There's a gotcha with the aluminum pieces---there's a whole lotta torque on the tip if it fits the hole tightly. The aluminum piece does NOT want to be at 90 degrees to the tip. That's OK with the hardy tips on the bars you illustrate, not so good with hiking pole tips. The solution is to be sure the hole that accepts the tip is drilled out enough to allow the aluminum to align with the forces on it but not twist off the tip while doing it.
I've played a lot with webbing and grommets at the corners too. Not confident enough yet in the safety of it to post and lead someone else to try
The motivation was exactly this torque on the tip problem---webbing twists easily.
Keep up the good work. Even if you are a "math major" (and I double majored in math and more math in college), bridge building is an experimental activity.
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