I Printed A Sensitive Drill Press

[@RestoreTechnique]

Every time I heard him say "concrete", I thought it was some engineering term I didn't undertand. Then he poured concrete. Great work mate. I subscribed when the subscribe note popped up 😄

[@JustOneFeather]

Довольно частый и дешевый способ сделать раму станка жесткой. Работает прекрасно, особенно с маленькими токарными станками с алиэкспресс. Разве что понадобится безусадочный цемент вместо обычного если объём заливки значительный. Впрочем, мелкая гранитная крошка с эпоксидной смолой - вариант для больших мальчиков, она годится даже для создания станин серьёзных станков, таких как ЧПУ для высокоскоростной обработки алюминия..

[@jwstolk]

Large accurate machines sometimes use a polymer/basalt mixture, because of the low thermal expansion of basalt. The added mass also shifts the natural vibration frequencies of the machine structure, which usually is an advantage.

[@MrMartinSchou]

When working with a drill that small, I wouldn't be surprised if the slightest movement of the drill subject is enough to snap it, so your first project for it should probably be some clamps for the drill table.

[@AusKipper1]

Basically what I was about to comment, I use drills this tiny to "clean" (or adjust) propane burner nozzles, and you have to clamp the part in a nice heavy vice (or you could attach the vice to the table I guess but that would be a nuisance to move around to adjust hole location, unless you got an XY table, but then the tiniest play in the table would allow movement snapping your drill bit), but table clamps could do the same job too, though probably slower.

[@Studio23Media]

Yep, I've learned this using hand drills that tiny. If you put any side force on it at all, it's going to snap.

[@babbagebrassworks4278]

If you use carbide drill bit but watchmakers have use steel wire spade bits for hundreds of years

[@MrMartinSchou]

@@babbagebrassworks4278 Tungsten carbide was invented in 1920. It's not exactly surprising that watchmakers used something different before its invention.

[@test-rj2vl]

@@Studio23Media My small drill bits have hexagon end so I can use my screwdriver as a hand drill.

[@DSlyde]

An entire concrete and 3d printed machine shop. This guy is David Gingery for the digital age, I swear.

[@Borgedesigns]

Now THAT is a compliment :)

[@cameronck]

when using a mold like this use a plasticizer concrete additive, it will make your mix turn to an almost water like consistency, you can find it at most hardware stores and its dirt cheep!

[@Borgedesigns]

ill give that a try, im working on a video testing all sorts of variables for using concrete in prints.

[@cameronck]

@@Borgedesigns sounds interesting the other advantage is that it reduces water needed by about 40%. another thing to check out is useing gypsum as a additive to make the working time longer. If your working with small areas in molds it may help to use a mortar repar mix as it tends to have smaller aggregate.

[@bdh4]

That would be new and valuable. Subb'ed for it! Great work, man.​@@Borgedesigns

[@askbatguy]

can i just say how much i appreciate the Minecraft soundtrack. the perfect background to your content

[@dieholzstube]

Love it !

[@AnnaVannieuwenhuyse]

Regarding some things you noted not knowing for sure (and more!): - Finishing PLA plastic favours scrapers over sanders. Scrapers can, at their simplest, be the edge of a razor blade. More suitable scrapers are either single-side bevels (like chisels) or a flat end without any bur. - Vaseline can damage plastics, but it depends on what type of plastic. Destroy is perhaps a stretch. - Joining parts together with a strong bond can be done by using a polymer like ABS or ASA, which can be solvent-welded. - Alternatively to the above, you can print parts with flanges that serve purely just an alignment purpose, perhaps with holes in the flange and pins/nibs in the base. That way, clamping them down is also much easier. - Even better yet, additionally to the flange, you can extend the barrel of the tube that holds the bearing by the thickness of the bottom, and cut/design a hole the bottom the same size in the right place. This causes printed parts to interlock more securely, doing away with a lot of clamping/holding.

[@tennicktenstyl]

gluing 4 linear bearings without any alignment jigs to keep them parallel worked surprisingly well

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Very nice idea with the concrete filled 3D print.

[@AlanoDantas]

That looks like something old Tony would like to watch

[@startchbrain]

He said a couple of minutes. Before tony posts a video

[@jonnyboytech2574]

If you are sanding ABS you can use a heatgun to restore the color back hope that helps

[@TheLex1972]

I sometimes use a lighter or low-intensity butane torch to do the same with PLA for this purpose, carefully of course.

