Perforated aluminium L profile

Alun

Has anyone any idea where I might find perforated aluminium L profile in the Dublin area? Max length I'd need would be 2.2m or so.

EDIT: Seems like the right word might be 'punched' not 'perforated. Anyhow, something like this stuff http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/625/024/252/1275526660659_hz-fileserver3_1544441.jpg but aluminium as it's for outdoors.

Gen.Zhukov

Aluminium angle shouldn't be too hard to get.
Amari would be my first call. http://www.amari-ireland.com/

They might do the punching for you too. If you didn't need 'all' the holes, as your link, then drilling the Al yourself would be rel easy. Al is very soft and easy to drill.

Stainless is an option too. Not that easy to drill yourself though.

Google 'Unistrut'. It's galvanised steel and there may be something that suits the job off the shelf.

jack of all

You find a render or plasterboard trim or a specialist tiling/ floor finish trim that may suit- depends on what you want it for really.

Alun

What I want it for is to make protective netting covers for a couple of raised vegetable beds to keep both our and our neighbours' cats out of them, and also to protect against birds.

What I have at the moment is two covers made out of wood but the snag with those is that to make them light enough for one person to be able to easily lift them off, the wood is so thin that they're falling apart at the joints.

I thought something like the punched galvanised steel L sections you can get to make shelving with would be ideal, you can also get corner pieces to strengthen the whole thing. However, like I said, it's for outside so preferably it'd be aluminium, which would also be lighter.

I've done a bit more Googling, and found an intriguing design using PVC piping which might be even better. See http://www.charsgardening.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/finished-frame.jpg

jack of all

I get you now. I made a cover with wood for my children's sand pit for the same reason- there are an awful lot of stray cats about. How about using 1/2" hydrodare pipe to form frames (like a polytunnel) and draping poly netting over it, it can be pulled back as you need to access the crops. You could epoxy some rebar into the pipe ends to allow you get a good secure fixing into the soil. Poly netting could be swapped for polythene in colder months to allow you start growing earlier.

DublinDilbert

Use 20mm electrical conduit, its very cheap to buy in the wholesalers and there's a range of fittings to go into it. You can always glue the joints with the stuff they use for sticking waste water pipes....

Alun

DublinDilbert wrote: »

Use 20mm electrical conduit, its very cheap to buy in the wholesalers and there's a range of fittings to go into it. You can always glue the joints with the stuff they use for sticking waste water pipes....

Yes, I was thinking along those lines, either that or white pvc water pipe of a similar diameter, as the fittings are a little more compact and a tad cheaper too. I suppose both would be equally strong/rigid. If the conduit is more rigid, I could use that in combination with the water pipe fittings I suppose.

DublinDilbert

Alun wrote: »

Yes, I was thinking along those lines, either that or white pvc water pipe of a similar diameter, as the fittings are a little more compact and a tad cheaper too. I suppose both would be equally strong/rigid. If the conduit is more rigid, I could use that in combination with the water pipe fittings I suppose.

You don't need water pipe fittings, there's fittings for 20mm conduit that will work fine.

Look here:-
http://www.meteorelectrical.com/conduit-trunking_pvc-conduit-accessories.html?osCsid=339sep8l44id77j3t8kst8ncv3

If you want the fittings to go on and stay on, you can use some cement that's used on waste water fittings:-
http://www.woodiesdiy.com/Product/Solvent-Cement-125ml-Fusetite-PVC-Pipe-Sealant/13178/6.0.0.15#.U6ROa7EVG5w

Alun

Yes, I know they exist, I used dozens of them when I wired up my workshop it's just that the conduit fittings are usually combined with screw on inspection covers as well, so I assumed they'd be a bit pricier than the simpler fittings for waste water pipe.

The cheapest option I've found so far is 21.6mm (!) waste pipe and corresponding elbow and tee fittings that looks like it will do the job, but I'll have to see how rigid that is compared to the conduit pipe.