Ok I am not much of a machinest and if I had to pay myself for this job time wise I would go broke but just for the satisfaction of doing it myself I am having a crack at making a complete front rest.I have sort of half finished the top but I will change the bag squeezer plates, so here are a couple of pics of the project so far.
The materials are from the scrap bin at work .................................cant find a 400mmx400mmx16mm piece of alloy plate for the base as yet but given time .
You have to start somewhere.... what you have done looks good to me. keep the project going and post more pics. You never know you might be able to motivate some of us to do the same thing.
I machined the centre post flat on the ends,tapped the threads,milled the elevation slot annnnnnnnnd got a price on a piece of 350x350x16 alloy plate today..................................................................................................$105 which surprised me at first and then well..................................................I suppose it's not that expensive really,but it is when a piece of the same in steel will cost me zipp.
What should I use steel or aluminium................................................aluminium is shits loads lighter ................but more costly,I will post a couple more pics as it comes togther.
Whats it going to be used for chris? a nice heavy base might make it nice and stable with all that weight down low, could prob use some thinner steel plate too.
Chris,
if you are going to use alloy,25mm plate would be better.Your need some weight. Dont forget, after buying piece of plate you will need to have it machined to shape, maybe bevel edges etc and that will double the price.
If you use 1/2" steel plate, possibly cost you nothing, easier to cut, grind, and weld centre boss to etc
You must know someone with a welder and oxy/acetylene set.Can of spray paint and it would look great. I almost forgot with alloy you have to keep polishing it, pain in the butt
I looked and looked for I think 350x350 or 400x400 25mm alloy plate "scrap" hard to find, I did get some but not the right size, should be enough to knock up a barrel vice though.
I have the availability of lots of 5083 h112 plate at a reasonable rate from 12mm to 50 mm but i don't think it would be worth it to freight out of Townsville ,i probably got 200 kgs in my shed right now..JR
stinkitup wrote:I looked and looked for I think 350x350 or 400x400 25mm alloy plate "scrap" hard to find, I did get some but not the right size, should be enough to knock up a barrel vice though.
Yeah the alloy would look good............................shit hot and shiney hey but a steel base would be more practical for me dollar wise and easy to work with................................so steel it will be and with a nice paint job it will be ok.
Jeff I shudder to think what you would have laying about the shed .
This is all i got left at present in plate,thank whoever i don't pay your prices ..Top down 10 mm / 12mm/ 20mm /25mm/ 32mm/ 40mm/ 50mm,the round 40mm is 520 od and only cost $110..JR
don't worry about polishing your alloy every time... do it once then spray it with some rattle can lacquer. I just did a brass door handle an plate. pretty durable stuff too.
but just for the satisfaction of doing it myself I am having a crack at making a complete front rest.I have sort of half finished the top but I will change the bag squeezer plates, so here are a couple of pics of the project so far.
.................................cant find a 400mmx400mmx16mm piece of alloy plate for the base as yet but given time 
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