Need suggestions for rebuilding large cargo door

Thanks for all the input.

I have a large indoor place to work and can assemble a large table.

I have a vacuum pump, but not a vacuum table. I've seen them on tv/how things work, etc.

I was thinking of using osb sandwich and clamps, maybe with a few boards to keep it more rigid, for the lamination process.

As I understand it, the vacuum bags are more critical when using a resin, drawing it through the cloth and removing air bubbles, right?

I'm not sure about making a plastic bag that can hold a vacuum for the required drying time?

I do plan to take pics, however I do it ;)

DiskDoctr,

None of my suppliers have anything meaningful of a web presence, but my guess would be real close to 200$us and that is not including PA index.

I didn't bother to mention vacuum laminating because the cost of a pump is pretty high for a single job. The pump needs to be more than a shop vacuum to do any good. If you can't find or borrow a pump that will do 10"Hg (all you realy need), and your trail fit does not lay flat, get some sand.

Matt

I'd use a 3/4" extruded foam board and a panel of vinyl coated aluminum. If rigidity is a concern (might be with a hatch door that long), I'd put an aluminum brace in the center of the panel.

The vacuum bagging is a great idea!

DiskDoctr wrote:
Finished thickness 0.75in, including inner and outer layers (fiberglass sooth outside, rough inside).

It has an aluminum Uchannel border full perimeter with 7/16" deep channel (+/-, assuming uniform thickness of Uchannel)

I have considered coroplast, 10 sheets of .205" for $100, staggered and glue laminated.

I am considering rigid foam board with 1/4" luan laminated on both sides (I would have to laminate it), with likely 2 pieces of aluminum, wood, or something else inset from top to bottom where the hinges are and connected by rivets to the uchannels.

The door is long horizontally.

Dow, I think, has adhesive for their rigid foam board that I was considering for the lamination, but I am open to suggestions?

As a matter of fact, I'm open to all suggestions here ;)

Thanks.

I will offer a sugestion. Assemble on a large flat surface that you can cover with plastic. Then cover your project with plastic and form a seal all around to create a large bag you can vacuume to pull all the air out to help pull all the pieces together. The factories used to build large vacuume tablels with a lid to put the parts in. But barrowing from how they do carbon fiber I would bet just a large bag over your door would do the same thing.

Finished thickness 0.75in, including inner and outer layers (fiberglass sooth outside, rough inside).

It has an aluminum Uchannel border full perimeter with 7/16" deep channel (+/-, assuming uniform thickness of Uchannel)

I have considered coroplast, 10 sheets of .205" for $100, staggered and glue laminated.

I am considering rigid foam board with 1/4" luan laminated on both sides (I would have to laminate it), with likely 2 pieces of aluminum, wood, or something else inset from top to bottom where the hinges are and connected by rivets to the uchannels.

The door is long horizontally.

Dow, I think, has adhesive for their rigid foam board that I was considering for the lamination, but I am open to suggestions?

As a matter of fact, I'm open to all suggestions here ;)

Thanks.

What is final finished thickness of the door? I would consider a 1/4" sheet of luanne, cut in half, and a 1/2" foam board. Use hi-temp contact cement to laminate the luanne to each side of the foam, then again to laminate the fiberglas or filon to the outside piece of luanne. That should be plenty strong for a cargo door. Use some plastic U-trim to seal off the edges with silicone or geocel.

Thanks, Matt. Any ideas on price for a 4x8 sheet 3/4 in?

My door is approx 46" x 75"

Thanks.

I work on boats. (Or at least I did before the depression killed the business.) What you want is "Structural Foam Core". For best results, it will need to adhered (glued) to both surface pieces. If I were doing it for strength, I would use end-grain balsa, but just a door does not need that much strength. If you want the door to be real ridgid, you need a high density. If you don't need it that stiff, don't buy it. This is different stuff than insulating board at a big box, but not a lot different.

Matt