Yeah, was a bit confused xD That's ingenious though O_O. I do agree it is a big more complicated but it sure is a lot easier to put together than using the 45 degree method. I was wondering though, if I use this method do I still have to use L shaped brackets to rivet everything together or would everything be snug and tight enough to stay together? Ah, ok. I just emailed a couple welders in the local area, I'll see how much their estimates are going to be. I WISH that I could weld =[ But unfortunately my school doesn't offer a metal working course, and I read that welding aluminum takes a large amount of skill since it doesn't show any colour change before it melts. Hopefully when I cut the aluminum angles, I won't make too many errors. And yeah, hopefully whomever I hire is able to clean up my mistakes XD Another method I was thinking about is to use aluminum tubing instead. Like this: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showpost.php?p=1639659&postcount=29 But I checked the prices, and using aluminum tubing would be FOUR TIMES the cost in materials =\ SO I'm leaning towards Recoil's method or welding. While I'm figuring out how to make the outer frame, I still have to figure out how to mount 3 radiators, 1 PSU, 3 Pumps, 3 Reservoirs, 1 fan controller, 3 fillports, and other misc items =\
Getting the 45 degree angles spot on can be quite tricky, I make often frames like this out of a range of materials and it does require some precision work to get it just right. I use a milling machine at work to do this but not everyone will have access to this kind of facility. One thing you will have to watch out for is something caused by the way the angle extrusion is made, its produced from a forming template whilst its still very hot so as it cools it can and often does distort which means that it will not always be a right angle bend and it may also twist along its length. If you get a badly formed piece of extrusion then you will have a problem when you try to build something with it as there is not a lot you can do to straighten it. If you can, you should carefully select the pieces you are going to use to make sure they are as straight and correctly formed as possible. With regards to welding them together, try to make sure you use the same thickness of material throughout, if you mix thick material with thin it can give you problems with weld burn through and remember that welding will leave a fillet of molten metal along the join. A good weld will keep this to a minimum but a lot depends on the skill of the welder, how well the joints fit together and how good the quality of material is. The square indent in the corner that you mentioned is to stop the end of the extrusion from having a pretty sharp point as a result of the two mitred edges meeting, I normally just file it down to a rounded end. You can make the rivets sit below the surface of the material if you countersink the holes enough so that the rivet heads fit flush or below the surface but you need thick enough material to begin with, anything less than 1/4" will be a waste of time.
I doubt it would be snug enough to fit and hold. But I do not know about using anything really other than a bracket or welding to hold it together. Gorilla glue is very strong, stonger than most woods when completely dried, and it does hold metal together...but it is kind of messy and would require cutting off excess with an x-acto. It activates with wetting both sides of the material with water. but I believe when it dires it spreads the pieces apart if they are not clamped tightly. I have used this stuff to fix a pressured waterline until I could make it to the store for repair parts. I have never messed with any other kind of adhesives though. If you found something (like the gorilla glue) that could make aluminum stick, you can get "tri-angle" corner brackets from your local harware store and apply to the inside for the corner...this would keep the outside flush and square, and rivet-less. They aren't very thick either, but last time I bought any I believe they were like $5 for 4 of them. Also, with the pic you posted of the 45deg angles, the reason they are blocked off in the corner is because they do not form a point. Hope you are able to get it tho
Hopefully, I'll be able to get a good welder. And by 1/4" do you mean the thickness of the Aluminum angle and the L bracket combined or just the thickness of the aluminum angle? And yeah, I was wondering about the indent because I usually make errors when I make drawings So I was just double checking that my drawing was accurate. Now that I know it is, I can continue on with the model
I've worked in an aluminum extrusion plant. Extruded aluminum billets are actually pushed through extrusion dies by hydraulic rams. The aluminum is heated to superplastic state with gas burners to make the dies last longer. Because the aluminum is over 300 degrees celsius it can snake quite a lot. That is why a puller-wagon is usually used to keep the profiles relatively straigth. Despite the precautions I've seen some crazy kinks and loops of aluminum some 50m long! All of the profiles produced have some degree of scrathes, bends and measure deviations. That is why sometimes hundreds of meters of aluminum get recycled.
If you use the 45-degree miter method, that corner will be flush. The ends of the members will be pointy, not cut off. Like this:
Yeah that's what I thought too. Wonder where I made a mistake in making my model? o_o'' I've contacted a couple of welders, if the cost aren't going to be that high then I'll probably get it welded. Since I don't trust my abilities to square everything up if I rivet it xD. Also around how much does welding usually cost? I just got a quote back for $100 =\
