DIY frame, how to go about it?

[HeJay]

How do you manufacture frames from scratch? I have bunch of metal parts around, but not many metal tools. Would you consider soldering parts to get the frame? Soldering might end up with very weak link, what do you think?

[jokersinsanity]

Use 1/4" square steel heat and bend and then cut down the middleand then just weld in chassis braces

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[HeJay]

I have bunch of old bicycle spokes, I was thinking they might do well for a first small/simple frame. I don't have a welder though and no welding skills either.

[ferp420]

Go down to the local thrift store and pick up a few plastic cutting boards use a jab saw basicly a sawsall blade with a handle you can get them at most 99c stores start with cardboard cut out a pattern that fits the body you want to use and cut away transfer your cardboard to the cutting board and cut it out its easy no welding ne3ded and its very cheap it dosent look as good but it works just as good i use a file and a sharp blade to clean the edges of the plastic i bolt the 2 rails together and shape them so they c9me out the same also drill all your holes while there bolted together you can heat a spoke up on the stove and work it though the plastic if you dont have a drill or just use a sharp screw

You ciuld buy some sheet metal and cut flat frame rails with some tin snips and bolt everything together

Or go to harbor fraight and buy a $99 welder and learn to weld or buy a good touch and learn to braze you tube is gr3at for that k8nd of stuff and you learn some realy good skills

Brazing might be the best for you the tools are cheap and its alot like soldering only stronger

You can always make more than one you can keep trying till your happy

[HeJay]

I love the cutting board idea. Plastic is very easy to work with and I could engage my son to do some of the work too. Frame doesn't have to look beautiful nor complex. I've used wire string cutter for some wood projects, that could do pretty well in plastic too.

I was also thinking about getting some simple 3D design of a frame and having it 3D printed in a local shop. That shouldn't be too difficult nor too expensive, what do you think?

[svt923]

I'm all for making things but if you lack tools, the proposition becomes much more expensive than just buying a chassis.

You can pick up one of these for $13:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Metal-Frame...Wlb:rk:18:pf:0

[JatoTheRipper]

If you are looking to make a typical ladder frame you can just fabricate the rails and use off-the-shelf cross members. Hold those components together with thru holes in the frame rails and screws into the cross members like a typical Axial, Vaterra, Venture, etc frame. No need to braze or weld.

OSRC makes nice frame rails, shock mounts, etc and I believe he uses hand tools for the most part with the addition of a band saw IIRC.

[Jim85IROC]

Originally Posted by svt923

I'm all for making things but if you lack tools, the proposition becomes much more expensive than just buying a chassis.

You can pick up one of these for $13:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Metal-Frame...Wlb:rk:18:pf:0

This. I'm all about making my own stuff, and I do so whenever it makes sense, but there's so much cheap stuff available that it's frequently cheaper for me to buy a better looking version of what I would have made. A frame is one of those cases where unless I needed a specific shape/size that wasn't already available, I just couldn't see making my own when I could buy one for $13.

[ferp420]

Tools are always a good investment

I dont know what i would do with out my little harbor freight welder

I feel home made stuff is cooler than store bought stuff thats just my opinion

Those cheap frames are nice also im building off of one right now but there limited in size and wont fit every build most of my builds are to big or 2 small but there scale so if thats what your in to there is no substitute but if its just for fun and you enjoy making your own stuff than fab away its fun and you can do it over and over again im at the point were i see toy trucks and say to my self i can make a rc out of that lol i guess thats why i have 10 different builds going on right now lol

[OSRC]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

If you are looking to make a typical ladder frame you can just fabricate the rails and use off-the-shelf cross members.

OSRC makes nice frame rails, shock mounts, etc and I believe he uses hand tools for the most part with the addition of a band saw IIRC.

Thanks! No band saw though. Did pick up a Rockwell Bladerunner, but it's kinda tricky sometimes.

Not hard once you get the hang of it. The fun is in the design imo. I can usually draw one up and bang it out in an hour or two. This one was for a 2.2 rig using SCX10 chassis crossmembers. Just 6061 2mm aluminum cut, filed, and drilled out to accept the stock cross members, skidplates, shock towers etc.