Magnets in a Pipe Rack

[UncleDraken]

Hi chaps,

So I was given a couple small lengths of mahogany by a friend and peer of mine at the Boat Building Academy and I've decided to make a little 5 unit pipe rack out of it. Since then I read the thread on the subject of the running pipe preparations and Micah suggested the stand could use magnets like in Neal Yarm pipe stands. I quite like the idea of that feature on my own little pipe rack!

I'm thinking of inlaying magnetic discs into the base of the rack and having loose balls to place in the pipe chamber to hold the pipe in place. In other words, exactly like Neal's done

My question to you hairy-legged Mary's is what type of magnets do I need to buy? Also, I see the strength is rated in kilograms, but I have no idea what those ratings mean practically for what I need them for. Any help with that would be appreciated. This is probably where I'm going to buy them from: http://e-magnetsuk.com/

TTFN

[oklahoma red]

Rare earth magnets are unbelievably powerful for their size but tend to be a bit fragile. Don't let them slam together from any distance apart or they can shatter. I use a small one on my Logan lathe to hold the change gear cover closed.
I've not made a pipe stand yet but I would think about 13mm in dia. would be adequate. These are normally epoxied into a blind hole on the back of the board. How close the magnets are to the front surface will have a big impact on holding strength. Drop an appropriate size ball bearing into the bowl and viola, it's magic! Using one of these to make a little stand for the purpose of holding a pipe for picture taking works well also. On this side of the pond these magnets are relatively inexpensive (probably all made in Commieland). Amazon carries a bunch. I'd get a variety pack and experiment.
Chas.

[UncleDraken]

Thanks Chas. I wasn't sure if rare earth would be too strong or if something cheaper would suffice.

My plan before the magnet idea was to use a forstner bit to make a 2 or 3mm nest for each pipe in the base of the rack. If I went a bit deeper (the base is 10mm thick) I could epoxy in the magnet and then perhaps cover it with a circular piece of leather or felt for a soft landing for each pipe.

Does anyone know what size ball bearings work well? I'm thinking around 7mm would fit in the bottom of most small pipes. Dare I try 5mm?

You guys must be loving the metric

[oklahoma red]

My plan before the magnet idea was to use a forstner bit to make a 2 or 3mm nest for each pipe in the base of the rack. If I went a bit deeper (the base is 10mm thick) I could epoxy in the magnet and then perhaps cover it with a circular piece of leather or felt for a soft landing for each pipe.

I wouldn't think you could be "too strong". If you think they are too powerful then drop down a size or two. If you have no experience with these rare earth magnets you will be amazed at their strength. Again, get some and do some testing.
Leather pads would be a nice touch. They would need a bit of dressing now and then to keep them from getting hard and crumbly. C-bore the face side equal to the thickness of the leather and c-bore the back for the magnet. That should leave a web of wood between the leather and the magnet.
The only area where you might run into problems with this type of a rack is if any of your pipes are too "pointy" on the bottom of the bowl. Keeping them upright might require a prop of some sort. It would of course depend on what sort of "angle of presentation" you were trying to maintain. Anything with a flat or broadly curved base will obviously not be an issue.
I've been wanting to make one of these racks myself but I barely have enough time to make the pipes themselves. Still having to work a "real" job.
Chas.

[oklahoma red]

Does anyone know what size ball bearings work well? I'm thinking around 7mm would fit in the bottom of most small pipes. Dare I try 5mm?

Post script: Again, get some different sizes and experiment. I can't really help you here because I've not made one myself. Perhaps someone who has will chime in.

Oh, I LOVE the metric system. (take that any way you want to)
Chas.

[UncleDraken]

I'll buy some and hopefully it'll work out. I was hoping not to have to buy a bunch and try them out 'cause I'm a student with no money! But thankfully they're not actually that expensive on Amazon.

I don't have any pointy pipes at the moment and I think by the time I do I'll have to make another much larger pipe rack to house them all anyway, so I'll make provision for that then. One design that would solve that problem is a rack that integrates pegs like this Two Cousins rack. Hmmmmm......



I have plenty of time and access to a professional workshop full of other people's tools and offcuts. I really should have made a dozen racks and/or pipes by now! I've discovered I'm brilliant at starting a project, getting half way through and putting it down to start another one and never really getting round to finish the first one! Currently I've got to finish my first pipe (months in the making now ), this pipe rack, a SUP paddle and I'm just finishing up a wine bottle holder for a friend's birthday present on Monday. I might post that on the forum actually. To be fair I'm also building a boat as part of my course, but I'm not sure that really counts as an excuse

[oklahoma red]

Good luck with your boat. When you get it done send us a pic of you rowing it down the Piddle (perhaps the River Frome would be better suited).
Chas.

[pipedreamer]

You might want to get a couple of different strengths to try. I use them for holding tools etc, but have 2 powerful magnets stuck together. I have to use it as one magnet.2 people channel locks, you get the picture?

[Massis]

I've done the same for my pipe cabinet. 2mm thick 20mm diameter rare earth discs in the shelfs and 10mm ball magnets in the pipes themselves. Works like a charm, but a 3mm disc might be slightly better as some of the bigger pipes could use some more grip.

[UncleDraken]

I've done the same for my pipe cabinet. 2mm thick 20mm diameter rare earth discs in the shelfs and 10mm ball magnets in the pipes themselves. Works like a charm, but a 3mm disc might be slightly better as some of the bigger pipes could use some more grip.

Oh cool, thank you for the information! It's ideal to speak to someone who's done it before.
It's interesting to hear you've gone for basically double the dimensions I was planning on and still finding it a bit weak on some bigger pipes. I do have a concern that a 10mm ball might be a bit large to reach the bottom of the chamber in smaller pipes though, what do you think?
Also, are the balls you're using actually magnets or are they just metal bearings?

[mikecouch]

I know this is an old thread, but I’m curious if any of you found a particular size magnet that worked well? One of my customers commissioned a magnetic pipe rack, and I need to buy magnets, but I’m not sure what size.
Thanks for any help you can give!

[seamonster]

I've made a few racks with N50 10mmx5mm magnets, with N42 10mm spheres in. I've found that steel balls don't offer enough attraction
particularly on bigger pipes. I've gone the drill from the top and cover with felt path, and the drill blind holes path as well, depending on how nice the piece of wood is.......

I also have recessed these magnets all over the front edge of my shop bench for sticking 6 inch rulers to... I have a half dozen stuck in various places around the shop, and so they're always to hand.