Thread: Scion xB '06, in-dash Atom 330, Lilliput 889GL; details, pictures, links. Index: pg 1

Originally Posted by diableri

I just wanted to post a quick thank you for the incredible documentation and obvious time and attention put into this thread. As someone just getting into this area of interest (seems lacking to call it a hobby!), this thread has read like a primer.

Same goes for HiJack and the others that have chimed in and helped with your experiences. The time and effort you guys have taken is appreciated. I spent the evening reading the entire thread and researching the items I was unfamiliar with.

Thanks again guys and RD I wish you the very best with this and any project in the future and look forward to your continuing adventure with your ride. I'll certainly stay tuned.

Thanks, diableri. I've been lucky enough to have some great teachers in my life, and this is a fantastic community of learners and teachers. I appreciate all the input and help I get, and I pass on whatever I can.

I'm glad to have you join us; let me know when you get a worklog going, and I'll follow your progress and help when I can.

Welcome aboard!

Metalworking Tools, Part 8

There are some handy accessories you can get to make metalworking really interesting:

"Pop" Rivet Tool
Pop rivets are formally known as "blind" rivets, because they require access from only one side of the work, whereas regular rivets require access to both sides. The name "pop" probably comes from the noise they make when they're installed.

I've had a pop rivet tool for a long time; I bought it a couple of decades ago for putting together the aluminum gutters on my house. Now it's coming in handy for metalworking.

But somehow I'm just not a big fan of pop rivets. They have good aspects: the tools are inexpensive, the rivets are inexpensive, they have good shear strength (when they're stressed perpendicular to the axis of the fastener), and the installed rivets look nice and clean from the front. But they have some aspects I don't like: they have low axial strength (when they're being pulled apart parallel to their axis), the backs of the installed rivets are ugly, and they're a bear to drill out if I decide to change something -- and that's pretty often in development projects. I use pop rivets sometimes, but I think they're only okay.

Rivet Nut Tool
Because I was dissatisfied with pop rivets, I decided to explore rivet nuts. I bought a 45 Piece Threaded Insert Riveter Kit for $16.99 so I could try them out. It includes the tool (similar to the one shown), three mandrels, 10 rivet nuts in each of four sizes, and a pouch. I liked the way the system worked, and so I bought a whole box of rivet nuts to go with it for $9.99. All I add to make joints is machine screws.

I like rivet nuts for fastening because they're easy to install, and because the resulting joints can be easily disassembled any time.

The rivet tool and the rivet nut tool look a lot alike. In fact, Harbor Freight sells a 3-in1 tool that will handle pop rivets, rivet nuts and anchor rivets for $12.99.

Punch and Die Set
Drilling holes leaves rough edges, and sometimes I get holes that aren't perfectly round. I got frustrated cleaning up the holes I drilled, and so I got interested in punching. I looked all over the net for a decent punch at a reasonable price, but most of the tools were hundreds of dollars by the time I bought a few punch and die sets.

Then I found the Harbor Freight Deep Throat Metal Hand Punch Set on sale for $19.99 (regularly $24.99), and grabbed it.

I went back and got the Mounting Base for it on sale at $4.99 (regularly $9.99).

(The pictures are from the Harbor Freight website, and they're obviously not to the same scale.)

I use this tool whenever I can, because it makes nice, clean holes that require no cleanup. The holes are always round, and they're always right where I want them. At $25 for the whole system, it would be cheap enough to buy two and have the punching capability of a small production shop.

Small Hand Punch and Die Set
I needed smaller holes to go with the rivet nuts, but those sizes weren't included with the Deep Throat Punch Set. I had to find punch and die sets to fit it, or I was going to have to drill the holes. Then I discovered Harbor Freight's smaller model, a Hand Punch Set for $19.99. It came with all the smaller size punch and die sets I needed, plus a case. It's my latest tool acquisition, and it does exactly what I need. It's relatively light weight, and the punch and die sets change pretty quickly. If I were doing a lot of punching, I might buy two of these and leave them set up in different punch sizes.

Northern Tool sells an apparently equivalent tool for $21.99.

Between the large and small punches, I can make right-size holes in almost any sheet metal part. The only limitation is the distance between the holes and any adjacent panel; there has to be room for the head to get in. In the large punch, that's 1/2 inch (13mm); in the smaller punch, it's 3/8 inch (9.4mm).

Metalworking Tools, Part 9 -- This is the Last Part

If I were getting into metalworking now, and I had no metalworking-specific tools, here's what I'd buy to set up A Good But Barebones Metal Shop, with a link to a good example of most items:

3-inch vise -- $20

Variable Speed Saber Saw -- $25

Metal-Cutting Saw Blades (get 'em from your local hardware store) -- $5

Spring-loaded Centerpunch -- $4

12-inch Flat Mill File -- $10

18-inch Bending Brake -- $35

6-inch C-clamps -- $10

Hand Punch Set -- $20

Other Places to Buy
Some of the items (the vise and saber saw, especially) can likely be found on Craigslist or eBay. I like Craigslist -- at least for large metropolitan areas of the U.S. -- because it results in face-to-face transactions.

