Nesting Batt System
A while back I posted on Instagram about different ways to join batts to the wheel-head. Here I’d like to offer you a free download of the laser-cutter file I used to cut this square-nesting-batt-system.
I designed it for a 300mm diameter wheel-head. It has no locating pins; it is simply a tight fit, so can be removed with a bit of pulling if/when required.
Remember to check the size of your own wheel-head, AND the internal size of your splash-tray before making yours. (the external diameter of this design is 390mm)
It’s a super simple design. The ‘ring’ (shown on the left in the image above) is glued to the bottom of the large circle (on the right above).
I used an epoxy-resin glue (Araldite) which is fully waterproof, and very strong. (You will need a line of each of the two compounds of glue about 8cm long.) Remember to mark the “corners” where the back ring shows through the main square; DON’T PUT GLUE IN THESE TRIANGLES!. Then cramp it all up tight overnight making sure that both layers are well aligned.
Once pushed onto the wheel-head, the square insert fits into this, and then the smaller square nests inside that… It’s a tight fit on the wheel head, but should just ‘tap’ on:
I cut mine from 8mm ply. Try to use marine-ply if possible, or exterior grade at the very least. You can then either laser-cut loads of the squares in either size (just ask your local firm to alter the file a little), or cut these on a table saw. nipping the corner off the squares makes it MUCH easier to remove the batt/ware from the wheel.
Again, please remember that this is FREE, and certainly not a commercial product with any warrantee or promises. That said, I hope you find it useful!
NOTE: .dxf files are not commonly viewable on most home PCs, but you can view the downloaded files at ShareCAD.org
DISCLAIMER: At a distance, it is impossible for me to measure your wheel-head exactly. Neither do I know exactly the cut-width/power of the laser-cutter you will be using. With this in mind you may wish to work closely with the Laser-cutting firm and use a micrometre to measure your wheel-head. (better to get the internal dimension of the ring cut to a perfect tolerance fit before gluing it all together!)
