I ordered a small chunk of aluminum today, .25 x 4" x 12". It should be enough to cut a few levers. I'm hoping it cuts easier than the steel that I was trying to use before. I was going to use 1/8" but the piece I picked up in the hardware store flexed too much. It may have been due to the length but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Don't want the lever twisting if I have to jam on the brakes some day. What thickness are you other DIYers using? I'm thinking that I might use either a brass busing or a skateboard bearing to allow it to move freely on a peg bolt. I'm planning on using the passenger pegs and mounts and running rods to the shifter and brakes. If all works out, I may consider making some additional levers for members. We'll see how it goes first.
Getting some aluminum - ready for rearsets
- Thread starter olds-cool
- Start date
I used 1/4" 6061-T6 as well. You could even go to 5/16" or so. As far as bearing s go, I would use Nadella bearings (http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=3080) if I were to ever make my own rearsets again.
--Chris
--Chris
chrisf said:
Those are interesting and would work great. Price kinda defeats the purpose of making my own rearsets though. For the price of 2 bearings and the chunk of aluminum, I could buy a set from some site I have bookmarked (too lazy to look right now for the address). I tried drawing them in Google Sketchup last night but the free version is too limited and I wasn't able to position things as I wanted. I started using Inventor 11 today at work and it went pretty good for a first try at the software and considering that I know very little about CAD software in general. I'll work on them a bit more tomorrow if I have time and try to take a screenshot if I can so you can all see the progress. I'll be picking the plate up tomorrow afternoon over my lunch break.
Hey man, I work with Inventor at home. I designed my rearsets with it. I can send you the models if you like. My parts still aren't done yet, but thats what happens when you tell people the bike won't be ready until spring. Well, the reason why it won't be ready til spring is because of the rearsets. I'm using 3/8 aluminum. Already cut the plates and arms. Waiting on the pegs and a few other parts before I drill any holes. Let me know if you want the models and what your email is and I'll send em to ya sometime this weekend whenever I get back home.
Rudy
Rudy
Thanks for the offer rudy but I'd say I'm doing ok. Here is the shifter side. I haven't added a hole for the clevis on top because I don't know what diameter it might be. Better to drill it later.I'm going to add a small tab to the top of the brake lever so I can attach the hook on the light switch. Aluminum didn't come in till about 15 minutes ago. I won't be able to pick it up until Monday at the earliest. Kinda pissed cause the guy said it would be there by lunch and I wasted my entire lunch break driving over there to get it. I was hoping to work on it over the weekend.
I work for a manufacturing company that makes mostly aircraft parts among other things. I may be able to find someone willing to do a little "government work". They'll need the files. Beyond that, I'm using the software to create a perfectly scaled template for cutting the prototype set. It's much faster than trying to line up some circles, curves, etc in photoshop or whatever other graphics programs I've got at home. If the part was prone to high loads, I'd pull them up in Ansys and run stress tests but there is no reason with this particular part.
Tintin said:
Tim, I tried my little Ryobi bandsaw that I picked up. It has a crappy blade for metal. It worked alright, but it was hard to keep the blade actually straight, it always wanted to turn so I ended up using a jigsaw for some of it. Turned out much straighter and faster. Just get a nice beefy, sharp, big toothed blade and a saw with a chuck that won't let that blade come out (T shank). Aluminum is soft and will saw pretty well with a quality blade.
I left enough extra on the parts to make it all nice with the grinder and belt sander. Just clamped the two opposite peices together and ran the grinder and sander over them for a uniform size. Filed all the edges nice and smooth, sanded and wet sanded and polished. Still have to drill a bunch of the holes for pivot and on the ends. May do lightening holes as well, depends how the mood strikes me at the time.
Cutting oils may cause you more problems that you'd have without it. Normal band saws aren't really made for running oils on the blade. You'll end up with an oily drive wheel that may just spin on the blade, or throw the blade all the time. I guess it may work, I'd probably try it myself just to see. Just be prepared to have to clean the wheels and blade and everything else that would get oil on it. Also, take the little brushes off that clean the dust off the wheels as they turn. You don't need them getting all kinds of oil in them too.
olds-cool said:
I got a piece 3/8" x 16" x 42" for $90 taxes in from Hunter Steel over in Stratford. Still have most of it downstairs too. Was cheaper to get the whole piece than to pay for the shear charge to get a piece the size I needed. For $25 that stuff you got better come pre-polished! Lol!
Pre-polished?? :
More like pre-scratched. I was a little disappointed but no big deal. I scratched it even more when cutting. It cuts easier than the steel plate but still fairly hard to get through with a jigsaw. I got the shifter side cut out last night. Now I have to do some finishing on the edges to get them nice and straight. I also have to decide what to do about the holes. The ones in the model I did were too big. 3/4" holes in a 1" wide bar leaves only 1/8" on either side. Doesn't help much with rigidity. I may back them off to 1/2" or less. I could really use a metal cutting bandsaw and a belt sander...a plasma cutter would be nice too. Anyone care to donate? ;D
More like pre-scratched. I was a little disappointed but no big deal. I scratched it even more when cutting. It cuts easier than the steel plate but still fairly hard to get through with a jigsaw. I got the shifter side cut out last night. Now I have to do some finishing on the edges to get them nice and straight. I also have to decide what to do about the holes. The ones in the model I did were too big. 3/4" holes in a 1" wide bar leaves only 1/8" on either side. Doesn't help much with rigidity. I may back them off to 1/2" or less. I could really use a metal cutting bandsaw and a belt sander...a plasma cutter would be nice too. Anyone care to donate? ;DOh and for anyone who is looking for a metal source, the prices on http://www.metalsdepot.com/ are just a little bit cheaper than what I paid. Nice selection too. I haven't ordered anything from them though so buyer beware.
olds-cool said:
Thats still twice what I paid for mine. .375 (3/8) thick 6061-T6 Aluminum Plate (1 ft x 4 ft roughly) on that site is $171.04 US plus shipping and customs. I paid $90 and picked it up right there. Best deals are still off cuts from local metal suppliers, or if you can order it through work, its even better. I used to get off cuts for free from the place I used to work.
