Planning Choosing the right size aluminum

Hey guys,

So I've been reading through a lot of different project logs and got inspired to do some work of my own. I just need a little help getting started.

I am planning on building a rig about the size of a cable box. I don't know how thick of metal I should be using for that though reading through some of the threads it looks like 2mm would be good but I am not sure; any suggestions would be great.

Since this is my first time dealing with raw materials I have no clue where to buy stuff. Right now it is looking like im going to be needing a 20inx20in sheet of aluminum would a home depot/lowes sell something like that or am I going to have to find a specific shop for that?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

I don't know the size of a cable box, but if your case is going to be small and include bends, then, 1.6mm is fine (even 1mm can be very strong if the case is small and incorporates some bends). If you are making a frame and then adding flat panels, then 2mm or 2.5mm is what you will need. The rear panel may need to be 3mm if full ATX size.

It's always cheaper to buy from a metal vendor. Look in the phone book for a local supplier.

 

Thanks for the reply! Now I just need to find a metal vendor where I live and then hopefully I can get started on this build.