My shop is looking to build a jig table to help fabricate custom chassis components. Something like whats attached bellow.
My design calls for a pair of 12’ parallel I beams to run down the wheelbase and 2 or more 6’ beams attached at a perpendicular. Sizes of the beams can be 3X4 or there about… what ever is available and manageable. Slightly overbuilt is better than under built.
So what i am looking for are:
2, 12’ I beams
2, 6’ I beams
somewhere around 3X4
Thank you in advance.
Mike
let me know when you get something. I want to help with the design.
A friend of mine has some I-beams for sale. They are 3" x 5", he has some that are 90" long and some that are 104" long. Maybe not exactly what you were looking for but I was just talking to him the other day about them and saw your post.
His name is Vince, 505-5055, I think he has them either in Green Island or Watervliet, not sure which shop. If you call him, tell him Corey gave you his info.
Sure thing man! I am open to ideas for sure!
In my head the 6’ perpendiculars would hang bellow the long side beams. Then make some clamps with some 1/4 or maybe 1/2 plate. that would bolt through and nut to the lower one and make it adjustable width and length.
something like this ballin ass CAD drawing
SWEET! I will give him a shout.
I figure most cars are 100" wheelbase or so. My jetta is 98 IRC and the 3500 van is 138.5" I measured it a few days ago. so 104 would get the axles under it, but would leave me with little to nothing fore and aft of the chassis for more mounting points or measurement points. Not that you NEED them, but more is better than less!
If anything those would work perfectly for the side to side parts and have a bunch left over if I were to buy it all from him.
Ill give him a shout this weekend for sure! THANK YOU!
No problem man, glad I saw it.
OP is a jig
You want WAY bigger beam than 3 or 4" to make an un supported table like that. The picture in the OP is showing something like 12" W at the bases, and probably 8" standard at the perpendicular beams, and even that thing can/will walk around when welding the big stuff you typically work on. So many different standards across the world it’s tough to mention them all.
If you want to use smaller beam, you’re going to need alot more than just those four beams to keep the table square. Beam is designed to give. If it wasn’t it would fail. You’d be surprised how much it can walk around with everything clamped and welding. I’ve been to other shops with tables like that that have had middle legs lifted over 1/2" off the concrete due to a weak table. There’s reasons why good tables cost tens of thousands of dollars. Most of the type of tables built like you’re doing are built to suit one particular type of chassis.
My KC frame tables have about 200’ of 3x3x.25" box tubing into each of them to retain rigidity while welding, and those tube frames don’t weigh squat(under 250lbs each w/o the carbon drivers cells) They tables also have 1/2" plate decks which further add to the rigidity.
Build it right once and never have to worry about it again, or build it and be fighting it project after project. I can certainly locate and get you beam if needed. Threw a shit ton of it out to the scrap yard this past summer. Know of a couple places up north that have nominal lengths of #12 and bigger lying in fields. Rusty yes, but can likely be had cheap and be cleaned up with some muscle work no doubt. Personally I wouldn’t bother. I’d build a very rigid table from the aforementioned square tubing and maybe use a couple long pieces as bases IF and ONLY IF your concrete floor is perfectly flat and level. If it’s not you’re just going to have to add jack screws like pictured above and basically defect the purpose of the beam anyway. At that rate better off building multiple legs that you can put jackscrews or better, use shim plates.
have fun 
did you already put these together? how many did you make for them?
Yes, two of them but they’re only the bases frames with the drilled plate decks. Some of the main backstops and clamp points are on them, but until I get the frames finalized I cannot do much more to them. One for the single up the other is for the other chassis. Probably weight just under a ton each and had to use the wrecker to transport them up to the storage unit where they’re currently sitting until I need them(this spring likely 
)
But seriously if Mike is looking to build a table he needs to rethink his ideas of what a table is meant for. If it’s not perfectly square and doesn’t stay square, then there’s absolutely no point in even wasting the time and money on the steel. As big as those 3-4" beams are, they can still move. Hang ten feet of a nominal length off an enge and tell me it doesn’t drop. Might as well just do the work off jackstands. Not trying to blow up his thread, just don’t want to see him go the wrong route.
I’m sure we all agree on that note. How much would it be to get the I-beams that you have access to? you said #12, what does that refer to?
Mike- I’ll be calling you about this tomorrow. I don’t know what you were planning on putting up on the frame, but I’ll work with you on building this table if we can get my car up on it.
#12 referring to the US standard size spec of the beam in rough height(inches). Would also be called something like W12x26 or W12x50 when ordering. Last number in the designation denotes weight per foot, which ultimates determines the actual size/cross section of the beam flanges(top/bottom) and chord(main vertical section). Larger the number, the more it weighs per foot and obviously means a thicker beam.
Other countries use different standards. I’ll make some calls about the beams for you this week.
Lolz, transport/work dollys right there. Not frame jigs by far. Still those Mclaren ones have mclaren tax on them, as in anytime a car goes on them it’s probably a minimum of a 25K service fee. Makes Porsche tax look hyundai cheap :lol
Mike, any luck on this?
Couple sections of old square guardrail work too…liberated a couple a few years ago and made a great frame jig.
The use for the table, jig, what ever you call it is simple for me.
What I need this for is for building suspension parts under a already constructed car.
My idea is drive, roll, lift the car in question over the table. Adjust the long beams over under the tires. Use stand offs to clamp on the long beams, to suspend the cars frame, then to remove the tires. Those arms can be on screw type posts for adjustment too.
Once the car is resting on its glorified jackstands, I make posts for the hubs, bolt them to the hub then clamp to the table.
entire car is bolted to the table, factory geometry is intact, nothing is moving.
For example. The Camaro I am building, I want to make ladder bars for the rear axle. I can mark my rear “hub post” on the table. remove that, the axle, the suspension etc. Car wont move. Axle is stripped of its original fixture points, bolted back to the hub post, bolted back to the table where it started. Now the axle is suspended exctly where it was under the car when I started… just with a clean slate to hang my new suspension pieces from. I hang my tabs, link bars, etc. check for square, level, what ever and send it home.
Its nowhere near as complicated as building a tube chassis from a print. My weldments wont really be directly connected project to table… so defelction from that is not an issue in my head.
As for the table it self, 6 adjustable points to the no way in hell level floor is a must. Screw type feet I think are fine. I would think 6-8 teleposts for holding your basement under the house would sufice. As i am working just check for tension here and there to see if anything lifted, sagged, shifted etc. Also I realize I cant to wacking the project with a sledge like a mad man while its sitting on its glorified jack stand posts on the table. But as long as they are taught and wont wiggle like jackstands, its not moving much at all. I even thought of little “story poles” that I can clamp to the table, with a pointer at the top. Put some masking tape on the cars rocker, door what ever and draw a line. do that at 4 points, (side, side, front, rear). Keep an eye on them. If the car shifted or shifts as you are smacking tabs or bolts etc… they will tell your helper and let you know whats going on.
Let me know on the beams if you find anything out. Ill go field diving and grab them for sure.
