Joining aluminium square section

[John Cartmell]

I know the limits of my DIY. Simple and robust won't stretch to the last idea! But fuzzy felt is an idea...

[Owain]

I suppose if you sanded some of the pegs so they were a sliding fit into the tube instead of a hammer fit ...

You might also drill a hole in the tube, weld a nut on the outside, and use a handwheel bolt if you need a stronger grab on one of the sliding-fit joints.

It might be cheaper to just get the joints from the above places, take them to a local metal merchants and ask for the tube to fit, then do your own spraypainting.

You're welcome :-)

Owain

[Owain]

Have a look at some of the point-of-sale display fittings in shops that are supplied by manufacturers for short-term use and made out of plastic "corrugated cardboard" - sold by signmaking places as IIRC 'correx'. The posher (solid) version is 'foamex'. They're study enough to hold merchandise but don't usually have any frame at all.

Eight rectangles of that, with webbing/velcro hinges. 4 are assembled as the base:

/\ / \ \ / \/

and four are assembled as the display board on top, rotaed 45 degrees. The boards have slots cut in so they interlock.

__ | | |__|

If you make the hinges loose enough what is the outside in display mode can be folded round to be the inside in storage mode, so protecting the display.

On the base unit, have an adjustable length of webbing from one side to the other inside. Most venues will have a surfeit of polychairs, so put a few of them stacked inside the base, pass the webbing under them and tighten. This will prevent the base lifting off the floor and toppling.

Owain

[Stuart Noble]

I've used this sort of thing in the past. This is a U.S. link but there should be UK suppliers

[John Cartmell]

Very many thanks. Much thought required! ;-)