After reading a few frame building threads I’m wondering about what kind of force actually is being applied from the Maslow on its anchor points - there are various cool projects for light and foldable frames, with questions regarding flex in board etc pp.
Has anyone used a load cell sensor and actually measured the forces for different feedrates and materials?
Using a slow enough feed rate, it should (could) be possible to just use four large buckets (eg 40 Liter buckets placed on a piece of ply which holds an anchor point) and fill them up with water when you need them.
Having super limited (storage) space available this seems like an interesting idea - and since I’m not using the machine daily a lower feederate would be acceptable to me.
I have not tested the pulling force. I did manage to use reaaaaly big tent stakes and run it in my garden once. Working on better little platforms for that. If you need a small mobile solution I am inordinately pleased with my folding frame design. Pictures here:
And then Here is my write up of the build. It folds down to four 2 by 8’s and a bucket of chain and then whatever you are using for a wasteboard.
Buckets of water would be worth a try. I bet it would work well. Just be careful to stay within 5 meters by 5 meters. machine doesn’t like it if you go bigger
If i built it again I would make the central hinge out of mending plates cut down into the 2 by 8’s instead of eyebolts.
Nice! Yes I’ve been wondering about the tent stakes as well - you didn’t measure accuracy for that by any chance? I assume an anchor plate with weights should be working well enough - guess I will have to run my own experiments, but so awesome to see what people have come up with so far! And I really like the chain & tighter method!
I did the very beginnings of looking at forces (apply tension was showing 12kg-equivalent of tension), but got distracted.
It’s always good to try new things, let us know how it goes!
I’d keep in mind:
The forces will change with the angle to the anchors, which varies a lot as you move around the work area. The tension needed increases the closer to perpendicular to a pair of anchor points you are trying to move (think a tightrope) - this is more of an issue with a vertical frame which I don’t think you’re doing?
Related to that - you aren’t trying to offset a force that always applies in one direction - there is something like 60 degrees which it will move in.
So with a bucket I’d worry that if it was an attachment point was on the outside, the force to spin the bucket rather than drag it might be lower (and the force to drag it might not actually be that much), and thatbuckets have lots of flex.
But that doesn’t mean stationary anchor points weighted down with a bucket couldn’t give you good results if you build it so you use the weight to give mechanical advantage that can act against the range of angles.
For temporary frame, the X frame style that @wouldchuck kicked off seems to work very well (I have used a variant of it to good effect).
But I also like the idea of a four-posts-in-the-ground style of temporary frame and think it has promise, especially with quicker calibrations.
You could even just do threaded 10mm bar straight to the floor through into a plate the bucket stands on, with the top of the threaded bar being the anchor points?
I think that using three „subwoofer" spikes for gripping the underground together with an m10 bolt protruding from the bottom of the plywood base could do the trick - if not, a double plywood base with the three load bearing bolts and one in the center to attach the belt to in combination with a laundry machine anti slip mat should hopefully do the trick.
