Hi. Does anyone have any ideas for connecting V-Slot to round tubes? I've been tinkering around with some scraps and some makerlink and haven't found anything totally satisfying. I can drill holes in the tubing, but going from that to a solid connection is tricky. A pair of makerlink fits snugly into a 1" tube with 1/8" walls. But there isn't an obvious way to fill that rounded gap at the ends. There is more room on a 1.25" tube, but I'm not sure if there are any standard brackets that could fit in there and that have a rounded edge to make a secure connection. A 1.5" tube can fit all the way around a V-Slot. But again, there are no obvious brackets that would connect them. In all these cases, it seems like I could 3d-print something. But I'm not sure that is the best option. Any other ideas? Photos below:
Cut a round solid metal plug with a length of 1.5 to 2 times the inner diameter of the tube and drive/epoxy it into the end of the tube. Center drill the plug and M5 tap both this hole and the end of the v-slot. Connect with a Cube Corner Connector and a couple of M5x15mm (or longer) screws.
File, or grind away, a small section of the curve on the pipe, to make a flat surface at the end. Drill through the tube so as to be able to screw through the tube and in to the centre threaded hole of the v-slot. Sort of like a capital D with the V-slot against the upright of the "D". Make any sense to you? Gray
@Grantman Round tubes are more comfortable as handlebars and smoother as axles or shafts. In this case, I'm thinking about a handlebar. I just got these small sample tubes to try things out at various sizes. @Rick 2.0 Hmm. My main worry would be that the tube could end up rotating and twisting easily because it is only attached at a single point. Maybe some variation with multiple attachment points would work. @GrayUK Aside from a manual file, is there a tool to do this kind of thing? I'm also going to try rubber washers as a kind of space-filling but conformant material. -D
Not sure what you mean by 'conformant' but a rubber washer sandwiched into the joint at both ends and clamped down tightly with the end screw should resolve any rotation problems. Alternatively, a hidden dowel pin across the joint would also provide the rotational resistance you seek.
put double tee nuts in the v-slot, wrap the v-slot with *slightly* too many layers of that foam handlebar grip roll, stuff it in tube, drill two holes per side (8 total?) for screws, put screws through holes and attached to double tee nuts? should be stuffed nice and snug but seal end with epoxy if still needed. only attaching to a centered hole is just asking for some sort of rotational action. * I have no idea what I'm talking about.
