I started with a little 2ft x 2ft build
been using it for a year but wanted to make bigger things
I found Maker pipe and its great for the frame and such and i found that 2 of the brackes is perfectly spaced for corners.
With my new build i can now do 4ft x 4ft still got to clean it up and finish the wireing need to extend them more with the larger build.
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Slick, I saw that maker pipe fittings at the maker faire the last couple times I went. Neat to see it in action. Every time I tried to talk to the inventor he was never at the booth.
Speaking of, check this out!!! Last picture on this page!
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Ty for the link have checked it out.
The maker pipe is nice and the stuff you can do with them is really neat.
Hope to have more pictures to share once I get it finished. Just need to find more time sucks life keeps getting in the way of the fun.
Is maker pipe the same as conduit? I have been here for more than a year, spending much time. I still don’t know what conduit actually IS. Can somebody enlighten me? Is it used to pull wires inside walls? Why is it stiff then? Isn’t it more useful to have something flexible for lying wires inn walls?
“conduit” is a catch all term for any tube or pipe that houses wires for protect and/or isolation. It can be flexible or rigid. In most homes in the US, we dont use conduit, we use something we refer to as romex, which is just a bundle of insulated conductors in a heavy plastic jacket. This is what we typically run in our walls and attics.
Conduit, especially the rigid stuff, is used outdoors to protect from animals, impact, weather, lawnmowers, etc. Conduit is also used in commercial and industrial buildings for the same reasons. The flexible stuff is mostly used to bridge the gap between rigid conduit and junction boxes, so alignment doesnt have to be perfect.
Not sure about Europe. Only been there once. Didnt have time to check out the wiring situation, lol.
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Conduit in the terms of the MPCNC is short for EMT Conduit. It’s lightweight steel tubing that we use for running electrical wires outdoors and sometimes indoors if the wire is not going to be embedded in a wall. I used it to run flush mounted outlets in my garage at my first house and it’s used a lot to run wires across walls in basements that are made of brick or concrete:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-x-10-ft-Electric-Metallic-Tube-EMT-Conduit-853429/100400406
Thanks @niget2002 and @nstiesi ! I was never able to wrap my head around whether conduit was a name for a specific product or a general noun. Only place I’ve found it used was in Mass Effect(https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Conduit), and that has only confused me more. Now I’ve done my google-fu and learned that conduit means lead/channel - from latin conduire. Well well, that was it for todays lesson!
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I hope they are able to really start mass producing those parts soon, if those prices could come down about half what they are, boy that could really catch on.
Sorry I didn’t join the forum and say hello sooner! I feel like this is long overdue because I have been a fan of MPCNC for a long time. My name is Dave and I am one of the Maker Pipe owners. I’m happy to contribute any way that I can.
@vicious1 I was disappointed that I missed you all that time ago at Maker Faire NYC. Chances are you talked to my wife and business partner Kelly. As a fan of all things conduit, including MPCNC, I was disappointed that I missed you at the booth.
We also hope for that day that we are able to change we way we manufacture our connectors and pass that savings along to customers. I’m not sure if it will cut the price in half, but we always strive to make them as affordable as we can for DIYers.
Great build @Dragon2424. I am pulling for you in our Build of the Month contest!
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Nice to see you here Dave!
I love the concept, and we both know conduit is a great material. I think your products make conduit do what most people use (or used to use) 8020 or other extrusions for, quick rugged things where wood is not the most appropriate. The only time I used to really see extrusions used was for enclosures and small machines built for proof of concept. All in all what you have is already cheaper than extrusions and the components they use for that type of use. Looking through your gallery shows the biggest advantage is scale. Conduit allows for very large things to be built.
Definitely understand the pricing, just waiting for when you really catch on and scale to the point of full mass production and get into the hardware stores. We need a section of the conduit isle with bins of your parts, like the fittings in the plumbing section!!!
I just finished up building a few tables for the shop, If I make some more I will have to make it your way to keep with my conduit theme!
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Glad I could help you two to finally meet…LOL
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I bought the mixed pipe connector kit from Maker Pipe for a different type of project (pipe & drape). Stuff is great and easy to work with. I agree if the price was lower, I could invent a whole lot more uses for it. Never considered it for mpcnc…
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Appreciate the warm welcome Ryan! Thanks for that.
If you ever a project like that in mind and would like to trade MPCNC parts for our connectors please do not hesitate to ask!
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