Hi, I’m a beginner and I know what I want to do, but don’t have a clue what tool(s) to use to accomplish it.
I have standard PVC 1 1/4" pipe and fittings and I want to add a tags where the insertion should stop. I am using the border of an octagon to place at the 1 1/4" inch mark for both ends of the piping and at the opening of each fitting. How can I:
get the octagon to the 1 1/4" mark.
place it so that it is evenly spaced around the pipe.
Keep the octagon from moving when I resize a pipe.
I would have just used the Formufit file from the warehouse but those furniture pipes have different insertion points and the fittings have different lengths than standard PVC of the same size. I need the accuracy to make sure my cuts are correct for the project I am building. I’m taking stab at an elevator grow light stand where I can adjust individual trays(8) to the lights instead of the lower/raise of the lights themselves.
I haven’t started the project as yet but here are the 3 basic objects I will be using. I’m still hunting for the 1 1/4" standard schedule 40 PVC 90 degree
Pipe: Length: varies OD 1.66" ID 1.36"
Tee: Length: 4 1/4" Center line to socket face 2 1/8" Center line to bottom of socket 7/8" OD 2 ID 1.6362
Elbow. Center line to bottom of socket 31/32" Center line to socket face 25/32"
Octagon: 2" side to side. 2.1895 point to point.
I would make components instead of groups so you can set the insertion points to make them ieasier to add. If I was going to be doing a lot of this sort of thing, I would make simple proxy components that would be easier to insert correctly and then replace the proxies with the pipe components. The ticket to make that work properly is to match the component origins and the axis orientation.
I’m not quite sure what you are using the octagon for. Don’t see where it would be useful. Probably missing something in your description.
It sounds like you’ve got a method sorted but to give you an option, here’s what I would do. As I said, I would use components and set their insertion points so they will go on the ends of the pipes easily. I made a 1-1/4 in. Sch 40 PVC tee for an example. It is set up with gluing property set for Any. I detailed the interior with the shoulders that limit pipe insertion and painted the tee a transparent material just to make it easier to see what is happening. In practice I wouldn’t bother with the interior detail or the transparent material. Unless the interior of the pipe and fittings is somehow important in the design, I would make them as solids with no internal faces at all.
Conveniently the center of rotation of the tee is easy to find in the natural geometry of it. But no need to add other geometry to aid in placing or orienting the fitting.
Thanks Dave. It’s a learning curve for me. I just started using Sketchup on Monday. I have beginners brain fog right now after looking at all the learning vids. I have to get this finished before March rolls around. I have to start my seed planting by then and will need the grow light stand operational when they start pushing through the soil. I have to make sure that all my cuts are precise or the trays on the rope ratchet system will wind up crashing into the pipes. I’ll send you a picture of the finished product.
Many thanks for your support and feedback
with regards, Rich
I finished the grow light stand after many revisions. Not elegant sketchup wise but it serves it’s purpose as I was able to finally get the actual PVC dimensions of standard Schedule 40 fittings. Takes appox 86’ of pvc pipe, 26 Tees, 4 elbows, and 4 caps. the boards for the trays are 2 2’x2’ and 2 14"x2’ made of 3/4" hardwood plywood. Each board is supported by 4 1/4" x 2" eye bolts and 4 8 ft long rope ratchets. Since it is a large stand (width 54x depth 48 Hgt 6’ 4") I opted not to use pvc glue. Instead to make it both strong and portable I drilled holes at each connection and used 1/4" x 2 1/2" hex bolts with lock washers and nuts.
