Slotted Angle: A Powerhouse of Creativity
I recently carried out a short study of the basic building blocks of shelving systems and discovered I could make structural sections for small bridges, workbenches, shelves, partitioning, fencing and a whole range of very practical equipment to serve as day to day work equipment. This article demonstrates how a little imagination and a few power tools can transform you into a professional improviser and money saver. In an age of mounting costs and financial pressures it is still possible, with minimal investment, to create very useful, low cost equipment at a fraction of the cost of retail prices. With modern hand tools, what used to take hours and be tedious work, has become fast, fun and rewarding. If you thought slotted angle was a museum piece, think again. There is more low cost, fast build functionality to be extracted out of slotted angle in less time than a trip to the local D.I.Y branch to buy a flat pack of lesser strength and less specific to your needs.
Getting Inventive
Slotted angle is one of the cheapest and most versatile sections. Rolled by the mile and finished in an anti corrosive coating, it is an ideal solution for a range of useful working facilities easily constructed in a bespoke fashion specific to the task you have in mind, whether it be in the garden shed, green house, garage or at work. For the input of your own time you can easily create some impressive equipment at a price and quality which you will find impossible to match elsewhere. Starting with some very simple construction shapes, it is very easy to see how a rectangle, square or triangle can be very simply constructed. These are the building blocks for any basic structure or frame. Once you have a frame you can clad it or line it to enclose or control the space you have created. Angles can be put back to back to form a ‘T’ shape, assembled toe to toe to create strong structural box sections or channel and even ‘I’ beams or ‘H’ sections. As the angles are all pre-punched they provide perfect fixing surfaces for finishing, access, storage or mobility fixings and thereafter you are limited only by your own imagination.
Structural shapes are created by a simple joining mechanism comprising a square or angle plate as a valuable but very low cost accessory. A cut section can easily be used to join up two lengths to extend and create load bearing sections for deployment into your creation. Once built the sections may then be joined to form new structural shapes, such as rectangular frames or trusses. Other simple but very effective load bearing shapes, such as angle brackets, can easily be made up for stiffeners and nut and bolt fasteners are quick to use with power tools. Armed with these power tools you can make your own workbench or storage rack and get into production to equip your home or business at very affordable prices.
Savings – What to expect
There are so many uses, for example the slotted angle on its own is a quick and strong way to fix up a P.V.C. strip door. By joining it to other angles it is easy to change the shape and strength to enable you to span larger distances. It is easy to manufacture triangular support brackets to enable the angles to be cantilevered forward away from a wall to avoid obstructions. You can also make wall mounted shelves and storage systems in the same way. A £145 fabricated version of a bin rack to hold plastic bins to organise components for assembly work can be made by yourself for less than £30. A luxury workbench which would retail for over £300 can be built for under £200. This is a saving of 30% and provides a work top, two lower shelves and two over shelves. Louvred panels, holding tools or more storage containers can be easily added. Trolleys can be constructed from about £30 plus castors or a flat top work bench can be constructed from as little as £70 to which lighting rails, power track for electric sockets or tool rails are a very easy addition. Even conveyors can be made from as little as £90. One kit will easily make a workbench or trolley.
20 Practical things to make
It is a really easy way to save money and get a made to measure job. With modern power tools they are very fast to build. A bench can be easily made up in an hour making it as quick as many D.I.Y. self assembly kits at a fraction of the cost. There has never been a better time to be your own D.I.Y. entrepreneur. Here is a list of items you can easily construct from slotted angle
- Shelving.
- Racks.
- Tool holders.
- Workbenches.
- Work Stations.
- Trolleys.
- Stillages.
- Garage benches.
- Greenhouse plant benches.
- Conveyors.
- Light structural sections in the following shapes: T’s, H’s, box rectangles, trusses, frames and brackets.
- Wall racks.
- Bin storage assembly racks.
- Steps.
- Fences and simple partitions.
- Small sheds.
- Gates and doors.
- Dolly bases for transporting plastic box stacks.
- Mobile bases for pallets.
- Lintels and supports for fixtures such as lighting and P.V.C. strip doors.