Hello Everybody,
First post.
I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change.
Here it is.
Bought it Wednesday.
Drove it home today.
1999 Ford E-250, 6 cylinder, 125K miles.
Was a home builders work van. Some slight surface rust.
Cargo doors a bit dinged up.
I'm planning on doing a full conversion. Most of the work I'll do myself but some will be beyond my abilities. I'm giving myself a deadline of no later than spring. Van won't fit into my small garage so that will affect how/when I can work on it.
I've been reading this and other conversion forums for a few weeks. It's been a huge help so far. Learned quite a lot already but there's still a lot I don't know. Counting on the pros who frequent this forum for some advice.
Advice like: The previous owner drilled some 3/4 inch holes in the floor for bolted down shelving. Whats the best way to cover these holes from underneath? Should I treat the metal edges of the holes before I start?
Thanks for your time, now and in the future.
WVvan
P.S. I'm thinking of call it "HAL the Van".
Why HAL? Well since my name is Dave....
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
First post.
I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change.
Here it is.
Bought it Wednesday.
Drove it home today.
1999 Ford E-250, 6 cylinder, 125K miles.
Was a home builders work van. Some slight surface rust.
Cargo doors a bit dinged up.
I'm planning on doing a full conversion. Most of the work I'll do myself but some will be beyond my abilities. I'm giving myself a deadline of no later than spring. Van won't fit into my small garage so that will affect how/when I can work on it.
I've been reading this and other conversion forums for a few weeks. It's been a huge help so far. Learned quite a lot already but there's still a lot I don't know. Counting on the pros who frequent this forum for some advice.
Advice like: The previous owner drilled some 3/4 inch holes in the floor for bolted down shelving. Whats the best way to cover these holes from underneath? Should I treat the metal edges of the holes before I start?
Thanks for your time, now and in the future.
WVvan
P.S. I'm thinking of call it "HAL the Van".
Why HAL? Well since my name is Dave....
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Acrylic lid continued:
It will be easier for me to describe what I'm doing if I include a diagram. This is a layout of all the pieces I've cut from the acrylic sheet.
This is a side view. Pieces "Top A" and "Top B" have a slight incline from the end pieces to where they meet in the middle. The high point in the middle is where the vent tube will be installed.
I had previously joined the edge of "Top A" to "Side A" using Weld-On #3 solvent cement and capillary action. This was my first try at joining acrylic and I was more than happy with the results. I let it set about a day then removed the clamps. The joint looked perfect and I stressed it without any problems.
Everything looked good until I started dry-fitting the other pieces. That's when my previous bone-headed mistakes came back to bite me. I should have known better.
In this picture "Top A" is joined to "Side A". I'm dry fitting "Top B" while "Side B" is just laying on the bench waiting for it's turn.
Mistake #2: I hadn't dry-fit the pieces before I started gluing. Now when dry-fitting "Top B" I find that it doesn't mate up against it's common edge with "Top A". Not even close.
With "Top A" already joined on one side my options on getting the two to mate as close as the Weld-On #3 required were limited. I used a new sanding station I just bought for this project but I could never get the two edges a tight as they needed to be.
But I had a backup plan. Considering ahead of time my skill level I had also ordered Weld-On #16. This was a thicker solvent cement with the ability to fill small gaps. It's not as thick as airplane glue but thicker than #3. Small warning. You don't squeeze it out of it's tube. It's thin enough that it just flows out.
That helps correct Mistake #2 but now I'm bitten by Mistake #1. When I was doing all the edge sanding on both Top pieces I should have clamped them together and sanded them as one piece. These two pieces started out the same size but with varying amounts of edge sanding they are now a different width. This becomes obvious when I dry fit "Side B" onto the edges of the two Top pieces. So back to the sanding board. I lucked out in the fact that "Top B" was wider so it was the one that needed sanded down. If it had been "Top A" that would have been a real hassle.
Get all my mistakes corrected and clamped together for more gluing.
Beside the squeeze bottle, a hypodermic needle comes in handy for applying the Weld-on #3. I don't know if all hypodermic needles are made from the same material but the one's I had laying around didn't react with the Weld-on #3 and worked fine.
Final step was to glue on the end pieces then do a test fit onto the top of the battery box.
Looks and fits OK.
Now to test it. I'll substitute a water-tight test for an air-tight test. I'll admit to wussing out at this point. If it failed the water test I'd have to wait till it dried out before I could fix it so I just went ahead and reinforced all seams with the Weld-on #16. Even the one's I thought I got just perfect.
Since the Weld-on #16 is runny I would tilt the box so that whatever seam I was treating would be the lowest point. After an hour the Weld-on #16 would set-up and I'd move to a different seam.
After all seams have set-up, fill with water.
Success! Not a single leak.
continued -
It will be easier for me to describe what I'm doing if I include a diagram. This is a layout of all the pieces I've cut from the acrylic sheet.
This is a side view. Pieces "Top A" and "Top B" have a slight incline from the end pieces to where they meet in the middle. The high point in the middle is where the vent tube will be installed.
I had previously joined the edge of "Top A" to "Side A" using Weld-On #3 solvent cement and capillary action. This was my first try at joining acrylic and I was more than happy with the results. I let it set about a day then removed the clamps. The joint looked perfect and I stressed it without any problems.
