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Maker Pipe – Structural Pipe Fittings for DIY Builders
- nmered 2y agoIsn’t this just Flexpipe? https://www.flexpipeinc.com/us_en/ https://www.flexpipeinc.com/us_en/
- loufe 2y agoLast month I spent about 100 hours learning to MIG weld to create a giant mushroom art piece for a music festival. I had looked at Maker Pipe as an option, and it was very compelling. Slow and expensive shipping to Canada and the lack of discounting for large numbers of components pushed back. I would still love to try these, I just hope they manage to get distributors in markets outside the US.
- teucris 2y agoI know this is meant for EMT, but these look a lot like chainlink fence end-rail clamps which go for about $2.50 a piece. The post material (galvanized 1-3/4” pipe) goes for about $2.50 per foot, so those could be a reasonable alternative for when you can’t get easy access to EMT or maker pipe shipped to you.
- tlrobinson 2y agoNot quite the same, but EMT conduit is very popular for shade structures at Burning Man and similar events. You can get fittings that will hold up very well in windy conditions (if properly secured) https://formandreform.com/blackrock-hardware/ https://formandreform.com/blackrock-hardware/
- throwup238 2y agoThey're also popular as greenhouse support structures for the same reason.
- eternityforest 2y agoThis is super cool! One of the most important lessons I've learned in all my time building things, is that it's very often the mechanical and physical construction that makes or breaks a project. Electronics and software are pretty forgiving, but bad mechanical design directly translated to a bad product and a bad experience building it. I love to see progress in that aspect of DIY!
- esses 2y agoI have been shopping for pickup truck bed organization racks that are in the thousands of dollars, but can never pull the trigger because they do not seem like they should cost that much. If I can design these to support the weight I need they will find their way in to the truck bed and my overlanding rig.
- NegativeLatency 2y agoTook a welding class recently, it wasn’t that hard to get something pretty strong that could be ground and painted to look nice. You could build exactly what you want with a couple hundred for a stick welder and safety gear. Some places that teach welding will also let you rent their gear/shop time.
- conductr 2y agoProbably a little pricier but I’ve had great success with linear rails for projects like that. There’s a ton of sizes and accessories like wheels and plates and various hardware https://openbuildspartstore.com/linear-rail/ https://openbuildspartstore.com/linear-rail/
- TmpstsTrrctta 2y ago+1 for rails like these. I’ve used 10 series aluminum extrusions in a roof rack, roof top tent, awning and solar panel setup. I purchased all mine and accessories from here https://www.tnutz.com/product-category/10-series-extrusions/ https://www.tnutz.com/product-category/10-series-extrusions/
- 082349872349872 2y agoIncidentally, as a kid I loved Fischertechnik kits; they're like Lego but instead of a brick as the basic element, they have X-linear rails.
- linsomniac 2y agoFor a larger project, consider buying from Alibaba. ~5 years ago I built a series of workbenches using 20 series and even with the shipping from China costs, I saved 2-3x over buying from the maker places. IIRC, final total was around $700.
- hackcasual 2y agoEMT conduit isn't a great support material if you're handling human weight loads. The picture on the front page showing off the strength is visibly bending. It's kind of an awkward load profile, lower weight like an awning you're probably using ABS, higher weight you're using 1 1/4" system like steeltek or keeklamp
- Animats 2y agoRight. There are many structural pipe fitting systems. Here's one.[1] Grainger, McMaster-Carr, and larger hardware stores stock them. Usually, they use bigger pipe. Fittings are really cheap on Alibaba. [1] https://www.easyfit.com/catalog https://www.easyfit.com/catalog
- fidotron 2y agoWhat are the right keywords to use when searching for the fittings? My ali efforts often get flooded with nonsense.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- DannyBee 2y agoPipe racking connector Modular pipe connector Those do okay without you getting hundreds of irrelevant air hose fittings
- bluGill 2y agoIf it is structural I'd buy from a big place not Ali. Unless you have the ability to verify the material really has the claimed properties you need you should stick with a major trusted supplier who will either verify the factory produces fittings to spec, or test everything for you.
- potato3732842 2y agoPaying big bucks for a paper trail is almost never cost or time effective compared to just adding safety factor for "normal applications". And by "normal applications" I mean "please nobody be intentionally obtuse and start nit picking about aerospace applications and connecting rod bolts and whatnot".