[@woofkaf7724]

@@TheLex1972 dichloroethane for pla

[@homemadetools]

Yet again another great use of 3D printing. We shared this video on our homemade tool forum last week 😎

[@Borgedesigns]

Been excited about this one for a while, unfortunately I am leaving for a camping trip and will back back monday, so no files until then. A couple of FAQs I see coming, -Why so big? Well it doesnt cost much more than the smallest I can see it being, and the larger size allows for more complex workholding solutions in the future. The weight contributes to vibration dampening and makes for an overall more pleasant experience. -What is a "sensitive" drill press? Technically all the presses I showed in this are sensitive drill presses, any press that isnt, for example, drive by a screw is a sensitive drill press, where you can feel the feedback of the drill bit. However the term is most commonly used for presses like this. -Parts list? When im back.

[@EgonSorensen]

Looks exciting - Have a great camping trip and an excellent weekend!

[@JulianMakes]

Super build and video. Have a great trip!

[@Johadart]

Give us a holler when you’ve put the parts list on please..

[@OG-ProfessorFarnsworth]

I wish I had the shop and tools needed to build this! I could have a whole shop if awesome handmade tools designed by you! If only I had the space. Maybe someday

[@hi1172]

Any files yet?

[@napaisava]

quick tip for using the drill press hole saw- drill a small hole on the outside edge, (choose to have it overlap the outside, preventing a chunk missing from your finished plate, or just a hole smaller than the hole saw kerf). This aids dramatically in chip removal, more important for thick metal but it still will make it faster going and nicer finish. :)

[@antonc81]

This is amazing.. instant subscribe! I can’t help but feel a longer lever for raising the work might give slightly finer control - allowing you to translate a larger movement of the lever to a smaller movement of the work towards the drill bit. This should allow for smoother motion and for multiple smaller pushes of the material against the bit, which, together with tighter clamping closer to the hole, might help mitigate against bit breakage. Overall though amazing work. Creating amazing tools at unheard of costs, opening up work that just wouldn’t be achievable otherwise is exactly the kind of thing many dreamed 3d printing would make possible.

[@therealblixfox]

I have a need for micro sized drill bits a lot actually, so this is like PERFECT. Good job man, love the lever raise system.

[@SeanLumly]

I absolutely love the use of different materials for infill. I'm surprised this isn't done more often. For example, PU foam (25lb) can be ultra-rigid, exceptionally strong, etc, but cost a pittance compared to a pure print. It also imbues the object with different mechanical properties (eg. buoyancy, water resistance), which is cool.. You may be interested in considering TPU for gears or other mechanical components. It has exceptional wear characteristics, and is reportedly very quiet in operation. And when printed as a solid part, is quite rigid. It's a hidden-gem of a material.

[@MatchaMakesThings]

Such a good idea i hadn't thought of before even though its so obvious and can be easily adapted from the design stage when 3dprinting.

[@SeanLumly]

@@MatchaMakesThings There are so many of these interesting ideas out there. It's such a wonderful community to be a part of!

[@goatpepperherbaltea7895]

People think of tpu as the squishy filament but you can’t print it pretty rigid and it’s tough

[@Borgedesigns]

Its cheaper and stronger, im shocked ive never seen it used in printed CNC machines or similar uses.

[@SeanLumly]

@@Borgedesigns Thanks you your video, there's a chance it will be used more often!

[@camillosteuss]

i`d say that the reason why the drill broke is your handholding of the part, rather than the speed... i use carbide micro drills in my baby emco fb2 mill and she goes up to 2k rpm... drilling through bearing balls and bearing races at that... `s all about proper clamping, spindle runout and rigidity of the system... the speed only affects how much material you are moving and how fast you can do so... Otherwise, a nice project for sure! I would have made a faux quill for the bearings, or a spindle housing of sorts, to put it thus... Just bore out a pipe and fit the bearings in that, add some outside geometry for interlocking with concrete and voila, a more secure means of bearing retention and also has the added benefit of insulating the bearings from moisture in the concrete, the seals and gaskets you used notwithstanding... Best regards! Steuss

[@barthanes1]

Pretty cool. It looks like a finished product with the smooth lines on the outside. Definitely not a boxy prototype. Nice work. I bet it would sell.

