8020: Who has used this stuff?

[wfopete]

Loooks like a great product. Anybody play with it?

http://www.8020.net/Solution-1.asp

 

[wolflrv]

I've been looking at it for awhile to build an extension for my table saw. Haven't done it yet, but have seen it done and seems to work well.

 

[bacpacker]

We used it on my old job for a lot of stuff, safety surrounds on equipment, infeed/outfeed tables. It's not cheap, but super easy to work with and holds up great.

 

[ptschram]

I've used it everywhere when I was in industry.

My sister used to work there, and they are practically within walking distance of my home/shop.

 

[Will67]

I looked at the website....Don-isims, and required readings?!? Wth is this some Deepac Chopra company? Also their table using 80/20 versus steel with $125 in labor to make steel look more expensive. Pass

 

[ptschram]

I looked at the website....Don-isims, and required readings?!? Wth is this some Deepac Chopra company? Also their table using 80/20 versus steel with $125 in labor to make steel look more expensive. Pass

Edward Don is considered by some to be the forefather of modern ergonomics. Even his seminal text was a short quick read.

 

[jlckmj]

I have used it,
I made a clamping table for wood working and it works great, I dealt mainly with the ebay store, but so far I like the product.
Jim

 

[Milner540]

Years ago I did specialty cameras and Radio comm systems for Motorsports. {Nascar.NHRA,ARCA Supercars, and SuperBikes}. we built drawers and cabinets out of the stuff. Counter tops were MDF that had been coated with Truck Bedliner coating. The Drwaers and cabinets worked great, tops held up to Electronic work, machinist work ( building new mounts) and High Octane fuels and cleaners. The hardest punishment on it was Bigg Scottie bouncing the rig all over the country at triple digit velocities. Stuff may be a little on the expensive side, but really goes together well and is almost indestructable.

Milner540

 

[bobadame]

The 1" X 1" stuff is about $.25/ inch. You can use 1/4-20 weld nuts in the slots instead of the ones 8020 sells. The weld nuts are lots cheaper. You can make very sanitary looking cabinets and frames with this stuff. Use acrylic panels in the slots to block off large areas. They offer plastic pieces that you can use to make linear slides along with the aluminum extrusions. The hole down the center of the extrusion can be tapped for air connection or whatever. It's .200 diameter so you can tap it for 1/4-20 without having to drill it. They have almost any conceivable fitting, bracket, hinge etc. to work with this stuff. Lots of sizes, I think the 1X1 stuff is the smallest they make.

 

[A**holes Garage]

I provided equipment for a company that built clean rooms and filling equipment out of it, Expensive but versatile and high strength.

 

[Steevo]

Looks pretty cool. I have saved that downloaded catalog for when a project comes along that I might use it for.

 

[Crooked Beat]

I have made a few cabinets out of it. Worth every $$$.

If you are in AV take a look at what is made with 8020

http://www.salamanderdesigns.com/syn/index.jsp
http://www.salamanderdesigns.com/syn/gal_index.jsp

 

[larry_g]

I have done a few builds with extruded aluminium strut. Be aware that there are competing companys to 80/20 such as Ideal, Bosch and a dozen more. They are similar but be aware that not all are compatiable in the areas of brackets and fasteners, so if your grabbing used stuff make sure that it will fit the strut that you have.

Couple of pictures of some used for the machines I was working on.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[uconn9]

We use it for a ton of stuff at work - frames, fixtures, etc. Great stuff.

Kind of like a big erector set.

 

[Cobra5150]

Our company used to own Flex-Link. Really cool stuff to work with and strong. We still use it today.
Really expensive too.

 

[sports.racer]

Used it to build a CNC router. Great stuff, but they're kind of proud $$ of it.

 

[porphyre]

Here you go:

http://lumberjocks.com/Hutch/blog/2740

Detailed overview of how a guy built a tablesaw fence using alumn extrusions. 80/20 is one major company, this guy used Futura, which is the other...

 

[larry_g]

Our company used to own Flex-Link. Really cool stuff to work with and strong. We still use it today.
Really expensive too.

In the pictures I posted above that line had something like 1.4 miles of flex-link chain on it. The conveyoring system was the most expensive part of the assembly line.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Kenwc]

 

[JoeM5127]

I use to work for them 15+ years ago. It is nice stuff for them right application, but it is pricey compared towelding.