- scottbez1 2y agoNeat idea! In college I hung blackout curtains in my dorm room with conduit - IIRC it was maybe $5 for a pipe that was longer, sturdier, cheaper, and less annoying than the typical telescoping curtain rods (where the curtain always gets caught up on the telescoping edges as you open it). I also love that you can add structural bends with readily available (and relatively compact) conduit bending tools. Gotta love economies of scale.
- topazas 2y agoAwesome, but what does 1'' mean? Some weird measurement unit?
- LukeShu 2y ago" is imperial inches, ' is imperial feet.
- Modified3019 2y ago1" is one inch 1' is one foot So yeah, a weird measurement unit. Technically the symbol to be used is a prime symbol (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(symbol) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(symbol)), but what’s used in practice is anything that looks close enough.
- dangsux 2y ago[dead]
- unwind 2y agoIt's awesome that they combine 1" pipe with a 5 mm hex [1] (often "Allen" in the US) fastener. :) [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_key https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_key
- bluGill 2y agoThe actual size is 27mm. If you convert to an imperial system the size is not a nice number.
- gibspaulding 2y agoYou see a lot of this in the bicycle industry. There are a lot of older standards in use like 9/16” pedal threads, 1 1/8” steerer tubes or 1” (25.4mm) handlebars but any new standard is metric - so bottom brackets, wheels, newer seat post diameters are all metric. It can make for some very strange looking spec sheets.
- wezdog1 2y ago/s might have been needed, it appears.
- dangsux 2y ago[dead]
- torginus 2y agoAre these elements friction-fit? That seems to be a majorly bad idea if you want to handle loads, especially if you want these fixtures to be permanent. A speck of grease or oil could make your structure collapse. Doubly bad, the friction seems to be created by screws that can get loose with time/ not be tightened with the proper torque. Also, an Europe specific thing (I think), is that we don't use metallic pipes for electric wiring, we use PVC.
- IshKebab 2y agoThere's plenty of metal conduit for electrical wiring in Europe. Dunno where you got that idea. It's mainly used in commercial buildings where they don't care about things looking nice. In houses cables are chased into the wall, or just stuffed behind the plasterboard.
- ryukoposting 2y agoIn the US you use PVC for outdoor installations, and steel conduit for indoor... with some exceptions that I'm sure someone will be quick to lambast me for.
- quickthrowman 2y agoI won’t lambast you, but I’ll correct you ;) PVC conduit is used for some underground applications, it isn’t (typically) used outdoors above ground since UV light destroys it. You can use EMT w/ raintight compression fittings or galvanized RMC outdoors (or PVC-coated RMC if you have lots of money and/or want it to last 50 years). Steel conduit (or metal-clad cable) is typical for indoor commercial installations, aside from some specific places where aluminum or PVC is used, like an MRI room.
- tommiegannert 2y agoThe "discounted" bundle is such an anti-pattern. I'm saving the price of one fitting, out of 20. So if the bundle has even one fitting that I have no use for, the whole deal falls apart, and I should have bought them individually instead. Anyone with the volume to make use of all connectors would probably want to negotiate a better deal anyway.
- bluGill 2y agoIf are close to needing a bundle worth then get the bundle as you need spare parts anyway.
- digdugdirk 2y agoIt tends to be highly valuable for mechanical tools like these. Think of this product more like hardware (nuts/bolts/screws, not PC hardware) than a standalone "product". Most people who have a shop or do a lot of tinkering keep an assortment of misc hardware around just so they have it on hand whenever the need arises. This falls into a similar category, so having a grab bag to be able to handle whatever potential scenario you run into would be incredibly handy.
- metaphor 2y agoWho are you kidding?? This isn't minor hardware...these fittings are ~$5 a pop! Priced individually: | Fitting | Price (ea) | Qty | Total | |---------|------------|-----|-------| | T | 3.34 | 12 | 40.08 | | 90 | 5.79 | 4 | 23.16 | | 45 | 4.95 | 4 | 19.80 | | 180 | 4.95 | 2 | 9.90 | |=========|============|=====|=======| | 22 | 92.94 | In contrast, the bundle lists for $88.10...that's a lousy price delta of $4.84 (approx. 1 fitting). In consumer hoodwinking terms, it's the equivalent of buy-21-get-1-free...except the "value proposition" comes at a cost of zero optionality and overweight T fittings. If you've got the cash to burn on benchstock at this price point, more power to you, but the point is you're really paying a premium to throw away choice for the illusion of value with this bundle.