[@JohnScherer]

That is a very nice design Chris, and well thought out, and the modularity of the design is a nice touch.

[@wizrom3046]

Try with epoxy granite next time. I use a high strength high flow epoxy mixed with Garnet sandblasting grit. It is very strong, very rigid, pours much easier than concrete and is quite a bit heavier.

[@sypernova6969]

instead of sanding, I recently learned about using a card scraper (from woodworking). I tried it and it`s FANTASTIC. and fast. not perfect for every application, but it`s worth trying. even leaves the colour , for the most part. you should look into it. it`s great to make certian that joined parts match well (no lips or overhangs)

[@Ammoniummetavanadate]

best I have used is a ceramic scraper. Bought from 3d printing Canada.

[@larrykent196]

Very well done. Those types of presses are pretty cool, interesting concept. That is a nice looking machine you made and functions well it seems. Cheers!

[@lone_puppy3539]

Such an ingenious idea using 3D printed forms filled with concrete! My head is spinning with many applications for this idea. Good work man!

[@hullinstruments]

Such a useful piece of equipment. Weather drilling pcbs or doing precision metal work / tool making. This really opens up a lot of options for people without tons of cash to throw around. And gives you a lot of experience on top of it!

[@matthewsullivan5713]

Printing up an Open-Ball right as he drops another 3Dprinted tool episode. Dang, you're the KING! Keep up the great work!

[@Cyromantik]

Geez, now that I've seen that "This Old Tony" video about Over Center I'm just seeing them everywhere. Love all your designs Chris, I have my print of your Ball Vise sitting in my project room. I'm also building my own small drill press, but it's not nearly lovely as yours, and uses linear rails for transporting the business end up and down.

[@fiendfyre1726]

Super cool build! I'd love to see more of your design process

[@Borgedesigns]

A few people have asked so ill probably do an overview video at some point

[@Ardren]

I shocked at how well that spindle appears to work. Fantastic project. Super practical construction method!

[@CBCPPPPPP-gu2fw]

Your Tools are AWSOME dude, I hope you reach 100K subs soon!

[@cho4d]

very cool. heres an idea for an addon: a foot pedal that operates the table through a cable (think bike cable brake lever) to give you 2 hands for controlling the piece

[@noahprussia7622]

Also gives you a hole through your hand. Bad idea and dangerous

[@Volt64bolt]

@@noahprussia7622huh, you already have one hand to control it

[@noahprussia7622]

Let's not tell people to do things that are safety violations

[@RealLatinGeek]

The point of a sensitive drill press is the fact you feed it using one hand- that's how you can 'sense' the cut, and perform such a precise operation. Foot pedals are sometimes used to control drill on/off or speed, but not the table.

[@Volt64bolt]

@@noahprussia7622 it’s not though lol

[@dipto691]

you can also try plaster of paris mixed with water and PVA glue, DIY Perks made some 3D printed speakers and used this as a filler compund for his printed molds, it also is easy to fill up and clean

[@Chromevulcan]

Incredible work and thanks so much for sharing all of it. I heard you say around the 9 minute mark that you'd rather the hardware was black, you can use a cold bluing solution on most of it to achieve the look if you're interested.

[@Willemtweetakt]

Nice small drill press, I really like the idea of using concrete in 3D prints to make them more sturdy. Keep it up!!

[@KlausNietzsche]

Next time you could put concrete into piping bag (the one used in icing cakes) to pour it bit more cleanly :P. Just make the hole much bigger for the flow and grit.

[@FlockofSmeagles]

You could use a zip lock bag and cut away one of the corner to make a pipette. That would make pouring your concrete a lot easier!

[@GMCLabs]

This is an awesome concept. Making functional power tools with a 3d printer. Never thought to add concrete for strength. Replace the PLA with CF-Nylon and you really would have something there! Its just as easy as PLA to print and is dimensionally stable, chemical and oil resistant and wont melt or warp if it get hot. PLA will deform in a hot car. Still excellent concept!

[@Luka1180]

Or ABS.

[@iquanix]

Clear coating a sanded part also brings back color

[@origamerking6927]

this video is literal art. from the minecraft music to the quality of the drill press. this video should be praised for. how much time did it take you to come up with this design for the drill press? is it your first prototype? your work is exquisite.

[@Borgedesigns]

I spent about a week on the CAD and printing, but that being said id been thinking about the idea and its mechanisms for far longer.

