Hi all, I am Ron and currently on the market for a CNC. I am a tinkerer and collector of hobbies and would love to make all kinds of (computerized) tools available to my local community. The eventual goal is to get a make community going by means of a FabLab/Makerspace.
I plan on building the LowRider v4 in the ‘full sheet’ configuration as a minimal viable starting point of said FabLab. And while I have all required inventory in my shopping basket on this website, I already have a question :D.
My first question would be about the sizing of the rails. Length is apparent from the calculator, but I am doubting between OD and wall thickness. Is bigger and thicker better in this case? What would be the eventual benefit of going with 32mm/3mm vs. 30mm/2mm in terms of rigidity?
First, all the sizes recommended are adequate. Even the 30mm is larger than we used on previous versions. Either will do the job.
In terms of rigidity of pipe, OD and material are the most important factors. An I beam is shaped that way because the tension in the bottom and compression on the top layers are what make a beam strong. The middle is just for twist and shear. Put another way, a larger pipe has more leverage around the center. So larger is more rigid, but the material in the middle doesn’t have much impact.
The docs recommend at least 1.3mm thickness. So either 30/2mm or 32/3mm are adequate. The larger will be more rigid but heavier. Are they both the same material? What about price?
I responded in a different thread but see that you made your own, so I’ll copy paste it here.
@rjaegers if you are going to build one, take a look for tubes at van Schijndel in Beek en Donk. Got 30mm stainless steel tubes for a very affordable price.
If I remember correctly I paid 30€ for in total 6m of the tubing. 30mm OD and 2mm thickness. (Place the material on the scale for the best price. Also the older man tends to give higher prices then his son )
Should have known that earlier. I paid € 60 at the old man
@rjaegers ; When I was there a few months ago, the stainless steel tubes where outside in front of the building. Check if pipes are straight by rolling them on the ground. Bring your own angle grinder (slijpschijf).
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