Input On Steel chassis w/wood inset

[Matt Adams]

Originally Posted by Henry_Mareck

also, i had thought aluminum is more expensive than steel is, but i dont know if thats true

edit: what is "extruded" aluminum? does than mean angle?

80-20 has some nice little demos you can see here:
http://www.8020.net/T-Slot-2.asp

Essentially the idea is that you can rapidly assemble a frame by using t-nuts that fit inside the channels of the extrude aluminum. No welding is needed, and components can be assembled and reassmbled numerous times. No drilling into the material is required either, since the t-nuts provided threaded holes to use.

And yes aluminum is more expensive than steel, but steel is very cheap. If you're looking to buy box aluminum, you can get 8 feet of 1" x 1" x 1/8" for about $15. I'll say you can get a frame out of roughly 20 or 30 feet.

Matt

[Not2B]

If you can't weld Al (skill-intensive), and you don't want to use 80-20 (expensive)...

Rivits! Pop rivets are good when used correctly. I love pop rivets. You can be pop riveting after a $16 investment at your local hardware store.

And for wood - that is nature's composite. Most lumber only has the fibers (that resist tension) running in one direction. That's seen in the grain. But you can get plywood with the sheets running 90 degrees from each other. When used correctly, in the correct applications, wood is good.

Basically - there is no correct answer - each application, each material, and each design need to be considered and evaluated based on what's important to you. That's engineering...


Edit:
Oh yeah, on the kit frame - if you worry about it's rigidity, take a sheet of plywood and put it inside the C-channels to give it a solid wood floor. Bolt that sucker down, and the frame is going nowhere fast. (But the kit frame is DARN nice... and more modifiable than it's given credit.)