Rivet size

[KevinWI]

For fastening 1/8" thick angle AL to 1/8" thick angle AL. What size rivets to use? I bought 3/16" by 1/4" long, but I'm wondering if I need to buy a little bit longer rivets?

 

[Bob Landry]

Go to 3/16"X1/2"

 

[KevinWI]

Thanks Bob.

 

[MNHunter505]

I found this thread after I posted on another one..so whichever thread you answer to, I will be able to get my question answered!

Did other members use 1/2" long rivets as well? Or do alot of members use the 1/4" long ones?

Thanks.

 

[Ringo Steele]

I used 3/16x1/2" rivets for most of mine. Be sure to use a rivet with a body length long enough that the bulb end can expand on the outside of your material to be fastened together. The longer rivet will fasten thinner material as well. Check a site such as rivetsonline.com for specifications on the thickness of material each rivet will securely fasten.

 

[MNHunter505]

I used 3/16x1/2" rivets for most of mine. Be sure to use a rivet with a body length long enough that the bulb end can expand on the outside of your material to be fastened together. The longer rivet will fasten thinner material as well. Check a site such as rivetsonline.com for specifications on the thickness of material each rivet will securely fasten.

Ok, I was just looking on there and looks like 1/2 is a safer bet. What size head diameter did you use? Was your angle 1"x1"?

 

[MNHunter505]

So, the websites help you determine which type of rivet to use. Pretty much got that question answered. Still need to know if larger heads are used by other members and also...about how many rivets did you use? Should a box of 250 be good to go? (forward and aft casting deck)

 

[bcbouy]

i used close to 250 rivets,but i also went thru 3 drill bits and 2 saw blades.

 

[MNHunter505]

i used close to 250 rivets,but i also went thru 3 drill bits and 2 saw blades.

oh, wow! What type of saw did you use to cut your angle?

 

[JMichael]

Rivets have a "grip range". If you use too short or too long of a grip range, your pieces may not be held together as tightly as they could have been with the proper rivet. For 3/16 rivets the ranges break at .250 as the max grip for one size and .251 as the min grip for the next size up. In this case either rivet will probably work just fine but pay attention to the manufacturers stated grip range for the material you intend to rivet together. And if you go with the max .250 grip be sure you get your pieces laying flat against each other. Some times a burr or aluminum shavings from drilling will get between the 2 pieces of metal and hold them apart a little. I've gone through almost 200 rivets on my build with a few odds and ends left to do so I'll probably hit the 200 mark before I'm done. I used a standard size head rivet. I used a 12" power miter saw with a fine cut (80 tooth) carbide tip blade to cut the 1 x 1 x 1/8th angle and the ladder that I used.

 

[walleyejoe]

I when though at at least 200 rivets on my build I used 3/16x1/4 on most of it there were some areas that needed 1/2 though . Any carbon tip saw blade will work on aluminum just remember the more teeth the finer the cut.

 

[BassBlaster]

Ive been cutting my aluminum with a jigsaw and some Bosch metal cutting blades. I purchased 5 blades thinking I would burn some up but the first one is still going strong. I refuse to chop aluminum on my chop saw as I'm also a woodworker and dont want to ruin my good blades. I guess I could have purchased a cheap blade for cutting aluminum but that would mean running from the garage to the basement where my woodshop is for every cut. The jigsaw has worked great and I'll be using it to cut my aluminum flooring this weekend as well.

For those buying a chopsaw blade just for cutting your aluminum, they do sell a blade specificically for metals but any carbide tipped woodworking blade will work. Just dont try and cut it with a low tooth count ripping blade. I would want 80 teeth minimum for safety. Any less and it could get grabby. Oh, and the ole saying, "you get what you pay for" definately applies when it comes to blades so if you go buy a $7 blade, dont expect it to make it through your entire project. That said, you dont need an $80 blade for a one time project either.

To answer the original question, I used 1/4" X 1/2" aluminum rivots on my build. As stated allready, the grip range will be more important than the length. The ones I used have a 1/4" grip range which works perfect for joining two 1/8" angles. I dont recall any specific head size, so what I used must be standard. I used less than 100 rivets but I only added a front deck to my boat. If your going to use 1/4" rivets, I highly reccomend the heavy duty riveter from HF. Its $20 and pops 1/4" rivets like nothing. I definately wouldnt want to try and install 1/4" rivets with a standard rivet gun, especially if I had to pop 200 or more. Talk about hand cramps!!

 

[PSG-1]

First off, +1 to what bassblaster said about the Harbor Freight heavy duty rivet gun. 8) Great tool for the money, and it handles up to 1/4" rivets, where the rivet guns you buy at Home Depot for the same price, only handle 3/16". While many factory boats, such as my Triton, use 3/16 rivets for the floors, if you want a little more strength, 1/4" is the way to go.

