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i have just a few signtray questions please?
Hey guys,
Just a couple of questions regarding sign trays.
1. What size v router bit do you guys use?
2. Do you just glue the corners and the sign will stay rigid when its mounted?
3. If your bending say 2 metres of dibond do you do it in sections or try and bend the whole lot at once and will the bend be noticeable where you move onto the next section.
4. When fitting is it ok to just use the angle bracket at the top and bottom?Thanks guys never done this before going to order in some material and try it.
Jason
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9 Replies
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Hi Jason.
I just use an 8mm round bit. Use a router with a fine height adjuster on it so you can get nice an close to the second skin. The trick is getting just the right depth when routing your channels, too deep and you crack the second skin when folding and loose all the strength. Not deep enough and its a bitch to fold – you’ll struggle to fold it at 90 degrees. You need to leave about 0.8-0.5 of plastic or the second skin with crack.
Fold the whole thing in one go. .
The corners can be glued ( mitre butt join ) or you can fold the corners in on each other and pop rivet. ( not so neat – but IMO stronger ! )
50mm -75mm deep trays can be mounted on simple Ali L section anything deeper really needs a frame.
Have a look at Richards threads on here he’s done a tutorial on making trays. I’ve seen his work up close and he gets the corners so neat they look like a welded ali tray !
.. and just get some dibond and have a play ! 😀
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Jason as Dave has said have a look at Rich’s tutorial as it pretty much explains it all. I use a "V" shaped cutter think its about 60 deg but will check. As Dave has said getting the depth set right is the hardest part, just get a small off cut and use that to set the depth before you go routering your panel. As for bending I tend to do it in sections working my way along but only a small bend at a time not the full 90 deg. I tend to rivet the corners as well as I have more faith in the rivets than adhesives.
Then just put a spot of paint or vinyl over the rivet head and you can’t really see them. Once the panel is secured to the frame or alli angle it pulls the sides in and the whole panel into shape so there is no real need to try and glue the folded edges. -
Cheers guys,
I read Richards tutorial and these were just the questions I still had. Going to get some dibond next week so I’ll have a play.
Cheers
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I use a V bit but I have ground the point to a flat 3mm wide. This makes the bending a lot easier. I bend the whole length at once by lifting the panel and pushing the return against the bench.
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Hi
i brought my router bit from ITC (i think) anyway a company who specializes in routers & bits. Once routered i’ve got a 8ft timber with a 3mm groove & a couple of 25mm dowels glued & screwed on to it for handles so i can slip it on to the dibond & make the bends in one go.Kev
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kevin, that’s a clever idea, I always do the bending a little at a time up and down the whole length but i am still always worried that it will end up having sort of kinks in it along the length of the return if you know what I mean. Thought about giving Andy’s method of bending a try as it bends the whole length at once but now I might just have to get the router out and manufacture myself a "Sign tray forming tool" 😛
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Great tip Kevin. I’ve already got a slot cutting tool for my router. Used it to create slots for the T molding on my arcade machine.
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cheers peter I’ve read a similar PDF on dibond found here http://www.alucobond.com.au/html/s02_ar … art_id=152
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