Everything looked good until I started dry-fitting the other pieces. That's when my previous bone-headed mistakes came back to bite me. I should have known better.
In this picture "Top A" is joined to "Side A". I'm dry fitting "Top B" while "Side B" is just laying on the bench waiting for it's turn.
Mistake #2: I hadn't dry-fit the pieces before I started gluing. Now when dry-fitting "Top B" I find that it doesn't mate up against it's common edge with "Top A". Not even close.
With "Top A" already joined on one side my options on getting the two to mate as close as the Weld-On #3 required were limited. I used a new sanding station I just bought for this project but I could never get the two edges a tight as they needed to be.
But I had a backup plan. Considering ahead of time my skill level I had also ordered Weld-On #16. This was a thicker solvent cement with the ability to fill small gaps. It's not as thick as airplane glue but thicker than #3. Small warning. You don't squeeze it out of it's tube. It's thin enough that it just flows out.
That helps correct Mistake #2 but now I'm bitten by Mistake #1. When I was doing all the edge sanding on both Top pieces I should have clamped them together and sanded them as one piece. These two pieces started out the same size but with varying amounts of edge sanding they are now a different width. This becomes obvious when I dry fit "Side B" onto the edges of the two Top pieces. So back to the sanding board. I lucked out in the fact that "Top B" was wider so it was the one that needed sanded down. If it had been "Top A" that would have been a real hassle.
Get all my mistakes corrected and clamped together for more gluing.
Beside the squeeze bottle, a hypodermic needle comes in handy for applying the Weld-on #3. I don't know if all hypodermic needles are made from the same material but the one's I had laying around didn't react with the Weld-on #3 and worked fine.
Final step was to glue on the end pieces then do a test fit onto the top of the battery box.
Looks and fits OK.
Now to test it. I'll substitute a water-tight test for an air-tight test. I'll admit to wussing out at this point. If it failed the water test I'd have to wait till it dried out before I could fix it so I just went ahead and reinforced all seams with the Weld-on #16. Even the one's I thought I got just perfect.
Since the Weld-on #16 is runny I would tilt the box so that whatever seam I was treating would be the lowest point. After an hour the Weld-on #16 would set-up and I'd move to a different seam.
After all seams have set-up, fill with water.
Success! Not a single leak.
continued -
Building an acrylic lid.
Now that the battery box base is completed, time to start on the top. These are lead-acid batteries so they will produce hydrogen as they are charged. Hydrogen is lighter than air so it will raise (see Hindenburg) but is also explosive so it needs to be vented outside (see Hindenburg). I'm gong to make a "airtight" acrylic lid for the battery box. As the hydrogen is produced it will rise to the top of the lid where it will be vented via a hose to the outside of the van.
I've never messed with acrylic before so this is a first for me. The only information I have on the subject I got from reading the Internet and through trial and error. You have been warned.
Supplies:
Lowes
acrylic sheet - 2' x 4' - $19.37
Tap Plastics - www.tapplastics.com
TAP Acrylic Cement (1 pt) - $11.50
IPS Weld-On 16 Cement (5 oz tube) - $6.75
Small BD-25/2 Hypo Applicator - $3.25
Start with a the sheet of acrylic.
Need to cut the acrylic so everything is at right angles and the edges are as smooth as I can make them. This requires extra careful set-up of the table saw to stop any side-to-side movement in the sheet. To keep the acrylic in place as I feed it through the table saw I made a feather board. You can see it to the left of the sheet.
The feather board has two purposes. It holds the sheet tight against the fence on the right side. It also prevents kick-back since it only allows the material to be moved in one direction. The saw blade is adjusted so it's just high enough to cut through the acrylic. I found that if you set it higher it can cause chipping.
After some work I had a bunch of acrylic pieces.
Even though I made careful cuts the edges are slightly rough.
Not having tried this before I'm not sure what level of roughness is allowable. To smooth this out 220 grit sandpaper is recommended. From what I've read you're not supposed to run sandpaper across the acrylic since that tends to round the edge. The preferred method is to run the acrylic across the sandpaper. With that in mind I wrapped a sheet of 220 grit around a scrap 2x4 and clamped it into the vice at the end of my worktable.
Then I'd carefully pull the acrylic pieces across the sandpaper being sure to keep them perpendicular to the sanding block to prevent rounding. I'd always use two hands but needed one to take the picture.
This step is fairly labor intensive. After some time I realized that this was going to take a while so I wised-up. I switched to 100 grit sandpaper and turned the 2x4 on it's side so I'd have a larger sanding area. I was always careful to make the block level.
After smoothing out the pieces with the 100 grit I'd switch to the 220 grit for the final finish.
Mistake Number 1. I'm sanding one piece at a time. If I'd been smart I'd clamped the two top pieces together and sanded them at the same time. I'll come back to this point.
After much work I got the edges just right on the pieces that needed it. Smooth edges are not required for all the pieces I'm using.
Clean the edges that will be glued with alcohol. This bottle shows how often I use rubbing alcohol. The local Phar-Mor closed in the 1990's.
