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Grid Beam

gridbeam.xyz

61–70 of 71 posts

Re: Grid Beam

#61
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s why designs of things like beds have to prevent them getting their necks caught, for example. There was a carpenter selling custom beds in the UK, but there were a number of fatal accidents because he hadn’t designed it properly.

Source on this? Quick websearch didn't reveal anything.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/crime/toddler-almost-ha...

Re: Grid Beam

#62
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Source on this? Quick websearch didn't reveal anything.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/crime/toddler-almost-ha...

Just saw a video the other day of people cutting a chair because a kid went through it legs-first and got stuck.

It's a design consideration I hadn't thought that much about.

It's like the image of getting stuck in one of those spiral "ladders"(?) on the playground, by climbing down the middle of it.

Re: Grid Beam

#63
Whilst it's appealing to have the benefits of Grid Beam and be able to knock something together quickly, there's something hard to pinpoint about the clunky aesthetic and lack of a design look that's deeply unappealing.

Where is the thought about proportions, beauty in structure, care in construction etc. The Arts and Craft in the late 1800s / early 1900s cherished these aspects and it has stood the test of time, whereas these things tend to look like they were built by a crank who had few people to let down but themselves.

Maybe a designer or a more artistic engineer could take Grid Beam and tweak it, provide some better guidance / templates, and inject a bit of love and creative spirit into a version 2?

Re: Grid Beam

#64
The complaints about ugliness are begging for a startup to come in and make a whole line of veneer panels and beams with various materials and finishes, a printing service that paints user uploaded images and patterns, and one-click order for hundreds of project kits. Saying grids can't be beautiful is just issuing a challenge to artists.

And for people who like their power tools, it just doesn't seem like a big deal, but there is a whole segment of DIY that doesn't want a shop table, sawdust, blades and drills in their life. There's nothing inherently wrong with the idea of putting together premade kits - IKEA does that, just in a more disposable single-use fashion.

The thing that I suspect most holds back the idea is in making it pencil out, because you'd most likely need a factory or retail outlet near the customer to overcome shipping heavy kits, and there's an inherent overengineering that comes with the modular approach that means that a grid beam bookcase isn't going to come in anywhere near the cost of an IKEA Billy.

Re: Grid Beam

#65
post #39
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use 80/20 (this is a version 80/20 ready tube with a wooden option) all the time at work to build temporary (and sometimes permanent) desks, tables, cabinets, and test stands. There are a few advantages of predrilled hardware like this: 1) Holes always line up (don’t need to worry about drilling off-center) 2) only one tool needed (bandsaw to cut to length), reduces how many people need to get safety training on ot…

80/20 and other T/V slotted things seems like better approach for system like that

You can't really make wooden slotted extrusion though. There are also cases where getting things level quickly is super important, which is harder to do with slotted extrusion.

Re: Grid Beam

#66
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is, in fact, just a (more expensive) version of 80/20 Ready-Tube with a wooden option, which is really nice (80/20 is aluminum only). It should be compatible with existing 80/20 hardware. 80/20 also offers project plans for some furniture: https://8020.net/xdiy1601

Wow, I made an account to download the BoM and that coffee table’s total price of materials is $1108 and the end table is $1378. I was expecting less than half that.

You can buy 8020 compatible stuff from other retailers for much cheaper.

Re: Grid Beam

#67
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

80/20 and other T/V slotted things seems like better approach for system like that

I've started collecting a system of 1" steel tube (sadly now 3USD/ft). make little 90 degree clamps out of 1 1/4 tube (w/ 1/8 walls) that have been cut down the middle the long way. weld little flanges on em and tap one side. now you can pretty much go wild. desktop? throw some of the 1 1/4 on the bottom and you can just plug in the legs. monitor? make a bracket with a 10cm x 10cm vest plate welded on. wall panels in…

It does have a higher first cost. You can buy a cheap Ikea desk for $50. Building the same thing out of 8020 would cost you over $60 just for the extrusion. Than you would need fasteners, a tabletop, etc. Or you could just buy a nicer looking/more durable commercially available desk for that money.

Unless of course you have a specific need for that flexibility/reuseability.

Re: Grid Beam

#68

The complaints about ugliness are begging for a startup to come in and make a whole line of veneer panels and beams with various materials and finishes, a printing service that paints user uploaded images and patterns, and one-click order for hundreds of project kits. Saying grids can't be beautiful is just issuing a challenge to artists. And for people who like their power tools, it just doesn't seem like a big deal…

The holes are not what make this ugly

Re: Grid Beam

#69

Whilst it's appealing to have the benefits of Grid Beam and be able to knock something together quickly, there's something hard to pinpoint about the clunky aesthetic and lack of a design look that's deeply unappealing. Where is the thought about proportions, beauty in structure, care in construction etc. The Arts and Craft in the late 1800s / early 1900s cherished these aspects and it has stood the test of time, whe…

We're working on it! Open source parametric designs with a 3D interface.

Check out http://www.gridkit.nz

Re: Grid Beam

#70

Whilst it's appealing to have the benefits of Grid Beam and be able to knock something together quickly, there's something hard to pinpoint about the clunky aesthetic and lack of a design look that's deeply unappealing. Where is the thought about proportions, beauty in structure, care in construction etc. The Arts and Craft in the late 1800s / early 1900s cherished these aspects and it has stood the test of time, whe…

Also check out https://loose.parts
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