Wanted :: Aluminium Base plate :: Dichro Mounts X 2

[Jem]

No worries...

Whereabouts in the UK are you? Just a general area will do. There may be someone nearby who can offer a bit of assistance. Failing that are you coming to the next UK meet on 3rd Feb?

Jem

[laserLips]

Im a city boy in London. where are the meets held? I don't drive and I can tell my laser is going to wiegh a f***ing ton.
The case is a proper aluminuim laser case. I got it from FLuff. It's well heavy. Wont be ablt to travel up anywhere with it on the train.

Perhpas we can all come to me lol.

I'll / You'll just have to make do with pics.
G

[carmangary]

Before going online for metal check your local area. I have several metal dealers in my city and can get stuff cut to size and given to me a lot less than the online guys. If you can't find a metal supplier yourself just find your local machine shop and ask them where they get it or if the can sell you some.

[Jem]

Im a city boy in London.

We won't hold that against you

Why not come along anyway, just bring yourself. I'm sure you'll learn plenty and we're a real friendly bunch, honest

You could probably get a train to leicester and book an overnight stay in a local hostelry (perhaps Fluff could recommend one). It's always nice to meet other enthusiasts and i'm sure there'll be plenty of people there who would be prepared to show you their tackle (Fnaar Fnaar, Ooerr Missus ).

Seriously though, you really ought to consider trying to make it. You'll get answers to all your questions and get a chance to see lots of really cool kit, all this as well as meeting loads of really nice decent people who all share a similar interest. It really is the ultimate photon fix!!

Cheers

Jem

[buffo]

One thing about drilling your own optical table... If you don't have a drill press it's difficult to keep the drill perfectly vertical for all the holes. You need a very steady hand. Then too, you'll need to tap all those holes once you're done drilling. Lots of work!

If you look on E-bay you can sometimes find deals on aluminum plate that has been pre-drilled. (Sometimes it's been tapped too!) I bought a 1/4 inch thick aluminum plate that was 12 x 23 inches in size, already drilled on 5/8 inch centers, for like $45.

Adam

[Lampy]

I'd second what Buffo said. I have a pillar drill but tapping by hand wasn't too pleasent. If you do decide to tap your own holes, lots of cutting grease or oil! You really don't want to break a tap like I did!

[MechEng3]

No sweat....No. 3 Bridgeport with tap head. Just use 2 flute taps and Zep chemichals brand tap lubricant. New beam table out of T-6061 Aluminum to accomodate the 1 watt white light DPSS setup. Pix to come soon........

[Lampy]

ooooo I'd love a mill. All the ones I look at either weigh about 6 tons or look a bit flimsy and have a very limited travel. I know which I want but I don't think the missus would be too impressed if I throw out some ikea furniture and bolt it to the dining room floor. te he.

[Jem]

It's nice and neat to drill and tap the holes, but don't forget the other option of drilling the holes and using nuts and bolts. Providing you leave enough clearance underneath the plate for the bolts to stick through you won't have a problem.

I went down this route simply because I didn't have the necessary equipment for the precision needed to do the drill/tap method. The best equipment I could get my hands on was a handheld electric drill and some cobalt bits, which I bought specifically for using with the aluminium. From the top of the plate there is no difference in appearance at all to the other method.

That's part of the interest at the user meetings. You get to see allsorts of ingenious ideas that people have used to get to the common goal.

Cheers

Jem

[carmangary]

You don't need special equipment to drill and tap a hole. A drill press or mill certainly makes it a lot easier but you can get by with a hand drill just fine if you are careful. Use a punch and a center drill to start the hole then drill the hole with a hand drill while getting it as straight up and down as you can. Then tap. The end result will be so much nicer than fooling around with nuts.