80/20 drawer

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hoser

hoser

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Anybody well-versed in this 80/20 extruded aluminum stuff? Particularly interested in designing a lightweight, 2 drawer system that can support ~250 lbs on top and 250 lbs in the drawers and do it for a reasonable cost. I'm looking for something that goes from the back of the 2nd row seats to the tailgate.

Camping Drawers - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum

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http://www.8020.net/
http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale?_trksid=p4340.l2563
 
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That looks nothing short of badass and probably lighter than wood and definitely stronger but the part about reasonable cost....after looking at the ebay store my conservative guesstimate would be neighborhood $800. Also seems like high chance of rattles compared to wood?

Edit: ive learned a lot of really cool stuff on mud but after looking at this stuff...wow
 
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I have the drawers lined and felt underneath the top, however there is wood-to-wood contact in the sub-structure/frame and the drawers themselves that is unavoidable.
 
I have built a lot of stuff with 80/20; mostly aircraft instrument mounting structures while I worked at NASA. If you torque all the nuts and bolts to spec it won't rattle (not allowed to rattle in a plane carrying a $5 million instrument) I would routinely get our 80/20 structures FAA approved which requires proof testing to 20G crash loads. . The design of the pieces prevents rattling when assembled properly. . Assembly of large structures can be a pain. Get ready to tighten more nuts and bolts than you can imagine. The drawer shown there uses the 15 series extrusions. You could probably get away with the smaller 10 series extrusions and add some strategic bracing and gusset plates. The stock pieces aren't cheap but you have to specify all the end machining that allows you to use the various t-plates and end connectors which racks up cost. . I have all the cad software to model a system and get a weight. I'll have to convert my solid model drawer system over to an 80/20 system.
 
I looked at his design a little more closely. He used an l bracket to connect every single piece. This prevented him from having to have any machining done to the ends. He could just buy stock extrusion cut to length. Having all those l brackets makes for a cumbersome assembly. 80/20 offers nice t-plates for the end and all the hardware is recessed in the channel. Much cleaner IMHO. Also lighter and easier to put together.
 
When you say have the ends machined to fit what do you mean? Could you show a picture of the different ways to connect? The only way I saw on the 8020 website was to put a piece inside of the T channel and and bolt into it like shown in the picture with the L connectors
 
Paul, thanks for the input. I'll take a look at the 10 series extrusions.

What do you suggest for drawers? I have not had a chance to look over all the 80/20 stuff yet. Their catalog is huge.

I guess the dilemma is whether to buy the discounted "2nd's" extrusions on eBay and use the L brackets or buy it all new, ready to assemble from 80/20.

I'm hoping to get a ballpark cost. I suspect it won't be cheap. If it is going to cost over $800 for everything, I would just dismiss the idea (and headache) and go with the proven drawers out there.
 
staggrlee said:
One place you can save a boatload of money is on the full extension slides.

Accuride and many other well known brands make slides for network server computer racks and you can find them in computer recycle places for pennies on the dollar. We're talking triple extension bearing slides capable of supporting a couple hundred pounds for about $10/pair.
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:eek: that's awesome, I'm going to have to find some
 
If you use a double anchor fastener you have to have a counter bore machines on the end of the extrusion. It's super clean and super strong but it adds to the cost. Check out their fractional catalog under fastening options.

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Thats slick, thanks. Couldn't you just drill those yourself instead of having it machined from the factory?
 
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If you have a mill you could do whatever you want to the pieces. I don't think a hand drill would be accurate enough for the anchors to seat properly and provide the solid connection you need for this stuff to work.
 
They have the tools available online so you can design your kit and it gets shipped to you all cut and ready for assembly.
 
staggrlee said:
One place you can save a boatload of money is on the full extension slides.

Accuride and many other well known brands make slides for network server computer racks and you can find them in computer recycle places for pennies on the dollar. We're talking triple extension bearing slides capable of supporting a couple hundred pounds for about $10/pair.
Click to expand...

Is there a specific website that you are going to find these? I have searched about everything I can think of to find something???
 
When it is all said and done I don't think you will have gained much if anything. Even with the 80/20 frame, you will still need drawers, top deck and slides . . . and you will have hundreds more invested. In addition, with the thick framework your space efficiency (drawer interior cubic feet vs total exterior cubic feet) will be poor.
 
I agree it's not cheap. But it's super cool and very configurable. You would gain space back with the 10 series extrusion which is 1x1" vs the 15 which is 1.5" square.
 
I build a lot of machine frames from 80/20, although we buy our extrusion from a local extruder and our parts from 80/20 or Frame World or sometimes McMaster-Carr. I have a dozen machine frames going together in the shop, they mostly hold polycarbonate for guarding. The stuff isn't really that light, I started designing a roof-rack and realized it was going to be much heavier and as expensive as a nice purchased rack. I've never used the end fasteners shown above, just tap the ends 1/4-20 or 5/16-18.
 
staggrlee said:
I was referring to actual bricks and mortar. Around here RePC, PCRecycle etc are good spots to to hunt.

It helps to be able to actually go and paw around in the bins to see what's available and gauge if they're going to work for you. I'm sure you can find them on ebay though.
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Yeah I don't have a whole lot of opportunities like that in central Nebraska. :bang:
 
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