02/08/2012 - Metal Box Frame

I am trying to make a rubber inner tube basket for a project my sister-in-law is working on, so this was my first attempt at making the frame for it. It isn't necessarily a failure, but not a success in regards to what I am trying to accomplish. My original thought was to use wood but found metal pieces at SCRAP that I thought would work. I am proud of myself for getting this far with metal without having the appropriate metal working tools, but maybe someday I will be an expert welder/metal fabricator.

Reclaimed Material: aluminum pieces from SCRAP, screws, nuts
Other/New Material: none
Tools: metal snippers, ruler, marker, screwdriver, pliers

How I did it: The dimensions of the basket are 14"x11"x7" so I measured and marked 4 of each size. The metal pieces were 15" long each so for the 14" pieces I measured .5" from each end and the metal was pliable enough to bend those pieces at the marks. I measured the smaller pieces so that the holes that were already drilled (the pieces looked like they were part of a filing cabinet) lined up when I put them together. I was able to use metal snippers to cut the metal down to the other sizes I needed. I used a screw and nut (they were in a little cabinet I got from a garage sale) in each corner to secure it.


What I would do differently: I tried multiple ways to attach the rubber inner tubes to the metal but to no avail. I went to the fabric store and found rivets, but didn't look at the price closely and thought they were $2.99 for a pack of 24, but they were $8.99 -- I am too much of a cheapskate to spend that much money. I tried a couple other things too, but as you can see by the picture, nothing worked. I think I can use this frame for another material I come across for a later project.