Stainless Steel Choice

LowRider CNC Advice
1

Is there any reason that this steel is not a good choice for the LR4 rails? I’m looking at 32mm O/D & 1.5mm wall thickness.

https://www.metalsupermarkets.co.uk/product/stainless-steel-round-tube-304-304l/

2

I guess I should have searched the forum better, as a similar question was asked back in April… SS304 32mm O/D 1.5mm W/T seems to be fine.

Thanks

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3

As you discovered with some searching, your candidate seems ok.

Welcome to the V1 community forums!

Where in the UK are you, and what kind of projects are you planning to make with your LowRider?

4

Thanks for the welcome. I’m in Middlesbrough. I’m planning on making guitars (carving the tops, necks), and a few guitar related things (stands, full size plans, templates). I’m also planing some large format relief carved wall art (taking a step up from layered wall art on the laser).

I actually printed all the parts, and bought all of the bits, for the LR3 and never got round to building it. Now I have the time and inclination I’ve decided that building the LR4 instead of the LR3 is a better idea.

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5

I did use stainless for my MPCNC and LR3 and switched to precision steel (DOM I think) for the LR4, because stainless is never perfectly straight and it annoyed me a lot that sometimes the bearings wouldn’t make contact because the diameter is 0.2mm off in some places.

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6

Can I ask a stupid question? What is the consequence of the bearings not making full proper contact?

7

The core wobbles a tiny bit in those places. If you are not chasing zeros it might be fine, but it did annoy me. :sweat_smile:

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8

German perfectionist

9

Accuracy is important for some of the things I’m planning on doing so I should probably look at DOM steel. The tubes I bought for the LR3 (that I never built) were CDS (Cold Drawn Steel).

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10

I was born in Wegberg (near Moenchengladbach) so I may have some of that German Perfectionism too… not that it shows in much of the workshop furniture i’ve built so far :rofl:

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11

I bought mine at Jabimetal, it‘s called „Präzisionsstahlrohr“. Besides that it‘s hard to find or I was being too stupid. :smiley:

12

what is accepted tolerance on those precision ones? I’ve seen ones with +/- 0.08mm - would that be similar?

13

I’ve got no clue. :sweat_smile:

14

Most of us in the U.S. roll the EMT on the floor and if there isn’t any detectable wobble or bend , go with that.

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