Build it yourself
Projects to weld yourself: a cutting-list calculator for your own dimensions, a drawing, the material list and the welding settings.
This section is for people who weld for themselves rather than to order. What separates it from the products section is not the subject but the reason you arrive: there it is what exists and what it is made of; here it is how to build it yourself, to your own size.
Every project is calculable. Instead of «take 40×40 section», the calculator asks for your dimensions and returns a cutting list — how many pieces, what length, which section — and with it the mass of steel, the length of welds, the electrode or wire consumption and the current it welds at. The drawing redraws on every change, so you can see what just moved.
The list travels with you: print it, download it as CSV for a spreadsheet, or save the link, which already carries your dimensions. Everything is worked out in the browser: nothing goes to a server and there is nothing to sign up for.
The numbers are not invented: section masses come from the same set of 136 sizes the weight calculator uses, and the currents and consumption from the same data as the rest of the calculators on the site.
- Workbench A 1500 × 700 × 850 bench in 40×40×2: 12.3 m of tube, 29 kg frame, 33 kg top. Enter your size for the cutting list, weld settings and the order that keeps it flat.
- Pedestrian gate A 1000 × 1800 gate leaf in 40×20×2 tube: about 19 kg, 10 joints. Enter your size for the cutting list, then weld it square on a table and hang it on wedges.
- Carport and canopy A 6 × 3.5 m carport in 60×60×3 tube: 6 posts, 7 rafters, about 366 kg of frame. Enter your size for the cutting list, then follow the build steps and weld settings.
- Door canopy A 1400 × 900 door canopy in 40×20×2 tube: three brackets, about 19 kg of steel. Enter your size for the cutting list, then build the brackets on one template.
- Fence 20 m of 2 m fence: nine 60×60×3 posts, sixteen 40×20×2 rails, about 209 kg of steel. Enter your run for the cutting list, set-out steps and weld settings.
- Steel stairs Enter the rise and the going: the calculator gives the number of steps, the actual riser, the stringer length and the whole cutting list.
Frequently asked questions
Do these projects need welder certification?
For your own bench, your own gate or a canopy on your own plot, no. Certification is needed when you weld for someone else for money, or when the structure goes through inspection: load-bearing, pressure, or in a public building. A canopy over an entrance can already count as building work, so check the local rules first — that is a paperwork question, not a welding one.
What is the best process for these structures?
Hollow section of 2–3 mm goes most easily with MAG and 0.8 mm wire: less spatter, faster, and far more forgiving on a thin wall. Stick will do it too, but the current has to come down and the weld has to be stitched so as not to blow through. The concrete values come from each project’s calculator.
How do I know how much steel to buy?
The calculator works from real masses per metre, not from a formula: on hollow sections and angles the corner radii make a difference of several per cent. Add your own allowance for saw kerf and cutting mistakes on top; the calculator deliberately leaves it out so the figure stays checkable.
What do I do with the cutting list?
Print it and take it to the steel stockist, or download it as CSV and open it in a spreadsheet. You can also just save the link: your dimensions live in the address, so opening it puts the calculator back in the same state. None of this goes to a server.