JAMADOR wrote:
Thanks, that puts my mind at ease a bit.
I was considering sourcing the frame/chassis metal from a place that could cut to spec. But if it's more error tolerant than I was expecting, I imagine it would be significantly cheaper to buy the steel in larger lengths & DIY the cuts. Will have to call them & see the difference.
If a big price gap, then off to figure out if my miter saw is sufficient (with proper blade/disc), or if I should look into a more metal oriented cutting tool.
Let me give you some reassurance about accuracy.
Here is a Locost {scroll down half page} whose chassis was cut entirely by hand with a hacksaw. I've seen it in person. It is a really nice build. It was not his first Locost, but I think it's more about attitude and taking care. I guess you could call it craftsmanship.
I bought an inexpensive Harbor Freight metal cutting bandsaw, but part way through building my chassis bought a freestanding, traditional metal cutting bandsaw because I wanted to work with irregular pieces, and improve the accuracy of my angle cuts. You don't have to do that, but I was willing to spend the money. I got lucky and found a used one on Craigslist for $500.
That said, there are other, cheaper ways to do it. You can cut the pieces slightly larger than the plans indicate and do the finish trimming to fit using hand files, or a small grinder. There is a lot of hand fitting anyway, so it's more time to do the finish work by hand, but not that much.
Last, I sold my HF bandsaw, and bought a Rage Evolution. It was mostly to save space in my garage. It's a great machine, very fast, and cuts nicely. However, it's hard to set up the angles accurately, especially on larger pieces, so you may have to do some final hand work anyway, so be prepared for that.
The initial task is going from long lengths (10 or 20 feet lengths of raw steel) to chassis-sized pieces (a few inches to 36", say) then doing the fitting up. You can look at buying a portable bandsaw then buying (or building) an aftermarket platform that converts it to a stationary, table top bandsaw. You can do the initial cuts slightly oversize with a hacksaw and then do the final cuts on the converted portable, finishing the angles by hand, if required. With practice and care, you can get to any level of accuracy required for a Locost.
Said another way, there are many ways to skin this cat. Even if you're on a small budget, there is a solution.
Cheers,
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