I'm ready to glue the first two pieces together. The pieces need to be held steady while the glue sets so just using your hands is out of the question. Using some leftover metal parts, from the sofa-bed that I'm still building, arrange the pieces to stand on their own.
The vertical clamp is being used to keep some pressure on the edge to be glued.
Mistake Number 2. At this point I should have done a dry fit with the other pieces.
Moving on. Here is what I bought to glue together the acrylic sheets. A better description is solvent cement. It has all the usual warning labels along with it being a possible cancer causing agent. I don't think my exposure will be enough to worry about.
I'm going to use the glue in the white can. It has the consistency of water. Squeeze some air out of the plastic bottle and suck a little cement up. Not a lot is needed.
Here is the reason for all the work at getting the edges so smooth. Since this cement is water thin it doesn't fill any gaps. The parts you are gluing have to be in contact along their complete edge. I'm applying the cement via capillary action.
Here is the where the edge of the vertical acrylic piece rest on the side of another piece. Notice how the edge looks.The acrylic is about .2" thick.
This is the needle end of the applicator bottle. I'm squeezing out a little of the cement along the edge of the vertical acrylic piece and capillary action is drawing the cement into the space where the two pieces touch. The edge looks blue where the cement has been drawn in. This is the reason for all the careful sanding prep work. Without it this wouldn't work.
The directions said it sets up quickly but not to stress it for 24 hours. Not wanting to take any chances I let it sit.
continued -
Now that the battery box base is completed, time to start on the top. These are lead-acid batteries so they will produce hydrogen as they are charged. Hydrogen is lighter than air so it will raise (see Hindenburg) but is also explosive so it needs to be vented outside (see Hindenburg). I'm gong to make a "airtight" acrylic lid for the battery box. As the hydrogen is produced it will rise to the top of the lid where it will be vented via a hose to the outside of the van.
I've never messed with acrylic before so this is a first for me. The only information I have on the subject I got from reading the Internet and through trial and error. You have been warned.
Supplies:
Lowes
acrylic sheet - 2' x 4' - $19.37
Tap Plastics - www.tapplastics.com
TAP Acrylic Cement (1 pt) - $11.50
IPS Weld-On 16 Cement (5 oz tube) - $6.75
Small BD-25/2 Hypo Applicator - $3.25
Start with a the sheet of acrylic.
Need to cut the acrylic so everything is at right angles and the edges are as smooth as I can make them. This requires extra careful set-up of the table saw to stop any side-to-side movement in the sheet. To keep the acrylic in place as I feed it through the table saw I made a feather board. You can see it to the left of the sheet.
The feather board has two purposes. It holds the sheet tight against the fence on the right side. It also prevents kick-back since it only allows the material to be moved in one direction. The saw blade is adjusted so it's just high enough to cut through the acrylic. I found that if you set it higher it can cause chipping.
After some work I had a bunch of acrylic pieces.
Even though I made careful cuts the edges are slightly rough.
Not having tried this before I'm not sure what level of roughness is allowable. To smooth this out 220 grit sandpaper is recommended. From what I've read you're not supposed to run sandpaper across the acrylic since that tends to round the edge. The preferred method is to run the acrylic across the sandpaper. With that in mind I wrapped a sheet of 220 grit around a scrap 2x4 and clamped it into the vice at the end of my worktable.
Then I'd carefully pull the acrylic pieces across the sandpaper being sure to keep them perpendicular to the sanding block to prevent rounding. I'd always use two hands but needed one to take the picture.
This step is fairly labor intensive. After some time I realized that this was going to take a while so I wised-up. I switched to 100 grit sandpaper and turned the 2x4 on it's side so I'd have a larger sanding area. I was always careful to make the block level.
After smoothing out the pieces with the 100 grit I'd switch to the 220 grit for the final finish.
Mistake Number 1. I'm sanding one piece at a time. If I'd been smart I'd clamped the two top pieces together and sanded them at the same time. I'll come back to this point.
After much work I got the edges just right on the pieces that needed it. Smooth edges are not required for all the pieces I'm using.
Clean the edges that will be glued with alcohol. This bottle shows how often I use rubbing alcohol. The local Phar-Mor closed in the 1990's.
I'm ready to glue the first two pieces together. The pieces need to be held steady while the glue sets so just using your hands is out of the question. Using some leftover metal parts, from the sofa-bed that I'm still building, arrange the pieces to stand on their own.
The vertical clamp is being used to keep some pressure on the edge to be glued.
Mistake Number 2. At this point I should have done a dry fit with the other pieces.
Moving on. Here is what I bought to glue together the acrylic sheets. A better description is solvent cement. It has all the usual warning labels along with it being a possible cancer causing agent. I don't think my exposure will be enough to worry about.
I'm going to use the glue in the white can. It has the consistency of water. Squeeze some air out of the plastic bottle and suck a little cement up. Not a lot is needed.
Here is the reason for all the work at getting the edges so smooth. Since this cement is water thin it doesn't fill any gaps. The parts you are gluing have to be in contact along their complete edge. I'm applying the cement via capillary action.
Here is the where the edge of the vertical acrylic piece rest on the side of another piece. Notice how the edge looks.The acrylic is about .2" thick.
