Good afternoon. I’ve almost finished my LR3. It remains to make a sacrificial table and strut plates. I can’t find a hardboard with a thickness of 6 mm. Is it possible to cut strut plates out of 6mm plywood? Or is it better to use two sheets of hardboard of 3 mm each?
That is not strictly necessary.
I run my LR3 with 1/8" hardboard and it is fine.
From the docs
“The Three Strut plates were designed to be up to 6.35mm (¼“) thick. Hardboard or any similarly rigid materials work best here.”
You can also usually source 1/4" MDF material at the box stores (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Outdoor-Essentials-MDF-Bender-Board-Common-1-4-in-x-3-3-4-in-x-97-in-Actual-0-25-in-x-3-375-in-x-96-in-487404/202297474), or from supply houses that deal with construction materials. 1/4" MDF is often used for concrete forms, siding, etc. and you may find some wide enough to meet your needs
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That could work (as could a single layer), but it might be advisable to bond the two layers together after you cut them for added rigidity
Yes, or glue two 1/8" sheets together and then cut them.
Also, even though plain 1/4" MDF cannot be found anywhere I my local Home Depot / Lowes, sometimes MDF in either 3/16" or 1/4" can be found hiding out under other names, such as “trim boards,” “wainscotting,” “beadboard,” “shiplap panel,” etc.
These links show examples of things that might be usable but that don’t immediately come to mind.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/7-32-in-x-48-in-x-96-in-White-Nickel-Gap-Shiplap-Panel-WSP5548/308169642
https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-4-in-x-32-in-x-48-in-MDF-Wainscot-Panel-PANMIRAGEP/329647338
PS: at my local Home Depot, there is a miscut / offcut / damaged bin “discount corner” at the back, and I got some of this very stuff at 70% off!
Also, Ryan has mentioned there are other materials can could be used, aluminum composite panels … and I cannot remember exactly what the other things were, but it was maybe plastics, thick vinyl strips …
Thanks for the answers. For me, the most affordable is 1/8 inch hardboard. I will try first in one layer, if there is not enough rigidity, then I will glue two layers together and cut them out.
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Also just had another thought: some vinyl plank flooring comes in 6mm thick variation, and although I could only find that in 48" long pieces, that may be long enough for strut plates on some LowRider builds. NOTE: While it’s too expensive to be an option for a straight out buy, sometimes a partial box can be bought in the scratch and dent section for a song.
UPDATE: @srcnet says this kills saw blades, so forget I suggested it.
In the construction world, LVP kills saw blades. I wouldn’t use a good end mill
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Ugh. OK, please forget I suggested it.
I used 1/8" luan from lowes or home depot, can’t remember which.