- Pikamander2 2y agoI remember seeing their booth at the Orlando Maker Faire years ago. Metal pipe was a bit too expensive for my budget but I was still inspired by their display and started using PVC and custom 3D printed connectors in my gardening projects. I love how much work they've done on connectors. In my experience with PVC, one of the biggest hurdles to making interesting projects is finding prebuilt connectors for anything besides simple 90-degree angles. It makes sense given that most PVC projects are for construction rather than hobby projects, but it's still annoying. Having pre-drilled screw holes is also a nice bonus.
- Loughla 2y agoPVC plumbing fittings come in 22.5 degree variations between 0 and 180, just as an aside. It's what I use for most gardening projects. It lasts longer than thin wall conduit would, and is much less expensive than the thick wall steel pipe.
- throwaway920102 2y agoPVC is considered as the most environmentally damaging plastic and one of the most toxic substances for inhabitants of our planet. From cradle to grave, the PVC lifecycle (production, use, and disposal) results in the release of toxic, chlorine-based chemicals, and it is one of the world's largest dioxin sources. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10779931/#:~:text=PVC%20is%20considered%20as%20the,the%20world's%20largest%20dioxin%20sources https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10779931/#:~:te....
- Pikamander2 2y agoThere are lots of options online but I've noticed that our local Home Depot is missing a surprising amount of common connectors and our Lowe's barely carries any.
- quickthrowman 2y agoActual plumbers (and electricians, fitters, tinners, etc) buy stuff from supply houses, that’s why the selection is garbage. Some supply houses will sell to people off the street, some will not. For everyone else, there’s McMaster Carr.
- gtsnexp 2y agoCan you get them in Europe?
- N-Krause 2y agoThats what I was thinking, quick search got me this German shop: https://www.rohrverbindershop.de/rohrverbinder/ https://www.rohrverbindershop.de/rohrverbinder/ But seems like there are plenty of options.
- pcdoodle 2y agoI can vouch for this stuff, used some for a railing system for a ebike trailer that handled some abuse.
- FrustratedMonky 2y agoDon't often see product ad's getting to HN and not be flagged. But have to say, not enough people know that products like this exist that can allow building something a lot cheaper than buying something pre-made.
- blorenz 2y agoThe real gem on this site is the Make Pipe Minis! What a great way to prototype your idea before committing to the real build. https://makerpipe.com/collections/modular-pipe-fittings/products/maker-pipe-minis https://makerpipe.com/collections/modular-pipe-fittings/prod... edit: I did not even see when I posted this that they had made this open source with the downloadable STL to print your own connectors. Great move on them!
- breakfastduck 2y agoThat is an absolutely fantastic idea and what a brilliant way to help inspire confidence in your product.
- epiccoleman 2y agoWith coffee stirrers! That's such a cool idea, to be able to print the connectors and then use something cheap, off the shelf, and easily cut as the "pipe". Brilliant! I can see that being a pretty fun cheapo building toy for the kids. Might have to grab a pack of stirrers and run off a couple handfuls of connectors. Very cool.
- catapart 2y agoWith the added benefit of built-in upscaling! I would have loved, as a kid, to design my own "clubhouse" with coffee stirrers before going out in the yard and building a full sized one to chill in.
- cius 2y agoAnyone interested in heavier duty may appreciate Kee Klamp. For example: https://keesystems.com/product-category/fittings/kee-klamp/?srsltid=AfmBOopj61tFnWWtPg8D93WIgRazaKn_fGnAoS7eWZi2aBA14uOfWAhm https://keesystems.com/product-category/fittings/kee-klamp/?...
- hinkley 2y agoI think it’s early days for Maker Pipe so I’m not going to dunk on them too hard for this, but I noticed the lack of angles means you can’t build for instance a 3:2 rectangle with cross braces to prevent racking. You have to do squares only. Kee seems to have solved that problem.
- CtrlAltmanDel 2y agoIs this not angles? https://makerpipe.com/collections/modular-pipe-fittings/products/adjustable-angle-connector-hinge-connector https://makerpipe.com/collections/modular-pipe-fittings/prod...
- hinkley 2y agoThat’ll do triangles but not crossbracing. X’s not λ‘s
- CtrlAltmanDel 2y agoUse 2 of the 'Adjustable Angle Hinge' to make a single diagonal across the rectangle. At the midsection of the diagonal, install an 'Adjustable 180 degree' along with two more of the adjustable angles in each corner. Would that approximate it? Sorry I'm not better at ascii art. https://makerpipe.com/collections/modular-pipe-fittings/products/adjustable-180-degree-connector https://makerpipe.com/collections/modular-pipe-fittings/prod...
