Thanks Guys - Cuting Aluminum

I have tried to stay off the river during this extended amateur night going on during the holidays. Last holiday I fished we got speared by a pontoon boat.

Anyway, as a result I've spent most of the last couple days working out in the shop cleaning up, playing with things, fixing stuff, reorganizing and just trying some things. The last tournament I fished I couldn't fing my balance beam anywhere. It basically a crude balance scale with a hook on each end and a handle n the middle so you can quickly decide which fish is bigger, throw back the smaller one, and get back to fishing. Anyway, I losted or misplaced mine. One of the projects I tackeld was to make a new one. I picked up some aluminum stock at a local box store. Holy cow!!! They get big bucks for that stuff. Then I whacked it to length, drilled some holes and added some stainless steel clips off an old stringer I had on the wall.

Thanks to the guys here (or maybe it was the welding group, hence the cross post) I had heard you could cut aluminum just fine with carbide tipped wood cutting tools. Danged if it didn't work just fine. Cut about like a hardwood, and easier than some woods I have cut on my saw. This little thing was rough cut on my table saw, and drilled on the drill press.

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I made three of them. This one is the prototype, hence the extra grinding you see on the corners to balance it out perfectly. Not sure why I need three of them, but I had that much stock so I made them. LOL. That's one of the projects we did on the Fourth.

Of course my original store bought balance beam turned up yesterday.

Bob La Londe

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Reply to
Bob La Londe
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Yeah they do. If you have a metal recycler nearby, you can get the same thing for a small fraction of the cost, based on weight.

Sell them on ebay, and make it known (real life, online forums) that you make and sell them for other fishermen. Price them competitively with store-bought items, let people know that they are made here in the US, and you just might find yourself a way to make some money.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

Im off tommorow, Monday, and will be taking the 13' Force 5 out to the lake, now that all the drunks have gone home.

Gunner

Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Han't thouht about recyclers. That is a good idea. Did figure if I bought any more I'ld go to a regular metal supplier.

That's an idea. My son will be taking welding in high school. Maybe I can get him interested in it as a side project to help pay for his materials.

Bob.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Home Despot and company really abuse you for metal. I buy metal from a regular metal yard and typically 6' stick at Home Despot costs about what 20' of the same material cost at the metal yard.

BobH

Reply to
BobH

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