Simple Metal Box - who can make it

[indianagreg]

I've had this idea to put a metal box inside a half wall for some time - the top opens and I can store documents, etc, inside it.  I've sketched out a design and sent it to a few prototype shops, but as they're obviously geared for larger productions, the price is always out of reach.

Does anyone have any suggestions for where I can do this myself? Like a Woodmiser/Woodsmith but for metal work.  I don't need anything too exotic.  I'm thinking 14-16 gauge steel, a cabinet lock on top, simple hinge, and maximum exterior dimensions shown below.



Thoughts?  Thanks for the help.

[WillieL]

Sorry, this isn't an answer to your question - but just a suggestion.
You might want to have a look at a few local locksmith shops in your area. One of them near me sells old used safes and lock boxes, etc., for very reasonable prices.

I picked up this cash-drop box for a song. Very heavy wall steel construction and equipped with dual safe deposit type lock cylinders. You may be able to find something more suitable to your needs though (larger and lighter) if you look around.
Just a thought.   

 

[Lew_Merrick_PE]

Greg,

Try your local heating ductwork shop.  They have the tools and are often low on work this time of year.  Willie's suggestion has merit.

[sparky961]

What sort of budget do you have?  Is it realistic enough to have anyone interested in making it for you?  If not, there are lots of plans for small sheet metal brakes around and cheap MIG welders are just that - cheap.

From the drawing, it doesn't look like you've actually considered how this would be made from sheet metal.  This is a big turn off for most shops, and most definitely if it is a one-off.

Material is cheap but time is not so do as much as you can yourself.

-Sparky

[indianagreg]

I was hoping 150-200 would be the right amount.

I do appreciate the hvac/duct shop idea - ill definitely check that out. Thanks for the help! 

[sparky961]

Greg,

I don't think you're too far off on your budget.  A few searches for places that do plasma/laser cutting in your area, or metal fabricators would also be a good place to look.  I'm not sure what equipment you have available, but maybe even if you just had them make panels and/or bend them, you could weld it together and save a bunch of money - not to mention adding to the pride of doing a large portion yourself.

If it is desired, I'd be happy to lend advice on best practice for sheet metal fabrication.  If I knew that you were not too far from me I could recommend a place or two, but I doubt that's the case - Ontario, Canada here.

I like the idea of HVAC places, but I would wonder if they're setup to handle cutting and bending 14/16 gauge material.  Most of the stuff they work with would be much thinner, I'd think.

-Sparky

[GordonL]

Actually that is a symptom of what is wrong with much of today's workplace. I owned and operated a design and fabricate shop for most of my working life and made a living doing just that kind of thing. My strength was that I knew a little bit about a lot of stuff even though I was never great at any one thing. By keeping my operation small and versatile I always had work. I had shear, brake, welder, lathe, mill, hydraulic and pneumatic know how and never made more than a few pieces at a time. Today it is possible to find someone who is great at setting up automatic equipment but could not make a one of a kind piece without the help of the automatic equipment.  There are welders, plumbers, electricians etc but none of them have a clue as to how the rest of the process ties into their area. There was a thread recently about the problem of finding a true machinist where again there are many operators who could set up a CNC mill or lathe but had no idea how to make one piece without the automation. A large part of the problem is that we value the "educated" and pay them large wages and view the versatile worker as grunt labor with dirty hands and not worth paying well. This is a universal problem and is not just in the manufacturing area. Try finding a doctor who actually does general practice. All kinds of specialists but few with general knowledge. The generals practice pays well but not great, the specialists makes huge money.

End of rant by a grumpy old man.

[Lew_Merrick_PE]

Off-Topic Alert!

End of rant by a grumpy old man.

