Extruded Aluminum Frame Components

X-Carve
1

I’m interested in creating a housing for the X-Carve. I’ve seen some people use an extruded aluminum bar that has four “T-Channels” on all four sides. Something that’s about 1"x1". I’ve found some examples online but I can’t seem to find anyone who makes both the “rails” and the components to join the rails. I will link below to a DIY type project that inspired me, he is using the type of aluminum components that I am referring to.

If anyone out there has a good source or brand, please leave a comment below. Further down the page, you can see some good examples of what the material looks like assembled.

EDIT: Here is the site for the parts used in the above link.

2

First one that comes to mind for me is 80/20 extrusion:

http://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/61984951?CS_010=61984951&item=61984951&CS_003=7867724&src=pla&cid=PLA-Google-PLA+-+Test

3

This is great, looks like the right stuff. I’m gonna look around for hardware to go along with these parts.

4

McMaster is a lot cheaper…I just bout 2 6ft. Lengths for 34

5

Inventables carries metric extrusions https://www.inventables.com/categories/machine-components/extrusions that can be used to build an enclosure

6

McMaster-Carr mm x 20 mm x 6ft is what I bought, but 1" shouldn’t be much more

7
8

They also carry the hardware to go with it

9

They aren’t the cheapest, but OpenBuilds ( http://openbuildspartstore.com/ ) has a good selection.

10

I got a response from the owner of that original build and he pointed me at this site:

Looks like there are plenty of options and even different series. I will probably start here, there are plenty of options to build a complete enclosure and the pricing is reasonable.

11

It’s nearly imposible to find an 8020 vendor locally. There are 2 in Phoenix and half the stuff is special order with 2 week lead times

12

Check if there is a Fastenal near you. They carry the aluminum extrusions and fittings also. May not be in stock locally, but they can order… shipping and handling should be lower and less risky. Their delivery trucks are probably used to handling thin long packages.

13

That’s what she said?

2 Likes
14

I drive past one every day! I never though to stop and look there. I will today though and check out what they have, I will post my findings.

15

Here’s a link to a 1"x1" aluminum extrusion:
https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/0961258?r=~|categoryl1:“600930%20Raw%20Materials”|~%20~|categoryl2:“602694%20Extruded%20T-Slot%20Bars%209and%20Accessories”|~%20~|categoryl3:“602693%20Extruded%20T-Slot%20Bars”|~

SKU might be handy if you need them to order.

Other T-slot accessories: