I recieved all my parts for my first tube amp , however being a tenderfoot I jumped the gun and ordered a t6061 aluminum chasis that is .160 " Thats right that is no misprint. The OPT(2) is the monster hammond 1627se. The 2a3 sockets are Azuma 4 pin 2/32 " in depth.
needless to say when mounted underneath they are far from the being flush. Besides top mounting any advice? should I get a different chasis > I was never realy sure what a good gauge chasis would be .
tenderfoot
needless to say when mounted underneath they are far from the being flush. Besides top mounting any advice? should I get a different chasis > I was never realy sure what a good gauge chasis would be .
tenderfoot
tenderland said:
Tenderfoot,
The only issue is one of aesthetics. If you are happy with the way the sockets look there isn't any technical problem with them not being flush.
If you are not happy with the look you have a couple of choices. First you could grind down the underside of the socket holes as wide as the socket flange (sort of recessing it in reverse to make it flush). The kind of thing is probably best done with a milling machine. Second you could top-mount your sockets (but you may like that look even less). Last you could get a different thickness of aluminum for the top-plate.
I just built a pair of monoblocks using .125" (1/8") 6061 aluminum and the octal sockets I used mounted flush. The strength of 6061 is such that for my chassis size (12" x 12") I could easily stand on it without bending it.
Re: chasis
I used bimetal hole saws to drill the larger holes in my chassis and a step drill for most of the smaller ones. Both worked very well in my drill press. I used 1 1/16, 2" and 2.5" hole saws.
I had to drill one 2" hole with a handheld drill because the "reach" of my drill press was a little short. I drilled a 1/8" pilot hole then put on the 2" hole saw and drilled the big hole. It was surprisingly easy (I used a cordless drill) and the hole ended up round!
tenderland said:
I used bimetal hole saws to drill the larger holes in my chassis and a step drill for most of the smaller ones. Both worked very well in my drill press. I used 1 1/16, 2" and 2.5" hole saws.
I had to drill one 2" hole with a handheld drill because the "reach" of my drill press was a little short. I drilled a 1/8" pilot hole then put on the 2" hole saw and drilled the big hole. It was surprisingly easy (I used a cordless drill) and the hole ended up round!
zarniwoop said:
I have purchased a couple from eBay that were pre-cut to the size I wanted and the price was not too bad. You can also cut aluminum plate on a table saw or bandsaw. (Wear hearing and eye protection!) Keep in mind these aren't really chassis but simple aluminum plates. You have to make some type of base yourself.
Also there are lots of different alloys of aluminum and even at 1/8" some might not be strong enough to hold a 60 lb amp without additional support. 6061 aluminum is incredibly strong so if you have a choice I can recommend that one from experience.
You might also try to find a local metal shop. There used to be one that would sell me their "cutoffs" pretty cheap and if they weren't busy they would cut it to size for me though they usually charged me a couple bucks per plate to do that.
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