[@hobbybuilt]

That table mechanism is very satisfying nice job 👍🏼

[@KINDanon]

A Dremel rotary tool with drill chuck and drill press accessories can drill very small holes. I've used it to drill brass 3d printer nozzles.

[@Random_guy_cz]

Aww it looks so cute :) I would add counterweight for the table to make the operation more gentle. Other than that nice job for the cost

[@ArmyOfThree1000]

Aluminum is around the same hardness and some woods so as long as you take things slow you and use some oil can use normal wood working tools on aluminum they will throw a fit while doing it sometimes tho

[@badger9641]

First time on your channel, and it is a pleasure. Calm, relaxing, very comprehensive. Thanks for the journey :)

[@MikeyBCook]

The omnomnom sound really did it for me. I subscribed immediately.

[@appatula]

Great idea borrowing the old DIY lathe concrete trick, it's all about mass and rigidity. Black oxide the steel/stainless parts if shiny isn't your thing. By the way...this would absolutely be worth the time and effort in making pattern boards and sand casting the base, column, and housing parts in aluminum!

[@thecatofnineswords]

I really like the moving table -I've never seen that design used in a drill press before. (I still really like the aesthetics of the old drill press...It's shiny!)

[@Yavorh55]

This channel has inspired me to actually start working on the tools and accessories for my dream workshop!

[@MH-kc5jr]

Really cool project! Maybe some clamping mechanism would help for the really small bits. I think small hand movements would be enough to break the bit, so fixing it in place might be a good option.

[@Borgedesigns]

Im working on some better workholding options :)

[@bullzebub]

instead of vaseline you can use heat to return the color. in this case i would use the heat after filling with concrete. also scraping instead of sanding leaves a finer surface

[@MM-op6ti]

Something akin to a concrete anchor bolt might be what you’re looking for, although aligning them would need some kind of fixture

[@ethaninfinite5991]

1:15 I wasn't focusing on what you were saying because of the nostalgic music playing in the background. 😂

[@BartJBols]

If you paint the 3d printed parts with resin you return the colour + add a hard outer coating that adds strength, uv resistance and scratch resistance.

[@jameshicks7125]

This is awesome! I love the concrete fill. I am planning an epoxy granite CNC it's cool to see this technique used on a small scale! My serious hobby is building planetarium projectors. My next build incorporates "star plates" or slides. In the first Zeiss Projector the holes for the stars were hand drilled or punched in copper foil with a needle. Later Zeiss and other companies like GOTO and Minolta used photolithography to make photomasks for the star plates or slides. So I am torn between the hands on simplicity of drilling and punching holes on thin copper or aluminum or setting up the lithography process which is magnitudes more complex and demanding in precision.

[@Borgedesigns]

Thanks, that is fascinating, its always interesting to hear how stuff used to be made.

[@davecgriffith]

That's really cool. Nice work! Love the lifting table.

[@lukaaaaaaaAAAAĀĀĀĀĀ-b7n]

One of my favourite Channels at the moment, thanks for inspiring me

It’s amazing design. Thanks for sharing the process man.

[@davidjun4435]

Very nice of you to share the files of your hard work. Kudos

[@jamesfrazier7900]

Love your stuff, using concrete to make stuff like this is crazy cool, keep doing what you're doing!

[@tookitogo]

Fun thing to do with really tiny (0.3mm or smaller) drill bits: front panels for devices. Drill arrays of tiny holes in aluminum sheet for LEDs instead of of poking through the LED itself. The light will shine through the holes, but the holes themselves are comparatively invisible!

[@JJCreatorOfWorlds]

this is one of the best video's I've seen in a while. Instant sub

[@frankt4812]

Nice job! Looking closely, I think the axis of your spindle and the axis in which your table moves are not perfectly aligned, leading to the drill eventually breaking. But that can be fixed.

[@terrylembke8100]

You've done an awesome job on that drill press . Great design and work . Can't wait to see what you do next . Have a great day young man Warmest Regards Terry Lembke

[@petermoore9504]

Excellent - one thought is to alter the arm lengths of the pivoting table raising bar to give a 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 mechanical advantage as I think you will rarely need to raise the platform so much. Cheers

[@babbagebrassworks4278]

This is giving me ideas to make my own, been wondering how to make it rigid, concrete seems simple enough.

