SendCutSend

[rmwarren]

At the risk of sounding like a commercial for the company, I thought I'd post some info on how easy it is to design and buy custom metal from SendCutSend. The usual caveats, no affiliation/compensation/etc., just a satisfied customer. All you need is a free license to Fusion 360 and a little time on YouTube.

This AM I decided I need some brackets to hold hand clamps on French cleats. For the typical Festool clamps, they need to be 32mm wide and 140mm long to hold 4 clamps. The F360 design looks like this:

[attachimg=1]

< 8 minutes on YT:


There are some subtleties, like finding the K value of the material you choose and inputting it into Fusion, but it's not too difficult. The design (my second experience doing this) took < 20 minutes, including watching the video to remind myself how to do it.

From there, the DXF file is loaded into SCS website, and you go through a progression of choosing the material, adding bends, finishing (didn't need any), & along the way you see live pricing.

 

[rmwarren]

And done.

[attachimg=1]

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Repatriated some small clamps that had been evicted due to space constraints.

Another experiment in FC brackets being cut by SCS now, should be here next week.

RMW

 

[tsmi243]

I think "Learn Fusion360" just moved to the top of my todo list.  That's awesome

Any tips for getting started?

 

[rmwarren]

I think "Learn Fusion360" just moved to the top of my todo list.  That's awesome

Any tips for getting started?

Just the usual "watch YT videos", Lars Christensen, Tyler Beck and the Fusion Fundamentals guy. It's really frustrating until you figure out the necessary sequence of creating components, fully defining sketches and so forth. If you've got patience the learning curve isn't terribly steep.

The up side is you can do general design work, and the same skills work for CNC routers, 3D printing and vendors like SCS.

Have fun.

RMW

 

[deepcreek]

I just discovered SendCutSend a few weeks ago and have already placed two orders.

So far, my pieces have been flat stock (no bends) in 1/4"  HRPO steel and 1/8" 304 Stainless.

I did the design work in CorelDraw X7 and saved to DXF format.

Super easy to order.  Very fast.  Great prices.  Highly recommend.

[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]

 

[Dane]

Very cool.  Thanks for this thread, love learning about these kinds of things.

 

[rmwarren]

Latest experiment, worked perfectly. The design from F360:

[attachimg=1]

End result:

[attachimg=2]

[attachimg=3]

The shelf can be flipped 180 to either sit above or below the cleat.

[attachimg=4]

Zero-fluted the screw holes:

[attachimg=5]

These were designed for a 200mm shelf. Next round I'll probably make 300mm, then I can trim them to other lengths if needed.

[attachimg=6]

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I'm not totally sure it needs the bent tab, there is enough rigidity to redesign this with just a flat 45-degree feature, which should decrease the cost to around $5-6 bucks each in 10+ quantity & eliminate the need for right/left hand parts.

RMW

 

[Sparktrician]

Clever, Richard!!!  [thumbs up] 

 

[rmwarren]

Thanks Willy.

Spent 10 minutes whacking out a new design, 300mm cleat.

[attachimg=1]

I'm going to refine this a little and order a batch. I may also put together a simple generic cleat tab that can be screwed onto boxes or whatever to turn them into FC fixtures.

Happy to share the file if anyone else wants to use it.

RMW

 

[Bob D.]

Nice looking brackets Richard. You're getting pretty good with Fusion360.

Your FC tab that can be added to any box is also a great idea.

SCS is proving to be an arrow worth having in your quiver.

 

[rmwarren]

Nice looking brackets Richard. You're getting pretty good with Fusion360.

Your FC tab that can be added to any box is also a great idea.

SCS is proving to be an arrow worth having in your quiver.

Thanks Bob. They really have made this easy and approachable. After seeing [member=6237]deepcreek[/member] designs it's got me thinking about how I can incorporate laser cut parts into some household storage projects that need doing.

RMW

 

[Cheese]

Now that's really slick Richard...I like that it takes so little effort to change any flat item into something that becomes "hangeable".

Question, material & thickness?

 

[rmwarren]

Now that's really slick Richard...I like that it takes so little effort to change any flat item into something that becomes "hangeable".

Question, material & thickness?

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] .74 mild steel. About half the cost of stainless.

I gave them a coat of lacquer.

RMW

 

[Michael Kellough]

Makes a really slick looking shelf!

Did you also sand or anything before the lacquer?

 

[rmwarren]

Makes a really slick looking shelf!

Did you also sand or anything before the lacquer?

Thanks, I like it.

I just cleaned up a very slight burr on the edges with a die grinder and woven disk, but truthfully I could have skipped that. The steel was so clean I had to recheck the order because I thought I might have spec'ed stainless.

RMW

 

[Cheese]

The steel was so clean I had to recheck the order because I thought I might have spec'ed stainless.

Richard, that's the reason I was asking about the material because it was so clean, it looked like SST to me. It has that stainless sheen. [smile]

However that steel doesn't look like it's .74" thick... [poke]...more like 12 gauge?

 

[rmwarren]

The steel was so clean I had to recheck the order because I thought I might have spec'ed stainless.

Richard, that's the reason I was asking about the material because it was so clean, it looked like SST to me. It has that stainless sheen. [smile]

However that steel doesn't look like it's .74" thick... [poke]...more like 12 gauge?

What kinda buddy makes a guy Google 12ga to learn it's..... not 0.74" thick?  [scratch chin]

RMW

 

[Michael Kellough]

Chart at onlinemetals.com says 14 gauge carbon steel is .075” thick.

 

[rmwarren]

Ahhh... Point zero 74 inches, now I get it.  [doh]

Takes me a while sometimes. 

RMW

 

[Cheese]

Ahhh... Point zero 74 inches, now I get it.  [doh]

Takes me a while sometimes. 

RMW

That silly little zero…  [tongue]