This is the needle end of the applicator bottle. I'm squeezing out a little of the cement along the edge of the vertical acrylic piece and capillary action is drawing the cement into the space where the two pieces touch. The edge looks blue where the cement has been drawn in. This is the reason for all the careful sanding prep work. Without it this wouldn't work.
The directions said it sets up quickly but not to stress it for 24 hours. Not wanting to take any chances I let it sit.
continued -
Battery Box continued:
Supplies: Ace Hardware:
T-nut 5/16 - 18 $.60 ea (2)
bolts 5/16x3" $.33 (2)
washers 5/16 $.07 (2)
Need something to keep the batteries from moving around in the box. I'll refer to them as hold-downs.
Sketch out a quick plan.
Cut it out of some scrap lumber. Because the divider I added to the box isn't dead center there is a 1/2" difference between these two.
Glue and screw together.
Place hold-downs on the battery. Then drill through the side of the box and through the base of the hold-down. Here I'm checking that the hole I've drilled matches the bolt.
On the inside-the-box end of the hold-down hole I'll add a T-nut. To install a T-nut you have to create a slightly larger hole than the size of the bolt. In this case the bolt is 5/16" and the T-nut requires a 3/8" hole. After you install the T-nut it's hammered in.
In this photo you can see the T-nut installed. These hold-downs would stop the batteries from jumping up but I want them more secure. Using left over rubber mat scrap from the van floor, cut out pieces for the hold-downs.
Secure the pieces with double sided tape onto the bottom side of the hold-downs top cross piece. The rubber will act as a cushion against the top of the batteries.
Since the added rubber causes the holes in the box and in the base no longer line up take the drill and enlarge the hole in the base downwards. Don't go deeper than around 3/4".
As the bolt is inserted through the side of the box it will enter the inclined part of the hole in the hold-down. Then as you rotate the head the threads on the other end draw the bolt farther into the hold-down. This causes the hold-down to tighten down on the top of the batteries. When the bolt gets to the T-nut it's tightened into place. Everything fits very snug.
This finishes up the base portion of the battery box.
And of course my every move is being watch by Project Foreman Tiger.
Also in the picture is Tiger's assistant Bob.
Supplies: Ace Hardware:
T-nut 5/16 - 18 $.60 ea (2)
bolts 5/16x3" $.33 (2)
washers 5/16 $.07 (2)
Need something to keep the batteries from moving around in the box. I'll refer to them as hold-downs.
Sketch out a quick plan.
Cut it out of some scrap lumber. Because the divider I added to the box isn't dead center there is a 1/2" difference between these two.
Glue and screw together.
Place hold-downs on the battery. Then drill through the side of the box and through the base of the hold-down. Here I'm checking that the hole I've drilled matches the bolt.
On the inside-the-box end of the hold-down hole I'll add a T-nut. To install a T-nut you have to create a slightly larger hole than the size of the bolt. In this case the bolt is 5/16" and the T-nut requires a 3/8" hole. After you install the T-nut it's hammered in.
In this photo you can see the T-nut installed. These hold-downs would stop the batteries from jumping up but I want them more secure. Using left over rubber mat scrap from the van floor, cut out pieces for the hold-downs.
Secure the pieces with double sided tape onto the bottom side of the hold-downs top cross piece. The rubber will act as a cushion against the top of the batteries.
Since the added rubber causes the holes in the box and in the base no longer line up take the drill and enlarge the hole in the base downwards. Don't go deeper than around 3/4".
As the bolt is inserted through the side of the box it will enter the inclined part of the hole in the hold-down. Then as you rotate the head the threads on the other end draw the bolt farther into the hold-down. This causes the hold-down to tighten down on the top of the batteries. When the bolt gets to the T-nut it's tightened into place. Everything fits very snug.
This finishes up the base portion of the battery box.
And of course my every move is being watch by Project Foreman Tiger.
Also in the picture is Tiger's assistant Bob.
Battery Box continued :
While the glue was setting I realized that the board I inserted in the middle to counteract the bowing should be a permanent addition. Since it was too late in the build process to use biscuits I instead used glue and screws to secure it in place.
Now to the end pieces. My idea for securing the box in the van will be to bolt it to/through the floor. These end pieces will be where the bolts go. The blocks have a 1-1/2" square cross section.
Glue and screw the blocks into place.
I put four screws through the box base and four more through the side of the box into the end blocks. These screws are placed so none are in the center since that is where the bolt will go.
Since these are six volt batteries I will be hooking them together in pairs. The cables from each pair of batteries will exit the side of the box between the batteries about an inch from the bottom.
I need to transfer the location of the batteries inside the box to the outside of the box. Most people could just eyeball this and get it right but it's the kind of thing I usually mess up. So I created this from a nearby cardboard box.
Slid it down the side of the battery box and place against the side of a battery. Then just draw a pencil along the edge of the cardboard on the outside of the box. Do this for both pairs of batteries.
Now how big to make the holes? Here is an example of the cables I'll be using. This is a "0" gauge cable. When you talking about cable gauges, "0" is also written as "1/0" and pronounced as "one aught". Note that "1/0" is NOT the same as "1" gauge.
