suggestions for holes in bed frame.

Ed of all trades · Jul 12, 2013

Chuck a piece if mild steel rod in your drill press with the end cut off square. Put the bed rail in the vice and ''drill'' it with the rod. It will heat up and soften the rail, replace rod with drill bit and drill in the same place, try it.

chopped · Jul 13, 2013

good idea I shall try it..thanks for the suggestion. As for what ''poor' is. well im probably just shy of a millionaire, but to me im poor. LOL I wouldnt care if i had 100 000 dollars sitting there in cash If I could do something on the cheap i would ,there is a certain good feeling of doing that.Some might say recycling. Well ive been recycling long before it was the 'hip' thing to do..LOlJust the other day i grabbed a frame from the roadside. Just to have in stock.I agree that I wouldnt use it for anthing that should have something more substantial but it fills the bill for most all my projects.

Iplayfarmer · Jul 17, 2013

chopped said:
good idea I shall try it..thanks for the suggestion. As for what ''poor' is. well im probably just shy of a millionaire, but to me im poor. LOL I wouldnt care if i had 100 000 dollars sitting there in cash If I could do something on the cheap i would ,there is a certain good feeling of doing that.Some might say recycling. Well ive been recycling long before it was the 'hip' thing to do..LOlJust the other day i grabbed a frame from the roadside. Just to have in stock.I agree that I wouldnt use it for anthing that should have something more substantial but it fills the bill for most all my projects.

I agree. There is something rewarding about creating value where there was little value before. I think the hipsters are calling it "upcycling" nowadays. I totally embrace the concept, but I'm a bit peeved that it's become a popular trend. I hate being part of a popular trend. Plus all the hipsters are grabbing up the good stuff now.

Travelover · Jul 17, 2013

Iplayfarmer said:
........ I think the hipsters are calling it "upcycling" nowadays. .........

I've heard the word "re-purposing". :laughing:

Baby Grand · Jul 18, 2013

Travelover said:
I've heard the word "re-purposing". :laughing:

That's the one I know, but the new crop of hipsters came after that word was coined.
So they had to make up a new word for an old idea.
It's like when you get a puppy you have to name it and that makes it yours.
So if you invent a new word for an old idea, it's like you invented the idea, so now you own it.

Iplayfarmer · Jul 18, 2013

Baby Grand said:
That's the one I know, but the new crop of hipsters came after that word was coined.
So they had to make up a new word for an old idea.
It's like when you get a puppy you have to name it and that makes it yours.
So if you invent a new word for an old idea, it's like you invented the idea, so now you own it.

I must be old because I remember before it was called re-purposing I called it scrounging.

Baby Grand · Jul 18, 2013

Iplayfarmer said:
I must be old because I remember before it was called re-purposing I called it scrounging.

Heh-heh - I think we called it scrimping.
What an outdated concept!

Travelover · Jul 18, 2013

Baby Grand said:
Heh-heh - I think we called it scrimping.
What an outdated concept!

Yea, I get teased because I buy a lot of material at a metal recycler for pennies on the dollar. Of course, I have to leave my pride at the gate. :laughing:

ron3520 · Jul 19, 2013

I DID SOME CONSULTING AT A PLACE THAT MADE THE ANGLE IRON USED FOR BED FRAMES. IT IS MADE FROM OLD RAIL FROM RAILROAD TRACK. IT IS HOT ROLLED AND QUENCHED. THAT IS WHY IT IS SO HARD.

Kernopelli · Jul 20, 2013

BukitCase said:
I'm with you, Jim (PM45, love it) but you may have missed the opening statement by the OP - "I am a poor person" - although there are less expensive plaz's, I don't recall seeing just HOW poor we're talking here Steve

I used to get the angle shipping "crates" that Chinese 4 wheelers came in for free from a local dealer. You could drill a hole easily in one piece and ruin a bit trying in the next. I have had the same experience with bed frames before as well. I was drilling holes in T posts a few weeks ago and you would get one that was no problem and the next one would ruin a bit. I finally got out a good carbide bit I use sparingly for just such purposes and when I dulled it within 6 holes I was fit to be tied!

That is when it occurred to me to use my Everlast 50 amp plasma cutter.......zapped nice little screw holes in about 1second. I am not "poor".......I am cheap. So cheap I cheated myself from buying an inexpensive plasma cutter for years. It is easily the most used piece of equipment in my shop now and probably the best money I have spent in years. Even the "cheap" ( inexpensive is a more accurate word) plasma cutters are amazing! Use a straight edge and you get FAST shear quality cuts and I have used mine on up to 5/8" so far so it handles 95% of what I cut.

I have quoted on TBN in the past what I paid but decided that might not be fair to Mark Lugo but I will now say it was OBVIOUSLY "cheap" :ashamed:......much cheaper than HF's 40 amp. It has worked flawlessly, has power arc and came with a nice torch and consumable package. I recommend one highly to anyone who thinks they can't afford a plasma cutter.