[@mbroome]

As others have said, I think the bit snapped from the work piece moving. You could clamp it in place, but for what this seems like it's meant to solve, I would say maybe make the table top have a textured surface instead. Something like a sheet of rubber would probably give enough traction without having to spend the time clamping and still hold up over time.

[@RNMSC]

While watching your issues with the concrete being vibrated and flowing up through the top of the base, I was thinking that the riser ()drawing a blank on the name of this part that you filled with concrete after attaching to the base) should have been poured separately, with a piece of seran wrap or something to allow you to break down the mill for storage or transport. More importantly if you had done this, you could have set upa mating surface that you could do indexing with, rather than relying on the bolts being the only element that forces alignment. Again, this was mostly in the line of how to prevent the concrete in the base from being vibrated up through the top holes of the base. Another option might have been to set up channels to a separate riser path in the riser, and that 'filled' from the front or toe of the base, and you would then (hopefully) have a reasonable assurance that you had gotten most of the air out of the casting. Any way, nice job, and I wouldn't be surprised if you made an x/y slide circuit board holding attachment that you could use to repeat a series of holes for DIP packages on a circuit board, etc. Nice job.

[@Alobster1]

Try wrapping your prints in a layer of fiber glass and epoxy if you can't fill them with concrete. It makes them super rigid. You have to rough up the surface of the print really good though if you want it to stick.

[@nikoskaounas5198]

would love to see that project list of yours, great video, inspiration hit hard

[@bobilon_]

Nice work, when I saw the miniature of the vid I thought it was a milling machine, have you thought about modifiying it? And what about epoxy granite, isn´t it better?

[@bam099]

I have been checking out your models on the repos, thank you so much for posting them! These videos are getting more frequent and they're really solid. Keep up the good work and you definitely earned that Subscribe I just hit! :) oh...and the like button also. Algos!

[@TheDeathSinger]

the biggest issue your going to face here with your drill bits is that table, you need a way to massively reduce the force the table can exert, and the speed it is able to move at

[@ReallyRandom-gf3ih]

I love the drill press. Wonderful music choice as well.

[@FullFledged2010]

Vaseline is petrol based so it will dissolve the softeners in abs and vinyl based plastics making them very brittle, not sure about pla though.

[@adhamatta]

Great job dude. That sliding lever is pretty cool too. Keep up the great work! Could you please post a link for the spindle you used?

[@crazycarryout]

I like it, and wonder if with a few modifications to the design maybe a mini milling machine could be made based on this design!

[@mrptuk]

I came here by accident, yet I stayed on purpose. Very cool build, the drill press looks happy to be at your workshop.

[@australai]

Cool! I wouldn't expect Vaseline to have a major effect in the way you're applying it. I think that if you leave it on long term it might act as a plasticizer, leaving the surface softer. Also, applying it and raising the temperature above Vaseline's melting point of 37C might cause it to more rapidly diffuse into the PLA, again acting as a softener. This owes to Vaseline effectively being composed of about 1/4 mineral oil, which is lightweight hydrocarbons which can diffuse through the PLA matrix and reduce intermolecular forces, producing a more pliable material. Definitely won't destroy it! The biggest problems would be from directly applying mineral oil to PLA and then using the part for a sustained load, as the plasticizing effect would reduce toughness for that application.

[@TheRealStructurer]

Nice 👍🏻 I would prefer a linear lift ratio though… Thanks for sharing 👍🏼

[@pirminkogleck4056]

instead the lever, you should try to modify it with a big handwheel ( lets say about 3,5" Diameter ) and couple it to the springloaded mechanism of the lever. that way your Push motion becomes way more controlable i believe ( this is just a assumption ! )

[@johncall4525]

This is really awesome. I was skeptical when I saw the title but using the prints as a form for the concrete is brilliant. I haven't watched your other videos yet, have you considered entirely removable forms or temporary forms over holes so that you have concrete on concrete bearing instead of sandwiching plastic?

[@heinicraftlp9464]

I would recommend putting a longer lever on the lifting mechanism to increase the lifting accuracy. Otherwise, great project.

[@eraldylli]

Very very cool. Not a big fan of the gluing, but I think I might build this, if stls are available.

[@eraldylli]

Oof, just finished the video in full. This is quite a complicated project, intimidating even.

