How to weld garage doors with your own hands

When building a garage, its protective functions, strength of materials and mechanisms always come first.

It must be burglar-resistant to keep uninvited guests out.

Garage doors are a key element in protecting your car from theft or damage. Even the slightest error in installation can play a cruel joke on the owner over time. Therefore, their installation must be treated with maximum responsibility and care.

Users often search for:

Gate frame made of profile pipe
DIY gates in a private house

Types of garage doors

Before proceeding with design and welding, it is necessary to decide on the type of future structure. Types of garage doors may vary depending on the size of the original premises and the budget capabilities of the contractor. The most popular types of designs are the following:

Swing . They consist of sashes of the same size, mounted on a stable frame.
Sectional . This type of gate consists of several parts, which, when opened, fold towards the ceiling using a spring mechanism. They save space, but require a high opening.
Roller shutters . When opened, they fold into a special compartment under the ceiling, saving space. The most expensive type of gate. Does not guarantee security due to the impossibility of installing powerful locks.
Lift-and-swivel . The hinge mechanism lifts the entire canvas towards the ceiling. Significantly saves space in front of and inside the garage.
Recoil . The mechanism of this design is similar to wardrobe doors. Additional space is required to mount the frame with slides.

Swing gates are the most common and budget option Source okidoker.com
Since even not the most experienced welder can weld gates for a swing garage, this type of construction has become the most popular.
Approximately 9 out of 10 premises of garage cooperatives are closed with this type of gate. Ease of installation and low cost explain their great popularity.

Requirements for swing garage doors

Regardless of the chosen type of metal structure, there are a number of requirements that must be met during its design and installation. The gate must be wide enough so as not to impede the passage of a car. The minimum door width is very easy to calculate - it must be at least 30 cm greater than the width of the vehicle.

Important! It is best to make the doors as wide as possible, even for a small car. It is worth considering the possibility of purchasing a large SUV in the future.

Garage doors are designed to be quite wide. Source svarka-sibir.ru
The second most important requirement for a door group is to protect the room from precipitation. The sheathing is welded to the frame. For better tightness, the edges of the valves are covered with sealing tape.

Garage doors must reliably protect the contents of the building from unlawful actions of third parties. A powerful lock with a complex mechanism is installed on the frame structure. The sash casing is made of steel from 3 to 5 mm thick.

Necessary tools for metal structures

Before welding a garage door, you should make sure you have the necessary equipment. Considering the large dimensions of the future structure, it is best to manufacture it on a flat welding table, and then deliver it to the installation site. To create a gate you will need:

welding machine;
building level;
square;
welding electrodes;
Bulgarian;
cutting and grinding wheels;
roulette;
marking tool.

A welding machine is the most important tool for creating metal structures. Source ad-cd.net
The main tool for work is a welding machine. It can be either electric or gas. The most important requirement is sufficient power for comfortable work with electrodes with a thickness of 3.5-4 mm.

See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in the design and installation of metal structures

Materials for swing garage doors

Having collected the necessary tools, you can proceed to purchasing iron for the manufacture of the final structure. The basis of the frame is metal profile pipes. The minimum possible size is considered to be 20x40 mm with a metal thickness of at least 2 mm. Massive pipes will provide greater stability, but will require a powerful frame and experience with a welding machine.

The frame will require facing material. The most popular option is metal sheets 3-4 mm thick. They are decorated with forged elements and spray painted. The cladding can be corrugated board, wood or PVC panels.

Metal garage doors Source dostup-zabor.ru

Finished sashes are hung on open or hidden hinges attached to the supporting frame. It is made from a corner measuring at least 75 mm and 3 mm thick. The gate kit also includes a latch and a lock for closing the room.

Advice from professionals

To make everything work out as best as possible, let’s take into account the opinions of professionals:

You shouldn’t limit yourself to reading a couple of articles with instructions on making your own garage doors. Now on the Internet there are a lot of detailed video tutorials and reviews on this topic.
When choosing materials for work, give preference to lighter and more modern ones. Then further operation of the finished structure will not be difficult and will not require effort.

To create a competent and readable drawing, you can use simple specialized programs, such as: KOMPAS-3D, AutoCAD, NanoCAD, FreeCAD, etc.

d. When welding parts of the frame frame, you should remember that for greater strength it is better to connect the edges of the corners laid overlapping. For comfortable operation of the garage door structure, smooth opening and closing of doors and smooth functioning of locks and latches, it is important to remember to lubricate them and monitor the cleanliness of the systems.

In order to improve the thermal insulation qualities, you can first cover the seal with polyethylene, and only then cover it with clapboard.
Garage doors do not have to be standard and banal. There are a lot of stylish and original solutions for their creation and design. It all depends only on your imagination and budget.

In conclusion, we invite you to look at several photographs of finished garage doors of different types.

