gauge and thickness

[scottyd]

what does the gauge of metal mean? also what do they mean when they say a welder can weld up to 3/16 of an inch?


thanks ,scottyd

[cope]

Gauge is anothrr method of measuring thickness instead of fractional measurement. If a welder can weld 3/16" that means the maximum weld in a single pass. Some welders are over-rated, especially the small 110v. Migs.

[scottyd]

do you mean the hardend puddle is 3/16 above the metal?

[cope]

Originally posted by scottyd
do you mean the hardend puddle is 3/16 above the metal?

Sorry, I failed to make my reply clear: If a welder is advertised as welding 3/16", that means it will weld 3/16" thick steel in one pass, achieving good penetration. As most will tell you, you have to take those claims with a grain of salt; if the machine is rated for 1/4", expect 3/16" and so on.

[ampdog]

I'm not a pro, I just remember reading that the thickness of a metal is measused the standard way, but gauge can be different depending on the characteristics of the metal.

This is a quote from an engineering site:

"Sheet metal thickness gages are based on a weight of 41.82 pounds per square foot per inch of thickness. This is known as the Manufacturers' Standard Gage for Sheet Steel, and is primarily used for sheet steel. For materials such as Aluminum and Brass the thicknesses will be different. Thus a 10 gage steel sheet which has a thickness of 0.1345 inch will weigh 41.82*0.1345 = 5.625 pounds per square foot."

Also, here is a link to a table that kind of lays it out.

http://www.fhp.angelcities.com/metalgauges.html