A quick lesson on cable sizes. American wire gauge (AWG) is the standardization system used for electrical cable. The AWG size is determined by the cross sectional area of the conductor. Excluding the four largest sizes, "0", "00", "000" and "0000" where "0000" is the largest, as the gauge number increase the wire diameter decreases in size. So a 10 gauge wire is thicker that a 14 gauge wire. This seemingly backwards numbering system originally referred to the number of times a wire had been drawn through a die which stretched out the wire making it longer and thinner. So the more trips through the die, the higher the gauge number and the thinner the wire. I always had trouble keeping the backward numbering straight until I read about it's true meaning.
The gauge size will tell you the conductor size but not the size of the wire including insulation. In this case it's a little under 1/2".
So let's make the holes 1"x2".
Here's my method for making a square hole. Drill a hole in opposite corners of the square.
Use a saber saw to cut outward from the holes to create your square.
Paint on a primer layer.
continued -
While the glue was setting I realized that the board I inserted in the middle to counteract the bowing should be a permanent addition. Since it was too late in the build process to use biscuits I instead used glue and screws to secure it in place.
Now to the end pieces. My idea for securing the box in the van will be to bolt it to/through the floor. These end pieces will be where the bolts go. The blocks have a 1-1/2" square cross section.
Glue and screw the blocks into place.
I put four screws through the box base and four more through the side of the box into the end blocks. These screws are placed so none are in the center since that is where the bolt will go.
Since these are six volt batteries I will be hooking them together in pairs. The cables from each pair of batteries will exit the side of the box between the batteries about an inch from the bottom.
I need to transfer the location of the batteries inside the box to the outside of the box. Most people could just eyeball this and get it right but it's the kind of thing I usually mess up. So I created this from a nearby cardboard box.
Slid it down the side of the battery box and place against the side of a battery. Then just draw a pencil along the edge of the cardboard on the outside of the box. Do this for both pairs of batteries.
Now how big to make the holes? Here is an example of the cables I'll be using. This is a "0" gauge cable. When you talking about cable gauges, "0" is also written as "1/0" and pronounced as "one aught". Note that "1/0" is NOT the same as "1" gauge.
A quick lesson on cable sizes. American wire gauge (AWG) is the standardization system used for electrical cable. The AWG size is determined by the cross sectional area of the conductor. Excluding the four largest sizes, "0", "00", "000" and "0000" where "0000" is the largest, as the gauge number increase the wire diameter decreases in size. So a 10 gauge wire is thicker that a 14 gauge wire. This seemingly backwards numbering system originally referred to the number of times a wire had been drawn through a die which stretched out the wire making it longer and thinner. So the more trips through the die, the higher the gauge number and the thinner the wire. I always had trouble keeping the backward numbering straight until I read about it's true meaning.
The gauge size will tell you the conductor size but not the size of the wire including insulation. In this case it's a little under 1/2".
So let's make the holes 1"x2".
Here's my method for making a square hole. Drill a hole in opposite corners of the square.
Use a saber saw to cut outward from the holes to create your square.
Paint on a primer layer.
continued -
OK, arm is in better shape. Back in the saddle.
I was working on the battery box before I was interrupted.
After the glue sets do a test fit.
Now I need to create a bottom. Since this box won't be used to lift the batteries, it will just hold them after I lower them into place, I'll use the 11/32โ plywood for the base.
Plenty of scrap left over from sheets I used to create the van floor.
I've laid the box on the scrap to draw an outline. I've included 2x4's laid on end in the outline since a 2x4 is 1-1/2" thick. I'll be adding a 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" square block to each end. I'll use these end blocks to anchor the box to the van floor.
I'll also be using 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" size blocks on the sofa-bed build. Why 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" size blocks? Because I have a bunch of 2x4 odds and ends laying around and each one can be ripped to two equal sized 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" blocks. A good way to use them up.
After cutting the base and doing a test fitting I noticed the long sides of the box is bowed. To counteract the bow I added a section of wood. This will be used just for the glueing phase.
Draw the outline of the box on the base then use that outline as a guide for painting on the wood glue.
Apply glue to the bottom edge of the box then clamp them both together.
Let dry overnight.
continued -
I was working on the battery box before I was interrupted.
After the glue sets do a test fit.
Now I need to create a bottom. Since this box won't be used to lift the batteries, it will just hold them after I lower them into place, I'll use the 11/32โ plywood for the base.
Plenty of scrap left over from sheets I used to create the van floor.
I've laid the box on the scrap to draw an outline. I've included 2x4's laid on end in the outline since a 2x4 is 1-1/2" thick. I'll be adding a 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" square block to each end. I'll use these end blocks to anchor the box to the van floor.
I'll also be using 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" size blocks on the sofa-bed build. Why 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" size blocks? Because I have a bunch of 2x4 odds and ends laying around and each one can be ripped to two equal sized 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" blocks. A good way to use them up.
After cutting the base and doing a test fitting I noticed the long sides of the box is bowed. To counteract the bow I added a section of wood. This will be used just for the glueing phase.
Draw the outline of the box on the base then use that outline as a guide for painting on the wood glue.
Apply glue to the bottom edge of the box then clamp them both together.
Let dry overnight.
continued -
Here's a picture of the latest piece of equipment I've bought for the van build.
$15.99 from the local CVS.
