Chapter 2 – The Shop
Lorin’s RV-9A Builders Log
Table of Contents
You can NEVER have enough Light
Why can’t I put a metal blade in a wood band saw??
Peg Board Rules!
Ok
– So I’ve been told I was anal. But I
can prove it’s not true. Take a look at
my pegboard – see NO tool outlines!!
But, I do like having everything where I can see them though… and within
easy reach.
Fig 2-1
You can NEVER have enough Light
I’ve
heard this many times! I did a little
searching on the web and found out that a home wood shop has a minimum
recommended fluorescent lighting of .5 watts / square foot. So a simple calculation, a couple of quick
(?) trips to Home Depot, a Saturday of working, and VOILA!! Light!!
I decided to use the T32 shop lights and the best ballast I could
get. I don’t know if it matters – but I
did not want to have any “flicker”.
Fig 2-2
The
bottom line -> it’s certainly good enough for building, but probably not
bright enough to paint in.
Avery Tools to the Rescue
Well, I was able to “borrow” a few tools from Dad to get started. But since I live in California and he’s up in Canada – this was a little harder than you would imagine – and it became clear I needed my own set anyway. Besides, now dad & mom were busy restoring an old Luscombe they had and would probably need all those tools I had been eyeing.
I spoke with several people, looked at many websites and eventually decided to bite the bullet and order the complete RV assembly kit (less the few tools I already had) from Avery (http://www.averytools.com/). A couple of emails to Sandra, one clarifying phone call, a well-worn MasterCard number and everything was settled. The tools were on their way.
Fig 2-3
I NEED a Work Bench
I
asked dad what I needed for a workbench top – thinking the standard 2 x 5
benches would be his answer. But No..
He suggested a plywood fame sandwiched between a couple of sheets of ¾”
MDF. Why plywood? – Because dimensional
2x4’s are not straight enough. Well – I
figure he’s done this before so I’ll consider it.
But
then what about the workbench legs? My
garage floor has a huge slope in it.
Something like 3 inches over an 8 foot run. I think it is designed to drain water away from the house. All I know is that it is a real pain to get
things level and plumb. Oh well – might
as well start off as best as I can, but I need to think this through a little
first….
I relooked at my garage /
shop / RV manufacturing facility – and realized that it would be better to
build 2 smaller benches that could be joined together if necessary. This gives me more flexibility and space
during the normal building sequence. I
found some plans for a simple sturdy workbench designed by EAA Chapter 1000: work
bench plans. So another trip to
Home Depot… and the work started.
Fig
2-4 Fig
2-5 Fig
2-6
I
finished both benches a couple of days later - giving time for the glue to dry
- and they worked out great. I
especially like the added storage space on the shelves below (although it only
took 3 minutes to fill!!)
Why can’t I put a metal blade in a wood band saw??
I
would not have thought it would be difficult – but I could not find a metal
cutting blade for my 14” Jet band saw.
None of the major hardware stores had it and even the specialty machine
shops didn’t carry it…. But, after a few hours of frustrating searching – I was
directed to ACME Saws who will custom make any band saw blade you want. I talked to the guys and he recommended a
standard wood blade for aluminum and other non-ferrous materials. The saw speed was right and the wider teeth
would not get plugged. I figure he’s
the expert – so I’ll listen. So, five
minutes later and about $19.00 poorer I walked out with a custom blade. Let’s hope this works!
Epilog
– A week or so later, after installing the blade, adjusting the table and “cool
guides” - I started on rough cutting the HS908 angles. The saw cut through them like a hot knife
through butter!! I’m really glad I asked the questions!! Another epilog – well, I need to take back
what I wrote above. The coarse teeth
worked great on heavier pieces – but it made too much chatter when cutting the
thinner pieces. OK, so now I need to go
buy another blade.
I have tunes!
I like
to listen to music when I’m working and I had an old pair of “Boat Anchor” speakers
(1980’s floor standing towers) from my college days just sitting around the
place. In addition, I just upgraded my
surround sound system – so I took my old Receiver – moved it into the bedroom –
and then sentenced the bedroom stereo to the garage / shop. A couple of quick shelving brackets, junk
plywood, some inexpensive 14 ga. speaker wire… and voila… instant shop
tunes. I will confess that even though
I had music, it was a couple of weeks before I stapled the wiring out of the
way and made it “permanent”.
Fig 2-7 Fig 2-8
A place for the drawings!
I was
lucky enough to find a children’s drawing easel that had both a tilt &
elevation adjustment, and was the right size for holding my construction
plans. It’s the perfect height, easily
positioned, and by using a few spring clamps on top – I can keep the papers
organized and available. It even has a
lip on the bottom so I can keep pencils for marking the drawings close at
hand.
Fig 2-9
Dimpling Table
I
saw several builders had made a quick table top jig to support their work when
using the C-Frame dimpler. I figured
this was a good idea too – so for less than $10 of parts and 2 evenings work I
made one for myself.
The
frame is a 3x2 cut down to the right height.
The ¼” hardboard is glued & screwed (with countersunk heads) to the
frame. The covering is an old moving
blanket I had stashed somewhere – secured in place by many 3/8” staples. All-in-all I think it came out pretty good!
Fig
2-10 Fig
2-11
Fig 2-12
Storage Space
OK, so now that the shop is
essentially set up – I am going to need a place to store the parts as I finish
them. The best thing seems to be to
hang them from the ceiling. This keeps
them out of the way and should protect them from damage (I hope!).
Fig 2-13