Building an aluminum chassis without a break

[telentubes]

If you have a table saw with a blade that will cut aluminum, you can score where your bends will take place, and not need a break to fold the chassis. Here's the blade I have, and the sheet of 0.100" 6061 Aluminum Sheet from McMaster Carr that I will use to lay out the panels. 0.100 is overkill but it makes a sturdy chassis.

[telentubes]

Lay out the panels and split the lines with your kerf. I assume that the actual length would be in the middle of the kerf but if you want super accurate dimensions, I would recommend doing a mock up bend so you can see how the fold will influence the length. I sized my chassis with a little wiggle room.
It’s important not to cut the short side panel all the way across as you will need to leave the long panels a saw kerf wider so that they will overlap the smaller panel when folded. See the photos for clarification.
The kerf is a little less than half way through the sheet. I tested a piece of scrap to see what would be bendable.

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[telentubes]

Layout the components and cut all the holes. I picked out a piece of maple for the faceplate and drilled it at the same time so the holes would match up.

I used Alumiweld from Harbor Freight to weld the first bends. Realistically, you don't need to weld the bends or corners as there is an abundance of strength even cut half way through. I did it, A, for fun, plus curbing the chance for any rattle in the corners.

IMPORTANT... Make a test bend with a piece of scrap to make sure your bend will go to 90 degrees. If your kerf is too narrow, it won't. I had to file a little chamfer on both sides of my kerf so it would reach a 90 degree bend. With a wider kerf, you won't have that problem.

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[telentubes]

Bend the long sides to 90 degrees. I clamped the chassis blank to the base of my band saw with a strong back along the kerf to keep it flat, then simple bent it in to place. It takes a bit of effort, which is why I say you don't have to worry about welding all the bends.
Fine tune all the sections of the bend to make sure it is 90 degrees the full length of the bend.

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[xtian]

This is nice. But, even using 0.08 aluminum and a Harbor Freight metal brake, I have to score the aluminum as you've done.

[telentubes]

Bend the short panels into place, tucking them inside the overhang of the long panels.
Fire up the torch and weld the corners and you'll have yourself a chassis.
The last thing I will do is drill holes in the top tabs to accept 1/4" press-in threaded nuts to bolt the chassis to the cabinet.

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[telentubes]

xtian, scoring makes for nice crisp edges. You should try out the Alumiweld sometime. It's super cheap and once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy. Your weld won't break at the joint if you've done a good job. It seems to be as strong as any other part of the plate.

[statorvane]

Very nice work.I see you are using a MAP gas torch. I have tried this before but the aluminum sheet tended to melt just as the alumi-weld rods melted. May have been the nozzle I used (broad flame. What type of nozzle is that, a pinpoint flame? And what alloy is the aluminum sheet made of?

Thank you in advance.

[jabguit]

Very nice work.I see you are using a MAP gas torch. I have tried this before but the aluminum sheet tended to melt just as the alumi-weld rods melted. May have been the nozzle I used (broad flame. What type of nozzle is that, a pinpoint flame? And what alloy is the aluminum sheet made of?

Thank you in advance.

I just use the plumber's nozzle from Berzomatic - no overheating with that.

cheers,

[telentubes]

6061 Aluminum, 0.10" thick. You could easily go to 0.90 for that size chassis and have plenty of strength. Smaller Hammond Chassis can be as thin as 0.40-0.50". Too flimsy for me.

The tip is focused, just a generic Berzomatic plumbers style as statorvane mentioned. It's easy not to over heat. Maybe even a little tricky to get a big area up to temp.

[Bobwith2Bs]

First of all, this looks awesome!

But also, you are located in Bellingham? How have we not crossed paths??