DIY stuff

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Hello all. Hey, just found this. Might be cool for SOME things, like a real custom console or whatever. Maybe nothing in the studio, but cool regardless. The down side is its DAMN expensive new. But this is the "garage sale" stuff. You can get miscel pieces and accessories for cheap. I know you welders out there(frederic ) would simply weld stuff together but for you guys who can't, this might be the ticket. Its called 80/20. Its an aluminum Tslot extrusion and accessories to build framing systems or whatever for lots of different applications.. Only limited by your imagination. A lot of CNC people use it for their DIY CNC's. Anyway, thought I'd post it, as its not a well known product outside of the metalworking industry.
fitZ
http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale


OOPS Posted it twice and can't find the DELETE button!!!
Where the hell is it?

 

[EdWonbass]

That is pretty neat stuff. I don't have a current use for it but it's almost worth buying a butt load of it for the future.
Come to think of it, I do need to build a stand for a couple of reptile cages. This stuff might work. I think my only problem would be cutting it. I guess a sawz-all would work but maybe not too precise. I wonder if I can get a metal cutting blade for my mitre saw? It could then become a chop saw. Do they make such a thing?

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Hello Ed

I wonder if I can get a metal cutting blade for my mitre saw?

Yes, they make a carbide blade for cutting non ferrous metals. However, any 60 or 80 tooth will do it, but on a chop saw(miter saw) or radial arm you have to be REAL carefull, cause the blade wants to grab. Cut into the extrusion REAL SLOW, and take a small bite at a time. I do it all the time cause I have TONS of extrusions from another company called Stylmark. Talk about COOL extrusions. 1000 profiles in 50 colors. Expensive shit though. Used in Store fixture manufacturing like showcases and stuff. I used to work as a detailer at one. Thats where I became familiar with it. Actually, I am building a quadratic residue diffuser out of it, among other things. I even used 4 different profiles in my console.
fitZ

 

[guitar junkie]

we use that a lot

we use that a lot in our staging on the new platforms for the drummer and keyboard player its easy to set up and easy to break down

 

[EdWonbass]

Hello Ed
Yes, they make a carbide blade for cutting non ferrous metals. However, any 60 or 80 tooth will do it, but on a chop saw(miter saw) or radial arm you have to be REAL carefull, cause the blade wants to grab. Cut into the extrusion REAL SLOW, and take a small bite at a time. I do it all the time cause I have TONS of extrusions from another company called Stylmark. Talk about COOL extrusions. 1000 profiles in 50 colors. Expensive shit though. Used in Store fixture manufacturing like showcases and stuff. I used to work as a detailer at one. Thats where I became familiar with it. Actually, I am building a quadratic residue diffuser out of it, among other things. I even used 4 different profiles in my console.
fitZ

Thanks Rick. Now tell my wife I "NEED" some of this.

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Thanks Rick. Now tell my wife I "NEED" some of this.

Hahahahahahaha! I know the feeling. I see tons of stuff I THINK I need, but its hard to convince my wife, cause all she has to do is point to my shop which is FULL of collected "junk". My trouble is I can see a use for everything, but itwould take 5 lifetimes to do it!!

 

[frederic]

Great stuff, too bad I finished my console table...

I was looking for extrusions and didn't find anything affordable in my area on on the web, didn't even occur to me to search Ebay. Aluminum would have been prettier and lighter in the end.

My console table, unloaded, weighs 175lbs

 

[EdWonbass]

Great stuff, too bad I finished my console table...

I was looking for extrusions and didn't find anything affordable in my area on on the web, didn't even occur to me to search Ebay. Aluminum would have been prettier and lighter in the end.

My console table, unloaded, weighs 175lbs

For the shear size and beefiness of your table I would have thought it would be heavier.

 

[frederic]

For the shear size and beefiness of your table I would have thought it would be heavier.

Well, I weighed each piece by holding them one at a time while standing on a bathroom scale, then subtracting my body weight each time. You know how bathroom scales are...

Even though the square tubing is massive in size, it is hollow...

Year's ago I built a mid-engined sports car, about the same size as a corvette more or less, and the whole thing minus the body (chassis, wheels, tires, engine, tranny, wiring, seat, steering column, etc) weighed in at 2150lbs.

You can get structural strength two ways with steel - thickness and mass, or triangulation (or both if you're paranoid!)

 

[punkin]

Hey Frederic,

What sort of tubing/stock did you use on that table of yours? If you had to do it again, would you select the same materials? Would you perhaps use lighter gauge materials next time? Aluminum is nice but spendy and a little harder to weld. I'm looking at a project similar to yours.

Thanks,
steve

 

[geet73]

I used this stuff in my Engineering class last year. We used it to build a robot for the FIRST competition. Our bot came in 3rd or something.

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Hey geet, I see they use this stuff to build a LOT of robot type projects on tv.
They get to use all the cool stuff. Thier budgets are a LOT bigger than mine though. Thats why I scavange. Even dumpster dive. Man I found the coolest aluminum extrusion store fixture ever out behind a music store the other day. It was heavy duty too. A Zildian cymbal display, with HEAVY DUTY red CURVED aluminum extrusions that bolt to the stand with flush allen screws into welded hidden brackets. And then there were a bunch of red 3/8" steel rod cymbal brackets that fit custom milled slots in the extrusions. I'm making a cool multi midi controller/keyboard stand out of it. I LOVE finding junk like this and making things out of it! I'll post a pic when I finish it.
fitZ

 

[frederic]

Punkin,

The table is essentially two halves, bolted together with grade eight bolts in the middle.

