Attach rare earth magnets

**Tiger** · 26th April 2008, 08:50 PM

Rare earth magnets are very strong, so strong that when I glue it to a piece of pine and then attach the other side onto some metallic object eg lathe, the pine comes away from the lathe without the magnets! I've used Bostik super strength epoxy after roughing up the pine and the magnets with 120 grit sandpaper but that's not powerful enough. Wondering what others have done to secure the magnets?

**Chipman** · 26th April 2008, 09:14 PM

Hi Tiger,

If the magnets are that strong, I would suggest you drill a pocket with a forstner bit or cut out a recess for the magnets on the OTHER side (or outside) of the wood IE you still have some wood remaining between the magnet and the metal of the lathe. Then attach what you want to the piece of wood over the top of the magent in its pocket.

Hope this helps

Chipman

**scooter** · 26th April 2008, 10:45 PM

With the RE magnets that come from Lee Valley, you can purchase metal "cups" that can be screwed to the substrate, then the magnet stuck inside. I gather that the magnet sticks better to the cup than the surface stuck too & stays put.

Apparently increases the magnets attraction to the surface stuck to as well, my laymans take on it is that it sort of "focuses" the magnetic attraction.

**switt775** · 26th April 2008, 11:47 PM

Maybe the problem is that you're using too big a magnet for the job. ?

**Tiger** · 27th April 2008, 09:19 AM

Thanks for your thoughts on this. The set up is 2 magnets from computer hard drives. One side is attached to the wood the other side has a thin piece of leather attached to it so that it doesn't scratch the lathe surface, the leather side just sticks to the lathe and the wood side comes away.

**elraco.com.au** · 27th April 2008, 09:30 AM

HI Tiger

We use a couple of those magnetics to hold our tape dispensers to the side of our packing benches. The ones we retrieved from a hard drive have a backing plate attached with a couple of screw holes.
Maybe look around for another hard drive to disassemble?
Failing that, Can the magnetics be drilled and countersunk to take a screw?
Then screw them to your work piece .....

**Tiger** · 27th April 2008, 09:44 AM

Thanks, Ray, actually tried to drill through the magnet but it was pretty hard so stopped, I'd imagine that they are hardened steel but not sure. Like the idea of the backing plate but don't have any old hard drives

.

**underfoot** · 27th April 2008, 11:11 AM

I have seen some RE magnets with holes and countersunk,
can't remember where but they are available

**Hickory** · 27th April 2008, 12:11 PM

I believe RE magnets work best when they do not direct contact the surface but contact a nother piece of metal that then contacts the surface, Lee valley has a set of screwed down RE cups and spacers... http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/pa...363,42348&ap=1

But in Aussy I found this site that sells them http://www.industrysearch.com.au/Pro..._Magnets-23297

**Sculptured Box** · 27th April 2008, 12:20 PM

and http://www.aussiemagnets.com.au/

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