[@Gilly971]

Super cool, keep up the amazing projects ❤

[@EckCop]

Wow, looks cool. I would love to try something like this myself, but have always worried how to make it all square and true. How perpendicular is the drill axis to the platen, how parallel is the platen surface motion to the drill axis? Must be fairly good for the small drills to work.

[@PeetHobby]

That looks fancy! The end result is impressive. 👍I use an old cheap drill press with a 40-year-old hand drill that has no speed adjustment to drill PCB holes with 0.4-1.0mm bits. 😅

[@aware2action]

Though the design is useful for larger drill sizes, does not have rigidity needed for smaller drills. A loadcell(located in 3 corners) with filtering on base should be able to provide a real time feedback, while retaining the needed rigidity for smaller drills. It will be limited by the runout of the spindle shaft, collet, apart from the squareness of the spindle mount wrt base. Just some 💭❤️👍

[@cpk001]

How about using a 3D printed funnel for filling the model?. Great build. Subscribed :)

[@Ahnii]

Nice build, but I can't help but wondered why you never print some kind of "funnel adapter" for your concert filled prints, would make filling them much easier and less messy.

[@Roobotics]

This is actually a really good idea, might even be able to print it in vase mode(but with no bottom layer) and having a small lip in the main part it just seats down into! Uses very little plastic but buffers all the concrete into a larger aperture area that's much easier to fill up without spillage.

[@inoob26]

because you could just y'know, wipe them off when you are done pouring, No reason to waste plastic just to make a custom funnel. And even if you still prefer a funnel just using some cheap wood planks could do the job too

[@Borgedesigns]

ive tried funnels, I just find them to slow. But im working on a video testing concrete mixes so ill experiment more in that.

[@Scrogan]

I’m going to use my 2nd hand snapmaker original with those PCB drills for CNC drilling operations on circuit boards. I hope it’s rigid enough.

[@jeffw3623]

This is a very cool idea. Someday, maybe, I will borrow this idea.

[@Bob_Adkins]

The table needs to raise very slowly and smoothly to prevent breaking tiny drills, so a very low ratio is needed such as a screw or worm gear.

[@hullinstruments]

You'd be amazed what metal can be drilled on a regular drill press with cheap tools. The key is... Some type of submerged coolant bath or lubricant. Sounds complex but super easy..... Put a big Tupperware container on the drill press table, fill it with water based coolant, submerge your part, and drill away with the cheapest bits you can find. As long as your speeds and feeds are right... You can accomplish almost anything

[@inoob26]

Out of curiosity how do you hold down the piece while its in there?

[@ewen832]

Hi I loved your video (and the others). After 4 months does this design still meet your expectations, or does it need some tweaks. I would love to build it but I obviously would like to build the latest design. Also if I was to build this unit is there another medium other than concrete that I could use, even if it is a little more expensive. Edit. Regarding the drill press and hole saw, have you considered your local Australian Men’s Shed association. They would be more than happy to help you out.

[@JerryChavez-p3o]

So the heat from the setting concrete did not melt or warp the plastic? Wow I am surprised!

[@johnbeer4963]

That metal drill You said wasn't powerful enough is SO PRETTY THOUGH

[@davydatwood3158]

I don't watch your videos very often, but when I do they're always engaging and well presented. This one's no different. Although I did notice that a lot of your parts look more like they were designed to be injection molded rather than really optimised for 3d printing - the front cover, for example, could just be angular and not need supports at all. But of course aesthetics are a big factor for any personal project. I do have a question: when you say "mil," are you *actually* referring to mils - that is, 1/1000ths of an inch? Or are you just truncating millimetre? (I'm Canadian, I truncate mm and ml myself, but that occasionally leads to confusion since a lot of things default to Imperial here and so actual mils can also be relevant to a conversation.)

[@Beefhaving]

finally gave up on that weighted ball vise that does everything except hold a thing still? 🙌

[@Christian-lh7ux]

Wow, you really have my respect. It's an awesome build❗️

[@luisjosesalazarserrano264]

Great work! Thanks for sharing!

[@keithcress1335]

I wonder if you could use steel shot, like for a shot-blaster, instead of concrete. Steel is about 3 times heavier than concrete by volume so much less could be used and it could be emptied back out for modifications.

[@tookitogo]

That would add weight, but not rigidity.

[@keithcress1335]

@@tookitogo Ah.. I see. Thanks.