Idea for a Mill Base

ddickey

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
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Apr 21, 2016
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Has anyone considered or tried the 80/20 aluminum framing system for a base on their machine?
 
I have not tried this, but consider beefy brackets or plates to connect the pieces. An example. I have some of these.

20 series plates

Also consider the slide in T nuts. More contact area than the drop in style. I have some of these and like them. I got metric ones to go with other hardware for my 3D printer.

Heavy duty T nuts
 
Yes I agree about the brackets. I'll have to look into the T-nuts.
The idea I like is you can add on or make adjustments or what have you. Also they would be square which can potentially be troublesome when welding.
 
Gave that idea up. Way to hard figuring out what I need. I'll weld up a simple base with leveling feet.
 
I have built things using that stuff in different sizes. At my last job. Nice to work with but far from cheap.
 
Not that it matters now, but I consider the whole idea of screwed together extruded aluminum to be a very expensive way to do a job poorly. We use this stuff everywhere at my job, and it is constantly falling apart, stripping, sagging, rebuilt, rinse, and repeat. I would never use it for a machine base. We’ve done it here, and it invariably gets rebuilt with welded steel.

For an application such as something like a safety cage without any doors, it works decent. Put a door on it, and you may as well start building the steel version. Put any weight on it, especially weight that moves or vibrates and it’s worn out in 6 months.
 
Not a durable solution. You could try using the heavy steel struts and connectors if you want adjustability. Again, not exactly a cheap solution.
 
I used 2x3" steel tubing bolted together (no welder) with casters and jacking feet. Works really well and didn't cost much to put it together.
 
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