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Radiator Enclosure:
Some Thoughts On Doing It Yourself
Hello,
First, love your website. I built your work bench and garage shelf. The
plans were great and easy to follow.
Do you have plans for wood Radiator Enclosure? I priced them and they
start at $300 on up. I know I could build them for a lot less.
Also do you know the name of the aluminum liner that is placed on all
sides except the front?
Thank you.
Michael H.
We
don't have any plans for radiator enclosures, not at the moment. I might
have seen an article or advertisement in one of the many magazines we
get.
If I was building such an enclosure, being the mechanical engineer that
I am, I would look at any and all available products and just replicate
them with whatever materials can be processed by the tools I have.
For example, one of the first jobs I had shortly after graduating
college (many moons ago) was for a small electrical equipment
manufacturer. I did all the mechanical designs and sometimes I had to
fabricate some parts in their shop. I made lots of machine cabinets from
aluminum plate, I think most of it was 1/8" thick, but 3/16"
thick plate might have been in there too.
You can build almost anything with 1/8" thick aluminum plate. It
comes in sheets of varying widths and sells for (a few years ago) in the
area of $1.50 per pound. You should be able to beat the $300 price
comparison.
We used to use aluminum angle stock, 1"x1" that was 1/8"
thick, to join panels together at the corners. It was something that
took little or no special tools. We just used a variable speed jig saw
to cut the metal (with a coarse metal-cutting blade) and a regular
drill-motor to drill the holes. We always counter-sunk the screws (which
were flat head) so no fasteners protruded to snag someone's fingers. It
is important to use a center-punch to mark the holes, so the drill bit
won't wander.
If the 1/8" thick panels were too flexible, we would add a piece of
aluminum angle for a stiffener.
I suppose you could make 3 sides of an enclosure from aluminum. It's
highly conductive, so it would transmit heat well. You could attach a
scroll-sawed wood front to some aluminum (or brass) angles that connect
to the sides.
In fact, you might even be able to make the entire front from a sheet of
brass plate, and scroll-cut a pattern into it, but I don't know how
expensive that would be.
We used to buy metal from Copper And Brass Sales, which has outlets in
many larger cities. There is probably a commercial metal dealer near
you; call them and get some prices. If you tell them the exact sizes you
need, they should be able to give you a price over the phone. Some
places will even cut the metal plate to size for you. The angle stock
comes in 10 foot and 20 foot lengths.
It sounds like a fun project, if you can find some existing product to
serve as inspiration.
Bruce W. Maki, Editor.
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