Sunday 21 August 2011

My Parts List: Rods of Steel!

I picked up the M8 threaded rods from the local Mitre 10 hardware store for about $25, which I had to cut down to the required short lengths, while for the 8 mm round bar, I just went for plain steel round bar from a local steel merchant for about $12. Again, I had to hacksaw the raw stock (6 metre length!) into the required short lengths, and file the saw-cut ends smooth.

Hopefully, plain steel bar will be OK; if necessary to reduce friction, I will swap the plain steel rod for more expensive stainless / chrome steel rod - time will tell, I guess.


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6 comments:

  1. Roller6 September 2011 at 21:16

    Just wondering where you bought your smoothrod from? I am also in Bris and working on my second Prusa - this one will be from scratch.

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  2. Julian Hardy6 September 2011 at 21:26

    I just bought 8 mm round bar from Scott Metals at Balaclave Street Woolloongabba http://www.scottmetals.com.au/bars.php . It's not chrome drill rod, so it is not as smooth and shiny as some, but it was cheap ($12 for 6 m - I have a few metres left over!)! I'm going to see how my machine runs (or doesn't run!) when I get it powered up, and if necessary, I'll replace it with high-chrome drill rod or stainless steel or similar.

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  3. Roller8 September 2011 at 00:05

    Oh yeah - I have seen that place. Did they also have rod with a higher polish like the chrome rod or just the steel stuff? I went to get a number of nuts and bolts for my build from Deshon St just nearby there.

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  4. Julian Hardy8 September 2011 at 00:33

    To be honest - I don't know if they stock stainless or chromed steel rods - couldn't find any on their web site.

    According to the RepRap Brisbane Group http://groups.google.com/group/reprap-brisbane/browse_thread/thread/7c24d7fdf105b10d you can get 8 mm stainless steel rod from All Things Stainless for $6.55 per metre (plus postage and packing): http://allthingsstainless.com.au/home/stainless-steel-round-bar/304-8mm-round-bar-per-meter.html
    It would have to come from NSW, so you might do better if you can find it locally.

    I just went with plain steel rods, figuring this is my first build, and I would keep it as cheap as possible, and I can always upgrade to chrome or stainless later if necessary.

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  5. Unknown12 March 2014 at 06:12

    Where do you get supplies like this? My dad is working on project where he's going to need some chrome steel rods. I thought I could help him out by finding them for him at a good price. http://www.maxworthyfabrication.com.au

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  6. Julian Hardy12 March 2014 at 06:24

    As noted above, I bought my threaded rod from the local Mitre 10 hardware store, and the round rod from Scott Metals at Balaclave Street Woolloongabba http://www.scottmetals.com.au/bars.php . A Google search should help you track down local steel merchants in your area.

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