[Howto] – Cutting OpenBeam – Hand Tools
I’ve been fielding questions about how to best cut OpenBeam, so we’ve done some testing.
For hand tools, a good miter box and a good 32TPI hacksaw blade gives adequate results. Here’s the 3D printed miter box from a few weeks ago:
Things to watch for: The extrusion should be secured from moving while it is being cut. For this, I use a De-Sta-Co hold down clamp, a fairly common clamp used in manufacturing engineering for tooling and fixtures.
The results are okay. It certainly cuts it fairly cleanly, but at the end of the day, it’s still a hacksaw cut:
So, for anyone inclined, I’ve made available my Solidworks design file and the .STL file here. Files are released “as is”, i.e. with no guarantees to work.
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Nicholson Heavy Duty Hacksaw Frame, 10″ Blade Length (Pack of 1)
STARRETT KSF1032-10 UNIQUE” BI-METAL HACKSAW BLADE 32 TPI PK/10
DE-STA-CO 205 SSS Horizontal Hold Down Toggle Locking Clamp
I have received notification to pick up my parcel, which I have not done yet, and already want more… Regarding all the cutting of the beams, I can see the benefits for us of custom cutting, but have you considered the posibility to offer pre-cut smaller lengths (or kits in a similar way to makerbeam?). Sometimes a good clean precise cut is better than a custom one, if only to make sure the lengths are ok
Thanks.
2012-August-6 at 02:28
We will
. We are partnering up with MicroRAX, and they will be doing BOTH custom cut-to-length orders as well as precut lengths.
-=- Terence
2012-August-6 at 02:43
Great, thanks!
2012-August-6 at 02:53
You can also cut the beam with a bandsaw using a 16-20 tpi 1/4 inch blade. I wouldn’t try any fancy cutting, but for 90 degree cuts, it’ll work fine. You probably wouldn’t want to use that blade for an fine wood cutting, though
2012-August-25 at 13:45