- hinkley 2y agoI am just wrong due to incomplete info. The page I originally clicked on only had about half of the full catalog on it, and the way it was constructed I presumed it to be exhaustive. There’s a 180° adjustable fitting that does exactly what I described, as a sibling to the link you provided.
- quickthrowman 2y agoEMT is pretty flimsy stuff, why would you build anything with it when extruded aluminum and strut channel exist? Or even RMC, it’s much stronger than EMT. I know it’s a cost thing, but use the right material for the job. There’s absolutely no way I’d trust a desk made of EMT, if someone leans on it too hard it will crumple immediately.
- m463 2y agoHow do these compare in price to the threaded steel pipes you get at home depot? (the kind people do make desks and shelves out of)
- WaitWaitWha 2y agoI would love to have these for several projects, but I need it for 2" pipes. Any ideas who might have them?
- happyopossum 2y agoWhat you probably need to look for is "structural pipe" - Lowes and HD both carry a line of that with lots of fittings, and KeeKlamp and others are available online or from trade supply shops.
- albrewer 2y agokeeclamp - https://keesystems.com/product-category/fittings/kee-klamp/ https://keesystems.com/product-category/fittings/kee-klamp/
- WaitWaitWha 2y ago:/ Only in the UK and Ireland.
- dylanowen 2y agoThey also provide cad models for some of the connectors which I found very useful: https://connect.makerpipe.com/build-help/post/if-you-would-like-to-3d-model-your-build-with-a-cad-program-like-autodesk-uHuYI0XuVUds3XS https://connect.makerpipe.com/build-help/post/if-you-would-l...
- pohl 2y agoAh, piping, all about moving something from A to B. Has anyone else read Leslie Claret's classic text "The Structural Dynamics of Flow"? I got the chance to hear him speak, once. It was riveting: "Hey, let me walk you through our Donnely nut spacing and cracked system rim-riding grip configuration. Using a field of half-seized sprats and brass-fitted nickel slits, our bracketed caps and splay-flexed brace columns vent dampers to dampening hatch depths of 1/2 meter from the damper crown to the spurv plinth. How? Well, we bolster 12 husk nuts to each girdle jerry — while flex-tandems press a task apparatus of ten vertically composited patch-hamplers — then pin flam-fastened pan traps at both maiden apexes of the jim-joists."
- s0ss 2y agoI struggled to decode this and thought it was an LLM spouting drivel -- haha. After reading I see now that this is a character from a comedy called "Patriot". Got it!
- pohl 2y agoI like to think of this scene as the retro-encabulator of a new generation.
- oflannabhra 2y agoI did not expect to see a Patriot reference online today, thank you for making my day. For others, Patriot is a dark comedy TV show available on Amazon. I highly recommend it.
- whatshisface 2y agoWhat's the advantage of metal pipe over treated wood?
- happyopossum 2y agoShape, size, weight, required tooling, fire-resistance, price, lack of dangerous chemicals, etc etc etc? In most of these cases they are tradeoffs, not direct advantages but it should be kinda obvious which would be best for any given situation
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- analog31 2y agoAs a cheap and quick alternative for making simple structures, my dad used to join pieces of conduit by flattening the ends in a vise and drilling holes for bolts and nuts.
- neilv 2y agoHow does this compare to "80/20" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-slot_structural_framing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-slot_structural_framing ? (At a past startup, we used 80/20 for the structure of our factory stations. We were very happy with how 80/20 was easily adapted during prototyping and testing, and then our final station design could be replicated quickly stateside to several stations, then disassembled into a few assemblies for flight, reassembled at the factory in Asia, and hold up well in production, and it also looked professional for demos. A lot of that success was due to the know-how and effort of our mechE, but, IMHO, 80/20 is appealing to people who grew up with Lego-like toys, and even I, primarily a software person, felt I could do useful things with it and some basic tools.)
- jseutter 2y agoMy armchair assessment is that both will have their uses. 80/20 is 3-4x the price, but is lighter and more rigid than EMT conduit. EMT conduit is sold everywhere and will be more useful for quick and dirty setups. For a machine like a 3d printer, I would choose 80/20. For some lightweight shelves, EMT conduit or wood. So I see this product almost as a wood replacement rather than a 80/20 replacement.
- hinkley 2y agoIs easier to control torsion with 80/20 as well isn’t it? Clamping a radius like this will leave you open to a lot more racking.
- hinkley 2y agoSteal can be bent without failing. I believe 80/20 has less flex than a similar sized pipe? But when it gets bent you’re done. So there will be situations where steel is a better choice.