I keep sketches and notes in a variety of places, and I've been wanting to create something to be left in my workshop that will protect my drawings and notes, be heavy enough to function as a paperweight, and have an Old World look and feel.
Aluminum 1 piece @ $12.29/piece Cut to: 4.5" x 7"
Aluminum 1 piece @ $2.63/piece Cut to: 1.5" x 4.5"
Aluminum 1 piece @ $9.65/piece Cut to: 5.5" x 4.5"
Leather binding: ~ $4.00
Brass screw posts (bag of 6 but using only 3): ~ $2.50
Paint: ~ $3.00
Graph Paper Pad (for qty 2): ~ $2.25
16 brass slot screws ~ $2.00
Total cost: approx $38.75
(Many of the items I use here are left over from my Flipbook projects here and here.)
Aluminum 1 piece @ $12.29/piece Cut to: 4.5" x 7"
Aluminum 1 piece @ $2.63/piece Cut to: 1.5" x 4.5"
Aluminum 1 piece @ $9.65/piece Cut to: 5.5" x 4.5"
Leather binding: ~ $4.00
Brass screw posts (bag of 6 but using only 3): ~ $2.50
Paint: ~ $3.00
Graph Paper Pad (for qty 2): ~ $2.25
16 brass slot screws ~ $2.00
Total cost: approx $38.75
(Many of the items I use here are left over from my Flipbook projects here and here.)
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Signing UpStep 1: Components - Aluminum
I originally wanted the shell of the notebook to be made from copper or brass. Price quotes from various metal cutters were within a few dollars of one another, but I quickly learned a lesson: brass sheets are expensive. So I decided to go with Aluminum and paint distressing. The aluminum has a nice weight to it (.25" thickness) - I probably could have gone with .125" thickness but I don't want the covers to bend easily.
Here are price comparisons:
BRASS:
Sheet 1 - 4.5 x 7
Sheet 2 - 1.5 x 4.5 Lot Charge $146.51
Sheet 3 - 5.5 x 4.5
ALUMINUM
Sheet 1 - 4.5 x 7
Sheet 2 - 1.5 x 4.5 Lot Charge $24.57 at onlinemetals.com
Sheet 3 - 5.5 x 4.5
(I bought a smaller set for a smaller version to be made shortly:)
ALUMINUM
1 piece @ $6.83/piece Cut to: 3.5" x 5"
1 piece @ $1.37/piece Cut to: 1" x 3.5" Lot Charge $13.80 at onlinemetals.com
1 piece @ $5.46/piece Cut to: 3.5" x 4"
Here are price comparisons:
BRASS:
Sheet 1 - 4.5 x 7
Sheet 2 - 1.5 x 4.5 Lot Charge $146.51
Sheet 3 - 5.5 x 4.5
ALUMINUM
Sheet 1 - 4.5 x 7
Sheet 2 - 1.5 x 4.5 Lot Charge $24.57 at onlinemetals.com
Sheet 3 - 5.5 x 4.5
(I bought a smaller set for a smaller version to be made shortly:)
ALUMINUM
1 piece @ $6.83/piece Cut to: 3.5" x 5"
1 piece @ $1.37/piece Cut to: 1" x 3.5" Lot Charge $13.80 at onlinemetals.com
1 piece @ $5.46/piece Cut to: 3.5" x 4"
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Its worth ponying up the extra money for the fiber reinforced wheels, as they don't have the tendency to grenade in your face, when they crack they stay together.
And yeah, wear goggles ALWAYS!!
all three wheels snapped in half and nailed me in the chest one (one at a time obviously) ...........was not a fun experience.
moral to me, never buy cheap. the wheels that i had before this were very nice ones that didn't break once (besides alittle chipping when i was careless). i wore them down to the metal collars without breaking
I should have been a little clearer, though, when I said "cheapest".
I don't mean dollar store junk, I just mean that I buy the thin, non-reinforced ones, and they work great if you're using them properly.
Dremel 409 are the ones I usually get. I see a lot of complaints that they don't last, or that they break too easily, but that's just because they're being used improperly.
the heavy duty 420 ones don't give me any more cutting distance per wheel, and they're really slow and cut a much wider kerf.
The fibreglass reinforced ones are a good compromise (still fairly thin, but stronger), but they're too expensive to be worth it IMO. If you're paying 4x as much, and only getting 1.5x the cutting, is it worth it? The odd broken disc when I do something stupid isn't really that big a deal, since I always wear eye protection.
On an angle grinder or large cutoff tool I would agree with you, since the flying bits are more than a minor annoyance.
Its better than nothing yes, but they never have as much coverage of your face, leaving your eyes open to side impacts.
And yes, ARX, you shouldn't be cracking wheels, but if you have the problem, or have to cut something in an odd shape where the wheel grabs and pulls, its worth it to use the fiber wheels.
I don't have so many power tools (no angle grinder, no circular saw), and they're generally large and predictable, and they're generally used at arm's length.
My rotary tool, though, is so small that tiny shifts in angle give rise to huge changes in the direction the parts fly. Plus, it's the only tool I have where the bits regularly disintegrate in use, and I work at much closer quarters.
I ofen go and sort through the remainder bin at mine, and I get brass and copper for market rate by the pound. (right now about $4.50) you have to do the cutting yourself, but this can be pretty easily accomplished with hack/jeweler saws.
Thanks a lot for putting up this instructable, it was great!
Jim