angelodp wrote:Thanks, so the end caps are separate and simply get riveted in. Do I have to have access to a sheet metal folder or can you suggest a DIY method for the folding
best A
Hi Ange
A sheetmetal folder/bending brake makes the job a helluva lot easier.
But it can be done by hand on a very sturdy wooden bench top, with a very strong hard piece of wood clamped firmly to the bench surface acting as the brake, and very careful - yet forceful - manipulation of the metal by hand (esp if its 1.2mm Ally). or it would be slightly easier if you had a long vice (of sufficient length to clamp the whole length of the metal. However the hand-wrought method does require some brute strength and finesse to achieve a reasonable outcome with a good right angle bend. And you have to take care to leave the exposed surfaces un-dented/twisted/warped. You would still probably want to make the end-caps in a vice.
Last edited by tubeswell on Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
I've started bending my own chassis, and have done done two so far. I picked up a brake at HarborFreight - the 30" one. I ended up getting a good deal on one b/c they were on sale, and they only had the display model left.
A 3 foot square piece of .060" (16ga. I believe) aluminum cost me $40, and I should be able to get four chassis out of that piece.
Brakes can be very expensive - I went the cheap route. I'm no expert, but I think the right tool for the job is a "finger brake". With a straight brake the metal gets in the way of itself on some of the bends.
Cutting the aluminum with a jigsaw and an appropriate blade works great.
I'll attach a picture of my first attempt. I'm going to try one without the small bends on the long edge and see how sturdy it is. Those took a lot of pounding with a hammer and wood blocks, so if I can get a sturdy chassis w/o those lips, I'll go that route in the future.
I really like the flexibility of custom-sizing the chassis to my needs.
-John
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John, that looks very good. Did you get set of greenlee punches for the holes, or will you drill them? Anyone have a solution to these very expensive punches.
In aluminum, I've had good luck with hole saws and a drill press. I pre-drill all the holes at 1/8", and then go back and use the appropriate hole saws for the big'uns.
Punches for the non-round holes, like the IEC socket would be a huge convenience, but I have yet to justify the expense. For this stuff I use a router with a pattern bit and templates to clean up a rough-cut opening. Cuts thru the aluminum like butter.
But I enjoy woodworking, so I already had these tools on hand. I've read of folks using a set of <$20 punches from Harbor Freight with success, but I can't speak from experience.
