Need help with finding the right material for a set of chainsaw man arms

[u/Gay_Goddess86]

I was wondering if I could someone's opinion on this.

Working on making functional chainsaw arms and I'm not sure what to do for Part A. Part A is about 96 inches long and the guide is suggesting sintra, or wood in either 3 or 5mm. I dont really have the space or tools to cut wood and I cant find a sheet of sintra thats that big.

I was wondering if yheres any suggestions on what to use for Part A to keep the whole arm rigid

[u/AutoModerator]

We detect that you may be a looking to buy your cosplay or buy pieces for your cosplay. If you're not, please disregard :) Please refer to our FAQ for some recommendations. While we can provide search terms that might help you with finding your cosplay pieces, commenters are not your personal shopper and please do not treat us as such. Remember that not all cosplays can be found ready-made so be prepared to look for similar pieces to put it together yourself.

It is helpful to include your budget (be precise -- "cheap" can be different per person), your location/country (US shipping vs EU shipping would be very different), and timeline if applicable. Keep in mind many pre-made cosplay shops can have a long shipping time so it's best to plan months in ahead.

If the item is suspiciously cheaper than all other competitors or it's a common stock photo, please be wary and do your own research. If someone is offering to make it for you aka commissions, RESEARCH their post history.

This is an automated action based on keywords. Your post has not been removed. If this does not apply, please ignore. If FAQ does not work, try viewing on web or updating your app. Reddit currently has a bug with wikis.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Shadowstep1321]

How are you planning on Part B and the gears? 3d Print? Is this motorized? The majority of Part A isn't doing anything outside of housing 3x Part B. The only structural bits of Part A are the overhangs on each end between the ends of Part B and the gear axles. Can you print the ends and just use foamboard for the center section? As long as your connections between A and B are solid, it shouldn't matter

[u/Gay_Goddess86 → u/Shadowstep1321]

For part B and the gears I was planning on using 5mm eva foam. Though I have been debating on possibly using 3d prints for the gears. And yes it will all be motorized.

[u/Shadowstep1321 → u/Gay_Goddess86]

foam gears are a no go. They'll get chewed up in seconds if they work at all, even at low rpm.

Do you have your chain worked out already as well? that will dictate how hard your drive gears have to be. your gears have to be at least as hard as the chain itself.

Not to be discouraging, but a motorized chainsaw arm is not a light or easy project. If the files you bought(assumption) don't have complete instructions and a bill of materials on how they did it themselves, you're going to be doing a lot of trial and error. You're comfortable with soldering inside an area you don't have room to cut wood in? most electrical plug-n-play connectors will not fit inside those arm housings.

Drop the motorization, and all this becomes pretty straightforward foam and foamboard work, and a lot more comfortable to carry at a con.

edit: okay, I watched the tutorial from your pattern supplier, that is ridiculously high density foam, practically rubber sheeting. but I guess it does work. He's using either a laser cutter or a plot cutter to mechanically cut out all those pieces. A 4ftx8ft sheet of sintra is between $80-$150 and should be available from a plastic supplier near you (if you're in the US). A hardware store will have 2ftx4ft wooden sheets for ~$8-9. You can cut part A in half without compromising the structure. Either way, you'll need a dremel, scroll-saw, or jigsaw to cut out that pattern.