I'm planning on creating an aluminum cube-like enclosure to house some water cooling equipment. I've been reading through some of the scratch build logs and have a decent idea of what I want. However the one thing that has been nagging me is if I made a frame from aluminum angles, and cover it with either plexi of aluminum sheets they won't be flush since the angles will be rivetted like this: Is there any solution to this? Or should I use square aluminum tubes instead? And the last question is can a bracket made from aluminum angles handle the weight of a mcr320 radiator when it's full? Thanks.
yes there is of you make some corner brackets up, the drill though the whole lot, that way there can sit flush
two options for you to consider. mitre the edges and then use L shaped corner brackets and rivet them together or mitre the edges of the entire frame and if you cant do it yourself, that the whole kit to a welding shop and have them flush weld it together. contrary to what people normally think, having someone simply weld up a framework does not cost that much, is generally stronger than rivets, and allows it to be a flush seam for you to mount plexi or the covering of your choice to. do try to make the miters as prescise as possible though if you plan to do the welding route, its much easier for the welder to join 2 pieces of metal if they are touching along the entire length of the seam as opposed to filling in small gaps with welding rod.
I'll probably use corner brackets since this is the first time I've made a case from scratch. Then if I ever feel like redoing it, I'll get it welded. I was wondering if the corner brackets in this post are commercially available(if so what are they called) http://forums.bit-tech.net/showpost.php?p=1583317&postcount=2 If not then I'll probably just go with L shaped corner brackets. Thanks again.
I have the same frame setup in Bloo. I used 1/8" plexi in the gap as a spacer. The nice thing about aluminum angles is the standard sizes. The 1/8" angles can fit a 1/8" plexi sheet in the gap perfectly.
I ran into this same prob on a past project. Check into welding, It'll make you much happier, as it would have me.
I was wondering for a rivet gun would this be ok? http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber or would one of these be better? http://www.canadiantire.ca/search/s...Hash=964bfcafa01fcf4d1de4a3537ca3c93266a97954 or would one of these be better? And for rivets, I'm planning to get countersunk rivets so that it'll be flush. Do normal hardware stores like Rona, Ace, CanadianTire, and Homedepot carry this or do they only carry the dome head ones? And for a mitre box to saw the 45 degree angle on the aluminum channels which one of these would be best? http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...atchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&s=true http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/s...d=1408474396672844&subctgrid=1408474396672891 Sorry bout all the questions, but this is my first scratch case. Thanks again.
The Canada tire doesn't work for a TX area code. I hate that system...It locks you out of internet only items. -f*cikng stupid. You want a faily cheap rivet gun, but one with an extended 'nozzle' head. It can get into cramped areas. Countersinking rivets is a matter of drilling out a hole for the rivet to sit in. I'm not familliar with the type of pop rivet you are asking about, but try McMaster Carr. For the mitre saw, I'd go with the precision saw. It can take hacksaw blades, and it's difficult to get a perfect mitre with a basic box. A hack saw can wobble in the groove about 2 - 3 degrees.
Well I found what I was looking for on Mcmaster Carr: http://www.mcmaster.com/nav/enter.asp?pagetype=srchdsc&search=rivet&srchCompleteInd=True&sesnextrep=861375351530964&newFrmWkInd=false&dscIds=49018&term=Rivets Part Number: 97447A220 But then I found out that they won't ship to Canada =[. I got an email stating: Thank you for your order. Unfortunately, due to the ever increasing complexity of United States export regulations, McMaster-Carr can only process orders from a few long-established customers in Canada. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this causes you. So does anyone know where I can get these types of pop rivets? EDIT: Never mind, found a local retailer. They even have aluminum angles, sheet metal, etc !! =] Never knew sheet metal was so expensive =[. Would 1mm be too thin or would it be ok?
Amazing...We have our legs wide open for Mexico, but we treat Canada like some kind of criminal. Is it any wonder that our foreign trade is in the dumper. As for aluminum sheet- I would go with something that is not going to cut you if you get too close to it.
