Hi guys
Was aiming to build a high garden bed using steel posts…however I would like to just use sleepers at the top so leave the bottom space empty. Like placing Tetris blocks but not all down the steel posts.
So was thinking of putting abutting steel welded against the stainless steel, then placing the sleepers on.
Will that work? Hold the weight of like 3-4 sleepers on top?
A simple Bunnings welder to do the trick?
Thanks
Stainless steel is very hard to weld.
Welding 2 different metals is hard
Why weld vs brackets and bolts as others have said?
Also stainless steel posts - what’s wrong with a good old fashioned galvanised post?
Don't forget PPE if you are going to be welding stainless steel. Chromium isn't great for your lungs.
What OP wants to do checks out. What else would you put on a garden bed but sleepers.
Would honestly be cheaper taking the steel to a fabrication shop to WELD up properly. If you've never welded before, it's a bit of a learning curve to get the proper penetration without blowing holes through the metal, or without the welded parts falling apart. You'll be up for a welder (MIG welder for example), wire, gloves, welding helmet, consumables as well as some ancillary tools (wire brush, wire cutters, grinders etc).
Price wise for the welding gear alone you'd be at roughly:
$199 Ozito Gasless MIG
$109 Bossweld Starter Kit
$17 Bossweld 0.9kg welding wire
$30 Welding consumables - contact tips etc as you'll blow through them if you have welded before. Plus each wire size uses a different size contact tip.
So you'd be at roughly $350 by the time you started just on the equipment, not to mention the hundreds of dollars of steel. So just food for thought. And yes, you can weld Stainless and mild together, but the weld will rust so you'll want to paint it all anyway.
Just give it a crack with a stick welder. It’s not hard, it’s all just practice. Get some cement sheet to weld on so you don’t scorch the concrete, and some magnetic triangles to hold things together. Seriously look up YouTube and you’ll see loads of videos of people in remote countries welding stuff.
You could even see if there’s a class in a local technical that offers intro to welding. But it’s a handy skill to have and develop.
Gasless MIG is much easier but setting up costs are usually pretty steep.
Could get some mild steel angle in 3 or 4 mm and just have a crack, and then paint it with cold galv once you’re done. It doesn’t have to look showroom if it’s just for a garden bed.
It's possible to weld dissimilar metals. You need some good preparation and appropriate consumables. A simple welder can do what you want however it will not be fun, I am assuming. Welding identical metals with a simple welder will be more enjoyable but not fun. You will need to paint the joint if you are using dissimilar metals to protect against galvanic corrosion. Brackets and bolts could be cheaper and more effective backed on what I'm imagining you are doing. Have a look at guides by Castolin Eutectic and the like.