As far as cutting, the good news with aluminum is that it's a soft enough material, virtually any tools that can be used to cut, or shape wood, can be used on aluminum with no problem. Regular wood blades can be used on recipro saws, and they will cut with no problem.

For a circular saw, try a Freud Diablo blade for cutting aluminum. They're red in color, and you can pick one up at Home Depot or Lowes.

They have a thinner kerf than regular circular saw blades, which means less resistance in the cut. Use the fine tooth blade for thin gage material, such as 1/8" and the coarse tooth for thick stuff like 1/4"
I've personally cut aluminum as thick as 3/8" with a Diablo blade.

Another great use for the circular saw with aluminum.....if you have to remove a lot of material by grinding, or cutting welds, provided you have a steady hand, and you're careful, you can use a circular saw like a portable milling machine. You want to rest the front end of the saw on the work, then, with the back end tilted up, bring it up to speed, and slowly bring the blade down until it touches the work. Then, slowly 'swipe' the saw across the surface, letting the teeth remove material as you make the movement. Each pass will take about 1/16" of material. This is a very fast, efficient means of milling down a surface of aluminum when the part can't be put on a mill. It's also a great way to save wear and tear on your grinder, and your grinding wheels.

BUT BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL when using a saw like this, all it takes is for one kick-back to occur, and it's bad news.

Regardless, when you're cutting aluminum with a miter saw or circular saw, you definitely want to wear long sleeves and a face shield, as well as safety glasses, as circular saws will throw hot shards of aluminum when cutting, the shards tend to stick to your skin and burn you. And definitely a pair of earmuffs or ear plugs, as it's also quite noisy. "Chop saws" that use abrasive blades can cut aluminum, but since it's an abrasive wheel, it will tend to heat and clog, like a grinding wheel. Best to stick with jig saws, recipro saws, circular saws, and miter saws.

Always bring the saw up to full RPM, and begin your cut slowly, to reduce the chance of a kick-back.

 

[MNHunter505]

First off, +1 to what bassblaster said about the Harbor Freight heavy duty rivet gun. 8) Great tool for the money, and it handles up to 1/4" rivets, where the rivet guns you buy at Home Depot for the same price, only handle 3/16". While many factory boats, such as my Triton, use 3/16 rivets for the floors, if you want a little more strength, 1/4" is the way to go.

As far as cutting, the good news with aluminum is that it's a soft enough material, virtually any tools that can be used to cut, or shape wood, can be used on aluminum with no problem. Regular wood blades can be used on recipro saws, and they will cut with no problem.

For a circular saw, try a Freud Diablo blade for cutting aluminum. They're red in color, and you can pick one up at Home Depot or Lowes.

They have a thinner kerf than regular circular saw blades, which means less resistance in the cut. Use the fine tooth blade for thin gage material, such as 1/8" and the coarse tooth for thick stuff like 1/4"
I've personally cut aluminum as thick as 3/8" with a Diablo blade.

Another great use for the circular saw with aluminum.....if you have to remove a lot of material by grinding, or cutting welds, provided you have a steady hand, and you're careful, you can use a circular saw like a portable milling machine. You want to rest the front end of the saw on the work, then, with the back end tilted up, bring it up to speed, and slowly bring the blade down until it touches the work. Then, slowly 'swipe' the saw across the surface, letting the teeth remove material as you make the movement. Each pass will take about 1/16" of material. This is a very fast, efficient means of milling down a surface of aluminum when the part can't be put on a mill. It's also a great way to save wear and tear on your grinder, and your grinding wheels.

BUT BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL when using a saw like this, all it takes is for one kick-back to occur, and it's bad news.

Regardless, when you're cutting aluminum with a miter saw or circular saw, you definitely want to wear long sleeves and a face shield, as well as safety glasses, as circular saws will throw hot shards of aluminum when cutting, the shards tend to stick to your skin and burn you. And definitely a pair of earmuffs or ear plugs, as it's also quite noisy. "Chop saws" that use abrasive blades can cut aluminum, but since it's an abrasive wheel, it will tend to heat and clog, like a grinding wheel. Best to stick with jig saws, recipro saws, circular saws, and miter saws.

Always bring the saw up to full RPM, and begin your cut slowly, to reduce the chance of a kick-back.

That is all good info!
I am going to check on the price difference between the 1/4" and 3/16" rivets, no need to spend more money, especially if its for overkill strength.

 

[PSG-1]

One thing I will note about 3/16" vs. 1/4" rivets for floors in boats.... because aluminum is soft, over time, sand and abrasion will wear down the heads of the 3/16" rivets, until they come loose. I've seen it happen several times with these rivets. After all, the heads aren't really thick to begin with.

The 1/4" rivets are a little 'beefier' and take a lot more to wear down. I re-did all the rivets in the floor of my jetboat with 1/4" after I had about 3 or 4 of the 3/16" rivet heads wear down.