Raise Lower Levers Material

[Eldon]

I was looking aound Canadian Tire yesterday in the electrical department. You can get square box covers good for lower and raise levers. The covers are real close to 1/16 inch in thickness and it looks like you can get at least 2 maybe 3 leveres out of each.

[Bent]

Eldon, You scrounger you! Leave it to you to find the bargains! Folks, Eldon told me a while back that his favourite shopping center is the local dump.
Don't laugh, folks, but Eldon is the man to come up with sources that are off the beaten track. This is the man to ask when you need to source material locally. He just might have the answer for you. This electrical box cover idea just shows how he has his thinking cap on at all times. In fact you can get at least one raise or lower bar off of a regular 4" round box cover also...

-Eldon how thick, exactly, are those covers?
-Take this idea one step further and look around at friends' places that are doing renovations. Lots of times electrical boxes get thrown out. Then your material is free!
-Ideas wanted for ways to make the raise/lower bars with common shop tools....
- Would a cold chisel, 4 pound hammer and a good heavy anvil work?
I used a metal cutting blade (many of them) on my band saw for the 20 finger assemblies that I needed. VERY expensive and not at all accurate.
Then I had to file and file, plus grind, which was not accurate either. Not a very enjoyable part of the fabrication process. A teeth gritting experience indeed!

Any suggestions short of a real punch press?

Keep'em coming, Eldon...

[larry]

Wow, now THAT is a great idea!!

Very cool guys!

[Eldon]

I haven't measured the thickness of those covers. It seems that there are a couplue of differend guages of material. The new ones are real close to 1/16 inch and the old ones I'm reasonable sure are at least that and perhaps a bit thicker. I have some "old stock" in the garage I'll look tomorrow.

The cold chisel/hammer idea would work but you might have more grinding and filing. I used a hacksaw to cut mine out with a lot of grinding and filing. It's difficult to get accuracy and consistency either way. Hammer & chisel and you would be constantly repositioning the material you are working on.

[Eldon]

A check in my garage yielded nothing today so I went and checked out some electrical stuff my neighbour had. His old square box covers were 1/16 inch thick. The ones for ranges and dryers have the most usable material. Next time I'm in town I'll bring my micrometer and check out the new ones at CTC. I'm pretty sure they are also 1/16 inch material.

[Allan]

I am not at all sure what you guys are talking about here. Is this flat aluminum plates?

[Scott Howard]

I think I found what they are talking about . I will try and get a picture up. I will have to look again because these are too short for a match to what I already have. They will however do for the lower part of the changer.

[Bent]

That's it Scott. Allan, we are talking about those 2 raise and lower bars that are riveted together. Scott, you're right...when you bring the raise bar all the way up and around the changer shaft, a 6" cover plate might be short? They are ideal for the kinds of r/l bars that rivet on to the changer finger.
Edited: Allan I didn't quite reply to your query. What we are talking about is the cover plate over an electrical box. They are made from 1/16" galv steel.
Normally, that's exactly what is used for some raise lower fingers.
However, I think it is also possible to mill these r/l bars out of aluminum. I might experiment with that when I get my milling machine

[Allan]

OK, got ya Bent. I thought you meant something like that but I am not familiar with the boxes in question. Thanks.

Allan.....

[Bill Ladd]

Those are nicknamed "mud rings" in the electrical trade. Ingenious. And just might work for what I need:



I have only nine of the upper pulls and eleven of the lower! Need one more upper.