<html><head></head><body lang="en-US" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: initial;"> <div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Dear Neil</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The local flame cutting and laser cutting shop is your friend for this item. When cutting with heat they pierce the inside of hole edge and cut around leaving a circle with a hole in the edge. This is called a 'drop-out'. You can weld shut the hole or ignore it. </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Drop outs come in all sized and thicknesses. I used 350mm dia 32 and 40mm thick drop-outs for years as flywheels. They are really cheap‎ because they are sold for scrap. You need to make friends with such shops because when you want to make larger parts they are pretty much always going to be round if it is a cooking stove. </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">They also have rectangular offcuts which are good for hammering on and holding things flat while welding or bending. Also they are good for making straight corners by hand and hammer. </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If you don't have access to such a source, you can find fat round parts from cars and trucks like bearings, ends of half-shafts, flywheels, axel covers and so on. </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">When you can only find or make say a 2mm thick piece, just stack them. No need even to weld, just bolt. You can get the same 'anvil' function. If the 'anvil' is slightly too small, or if you need two parts that fit tightly over one another in terms of the lips, make one part and form the second on top of it. After getting them apart, they will fit very snugly. </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">One of the first tools a stove developer needs is a small hand held plasma cutter and compressor. Cut a part, then use it as a template to make a slightly larger one, repeat. If it is a hole you make, using the drop-out re-creates the original size. Starting with one round original you can quickly accumulate sets of rings for making circles of any size. Try to use 2mm thick as a cutting jig. </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Have fun!</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Crispin </div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </div><div id="_originalContent" style=""><div><br>
<br>
Thanks Crispin. The idea makes sense to me, but I'm not sure how I would <br>
<br>
cut the two 6mm thick discs! This rather reminds me of the old Harry <br>
Belafonte and Ertha Kitt song 'There's a hole in my bucket' (youtube has <br>
it). Story of my life unfortunately!<br>
<br>
Best wishes, Neil Taylor<br>
<br>
<br>
<br></div><!--end of _originalContent --></div><style><!-- .EmailQuote { margin-left: 1pt; padding-left: 4pt; border-left: #800000 2px solid; } --></style></body></html>