I recently started retro-fitting items with anderson power pole connectors after picking up a set of dies for my coax ratchet crimp tool. Along the way I had picked up a couple of the power pole mounting plates for the 15/30/45 amp housing and got to thinking about making my own version.
I had some scrap 3/4"x3/4" 1/16" aluminum angle stock left over from an earlier project. The thickness is pretty much a match for the commercial mounting plates. My first efforts were done with a couple of files, with the stock mounted in a bench vise, a large file for initial material removal & a smaller file for final touchs. They came out usable, but took some time to produce. After knocking out a few variations, I remembered I had a hand "nibbler" tool I had acquired back in the 70's for doing panel openings. Turns out to be pretty much perfect for doing the slots. The tooth is a hair narrower than the final size, so a little touch up with a file can fine tune the center "pin" (if you are building a mount for a connector pair). On the ones I made, I made the slots deep enough for the full depth of the housing, rather than 1/2 depth like the commercial version.
A commercial mounting plate can be seen next to one of the home brew mounts for comparison.
A commercial mounting plate with the nibbler tooth in a slot. Despite appearances, it would take a couple of "bites" for the nibbler to create a slot the depth of the commercial mount's.
The take-away should be that 1/16" thick aluminum stock can easily be used to make whatever mount configuration you need, using only one or more files, or a panel nibbling tool.
Nick