Or lay it on top just before loading?

Addicted to Sketchup today! In case the last post was not clear, here's the idea with the concrete mold. Left side is the mold, right side is 1/2 of the press body in concrete. It's been modified a bit since I thought it would be nice to use readily available 100mm Styrofoam (extruded polystyrene.) ...

Thanks chrismp! ;) I made a joke about using concrete a few posts ago, but that got me thinking... :idea: :idea: :idea: I wonder how viable this would be: http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy148/webboy71/concrete.jpg What you are looking at here is a concrete form instead of a the actual press fram...

Another view showing the interlocking "spine."

(I need to get out- been freakin' sitting on the computer all morning.)

To be honest if you did this arc well enough, you could eliminate the centre vertical supports altogether. You'd just need something to keep it from pushing outwards at the base (which the cordura may do itself). Interesting- All along I have been worried that the sheet materials would split length...

Thanks for the drawing. The way I see your suggestion, it becomes pointless to maintain the height. If I was going to go down that route, I would probably just omit the side boards like this: http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy148/webboy71/sketchup-dc.jpg Anyway I believe the blue arch configurati...

MontuckyMadman wrote:My scrap supply is getting lower with all the recent inquiries.

I was wondering when that would happen.

Funny idea- your generosity is at risk of going on back-order!

TheDominator wrote:I'm in the materials science and engineering department.

I second the welcome! No, seriously, welcome.

I had the exact same experience, and I'm not at all bad with computers. Also, I agree, that at a glance, a full-blown CAD program seems overkill. Lately I've been improving my Sketchup skills by drawing a press frame for a cloth press. I'd like to be able to use the program to draw ski templates as ...

a.badner wrote:taco? by taco you mean twisted and bent in every direction?

Perhaps you would have understood him better if he had said poutine, eh?

But I think what you have in the latest drawing will work just as well if not better. I would add another green board along the outside on each side. Perhaps have the outside boards a bit shorter in height than the center boards. Then you would need only 3 blue boards, 1 down the center to cover th...

Hi SD- Is this what you meant? What do you think? http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy148/webboy71/press-tbox.jpg You might be right- and this would be way easier to build. ;) I wonder how the interface between the blue and outer green parts would behave though? I suppose I could leave the tops squ...

By the way, I drew an interlocking "spine" for this thing.

Yep, you can really see it. While I agree with you 100%, I've tried to address this sort of flexing with 1) the vertical supports, which I believe will help since they are oriented crosswise and have fairly beefy "feet," and 2) the outer edges won't get pinned by the cordura like they did ...

Hi again. I hadn't thought of that. Of course you're right and I agree. Thanks!