[seacraft]

I have some plans for a simple ladder stand made from EMT. I used one of these this year and was great. I could move it around by myself, put it up, take it down all with minimal effort. I had a ball using this one borrowed stand this year, i wouldcut sticks,stick two in the top of the ladder, nail two to the tree, tie them together, with zip ties, zip tie a little burlap, and i had a blind. I am big on moving my stands around alot, thats why i want to go this route.Also the stand i used was built in the 80's and seemed good as new. I will try to post the plans.

Anyone know or reccomend and professional welder that i could get to quote me on building 8-10 of these things. looks like the parts will be about 30 dollars per stand, based on the price of EMT at lowes

 

[davis831]

how do you attach the rungs to the legs???seams likes a good ideal..

 

[choppedliver]

Are you using Aluminum or Steel EMT?



I was looking at my parts supplier and I can get 3/4" and 1" aluminum in .063" thickness, which is pretty dang rigid.



Not sure what the thickness of emt is, but would guess it is not as thick, though it is probably is made of steel. Aluminum wont rust...

 

[seacraft]

it is steel, i belive emt is galvinized. The stand i used this year had no signs of rust or deteriation. the steps on the stand i used were welded

 

[JoeZ]

:takephoto

 

[seacraft]

wish i had a photo, but the one i used is still in clarke county. The bottom drawing on the plans i was given is the best i can do!!

 

[choppedliver]

seacraft (2/4/2010)it is steel, i belive emt is galvinized. The stand i used this year had no signs of rust or deteriation. the steps on the stand i used were welded

If it is galvanized steel, it will rust. Mainly at the joints, because after you weld it, the Zinc ( Galvanizing coating ) will no longer be there. In fact if I were welding it, I would grind the Galvanized areas so I don't get sick welding it because the Zinc emits fumes.

Welding of Galvanized Products

Welding of galvanized steel is done almost exactly the same way as welding of the bare steel of the same composition; the

same welding processes, volts, amps, travel speed, etc. can be used with little modification when the switch is made from

uncoated steel to galvanized steel -- unless the zinc coating is unusually thick.

The difference between welding galvanized steel and welding uncoated steel is a result of the low vaporization temperature of

the zinc coating. Zinc melts at about 900°F and vaporizes at about 1650°F. Since steel melts at approximately 2,750°F and

the welding arc temperature is 15,000 to 20,000°F, the zinc that is near the weld does not stand a chance -- it's vaporized!

By the time the weld pool freezes, the zinc is gone. This has two immediate consequences:

? The vaporized zinc increases the volume of welding smoke and fumes.

? The zinc at and near any welds is actually burned off by the heat of the arc, removing the protective zinc coating.

Zinc Fumes -- A Safety Hazard?

When zinc vapor mixes with the oxygen in the air, it reacts instantly to become zinc oxide. This is the same white powder

that you see on some noses at the beach and the slopes. Zinc oxide is non-toxic and non carcinogenic. Extensive research1

into the effects of zinc oxide fumes has been done, and although breathing those fumes will cause welders to think that they

have the flu in a bad way, there are no long-term health effects.

 

[PensacolaEd]

If I remember my college geometry, your top measurement needs to be 36", not 30". The triangle would have to have sides of 3', 4' and 5'.

Ed

 

[choppedliver]

PensacolaEd (2/4/2010)If I remember my college geometry, your top measurement needs to be 36", not 30". The triangle would have to have sides of 3', 4' and 5'.



Ed

+1





By my rough calculations, you are going to need 48 ft of tubing for one ... thats a lot of tubing, especially for $30 ( not including plywood )

 

[flounder1156]

I use IMC conduit to make my ladders for my platform stands..It's stronger than EMT conduit and welds better . No problem with rust as I paint ladders with $1.99 /can Walmart cheap paint each season. My ladders are now 14-15 years old. Check with electric supply business's Graybar Electric, Stuart Irby,Mathes Electric gave me the best price on 10' sticks....

 

[BuckWild]

best way to do it is braise the joints with bronze rods. that usually keeps them from rusting at the joints. I have some EMT stands that are 20+ yeard old that have always been kept outside. The only bad thing with them is they usually rust from the inside out, so it's hard to see the damage to them.

 

[Bluejay]

PensacolaEd: you are correct on the 3,4,5 triangle with a 90 degree angle.... however his triangle does not have a 90.

 

[choppedliver]

BuckWild (2/4/2010)best way to do it is braise the joints with bronze rods. that usually keeps them from rusting at the joints. I have some EMT stands that are 20+ yeard old that have always been kept outside. The only bad thing with them is they usually rust from the inside out, so it's hard to see the damage to them.

So why not use aluminum? It wont rust at all. I mean if you can built a cobia tower out of aluminum why not a tree stand

 

[jspooney]

i suspect cost is the issue. Sure would be a lot lighter, though. Another issue might be the tools and skill needed to weld alum. I have only welded steel but would love to be able to do alum, too.

 

[choppedliver]

I looked it again and though its hard to tell from this drawing, looks like it has 49' of tubing.



Thats a lot of tubing.



Making it out of 3/4" aluminum , assuming 0.098 lb/cubic inch of aluminum ...



Hollow aluminum cylinder .063 thick is like a rolled rectangle = w*h*l = (Pi*Diameter)*.063*588 =3.14*.75 * .063 * 588 = 87.239 cubic inches



.098 lb/cubic inch * 87.239 cubic inches = 8.5 pounds approximately weight for a stand made from 49 ft of .063 3/4" Aluminum tubing.



Without the wood, of course. So add 3 or 4 more pounds.



How much did the steel one weigh?

 

[choppedliver]

jspooney (2/5/2010)i suspect cost is the issue. Sure would be a lot lighter, though. Another issue might be the tools and skill needed to weld alum. I have only welded steel but would love to be able to do alum, too.

Aluminum is what I do best.



I can get the aluminum for probably $20-$30 bucks

 

[jspooney]

how much can you get 1" square alum tubing for? I have a project I need to do

 

[saltgrass]

High grade fab shop builds stands like this and they are not cheap. He charges $300 for a 20' stand.

 

[BuckWild]

choppedliver (2/4/2010)

BuckWild (2/4/2010)best way to do it is braise the joints with bronze rods. that usually keeps them from rusting at the joints. I have some EMT stands that are 20+ yeard old that have always been kept outside. The only bad thing with them is they usually rust from the inside out, so it's hard to see the damage to them.

So why not use aluminum? It wont rust at all. I mean if you can built a cobia tower out of aluminum why not a tree stand

He said EMT, so I said braise was the best. I don't work with aluminum, so that is my reason. I imagine aluminum would flex with the same size pipe used vs. steel and the height. and the cost is a factor to me also.

 

[choppedliver]

jspooney (2/5/2010)how much can you get 1" square alum tubing for? I have a project I need to do

how thick and how many ft?