So I wanna build some monkey bars...

[Investorguy]

and not a wooden playset, I already have one of those. I want to build the kind of thing they have at parks with all different kinds of bars and pipes so my boys can climb around and stuff while developing upper body strength.

I remember what a pain it was to do the site prep for my wooden playset b/c that was before I had my tractor. Very excited about how easy it's gonna be this time.

What I'm wondering about is if anyone has any experience w/ this? I'm not a welder, so I'm thinking I may try to get a pipe threader and do it that way. Should I use heavy galvinized aluminum pipe or steel? Thanks for the help.

 

[Defective]

Black iron & paint.

Aluminum pipe strong enough to be safe is gonna incredibly expensive. Galvanized pipe means toxic coating that rubs off.

If you go with threaded assembly, spend some time filing & sanding the fittings.

The other option would be to buy a welder & learn to use it. You'll find lots of uses for it after this project is done.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've thought about building a high end playground for the kids too. I like some of the plastic slides and components you can buy, but don't like the idea of using wood with it. I want to set some pipe in concrete and make it bullet proof!!!

I really don't know of any other way to do it right, and make it last, besides welding it. You can only screw so many threaded pieces together before you have to start using unions. This will get pricey, AND make it rather bulky looking. Even bad welds should be strong enough after grinding them down smooth. It wont take too long to get the hang of it and make some decent welds.

Plus for what you will spend on fittings, you can easily buy a welder!!!

Eddie

 

[Investorguy]

I've thought about building a high end playground for the kids too. I like some of the plastic slides and components you can buy, but don't like the idea of using wood with it. I want to set some pipe in concrete and make it bullet proof!!!

I really don't know of any other way to do it right, and make it last, besides welding it. You can only screw so many threaded pieces together before you have to start using unions. This will get pricey, AND make it rather bulky looking. Even bad welds should be strong enough after grinding them down smooth. It wont take too long to get the hang of it and make some decent welds.

Plus for what you will spend on fittings, you can easily buy a welder!!!

Eddie

Okay, I'm down w/ learning how to do something. What would be a good thing to look for in a kit to get started welding?

 

[Defective]

Just my preferences:

Money to burn

Money to spend

Pretty good investment

 

[art]

My youngest is 25 and getting married, can't remember when I sold the outfit I'd made but at the time it was many ideas from schools and parks that was basically pressure treated lumber. IT had swings twelve foot up and a rope ladder, 12 foot of aluminum monkey bars the rope bridge deal and a slide that was ten foot long that we had to make. It had a deck about eight foot in the air which was the gaterhing spot. It has made it thru two familes that I know of and not that easy to take down, it was bolted together which made it hady and I kind of just keep adding on depending on what I saw.

 

[EddieWalker]

Defective makes a good point with the mig welders.

You can spend allot of money when you really don't need to. Especially if you just want to make a few projects and are welding for fun, not for a living.

Mig welding is probably the easiest to learn, whith good results. For pipe and what you want to do, it will be perfect. I like and prefer arc welding. For allot less money, I can weld much thicker metal and have more options on what I want to do. It's tougher to learn to arc weld then mig weld, but when you figure it out, you can stick just about anything together. You can find used arc welders for under $100. I paid $200 for mine off ebay and it's an AC/DC arc welder. The AC only versions are cheaper, will do just a good a job, but will have more splatter and are harder then a DC welder.

Most welders come with realy cheap helmets that are barely adequite. You can spend a couple hundred dollars on a real fancy one, or $60 for a good one. The big difference is auto darkening and the size of the glass. I don't have auto darkening, but as a beginner, it will make it easier for you to line up your tip and start your welds.

Good, heavy gloves should be for welding and cover your wrists. I don't have welding boots or leathers, but sometimes I pay for that when a piece of slag burns me. It's rare, but it happens.

You'll also need a decent 4 1/2 inch grinder. I like Makita and Milawakee, but you should be fine with most name brands.

A good set of clamps and magnets will also come in handy. The magents will hold two pieces of metal at 90 or 45 degrees, which is very handy. Clamps will also hold metal together, but mostly I just use two big magnets for most of my welding.

With a welder, the design now has almost unlimited possibilities. My problem with building my playground set is I'm not satisfied with how wild my design is. I want everything in it and for it to be totally unique and amazing. That's hard to do, so I'm still in the planning stage.

Eddie

 

[Renze]

I wouldnt recommend a mig welder for newbie's.
When not properly adjusted, the weld might look great on the surface but have absolutely no penetration.

with arc welding, you dont have to be an expert to see the quality of the weld, from its surface. If arc welding gives bird poo, it doesnt have penetration. If it looks smooth, the weld is burnt in.

Especially when welding treated steel like galvanised or rusted or painted, arc welding requires little knowledge to aquire solid joints.

 

[EddieWalker]

I got curious about this again, and did a search under "jungle gyms" on google. Most of the hits with the good pictures were in Europe, but that's not imporatan. What really struck me was how ugly and empty looking the metal sets were. Even painted and with nice assesories, they just didn't have a very apealing look to them.

Then I looked at the wood ones and it was like night and day. Now I'm thinking about building a jungle gym with both wood and steel. I just need to figure out a plan.

Eddie

 

[Defective]

Renze (& Investorguy),

Mig can be learned. It's all about practice. Do a bit of welding on scrap, then break it. Repeat as needed. (Oh yah...A short welding class can help too... ) Mig is the easiest way to work with pipe.

Eddie,

Build a castle out of wood. Nothing smaller than 4x4 and mostly 6x6. Then add on the really cool stuff with steel.