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caprail vs. MM steel rail ? Pro's and Con's
Robert,
I for one, actually made a mock-up of the cap rail and alum angle prior to deciding to use the MM rail system. I like both options for the right reasons. The next machine I build, and it will be soon, will be of the alum rail section for proof-of-concept. Plus, I like a challenge Caprail: Pro's - easy to buy - but cost's more than just steel - easy to drill - alum ARCHITECTURAL angle easy to cut down to right height - but is an upcharge for alum - alum ARCHITECTURAL angle has nice geometric shoulder for cap rail to register to with minimum inside fillet to deal with. - saves oodles of time grinding and cutting down steel. Con's - assembled rail is still flexible in x and y direction like steel and requires you to mount it to the main C channel frame for rigidity. Steel MM option: Pro's - steel angle iron easily and readily available - fairly easy to cut down to required height, but takes time. - fairly easy to grind profile, but takes time - skate method is VERY EASY to use and is now included in the laser cut steel package. A luxury I didn't have, but love knowing it's available now. *thanks to JR, Greg, Gerald for helping me work out the kinks* - many machines on this great planet use it and is a tried and proven method. Con's - assembled rail is still flexible in x and y direction like steel and requires you to mount it to the main C channel frame for rigidity. If you notice, both rail sections require the machine frame to dictate the rigidity of the rail profile....not it's metallurgy. Good design, many choices. Good luck - choose wisely. Last edited by smreish; Tue 05 February 2008 at 18:54.. |
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