Yeah I know what you mean =\ NAFTA was suppose to get rid of problems like this too. I just looked at the prices, I'm going with 1mm since it's a price difference of $50! between 1mm and 1.5mm (Sketchup is amazing! o_o)
My first instinct was to look online, having run into the same problem. I couldn't find anything that fit my specs so I cut out those brackets using my school's waterjet. I'd offer to cut up some more and ship 'em out but I have no idea how much shipping would cost seeing as how you live in Canada. They shouldn't be too difficult to cut with a Dremel, just take your time. I opted to use the waterjet because it was available. Bit of a tip though: bend them before drilling the holes. I had to start the build from scratch having realized my mistakes.
My first instinct was to look online, having run into the same problem. I couldn't find anything that fit my specs so I cut out those brackets using my school's waterjet. I'd offer to cut up some more and ship 'em out but I have no idea how much shipping would cost seeing as how you live in Canada. They shouldn't be too difficult to cut with a Dremel, just take your time. I opted to use the waterjet because it was available. Bit of a tip though: bend them before drilling the holes. I had to start the build from scratch having realized my mistakes. Good luck and let us know what you wind up doing.
I'll probably just use multiple L shaped brackets per corner, even though it'll be such a pain since it'll have to be so precise =\ Right now, I'm creating a sketchup model of what I hope to make and beginning to hoard money for the materials. On a side note, I'm getting this: http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=940138&Ntt=940138&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber second hand for $80 Should make cutting 45 degree angles into the aluminum angles a lot easier =]
I just started the sketchup model, but I have a question. In the following picture the aluminum angles used are 1/8" thick with Leg A and Leg B being 3/4". I was wondering if where the three aluminum angles meet to make the corner is supposed to be flush together, or is the little square indent normal? Older Images: Corner from other side: New completed frame images: Corner from other side: (Sorry about the double post, but I edited this question into my previous post 2 days ago but it still hasn't still been answered. Since people answered all my previous questions before I edited the new question into the post, so I guess since people thought all my questions were answered they didn't really take a second look)
Just looking at those 45 degree angled joins I think you will have a lot of trouble gettings them spot on and will get a lot of gaps along the join edge. You are better off getting joins between faces. Just as an example below is how I did a similar thing on my scratch build.
Yeah that's also another problem I've been thinking about. I like the way you made the corners in your scratch build, but I was planning to make the aluminum sheets cover the angles thus hiding them. If I can't think of a way of getting all the 45 degrees spot on, I'll prob use your method. And I read that instead of using countersunk rivets, you used normal rivets and you grinded them down. Did grinding them down affect their effectiveness at all? Or do they work as well as when they weren't ground down?
If you are going for a "clean" or flush look to it, CobraMods has suggested getting them welded together. If I were to go through the trouble of building a custom case out of aluminum angle I would personally look into it cause once you grind it down it will look like one piece, and most certified welders take the time to square up and align everything. It may be worth a shot to just call around to check pricing. My step-father has access to a welding shop and I could get him to do it for me so it wouldn't cost me much...ask a few people you know if they know how to weld, it may pay off. Also just plexi on the outside of the case is an eye-sore to me if things aren't flush or are popped full of 900 rivets. Having just metal on the outside would not matter nearly as much on the angles as you really wouldn't be able to see it. However, you could always notch all 3 pieces of the corners and have them align that way...(one side of the "L")...then you are just doing some straight cuts and it would align easier.
Yeah grinding them down was a bad idea, a bunch snapped later on because they were too weak. If you look later on i started using countersunk ones. Are you planning on welding this yourself or getting it done by a professional fabricator? How experienced are you with this sort of work? Any welder worth their salt should be able to compensate for any inaccuaries in the cuts.
I knew when I sent the other reply I should have explained, so here goes. Here are the cuts...this is 1/2" x 1/2" angle, 1/8" thick (for example). One side of each angle is cut down 1/2" to allow for one other side to slide in. Not all 3 have to be cut exactly as you would have a small square hole in the corner: You could always just notch 1 side out to allow for this offset. But this is slightly more complicated than simply 45deg both sides of each piece.