For the price it's pretty effective. Not a magic bullet but does help with the pain so I can get back to work on the van. With the sudden improvement in the weather I can't sit still. Actually got the van on the road yesterday after it having being snow bound for two months. With the big piles of snow still in front of the house I had a dickens of a time getting it back into it's parking space.
$15.99 from the local CVS.
For the price it's pretty effective. Not a magic bullet but does help with the pain so I can get back to work on the van. With the sudden improvement in the weather I can't sit still. Actually got the van on the road yesterday after it having being snow bound for two months. With the big piles of snow still in front of the house I had a dickens of a time getting it back into it's parking space.
Battery and Biscuits
Time for some woodworking. I'll start with something simple. A battery box.
But before that a couple cautions.
WARNING: I'm not a carpenter and have had no woodworking training since 8th grade wood shop. I have no idea if I'm doing this the right way much less the best way. You've been warned.
WARNING: Power tools are way dangerous. You can't be too careful. Understand how the tools operate. Read all the literature. Be sure to wear your safety gear.
As you can see from this picture I always wear my safety gear whenever I'm using power tools.
Oh wait, wrong photo.
OK, this one is better. Be sure to wear all of the below gear. Your eyes, lungs, hearing and hands will thank you.
On with the project.
I'm building a box to contain my battery bank. They will be located inside the van. I'm using flooded cell batteries (AKA wet cell or Lead-acid battery) so this will have to be vented. Another design consideration is since it will be located under the sofa-bed it's overall height has be to as low as I can make it.
The batteries will be arranged in this fashion.
Mistake number 1. When you are sliding these 65 pound blocks of lead filled hard plastic around on the floor DON'T GET YOUR FINGERS BETWEEN THEM! Luckily this is not a audio posting.
I'm using furring strips as spacers between the batteries. Since batteries will heat up as they charge I wanted some space between them. Scrap furring strips happen to be the perfect size.
With the spacers the box will be 32" long by 11-1/2" wide and 8-1/2" high before I attach a base.
I'm cutting the box sides from 19/32" exterior pine plywood. The plywood I'm using is left over scraps from the sofa-bed I've also started building. Since it's scraps I won't charge the wood to this post.
After I've cut out the four pieces of wood that will be the sides of the box I have to join them together. I'm be using a biscuit cutter/joiner.
Here's what one I'm using looks like.
This is what the biscuits look like. They come in different sizes.
The way it works is you hold the cutter up against the wood. Then as you press it forward this circular saw blade extends outward and cuts a crescent shaped hole into the edge of the wooden piece.
Into this crescent shaped hole is placed one of the biscuits.
Since this is the first time I'm joining boards this size I had to adjust the joiner so it cut into the center of the board. A piece of scrap works best for this.
The next step is to figure out how many biscuits, what size biscuits and where you want to place them.
I'm thinking three #10 biscuits would be best centered at 1-3/8", 4-1/4" and 6-7/8" measured from the bottom.
This knob adjusts the depth of the cutter head. The deeper the cut the bigger the biscuit.
Since the biscuit cut-outs on each side of the joint have to line up be consistent with your measurements.
Measure and mark the board.
The biscuit cutter has a mark you line up with your mark.
After three cuts and inserting the biscuits it looks like this.
Now that I've made the cuts on the END of the board I have to make corresponding cuts on the SIDE of the other board that will make up this joint. The reason I've bolded the text for END and SIDE brings me to:
Mistake number 2. Don't get confused about which you should be cutting on the board you are working on. Should you be cutting the END or the SIDE? In my case it was back to the table saw for new board.
Here's the underside of the cutter. You'll see this when you cut into the side a board. There is a guide groove you line up with your marks
Here's what the two sides of a joint will look like if you do it correctly.
That's it. Do that again for each of the other three corners. Then just paint wood glue in the cuts, on the biscuits and along the edges where the boards will meet. One advantage of using biscuits is you have some "slop" so you'll be able to move the boards a bit if you need to make adjustments. Use clamps to hold it all together. The more clamps the better.
Be sure to check that all four corners are square. I find that a "speed square" does a great job at checking for this.
Let sit overnight.
continued -
Time for some woodworking. I'll start with something simple. A battery box.
But before that a couple cautions.
WARNING: I'm not a carpenter and have had no woodworking training since 8th grade wood shop. I have no idea if I'm doing this the right way much less the best way. You've been warned.
WARNING: Power tools are way dangerous. You can't be too careful. Understand how the tools operate. Read all the literature. Be sure to wear your safety gear.
As you can see from this picture I always wear my safety gear whenever I'm using power tools.
Oh wait, wrong photo.
OK, this one is better. Be sure to wear all of the below gear. Your eyes, lungs, hearing and hands will thank you.
On with the project.
I'm building a box to contain my battery bank. They will be located inside the van. I'm using flooded cell batteries (AKA wet cell or Lead-acid battery) so this will have to be vented. Another design consideration is since it will be located under the sofa-bed it's overall height has be to as low as I can make it.
The batteries will be arranged in this fashion.
Mistake number 1. When you are sliding these 65 pound blocks of lead filled hard plastic around on the floor DON'T GET YOUR FINGERS BETWEEN THEM! Luckily this is not a audio posting.