It's worse than you think.  I hold two formal journeyman's ratings (luthier and machinist) as well as my license as a Registered Professional (Mechanical) Engineer.  Companies today are expecting to pay less in total dollars/hour here in the U.S. for skilled labor than they paid in 1986!  They want you to sign up for contracts that have insane delivery schedules.  (I spent more than a year telling Boeing that the "contract" they wanted me to sign would be "sporty" as a nine month schedule (with a year being realistic) -- and they wanted me to sign a contract promising delivery in eight weeks!  And, as I said, they spent a year trying to get me to sign the eight-week delivery terms.)  I can tell you as a fact that Boeing was paying Accounting graduates more than twice what they would pay mechanical or aeronautical engineering graduates in 1986.  I have been "told" (but do not know directly for myself), that this has gotten worse in the intervening years.

As an apprentice machinist in a German-run tool & die shop in the 1960's I studied iron/steel and aluminum metallurgy.  I then studied more general metallurgy in college.  I have "passed" as a metallurgist at several companies (not, mind you, that I ever billed myself as a metallurgist).  I am still good enough at spark testing steel to tell you its carbon content within 0.5% that way.  I was doing work for Microsoft a few years back when their Chinese suppliers had "substituted" 1045-1050 sheet steel for the (requested) 1015-1018 material -- and nobody there could figure out why it was constantly fracturing at bends!  They (Microsoft) spent more than $5000 running tests to confirm what I told them for $1's worth of time (which explains a lot).

I spent most of yesterday working with a "machinist" who did not know that there are standard sizes for a counterbore for a socket head cap screw!  He does not own a copy of Machinery's Handbook, The American Machinist's Handbook, or any of the other standard handbooks on the subject.  If it was not pre-programmed into MasterCAM, it was a complete mystery to him!

Now, having said that, there are hundreds of "kids" out there who are hungry for real apprenticeships who want to master their craft.  I run into several every month in my work as a consultant (though I prefer the term insultant).  Small companies generally encourage such people.  Large companies just about actively discourage such people.  At least that is my observation.

[sparky961]

Ummm... ok.

Would I be out of line if I proposed that this one's going just a bit too far off topic?

Greg, a rather new user here, is looking for a box - or help making a box, if I correctly understand the conversation so far.  Not to say that either of you gentlemen are wrong, but I would respectfully suggest that it really isn't the place for a rant.

-Sparky

[daz]

I can't comment on where you could get it made locally, but if you know qnyone that can weld then you can get that made pretty cheap. You don't even gahe to bend or fold. If you can find someone that can weld to a decent standard all you need to do is cut the panels to size witha grinder and slitting disc, then when you get the welde box back go over it witha flap disc. Personally I would never hand back any welding work without tidying it up with a flap disc first, but then most of the stuff I do for other people isn't paying the bills.
That box is a really simple job and if you are able to do the prep work you can cut your costs in halfm need any more info just pm mem sorry for any typos but on a pda with really small keysm

Daz

[Chazz]

Let's see, First it seems odd that a 'prototype' shop is Geared for larger productions (oxymoron)?  Second, a Woodmiser type tool for metal I'm guessing you'd be referring to a 3-in1 benchtop that has a roller, shear and break.  Unfortunately they are only 12" wide and go down to 22 gauge.

I agree, any HVAC shop should be able to one-off your box, it's basically a piece of 15"W x 3 1/2"D x 14 1/4"L duct with 2 endcaps.  If you truly only plan to put papers in the box and not 50 pounds of pennies, then 22 gauge should be more than stiff enough, and if you buy and mount the hinge and lock yourself, it should be well under $100.00.

One other note, if this is going 'in' a wall where your 2 x 4 walls are on 16" centers, watch your lid design if you want it to fully open whilst in the wall.

Cheers,
Chazz

[daniel87]

Sorry, this isn't an answer to your question - but just a suggestion.
You might want to have a look at a few local locksmith shops in your area. One of them near me sells old used safes and lock boxes, etc., for very reasonable prices.

I picked up this cash-drop box for a song. Very heavy wall steel construction and equipped with dual safe deposit type lock cylinders. You may be able to find something more suitable to your needs though (larger and lighter) if you look around.
Just a thought.   

 

I got mine from a local locksmith for a really good price. It's actually quite similar to that. Definitely worth a shot.