Flanges for dummies

[elbori]

Can any one help me with simple instructions on how to make them. I read thet someones have made some plans but I haven't been able to find them.

Any help would be appreciated.

Alberto

[maximus89]

Do you want just plain simple flanges or keyhole. What is the od of the tubing you are trying to make flanges for a what is it for?

[elbori]

Im looking for both.

It would be for a 4" acrylic tube.

Thanks,

Alberto

[maximus89]

Do you have access to a router and a hand drill with hole saws and a compass center punch 1/4-20 inch tap zip saws are nice if you are planing to make keyholed flanges. I see you are from puerto rico there probably isnt a harbor freight handy That is a cheap tool supplier if you are curious.

[elbori]

I have the drill press, router is on the way. What sizes for the hole saws. I can order the other stuff from harbor freight.

Thanks,

Alberto

[elbori]

Does the flanges had to be from a standar size or could you make them the size you want.

Thanks again,

Alberto

[elbori]

Anyone? :rolleyes:

[beerguy]

The easiest way to create a flange is to glue a solid disk to your tube.

Drill a hole in the middle.

Use a router with a flush trim bit to remove the rest of the material.

Make sense?

[psu77]

Elbori:

Hola. I spent the first 5 months of this year in PR. Lived on Isla Verdae in San Juan. Worked in Juncos. I want to tell you that I had a great time in PR!! Carlos Rosario Beach on Culebra was great!! Also loved Rincon. The elkhorn coral there was the best I ever saw!!

As far as the flanges go, some guys actually make a groove to seat the tube in. This takes some special equipment. I have just glued the tube to the flange with Weld On 3 and had good success with that. As already mentioned, then you can cut the inside of the flange off with either a jig saw or RotoZip or something and then trim it with a flush trim router bit. I have found that you need to protect the acrylic tube from the spinning bearing when you flush trim. Put some masking tape on the tube so that the spinning bearing does not scuff the tube.

You need to make a pattern for the holes from a CAD drawing or something very accurate so that the holes will line up no matter which way you bolt the flange on.

You can either thread the flange or use butterfly nuts. I thread my flanges. You should use a single flute countersink on your flange holes to eliminate any stress points.

Check out some of the threads by Zephrant on this board. He is the master of acrylic fabrication. He says he will have a DIY flange thread soon.

Regards,
Don

[marm64]

If you want to evenly divide a circle I just started out by cutting a square of of what ever radius you wanted and then you can evenly divide a square into eight parts and now trim it to round.

So if you wanted a 6 inch flange cut out a 6 inch square flange first and then divide the square in half on each side and then draw in the diagionals and now you have 8 points. Now I got out my compas and drew in my circle and trimed it down to size and it was all marked for drilling.