Is hollow square tubing possible?

[wijohnson]

This is probably dumb, but I’m looking to make some “L” and “T” brackets to join 2" x 2" lumber together for a project. It’s basically just a 4’x8’ frame to use as simple dividers, so not much weight involved. Is it possible to make hollow pieces like that and do you think they would be strong enough to support something like this?

Thanks in advance!

[DynaTech]

Yes this is definitely possible, as for strength, it really depends on how much weight you plan to put on this structure. It could be designed in a way that puts as much weight as possible on the lumber then the the brackets, but again, depends on your overall weight and expectations are.

[DynaTech]

We could design and print any number of brackets you would need. We are located in Sturgeon Bay and could ship to Green Bay or meet up.

[Tramalot]

sure, draw up a basic design in ms paint if you use windows or similar program on mac or even a scanned sketch.

I could probably do 20 to 40 in a day

figure 1-5 dollars each shipped for a rough estimate

[A3DCreate]

Sure you mean the brackets to connect the lumber yeah it could be made strong enough.

[DynaTech]

Ok, I have 2 idea’s and rather then sketching them up I found pictures online that will demonstrate how they would be designed. I have attached the pictures, let me know if one of those would work or if you want something a little more different. If you want me to CAD one of those designs up, let me know if the actual dimensions are 2x2 or if they are 1.5x1.5.

[wijohnson]

Thanks for the responses!

I attached some awful MS paint representations and what makes sense to me for measurements. The interior dimensions of the “tube” would be 1.5"x1.5". I’m thinking the walls would be 1/8" thick, for an outer dimension of 1.75"x1.75". The overall frame would be a max weight of 24 lbs, spread out across the 6 brackets.

It sounds like it should be possible, now I need to figure out how much it will cost and what is needed to move forward. I’d like to start out with (4) of each bracket to work on proof of concept. I have a co-worker who could do these up in CAD or BIM, if that helps.

[DynaTech]

Yes, if you could have your coworker draw these up in CAD and send us the files we could look over them before converting them to an STL file. We have a design engineer on our team that could do these up too, but we charge 40 an hour, those four brackets would take at most 3 hours. As for the cost of printing, I can’t give you an exact price until I have the STL files, but I would imagin about 3-5 dollars per bracket, depending on material. I would recommend PETG or ABS. ABS is slightly stronger, however PETG will flex without busting, as well as being pretty strong.

[Tramalot]

60 USD + actual shipping for the first set, discounts for volume. But I suggest getting the initial and make sure it fits your needs. And I would think you want some holes for screws or pins to at least keep the leg supports from sliding.

That includes drawing if needed, I suggest 1/4 to 3/8 thickness.

ABS - Black - Grey - White colors I have on hand

thanks

[kr0sh1]

I see no mention of Polycarbonate anywhere on this thread, is there a reason why it’s not the go-to for this sort of requirement?