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Originally Posted by Tytus Gerrish
steel is cheaper, stronger, and comes in a variatiy of shapes sizes hardnesses and flavors  |
It's also denser than aluminum. Aluminum also comes in "a variety of shapes, sizes, and hardnesses,” so that shouldn’t be any reason to choose steel over aluminum as your material of choice.
If you’re not into using something like 80/20 (or other comparable “erector set” materials) I would suggest a basic frame be made out of something like 1” x 1” x 0.125” thick or 1” x 2” x 0.125” thick aluminum tubing. Portions of the frame that you would assume wouldn’t be exposed to much stress can probably be made out of .0625” thick aluminum tubing. You can decrease the weight of your frame and other components by drilling lightening holes in the tubing, as well.
A good example would be the robot I worked on last year.
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The lower and upper arms were 3" x 3" x 0.125" aluminum tubing and the gripper portions were 1" x1" x 0.125" aluminum tubing. We saved a lot of weight with those holes.
I would second George's suggestion that you read the thread he has linked in his post above, if you haven't already. It’s always good to see your posts, George. It feels like such a long time since the Tigerbolt days. I hope everything’s going well for you, man.
-Bill