I'm using furring strips as spacers between the batteries. Since batteries will heat up as they charge I wanted some space between them. Scrap furring strips happen to be the perfect size.
With the spacers the box will be 32" long by 11-1/2" wide and 8-1/2" high before I attach a base.
I'm cutting the box sides from 19/32" exterior pine plywood. The plywood I'm using is left over scraps from the sofa-bed I've also started building. Since it's scraps I won't charge the wood to this post.
After I've cut out the four pieces of wood that will be the sides of the box I have to join them together. I'm be using a biscuit cutter/joiner.
Here's what one I'm using looks like.
This is what the biscuits look like. They come in different sizes.
The way it works is you hold the cutter up against the wood. Then as you press it forward this circular saw blade extends outward and cuts a crescent shaped hole into the edge of the wooden piece.
Into this crescent shaped hole is placed one of the biscuits.
Since this is the first time I'm joining boards this size I had to adjust the joiner so it cut into the center of the board. A piece of scrap works best for this.
The next step is to figure out how many biscuits, what size biscuits and where you want to place them.
I'm thinking three #10 biscuits would be best centered at 1-3/8", 4-1/4" and 6-7/8" measured from the bottom.
This knob adjusts the depth of the cutter head. The deeper the cut the bigger the biscuit.
Since the biscuit cut-outs on each side of the joint have to line up be consistent with your measurements.
Measure and mark the board.
The biscuit cutter has a mark you line up with your mark.
After three cuts and inserting the biscuits it looks like this.
Now that I've made the cuts on the END of the board I have to make corresponding cuts on the SIDE of the other board that will make up this joint. The reason I've bolded the text for END and SIDE brings me to:
Mistake number 2. Don't get confused about which you should be cutting on the board you are working on. Should you be cutting the END or the SIDE? In my case it was back to the table saw for new board.
Here's the underside of the cutter. You'll see this when you cut into the side a board. There is a guide groove you line up with your marks
Here's what the two sides of a joint will look like if you do it correctly.
That's it. Do that again for each of the other three corners. Then just paint wood glue in the cuts, on the biscuits and along the edges where the boards will meet. One advantage of using biscuits is you have some "slop" so you'll be able to move the boards a bit if you need to make adjustments. Use clamps to hold it all together. The more clamps the better.
Be sure to check that all four corners are square. I find that a "speed square" does a great job at checking for this.
Let sit overnight.
continued -
Panel Installation
I've got a couple panels covered with cloth so it's time to install in the van. First check the weather.
Yep, still cold.
Take the first panel and screw it into place.
In the photo the fabric might look stained. It's not. This fabric has what I think is called "nap" so depending on which direction you smooth it with you hands it will have a slightly different look.
There is a metal ridge that runs horizontally along the van wall. I'm attaching the panel to that ridge with #8 1-1/2" sheet metal screws. At first I tried to use the same holes I used when I first test fit the panel before covering but it wasn't worth the trouble. With all the insulation on the wall of the van you either can't find the hole or if you do it's too hard to line up again with the fabric covering the old entry point on the panel.
Use a drill to create new small pilot hole through the panel and ridge and screw into that. I'm not using a powered driver to attach the screws. Just do it by hand. Any kind of a powered tool could drive the screw head right through the fiberboard too easily. That's also why I'm not using self-tapping sheet metal screws. Don't want to take a chance of going through the fiberboard.
Since I'm using #8 screws the pilot hole in the metal ridge isn't vary large. With the fabric/fiberboard/extruded_foam covering layer I sometimes had a problem finding the pilot hole I had just drilled. Had to drill through just the metal ridge again but not to worry. A few extra small holes can't be seen and won't cause any structural problems.
I present the Pillar Panel previewed in a previously post. Ready for installation.
Presto!
If you remember all the edging pieces I installed on the Pillar Panel this is the final results. Not bad.
Here's one mistake I didn't make, for a change.
I had cut, insulated and test fit the next panel in line and it was ready to go. The thing is it fit perfect BEFORE I fabric covered and installed the first panel. I was going to go ahead and cover this panel when I thought I should wait. Good thing I did. It was a close fit before but with the fabric and added fiberglass insulation in the back it's TOO tight. In the picture you can see an overhang along the lower left side.
Table saw works real good at slimming it down just a hair. Wouldn't have been so easy if it was fabric covered.
So Lesson Learned is complete and install one panel at a time to be sure of a good fit.
I've got a couple panels covered with cloth so it's time to install in the van. First check the weather.
Yep, still cold.
Take the first panel and screw it into place.
In the photo the fabric might look stained. It's not. This fabric has what I think is called "nap" so depending on which direction you smooth it with you hands it will have a slightly different look.
There is a metal ridge that runs horizontally along the van wall. I'm attaching the panel to that ridge with #8 1-1/2" sheet metal screws. At first I tried to use the same holes I used when I first test fit the panel before covering but it wasn't worth the trouble. With all the insulation on the wall of the van you either can't find the hole or if you do it's too hard to line up again with the fabric covering the old entry point on the panel.
