RawIndDesign wrote:....the wasteboard I'm fabricating. . . Intended to be laser cut from 1/4" 6061 Aluminum, Tapped & Threaded for M6 Helicoils.
Chris,
Any updates on your fabrication of this piece? Also, if this is intended to be cut from .25" 6061 Alum, how do the holes for attaching the stock SO3 base rails work? For example, in the design there seems to be a 5.5mm hole all the way through and then a 90 degree (countersunk) 12.5ish hole to accommodate the PEM nut/bolt being below the surface. In the original dimensional drawing from Edward, this countersunk hole goes down 6mm into the stock. Of course, the stock THERE is 12-13mm (1/2" MDF), so there is room for a 6mm deep hole. With the aluminum, 6mm (1/4") is ALL we have to work with in total depth. Am I spacing out and missing something really obvious here?
Also, while I've used assorted threaded inserts over the years, I'm not as familiar with the ones intended for metal usage. Are there any guidelines or tips on threading aluminum sheet to accept the Helicoils? Finally, and maybe I missed this, there seems to be quite a lot of holes in this layout. Beyond maximum flexibility, are all these holes really necessary to create a surface with viable clamping options or could the pattern be reduced (saving both fabrication effort and material cost) while retaining roughly the same clamping coverage?
Thank you!