Making a supporting frame for a garage

Before you weld a garage door with your own hands, you need to make a reliable foundation for it. Creating a supporting frame requires the builder to be accurate in calculations and comply with the required dimensions when cutting metal. If there is no level table for welding, a structure is assembled on the ground from two identical beams or pipes and leveled. The frame creation process consists of the following steps:

Measuring the width and height of the garage opening. Inaccuracy at this stage may result in the frame simply not fitting into it.
The corner is marked according to the size of the opening. Using a grinder, cut out blanks of the required length. A distance equal to the width of the corner is retreated from the edges and a cut of 45 degrees is made.
The cut pieces are laid out on a prepared surface or welding table and adjusted to each other, checking the level and angles.
Using a welding machine, all structural elements are connected. Finished seams are carefully sanded.
The finished version is tried on in the garage doorway. If the result is satisfactory, the frame is painted from the inside.

Supporting frame of the garage Source proizvodstvo-metallokonstrukcij.ru
Using a similar algorithm, a duplicate frame is assembled. It is convenient to check the dimensions of the structures by placing them next to each other. Only if there is a complete match can you begin to install them in the doorway.

Welding or threaded connection?

An alternative to welding is a threaded connection. In most cases, it is used by owners who assemble structures themselves and do not know how to use welding.

For a threaded connection you need to stock up:

electric drill with a set of drills;
bolts;
nuts with M8 thread;
spring washers (sealing);
wrenches;
corner scarves.

Sealing washers are necessary to protect against uncontrolled unscrewing; in addition, they increase the reliability of the structure. The nuts are screwed through pre-made holes. The procedure is almost identical to welding. It is only worth noting that the reliability of the structure itself and its service life with bolted connections is lower than with welding. In addition, when connecting, you should pay attention to periodically occurring deformation.

Manufacturing and installation of sashes

There is only one way to properly weld a garage door - you need to clearly calculate the future dimensions of the structure and the spare gaps necessary for the doors to close and open smoothly. Experienced builders recommend 2-3 cm from the floor, 1-2 cm from the ceiling and 5 cm from the side walls for attaching hinges. Based on the calculations obtained, the profile pipes are cut and a cut is made at their edges at an angle of 45 degrees.

Important! To simplify the task as much as possible, you can weld the frame from one solid sash, and after installation, separate it using a grinder.

Metal pipes are laid out on a welding table or prepared surface, adjusted to length and the corners are checked. Using a welding machine, a monolithic rectangle of a suitable shape is created. Before starting to clean the seams, the finished structure of the future doors is applied to the frame with hinges welded onto it.

Garage door installation Source tildacdn.com

If the dimensions match, you can begin installing the finished structure. The places where the fittings are attached are marked on the pipes and welded. The gate frame is checked by putting it on the frame hinges - if it fits like a glove, you can proceed to the next stage. Using a tape measure, set the middle of the horizontal crossbars. They retreat 1 cm from it and weld vertical crossbars so that there is 2 cm between them.

The canvas is cut into 2 equal parts, and the protruding pieces of pipe are removed using a grinder. To strengthen the sashes, you can install additional horizontal or diagonal cross members. All welds are cleaned, the structure is painted and installed on the hinges. To prevent the doors from opening inward, a control profile pipe is welded to the top of the frame, which will limit their movement.

Covering the doors with metal sheets

It is not enough to know how to weld a garage door from a profile pipe with your own hands; it is important to sheathe them beautifully so that the final result is pleasing to the eye. Most often, galvanized iron plates 2-3 mm thick are used for cladding. They are marked and cut with a grinder, the edges are polished, removing metal burrs and shavings. Small slits for hinges are also made on the sides of the sheets.

Garage covered with metal sheets Source nick-stroy.ru

Video description

Installing a lock on a garage door
If your budget does not allow the use of reliable mortise mechanisms, you can use a proven option. A small loop is welded to the edges of each of the doors. They are used to install a barn lock. Despite the fact that this option is cheaper, it is seriously inferior to mortise mechanisms for safety reasons.

To fix the valves in the open position, locks on metal springs are used. Even an inexperienced technician will have no problems installing them. The lock body is welded to the bottom of the sash closer to the middle of the garage opening.

Insulation and internal lining of garage doors

The final stage of creating a metal structure is covering it with insulation on the inside. This will allow you to maintain a positive temperature in the room even in winter. Glass wool, polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam are used as insulation.

Insulation of garage doors Source vikbud.ua

A wooden sheathing made from edged boards is mounted to the frame of the doors. All cavities are carefully filled with insulation, avoiding air pockets. To retain a sufficient amount of heat, a 5 cm layer of mineral wool is sufficient. To give a finished look, the sheathing is lined with PVC panels, clapboard or other materials based on the individual preferences of the garage owner.

Installation of an automatic gate opening system using the example of a rack and pinion drive

The bicycle sprocket is mounted on the gearbox shaft. Next, put on a chain, the diameter of the links corresponds to the size of the sprocket. Afterwards it is fixed along the gate area. When the sprocket moves to the side, the chain is transferred. The gate mechanism opens.

The gearbox is secured with bolts and nuts. The support must be rigid and level. An oblong-shaped hole is prepared where the position of the motor is adjusted. Next, the chain is attached to the gate. A drive-type beam is fixed to the canvas. A chain with a toothed rack is attached to the bottom. The chain is fixed by welding.

The electric drive is connected according to the instructions. As an addition, photocells are installed. They are fixed opposite each other. Next, the wires from the power supply are connected. The warning lamp is installed last. Its purpose is to notify about nearby objects and increase safety around.

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