Use a drill to create new small pilot hole through the panel and ridge and screw into that. I'm not using a powered driver to attach the screws. Just do it by hand. Any kind of a powered tool could drive the screw head right through the fiberboard too easily. That's also why I'm not using self-tapping sheet metal screws. Don't want to take a chance of going through the fiberboard.
Since I'm using #8 screws the pilot hole in the metal ridge isn't vary large. With the fabric/fiberboard/extruded_foam covering layer I sometimes had a problem finding the pilot hole I had just drilled. Had to drill through just the metal ridge again but not to worry. A few extra small holes can't be seen and won't cause any structural problems.
I present the Pillar Panel previewed in a previously post. Ready for installation.
Presto!
If you remember all the edging pieces I installed on the Pillar Panel this is the final results. Not bad.
Here's one mistake I didn't make, for a change.
I had cut, insulated and test fit the next panel in line and it was ready to go. The thing is it fit perfect BEFORE I fabric covered and installed the first panel. I was going to go ahead and cover this panel when I thought I should wait. Good thing I did. It was a close fit before but with the fabric and added fiberglass insulation in the back it's TOO tight. In the picture you can see an overhang along the lower left side.
Table saw works real good at slimming it down just a hair. Wouldn't have been so easy if it was fabric covered.
So Lesson Learned is complete and install one panel at a time to be sure of a good fit.
Covering wall panels continued.
Next day. Flip the panel over. Be sure to remove the plastic covering off the foam where you will be gluing.
Paint contact cement along the edge of the panel then on the back. Use plenty of masking tape to pull the fabric tight against the edge of the panel.
Worked my way around the panel. Since this is the back of the panel I didn't worry about using too much glue. If it showed through the fabric no problem. This edge is curved so to get the fabric to fit I had to make several cuts. Be sure to dry fit the material before you put down the contact cement.
That's it. I let the panel dry overnight before mounting. Since all the masking tape was holding the fabric in place I didn't use anything else to hold the fabric down while it dried. I removed most of the masking tape after drying. Some was glued down so I just left it.
Next day. Flip the panel over. Be sure to remove the plastic covering off the foam where you will be gluing.
Paint contact cement along the edge of the panel then on the back. Use plenty of masking tape to pull the fabric tight against the edge of the panel.
Worked my way around the panel. Since this is the back of the panel I didn't worry about using too much glue. If it showed through the fabric no problem. This edge is curved so to get the fabric to fit I had to make several cuts. Be sure to dry fit the material before you put down the contact cement.
That's it. I let the panel dry overnight before mounting. Since all the masking tape was holding the fabric in place I didn't use anything else to hold the fabric down while it dried. I removed most of the masking tape after drying. Some was glued down so I just left it.
Covering wall panels.
By now I have insulated and test fitted some panels. Time for the next step.
When I was at Sportsmobile in Indiana for the Penthouse Top installation they sold me a roll of fabric that was the same as they used on the inside trim work. The receipt has it at $10 a yard and it's called Encompass blue velour.
Installation is easy enough. Cut the fabric so you have enough to wrap around the edges.
This material has something similar to a "grain" where the velour is in lines. I took great care to position the cloth on the panel so these lines would be vertical when the panels were installed in the van. After I got it just like I wanted it I used a socket set to weigh down one side so the material wouldn't shift.
Then carefully roll back the half that's not weighted.
Apply contact cement to the half of the board that's exposed. The fiberboard will soak up part of the first coat you put down so usually I had to do two coats but be careful and don't overdo it or the contact cement will soak through the front of the cloth. Before I got to this step I used a scrap piece of fiberboard and cloth and tested it so I'd have a good idea of what was the right amount of cement to put down. I suggest you do the same.
Carefully roll the fabric back over the now contact cement coated fiberboard. Use your hands to smooth it out. I then moved the socket set to the glued side.
Roll back the fabric on the unglued side. Glue this second half like the first half.
Roll the cloth back over the second glued half and carefully smooth everything out. Cover with some scrap plywood and let sit overnight.
continued -
By now I have insulated and test fitted some panels. Time for the next step.
When I was at Sportsmobile in Indiana for the Penthouse Top installation they sold me a roll of fabric that was the same as they used on the inside trim work. The receipt has it at $10 a yard and it's called Encompass blue velour.
Installation is easy enough. Cut the fabric so you have enough to wrap around the edges.
This material has something similar to a "grain" where the velour is in lines. I took great care to position the cloth on the panel so these lines would be vertical when the panels were installed in the van. After I got it just like I wanted it I used a socket set to weigh down one side so the material wouldn't shift.
Then carefully roll back the half that's not weighted.
Apply contact cement to the half of the board that's exposed. The fiberboard will soak up part of the first coat you put down so usually I had to do two coats but be careful and don't overdo it or the contact cement will soak through the front of the cloth. Before I got to this step I used a scrap piece of fiberboard and cloth and tested it so I'd have a good idea of what was the right amount of cement to put down. I suggest you do the same.
Carefully roll the fabric back over the now contact cement coated fiberboard. Use your hands to smooth it out. I then moved the socket set to the glued side.
Roll back the fabric on the unglued side. Glue this second half like the first half.
Roll the cloth back over the second glued half and carefully smooth everything out. Cover with some scrap plywood and let sit overnight.
continued -
