GARAGE WELD / FIELD GUIDES
Understand drawing callouts, weld geometry and sizing concepts, and test your reading skills with weld-symbol practice.
Reading a fabrication drawing and spotting a weld symbol with two numbers separated by a dash can stop a first-time builder cold. That symbol is telling you exactly where to…
A drawing lands on your bench showing a fillet weld symbol, but instead of one size, there are two different numbers separated by an “x.” If you’re not sure what…
Reading a welding drawing without understanding AWS welding symbols is like trying to read a map in a foreign language. This guide breaks down the AWS welding symbol chart in…
Figuring out how to determine proper weld size is something that really clicked for me after seeing perfectly good-looking welds fail under load. It’s easy to assume a bigger bead…
Understanding standard welding symbols is one of those skills that can save you from costly mistakes on the shop floor. I’ve been handed plenty of drawings that looked simple at…
Knowing how to calculate the strength of welded joints is one of those skills that separates guessing from real confidence in your work. I’ve welded plenty of parts that looked…
Figuring out the right fillet weld size can feel like guesswork if you’re just starting out. I’ve spent plenty of hours second-guessing whether a weld was big enough to hold…
When I first started building brackets and structural frames, figuring out how to calculate fillet weld strength felt like some kind of engineering puzzle. I could lay a clean bead…
Figuring out the maximum fillet weld size for plate thickness is one of those things that took me a while to really understand. When I was starting out, I thought…