Building a shop made from steel pipe 1

[9516]

I have been able to acquire an unlimited supply of cheap 3/8" thick by 3 3/4" dia. steel pipe of various lengths and was interested in hearing some theories into how I could design the structure of this shop. e.g. 40 by 60 ft.

 

[Lutfi]

You can retain me as your structural engineer, then we can talk!


I see no problem of making a building frame from pipes. There are several ways of doing this, assuming you have sufficient quantities of pipe and a certified welder. Think of trusses and or space frames.

Lutfi

 

[9516]

Thankyou for responding, Lutfi
I do have an over abundance of pipe and a qualified welder to help me, but both of us are unsure what the best design would be. Is it possible to build both the walls and rafters using this pipe. The shop must also have a ceiling because it has to be heated even if there is more thermal bridging because of it being made from steel.

 

[evelrod]

It's been said before, I am just an old country boy. I have helped build several 'pole' barns and small buildings from pipe in my youth (I did not design(?) them, just did the welding). A trip through the 'panhandle' of Texas is a "masters" course in pipe buildings, even today.
Problems as I recall---LOTS of fitting and fabbing and even MORE welding---picture an enormous 'roll cage'---and the difficulty in attaching the sheething. We used corrogated/galvanized sheets attached with the old fashioned "straw nails". Time consuming and labor intensive these pipe buildings---the local failed oil drilling operations provided tons of free pipe, though.

Rod

PS---Built heavy duty fences too, all pipe construction.

 

[DTGT2002]

Look at your pipe lengths, and start making triangles, or rather, squares with diagonal bracing.

I can be retained and paid with pipe, so long as you cover delivery

 

[9516]

What a coincendence!! This pipe that I am getting is also from the oil indusrtry and we have also built portable fences using the pipe because I come from a farm in Canada, Alberta. I hope to build many more of these fences because they are so durable and are portable. This allows us to feed our cattle in the field during the winter months which will save us having to clean the correls of manure. I am just 19 years old but I am as much of a redneck as my father and this teqnique of portable fencelines for feeding cattle, I believe is a great idea considering the government of Canada is going crazy with more and more strict enviromental rules and regulations. It would be wonderful if the Canadian government was more like Texas, but anyways.
Back to your reply, I also was stalled about the sheething, I was considering using steel perlins, but I am not certain if that is best.

 

[evelrod]

Purlins would be ok but, with all the pipe being free???
The "straw nails" were used for most of the 20th Century for sheet metal covered buildings and many of these buildings still exist today with the need of repair being ever present. Logically then, the "straw nails" are most likely still available. Google search? Anyway they are long "nails" of galvanized wire (varrying length as needed) with a metal "blob"(technical term) stuck on one end and the other end sharpened. The sheet is placed on the purlin, girt, pipe, whatever and the 'nail' is driven through the sheet by a workman on the outside and wrapped around the 'member' by another workman on the inside. Like I said, labor intensive but requiring no tools save a hammer and a pair of "Kleins"(pliers/side cutters).

Sorry, but I haven't lived in Texas for over 40 years and I doubt it is anything as it was when I was a kid. Besides our ranch was actually in Newman, NM now part of the White Sands/McGregor Missle Test Range.

Rod

 

[9516]

Those "straw nails" sound like a greeat idea. I had never heard of them before. If I can find a supply of them nails somewhere, I will have to give them a try. Thankyou so much for your help, it's greatly apreciated.

 

[okeng]

Evelrod is right--you need to come to Oklahoma or Texas where everything is made of surplus drillstem and casing pipe. It's real common around here to build buildings out of pipe. The most common way to attach the tin is to weld lightweight C shaped purlins on horizontally every 3 feet or so and attach the tin to those with self-drilling screws. One of the worst ways is to use self-drillers right into the heavy pipe. That'll learn you a lot of new words.

If you've been building corrals out of pipe, you've already figured out the fun of saddling and fitting pipe. All the welding supply stores around here carry various kinds of templates for marking and saddling pipe. There's even one that's thick enough to just use as a torch guide.

I wish you were closer--I also would do engineering in exchange for pipe or even corral-building.

Good luck.

 

[chicopee]

Build a typical frame which is to be covered w/ a canvass. Very little engineering to support the canvass covering but make sure it is bolted down and dont install any lifting equipment on the structure.

 

[tathra2003]

I have had a fair degree of experience making horse walkers from steel pipe.Now you might say what has a horse walker in common with roof trusses.

The easiest way to describe them is like 8 roof trusses all joined in the middle like a wheel hub. The easiest way is to make a jig which in the final roof truss can be utilised as your last truss. You make the first one lying down with small u shaped steel plates protruding from the side then it makes it simple to cut and overlay each successive truss on top and to clamp and weld them.

To join all the pieces of pipe you can use a few methods such as crimping the pipe ends rather than notching to suit. Alternatively there are such automotic pipe notchers available on the market rather than oxy & grind however besides being a welders nightmare it is also very time consuming. Easier yet you can have laser cut small steel triangles and on the end of a friction disc cut off saw make a small jig to cut the pipe instead of across ways to cut lengths make it so that the saw blade drops down cutting a slit in the end of the tube. You can make this slit a few inches long according to engineers specs and the width should be that of the steel triangles 1/4" to 3/8ths generally. These are then slid into place and your welds are along the pipe with the point being in the pipes that form the web in the truss with the flat edge alighning up on the top and bottom pipe of the truss. It works like a giant lego set. I then recommend that you use a simple suspended ceiling clip and rail , then you can use tek self drilling screws to screw the ceiling into place. I personally would use a metal ceiling with a reflectice /glass wool composite to keep heat out.
Hope this is of some help. I also remember the army used hangers which with a pipe roller may make your job easier in that large u shapes are rolled and this forms the roof as well as walls in one process and you extend the building just by joining more sections on the end or look at geodisic domes. regards robert

 

[tathra2003]

Regarding making your jig I have thought it over and the easiest way I have come up with is by using 2exhaust pipe clamps welded back to back with one bolted over your jig to support your frames while you build them and attached to those you should be able to source chain type pipe clamps cheaply if not you may want to look at modified car oil filter removers because the worst thing is doing up clamps and releasing them so some sort of quick release clamp saves hours of frustration. If you want any other help my email is : fathom@acay.com.au

 

[kelargo]

Did this shop ever get built?

I'm interested in a similar project and I am curious to know of its success.

thanks,
Ken