How to Build With Grid Beam
Think of it as a giant Erector Set. Grid Beam is a great way to make working prototypes of furniture, experimental vehicles and even small buildings. If your idea doesn't work, you can change it until it does. If you don’t need it anymore, Grid Beams are easily demountable and ready to use for the next project. I find the ability to try ideas quickly in analog form to be a huge advantage. With nothing simulated, you know for sure it works, not merely that it should work. A drawing can lie to your client or worse, to you. Grid Beams never lie. The book illustrates a remarkable array of projects, all real, and many actually at work. Inspiring!
Available from Amazon
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Figure 1.5: Four types of commercial grid beam. From bottom: 1-inch (25mm) steel, 1 1/2-inch (40mm) wood, 1 1/2-inch aluminum, 2-inch (50mm) steel double-hole with a 1 3/4-inch (45mm) insert. You can also drill your own.
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Figure C.17: The wood-framed workbench that Phil assembled in chapter 1.
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Figure C.1: Ken Issac's Superchair, the first commercial grid beam product, has built-in shelves and a book holder, snack tray and overhead reading light. The seat back lowers to make a bed.
Favorite (15)
Daniel Kim
This reminds me of a book called Nomadic Furniture which used 2x2 lumber for construction of various useful things.
Matt
I can't seem to find a lot of information about Grid Beams on the internet. Are there any forums or other sites to help one get started - or is this book one of the few resources?
elon
Matt:
I wish I could be of some assistance but I had no luck in my attempts to contact the book's authors. I tried to find a source of commercially available grid beams, but wasn't able to.
The book does have lots of advice and plans if you're willing to do the drilling yourself.
The_other_Bill
I did manage to find this. Not sure how helpful it will be, but it's a start. http://www.gridbeamers.com/
Tye
I've always liked the looks of this system, but i imagine that it is expensive. http://8020inc.net/
SammyBoy
I dunno... The whole modular building issue is great, but hasn't grid beam been eclipsed by stuff like Simpson Strong Tie? SST allows you to make modular anything (including buildings) but without any drilling. If you wanted something that was break down-able, you could combine SST with threaded inserts.
Gough
Tye
You're right, 8020 is great stuff, but not cheap. I'm in the middle of fabricating my second set of interactive science exhibits using it for the frames and I do like working with it.
Jim
This is so cool. I built a Ken Isaacs superchair over 30 years ago based on his Popular Science article. I ordered this as soon as I saw the review. Thanks!
Here is another link that is more complete than the posted link.
http://www.grid-beam.com/index.htm
GlenBlank
You might also want to check out Unistrut. Their namesake product is a three-sided box-channel beam system with special fasteners and a variety of accessories. They also make a four-sided telescoping box-beam product called Telestrut that's similar to what's shown here.
I've used both products building various support structures and machinery frames and chassis while doing theatrical tech. It's handy stuff.
Julian Cullan
http://www.alliedtube.com/sign-support/traffic-sign-posts/telespar-square.asp
Albert61
I would love to use grid beam if only it were easy to get the materials. Sure, they explain in their charming self-sufficient flower child manner about how to make the beams, but if there were ever a better application for mass production than drilling little holes at fixed intervals in thousands of identical pieces of stock, I don't know what it is. I don't want to waste my time doing THAT when I could be doing something creative, like designing and assembling the project I want to build. And I likewise don't want to have to hunt all over creation to find the right shoulder bolts and funky washers to assemble the stuff.
There's a business opportunity here, for furnishing the materials from a single source, with components that are already selected to work with each other and fit properly. Beam is a bulk material, so it would require warehousing to avoid the shipping costs, but this is something that Lowe's or Home Depot could carry without too much trouble.
escapefromyonkers
the unistrut lokos lke the hardware they use for all the telco central office in old ma bell land.
there is an item that worked with goggle sketch up, i cant find it, but it would join a certain diameter tube together to make a modular anything.
however the prices looked a bit too expensive , i wanted to build a modular system to hold monitors at the exact level while i was in a zero gravity chair.
if i could find a cheap supply of fishblocks, that may also work
everfresh adventures
Howdy everyone,
GRID BEAM IS GREAT for creating INFINITE POSSIBILITIES, just like an Erector Set.
The Author Contact Information is on their website http://gridbeam.biz/ They have cool photos of all kinds of built projects, like a cart for holding solar panels, solar-powered vehicles, furniture, a cool transport/ dump cart that seats two people, among others.
Also, on the Grid Beam website, there is a link to a terrific Computer Monitor Workstation frame for holding the newer computer screens for someone to view whilst reclining in a chair. It even has rolling capacity to move it around...The link is: www.recliner-workstation.com. This frame was developed by Wilma Keppel, one of the authors of How To Build With Grid Beam, who also runs their website.
For those who are interested, the Nomadic Furniture 1 & 2 books are available on Amazon and other places. THere is even a newer edition of the two books (Nomadic Furniture 1 & 2) combined into one book!
Happy Co-Creating to all!