I had a request for project files @ChrisB, so here they are. The add project link on the community garden is not working for me. These files are free for use and not to be redistributed for monitary gain. Use at your own risk, user assumes all risk.
The construction is pretty straight forward. I will cover the hight points.
After cutting the parts out I used a roundover bit to remove the sharp edges on all parts except the spacers. I assembled the backbone and carriers first. I used wood glue and clamps on the front carrier and wood glue and drywall screws for the rear carrier. Then I prepped and installed the PVC tubes. I used 2" schedule 40 pvc cut to 21". I cut the slots in the PVC on a 10"miter saw. I sanded the edges of the PVC to remove sharpness. I used drywall screws and wood glue to attach the PVC to the carriers. A 3/8" access hole was drilled in the rear portion of the PVC to allow pre-drilling and installation of the rear drywall screws. The front drywal screw is easily pre-drilled and installed using the rod slot for acess. All screws in this project were counter sunk.
The legs can be adjustable or fixed. I made mine adjustable. If the legs are fixed ignore the nut installation instructions. The four spacers are glued together in pairs to create two spacers. You will wan’t to dry fit the spacers and legs to determine where to install the nut for the leg bolts. Where the nuts are placed will greatly affect how much work needs to be done to make the legs fold up. I glued in two spacer nuts to accomodate the bolts that allow the legs to be adjustable. A spacer nut or t-nut can be used. Be sure to install the nuts at the proper angle so that the thumb screws, wing nuts or hold down of your choice is at 90 degrees to the face of the legs when assembled. The spacers are glued and screwed to the backbone, aligned with the bottom edge in front of the front carrier. The thick end is the bottom end.
The legs can then be dry fitted to determine the location for the thumb screw or bolt hole for the hold down. The inside corner of the leg will need to be sanded slightly to allow the leg to rotate up and down freely (optional), the location of the bolt hole will greatly affect how much sanding is needed.
The final step is to purchase and install ball bungies to attach near the end of the slotted end of the PVC. They should be postitioned far enough away from the edge to prevent them slipping off the end of the PVC. I drilled two very small holes in the locations I wanted the bungies and used small zip ties to attach the ball bungies to the outside of the PVC opposite the slots. I then trimmed the bungie cords to length for a snug fit around the outside of the PVC and trimmed the zip ties. Cheers, I hope you enjoy.
Thumb Screws (example)
Spacer nut (example)
Ball Bungee (example)
Rod Carrier Sketchup File
These SVG files were made in makercam, the toolpaths are setup as indicated in the below gcode files but can be easily modified. You will need to add the tabs yourself if you use these SVG files.
Rod Carrier Backbone SVG file
Rod Carrier, Carriers SVG file
Rod Carrier, spacers and legs SVG file
These gcode files include tabs and compatible with my setup. I use the Ridgid router with z axis fixes installed and the ring system.
Gcode Tool Diameter .25", Target depth -.73" (23/32), Safety height .2", Step down .05", Feedrate 15 in/min, Plunge rate 20 in/min.
Backbone Gcode
Gcode Tool Diameter .25", Target depth -.73" (23/32), Safety height .2", Step down .1825", Feedrate 18 in/min, Plunge rate 30 in/min.
Carriers Gcode
Gcode Tool Diameter .25", Target depth -.73" (23/32), Safety height .2", Step down .05", Feedrate 15 in/min, Plunge rate 20 in/min.
Spacers and Legs Gcode
