Looking for a locking stay for machine canopy.

[Alistair Robertson 1Participant @alistairrobertson1]

[Alistair Robertson 1Participant @alistairrobertson1]

I have a Denford Novamill and to gain a bit more room in the workshop I altered the central pivoting of the Perspex "bubble" top cover to a rear hinge. This allowed me to place the machine against the wall saving about 200mm space.

I was going to fit a couple of struts that lock when they are extended then release when you push them up again to allow the guard to lower. I measured up the length I would need and went to my local hardware store to be met with stony silence when I explained what I was after. I had fitted the same sort of strut to a previous machine for a customer a few years ago. "You can't get anything like that" I was told, But I had bought them previously so I went home and looked up my old paperwork as to where I had bought them. I had bought them from a different shop so a few days later I went to town and strode confidently in to the counter to be told "Never seen anything like that!" I showed them my old invoice which said "Self Locking Strut" but no part number and they also said "Never seen them!!"

I have looked on the Internet but I am not sure what the correct description should be! They are like a drawer slide but with no balls (I think) and when they fully extend a bit of metal pops out of a square hole locking the strut in place. Push the strut further up and it releases.

Can anyone give me a correct description as I can't remember what I asked for about 10 years ago!

[VicParticipant @vic]

Hi Alistair, is there anything Here that may do the job?

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

How about these? **LINK**

Brian

[MichaelRParticipant @michaelr]

Hold Open Stay Here may be what you are looking for.

[Robert BParticipant @robertb]

Posibly these?

https://www.catchesandlatches.co.uk/lid-stays-hinges/

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

I seem to remember that my Frogeye Sprite had a similar strut arrangement to support the open bonnet. Replacements are available, but at a price ( around forty quid !). Could you not use a gas strut such as are used for tailgate lifts? Plenty on eBay in various sizes and specs for under a tenner.

John

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I would not use a car gas-strut to hold a small plastic machine-guard. They are designed to balance a far heavier mass than that, so would be physically very hard to handle.

Some machines, including my Myford VMC, use a basic toggle: just two links pivoted together at mid-point when both are in line. Pushing the joint while closing the cover down slightly makes the links go past alignment by a couple of degrees of so, against a small stop on one of them.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

The friction slide thingies used on modern windows instead of hinges ought to be well up to the support job. I have a stash of used ones in the "gotta be useful" box. If you fancy trying the idea PM me and a pair are yours for postage costs.

The locking struts in Brians link are effective but, if the ones I saw are the same model, quite hefty.

Eurofit offer a variety of lid stays :- **LINK** including light duty gas struts, smallest is 50 newtons force, about 11 lb.

The ordinary folding desk stay like this :- **LINK** can quite easily be modified to work as an over centre toggle type support as described by Nigel. I did one many years ago which worked OK. Darned if I can remember exactly what I did tho'.

An ordinary drawer slide will do the deed just fine if you ass a sprung clip. In principle its easy to come up with a two position clip which releases if you push the lid beyond its holding position and re-arms ready to support the lid next time as you swing it shut. In practical its probably more works than the job is worth.

Clive

[Alistair Robertson 1Participant @alistairrobertson1]

Hi, All.

Thanks for all the valuable information. I have bought a pair of the type suggested by Brian G from RS. Why I didn't look there before i don't know. I ordered some bits and pieces from them last week!

I didn't want to use a gas strut as when they have to be compressed to "go overcentre" they put a big strain on the perspex cover which weighs about 25 Kgs. as I well know when I knocked out the plastic tube I was holding it up with and had to visit the hospital for a neck X-Ray. It was sore for more than a week.

The pair I bought a few years ago were not the same as the Camloc I have bought from RS they were more like a drawer slide that locked when extended.

[Nick HughesParticipant @nickhughes97026]

A bit late, but I just came across these when searching for something completely different and remembered this thread:-

From here:- Small Bonnet Stay Auto-Close

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