Quarter Inch Stock Tubing

Introduction

The Quarter Inch Stock Tubing is 4x4" square tubing with a 1/4" wall - used as the structural backbone for OSE machines. So far, tractors, backhoes, ironworker, CNC torch table frame, trencher, and trailer have been prototyped using the tubing. This is useful whenever a solid structure is needed - and for heavier applications, 1/2" wall tubing of the same size is used. Such as last year on bulldozer rototype and ironworker machine.

The perforations (holes) allow the use of 1" bolts. Holes are oversized by 1/16" to allow easier bolt fit.

FreeCAD Tubing Library

These are individual FreeCAD files. Intended workflow is Merge in the file menu to add these parts to a document in FreeCAD.

File:FreeCAD Tubing Library.tar.gz

Sample tubing from the tubing library. This is a representation of stock USA 4" steel. This is drawn as blocks with holes (no rounded corners or wall) to optimize rapid manipulation for more complex designs. Compoariso of fully accurate vs. blocky tubing should be performed to see the practical limits before FreeCAD starts bogging down. This is done with complex design in midnd - such as where multiple machines can be manipulated at the same time in one working window. Added April 25, 2016

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DXF for CNC Cutting of a 10 Foot Length

File:10footstocktube.dxf

Note: Sketchup work below is outdated as we transition in 2016 to FreeCAD as the official OSE part library format.

Stock Square Tubing (with Rounded-Corners)

From Monica Log on July 14, 2013 - The result includes the stock pivot plate, all plates with 1 1/8" diameter holes and both 1/4" and 1/2" thick tube profiles. This is the file File:Warehouse-Rounded-tubes-and-plates-big-holes.skp. Note: tubing with square corners is preferable in Sketchup, as it can be put together much more easily.

Tibor gave me a great tip for the tangent arcs: lines should be made before arcs in order to make them. So instead of doing the inner arcs first, do the lines.

Made a tutorial for using arrays in the tube construction. In this case from a 4" tube, we get a 40" in less than a minute. Then, all that's left is cleaning details.

Links

• Warehouse contains tubing with square corners, not rounded corners - for ease of working in Sketchup.