We're like you Bobby, we overbuild our stuff by 300%. Even insignificant little brackets get welded not only on the top side, but underneath too. We have even added a fourth side to brackets that could have gotten by with two sides.

I think a big part of it is that the engineers who have formal education in these things know the stresses they will take and can design a part that is adequate, but we hobbyists rely on our gut instincts and our desire to make sure nothing breaks. That is probably why a lot of the prebuilt stuff we get from some vendor is 1/8 inch thick and not fully welded, whereas we would have done the same part in 1/4 inch thick, fully welded and boxed.

Don