to join together the two sections of tan-colored shade fabric.And IamVince, you're right about the shop being messy.  I had a sink plumbing project, a home AC issue to address, this shade cover to build and also an upcoming engine swap for the race car -- all going on at the same time.  The engine arrived while I was welding up on the roof.  The garage is working great, for all of that, but it isn't as clean and tidy as it was for its internet pictures.  Last edited by Jack Olsen; 07-15-2010 at 12:37 AM.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:The car behind the welder might be the next miller commercial.  If that's a 221, I would love to see a 456.   JK... Gotta love making your own.  And you cant learn right unless you've learned on your own.  OA will find it way into your life more often, the more you think about it.. Weld with it and weld good.. The next thing you know, dimes will jump into formation with your first TIG machine.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Reply:wow jack, I swear you are a natural!HH187Hobart 500i plasma cutterClark 4.5" GrinderDewalt 14" chop saw30 gallom 1.6 hp compressor10 gallon pressure pot sand blasterlots of hand tools
Reply:Nice job Jack, and just goes to show, you can never have enough tools or equipment, and when you get a job like this, it sort of justifies the purchase to the missus in case she keeps tabs on bank statements as mine does. You might not need it at the time, but it will be handy and will most likely be used sooner or later, at least that's what I keep telling mine.  Miller Auto Invision 456 + S-62 wire feederC6240B1 Gap bed lathe16 ft3 air compressor16 speed pedestal drillHafco BS-912 Bandsaw
Reply:Will that little welder penetrate 11 gauge adequately?
Reply:Just make sure to pay attention to continuity of the weld.  Pinholes at the start of the weld, like in the pic, can allow water in.Hold the rod a little longer at the start to drizzle filler over into the preceding weld, and it also builds heat to eliminate cold starts"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Hmmm, after careful review I gotta get one of those for work around the house.One of those would be a "Jack Olsen", I'd assume the little inverter comes in his toolbox.Nice work JackMatt
Reply:Thanks, guys.  I got the crosspieces finished and started stretching the fabric out today.  I got it to the point where three sides are presentable.  Here's what it looks like from below.And here's a picture where you can see the frame and the shade fabric more.  When you're actually there, it's almost hard to notice.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:I took two more pictures to show how different it looks in different lighting.  Here it is at night, with the little Christmas tree lights providing that 1980's-Italian-restaurant look.  And then it was overcast this morning:In the second picture you can see some of the binder clips I'm using to hold it in place, as well as some excess fabric I haven't trimmed on the back side.  I've still got some finishing to do.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Jack, this is just a nutball thought but have you gone to a small designer and shown some of your work?It's the small attention to detail that makes the high dollar difference IMO.Matt
Reply:Thanks, Matt.  I'm flattered by the suggestion (if you mean I should try to market some of what I've done), but I'm just a hobbyist -- perfectly happy with my day job.To wrap up the thread, here are three final pictures of the cover.  One odd thing is that the new structure seems to get almost no buffeting from the wind at all.  Maybe it's the way the wind passes over the adjacent sections of roof, but the little cover I made for where I park my car (you can see it in the lower left of the third picture) moves around in the slightest breeze, while the big sheet above it sits still.We'll see how things go when we get some stronger winds, though.  There's something a little 'wing like' to the shape of the roof and canopy...Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Little welder:  Like the jack in your trunk, you can go a long time without needing it, but when ya do need it, it's exactly what you need...(Retired) Professional firefighter, amateur everything else I try to do...Oh yeah:  Go Big Red!   (You know: one of the 12 members of the Big 10 cuz we left the 10 members of the Big 12...)