Look here:

The legs, and the rectangular tops (both sides), is made of 2" square tubing, .125" wall. The shorter cross pieces that go front to back which supports the gear, is 1" square tubing, also .125" wall. The monitor shelf, which isn't in that picture but on some of the other ones, is also 1" square tubing, but 14ga or 16ga, I forget which. If you look at the left of the table underneath, you'll see an angled piece that holes the left leg vertical (there's one on the right side also), and that too is 1" square tubing, 14ga or 16ga wall. Was hacked out of scrap from the monitor shelf

Its tough to see in the above picture, but there are six or eight 1" square tubing @ .125" wall sticking straight out, which is why I screwed the poplar "desk" part, the poplar being wrapped in green vinyl to match the console table paint job.

If I were to do this again, I definately would not use 1/8" wall tubing as much as I did, but with the amount of gear I have on it, I would have to add a truss underneath to help support the weight. It was very important to me not to have any part of the table sticking down, other than the leg in the center where the two halves join, because I wanted to put a few homemade racks under there, my two computers, my subwoofer, and towards the right be able to crawl under the table to a small access door that leads into the crawlspace, where I have my ethernet switch mounted on the inside wall, the audio and power cabling drawn to, and a small area for storage of less used items.

I chose the thicknesses to avoid the logistic and construction hassle of making a truss. I used the strength of the larger steel pieces to support the span. Remember, this desk is 12 feet, 6 inches wide.

I have a natural tendancy to make things out of steel, because I have no shortage of metal working tools, from years of making engine stands, car chassis, racing suspensions, seat brackets, etc. So, I just used what I know best. If I was able to make things really nice out of hardwood, trust me, I'd use that instead.

The problem with wood is one you cut it wrong, you're screwed and throw it away. Steel, at least one can run a weld bead down where you cut it, grind it flat, and you can cut right next to where you welded it. Just have to make sure you didn't weld it crooked

Hey Frederic,

What sort of tubing/stock did you use on that table of yours? If you had to do it again, would you select the same materials? Would you perhaps use lighter gauge materials next time? Aluminum is nice but spendy and a little harder to weld. I'm looking at a project similar to yours.

Thanks,
steve

 

[geet73]

Hey geet, I see they use this stuff to build a LOT of robot type projects on tv.
They get to use all the cool stuff. Thier budgets are a LOT bigger than mine though. Thats why I scavange. Even dumpster dive. Man I found the coolest aluminum extrusion store fixture ever out behind a music store the other day. It was heavy duty too. A Zildian cymbal display, with HEAVY DUTY red CURVED aluminum extrusions that bolt to the stand with flush allen screws into welded hidden brackets. And then there were a bunch of red 3/8" steel rod cymbal brackets that fit custom milled slots in the extrusions. I'm making a cool multi midi controller/keyboard stand out of it. I LOVE finding junk like this and making things out of it! I'll post a pic when I finish it.
fitZ

Awesome work.

I've gotten some awesome stuff out of the trash. I got tons of speakers, a monitor, an electric organ, the computer desk I'm using now, a WORKING 27" TV..

The trash is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

 

[EdWonbass]

You know what they say. One mans junk is another mans treasure.

 

[frederic]

You know what they say. One mans junk is another mans treasure.

I have a whole garage full of "treasure". LMAO.

I do the trash thing too. The smallish TV in my studio for previewing DVD burns was a curb-find.

One of my lawnmowers was a curb-find, and I've gotten 5 years out of it so far (just needed a piston ring).

Etc.

My problem is having a large pickup, I can't resist decent looking curb finds. Well, that's not the problem per se, the "to fix" pile being 1/3 of a garage bay is the problem

 

[punkin]

Thanks Frederic. I appreciate the info. As I mentioned, I'm considering a similar project and would hate to reinvent the wheel as much as possible. I like your design and was wondering if your material select was on the side of over-kill, just right or not quite has heavy as it should have been.

Again, thanks and great work.


steve

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Well, that's not the problem per se, the "to fix" pile being 1/3 of a garage bay is the problem

Ditto. Tools, honeydos, studiostuff, yardstuff, on and on ..........
Actually,, ONE of my biggest fetishes is USED WOOD. I collect the worst stuff you've ever seen. Got a pile of old grey 2x6's, 4x4's, and stuff from cabinet shops, etc. With a bandsaw,. I can resaw it, or surface it with a jointer or planer, and it looks like NEW wood. You'd never know it. The 4x4's were from a pile a guy had since 1925. He saved them for years, and built a fence in the 40's. Just tore it down. The grain was rain deteriorated and rough/grey(beautiful to me ), but when I cut it....holy shit!! Fantastic CLEAR HEART fir. You can't even buy this stuff anymore unless your Bill Gates. Although I make a lot of stuff out of the rustic stuff. Signs and house numbers/resident name signs, boxes, displays..........all kinds of stuff! Plus plain ole yard stuff like fences, woodbutcher buildings.....etc. Good god, I can't let go..I see something in it even if its firewood!

 

[DDev]

woodbutcher buildings.....

Rick,

I gotta ask: what the heck is a woodbutcher building?

I consider my garage a place where I can butcher wood (as in royally screw up whatever project I'm working on), but somehow I suspect you have a different meaning for that

Darryl.....

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

I gotta ask: what the heck is a woodbutcher building?

Like my little "woodbutchers" iso room?