What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset

[Jon Stratis]

The quickest way, by far, is a sheer. Give me a piece of aluminum and some desired dimensions, and I can have a gusset plate made in under a minute on our sheer.

That said, probably a cheaper route would be a bandsaw. You also have added versatility with a bandsaw, as you can cut your extrusion on it as well.

Perhaps the cheats route possibly would be with a pair of snips. Get a good pair, and just cut the aluminum by hand with them.

[roystur44]

Try making your gussets out of .125-.187 thk Lexan. Lexan is just as strong. You can be real creative with a router and using jigs to cut the outside shape and then transfer punch the holes. The Lexan can even be bent with a simple pan brake.

[hrench]

Originally Posted by roystur44

Try making your gussets out of .125-.187 thk Lexan. Lexan is just as strong. You can be real creative with a router and using jigs to cut the outside shape and then transfer punch the holes. The Lexan can even be bent with a simple pan brake.

Lexan, a brand name for polycarbonate, has average tensile strength of 50-80 mpa. Aluminum alloys run the gamet of 5052-h32 at 193mpa to 6061 T6 at 300 mpa.

Lexan is a great material and its nearly unbreakable because it flexes, but it is not 'just as strong'. There are no airplanes made of polycarbonate.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by hrench

Lexan, a brand name for polycarbonate, has average tensile strength of 50-80 mpa. Aluminum alloys run the gamet of 5052-h32 at 193mpa to 6061 T6 at 300 mpa.

Lexan is a great material and its nearly unbreakable because it flexes, but it is not 'just as strong'. There are no airplanes made of polycarbonate.

I think his point was saying a Lexan gusset of those thicknesses (>.125 in) is "just as strong" as a .09 metal gusset. Adequate for the job being done, probably won't fail in places that your rivets wouldn't fail first.

[asid61]

We bandsaw ours. Just make sure the holes are drilled accurately (spacing wise). If you have a manual mini mill then I would use that for drilling the holes, as our robot had to have holes drilled on it, which is a pain.

[JohnFogarty]

Shearing is the better way to go, but we band saw cut all of our gussets this season as well.