But even if you use the 'Net to order everything and pay the prices listed here, you'd still have a decent, functional metal shop capable of cranking out all the chassis, cases and panels you want. You'd spend about $130 plus shipping.

That may seem like a lot of money if you only have one project in mind, but I'd bet you'll find a lot of uses for these tools. I look at tools as an investment, not an expense. I try to buy at low cost, but I stay away from junk that's going to break after only a few uses.

I wait for Harbor Freight's sales, too. They really chop some of their prices at sale time, and I've gotten some pretty good bargains by being patient. I got on their mailing list, and I like it when their flyer arrives.

Shop Basics
There are a few other things any shop should have, so I didn't include them -- a tape measure, a good straightedge, a decent hammer, some pliers and screwdrivers, and so on. In facat, a shop vise -- as big as you can afford -- should really be on the "Shop Basics" list. In many cases, you don't need to go to a store for those; you'd be amazed the kinds and quality of tools you can get -- and the outrageously low prices -- at yard sales and garage sales. Some astonishing deals are available at estate sales.

If you're building a shop for general usage, you may want to skip the punch and spend a little more on a good drill (I recommend getting both). The trick to buying a drill -- or a drill press -- is to make sure the unit you get keeps the drill true. If the tip of the bit wobbles -- that's called runout -- you wind up with misplaced and non-round holes, and the resulting frustration. If you buy locally -- either in a store or from a private party -- chuck a bit in the drill and power it up to see if the tip is true, or if you get runout. If there's runout, save your money and a lot of hassle: get a different unit.

Sheet Metal Source
And one last thing: material. You don't always need to buy sheet metal. Old computer cases are terrific material for these projects. Look around; someone or some business you know has an old, dead PC or server around, and you can use the case for your metalworking projects.

That's the list. I'm off to do some metalworking . . .

Build Sheet Metal Parts Without a Bender

It occurred to me that the Barebones Metalworking Tools list may still be beyond what some people want to acquire. There's a way around that: by using flat panels and aluminum angle, you can produce a simple, attractive chassis with not much more than a ruler, a saber saw, a file, and a drill.

Let's say you want a double-DIN chassis to mount your PC in, and a place to mount the LCD panel in front of it -- much like the chassis I'm making right now. It's pretty easy to cut flat sheet metal parts for the sides, top, bottom and end panels. Instead of bending flanges on the parts, though, you can cut aluminum angle to the right lengths and use it on the inside of the chassis to connect the parts.

Aluminum angle is available at every hardware store I've ever been in, I think, and it's not too expensive. I'd use 1/2-inch angle.

In the U.S., I'd recommend using something on the order of 6-32 machine screws and nuts with lock washers. If you go to a PC repair shop, ask for some case screws; they're generally 6-32, and the shop probably has a zillion extra ones. Most have a serrated bottom on the head, so that eliminates the need for a lock washer; all you'd need with them is 6-32 nuts.

Although it's technically a bit oversized, a 5/32-inch hole would work fine for the fasteners; it would provide a little clearance. That's a good thing: since the work is being done by hand, it won't be as precise as what comes out of a production environment.

Flat panels and aluminum angle are surprisingly easy to use. You can produce an underseat PC case the same way -- or any other sort of open or closed box you'd like. You can make a lid so it slips into the case or sits on top of it.

Proof of Concept
I have to get back on the road to Michigan, so -- just to show easy this is -- I'm going to take a steel ruler, a saber saw, a file, and a drill, plus some sheet metal, some 1/2-inch aluminum angle, and some fasteners. If I have my way about it, I'll build a chassis while I'm there, using just those tools.

Stay tuned . . .

Originally Posted by rdholtz

Proof of Concept
I have to get back on the road to Michigan, so -- just to show easy this is -- I'm going to take a steel ruler, a saber saw, a file, and a drill, plus some sheet metal, some 1/2-inch aluminum angle, and some fasteners. If I have my way about it, I'll build a chassis while I'm there, using just those tools.

Okay, I accidentally fibbed when I wrote those words. While I was packing the car for the trip, I realized I forgot to list the metal scribe -- to scratch lines onto the sheet metal -- and the spring-loaded centerpunch -- for marking hole positions. I'll need a screwdriver and pliers, too, so I can to put the fasteners in.

Material Thickness Lesson

In trying out the .030-inch (0.76mm) aluminized steel last week, I learned something I didn't want to learn: it doesn't have enough strength to retain a clean edge over an unsupported span. That means it isn't a good material for me to use on the side panels or the top and bottom panels, because the open edges flex too easily.

But the lighter stock is just fine as an end panel, since that has flanges on all sides. This material bends very nicely, and very predictably, so it will make for relatively easy work on the revised end panel. The new one will replace the end panel I bent first; I built that panel too tall, and it's better to start again and get it right.

More pictures!

Originally Posted by colin

More pictures!

Will do -- I'll take pictures as I build these parts. I'm away from the shop for a while, but I'm hoping to get the "flat panel / aluminum angle" project going soon, working in my family's garages.