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New Lightbridge Rocker box.


Brantuk

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The price of the wood from B&Q was just £37.50 and I have double all the pieces above plus a little left over from an 8'x4' sheet of standard 11ply birch - ie enough for two rocker boxes - or in my case - one rocker box plus spares for botch ups. All these pieces were cut for free by the man at B&Q. More pics tomorrow. :)

Edited by Brantuk
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First the Alt bearings to cut from the large piece - measuring up involved finding the center of the wood which will also be the center of an 8" diameter circle. Then the idea is to cut straight through the circle to make two equal sides. Second pic is clamping the work to the bench and nailing down the router jig. Third pic - doing the routing:

 

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Now for some straight cuts - first one cuts the two sides into two equal halves.

 

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Next cut is on the diagonal - so the guide for the saw doesn't work - I had to clamp a straight bit of wood to the work at an angle to guide the saw.

 

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Finally voila two side bearings ready for a bit of weight saving routing out.

 

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You mentioned that it decreases your height by 1.5cm, if I remember right the lower OTA of the LB is pretty deep and there is not a lot of clearence so are you sure the lower OTA will still swing and give clearence for your counterweights.

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Yup - I checked the clearance Mick and it's quite surprising - it does swing out clear of the rear piece including the Farpoint weights. :)

Well spotted!

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Did a trial fit of the whole thing this morning just to check the measurements - in particular the width which has to be 55cm from the outer edge of one alt bearing to the other. Here's how it's eventually going to look - and the critical measurements are all fine so far:

 

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Thanks Mick - slowly getting there and it's always nice when it starts to take shape. :)

Next job is to route the front radius, the weight saving holes in the sides, and the circular base board.

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Thats taking shape nicely Kim. :thumbsup:

You must be well please with your progress so far.

Keep it up and post up more photos. 

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You are cracking along nicely there mate. You have got to varnish it, paint wouldn't do it justice, it will look gorgeous. 

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Yep - very pleased with progress - thanks Graham :)

 

Martyn - yes I was thinking of varnishing it - but this is the prototype (maybe) and the wood grade is B&Q naff standard so it only has one good side. This will be painted I'm afraid - I do have a very nice colour in mind - but if I eventually go for the good wood then it'll be a varnish job for sure. :)

 

Here's the final part of today's shenannigans on the drive - routing the base board at 7:30pm on a Sunday night. Lucky I didn't get any complaints really but this is what the whole box will sit on once I attach the feet, slide glides, and center pin.

 

 

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Notice the burned wood this end of the circle where I lingered a little too long on slightly too deep a cut. I think routers like to skim layers off rather than cut through thick bits. Ho hum - lesson learned..... more later... :)

Edited by Brantuk
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I'm thoroughly enjoying this thread Kim. You are doing a really professional looking job. :thumbsup:

 

What model is your router? Are you getting on OK with it, or are there any other features you wish it had? I'm looking to buy one, but have never used one before.

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Thanks Pete - it's a Bosche POF 1200 AE from B&Q (the 1200 is watts).

 

Never having used routers before I'm finding it a lot of fun and such a versatile tool. The only thing I wish it had was a trigger lock. You have to press a red button in order to use the trigger but the moment you let go it switches off. Other routers can lock on for continuous working - I guess mines a safety thing - just as well in my dozy dotage lol

 

I must also learn how to work the depth guage for skimming - I'm a bit slap dash "by eye" at the moment lol. But otherwise I really like it. :)

Edited by Brantuk
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43 minutes ago, Brantuk said:

Thanks Pete - it's a Bosche POF 1200 AE from B&Q (the 1200 is watts).

 

Never having used routers before I'm finding it a lot of fun and such a versatile tool. The only thing I wish it had was a trigger lock. You have to press a red button in order to use the trigger but the moment you let go it switches off. Other routers can lock on for continuous working - I guess mines a safety thing - just as well in my dozy dotage lol

 

I must also learn how to work the depth guage for skimming - I'm a bit slap dash "by eye" at the moment lol. But otherwise I really like it. :)

Great thanks Kim. Very useful info, cheers. :thumbsup:

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Well one of the router's limitations is it's size I've discovered - I can't find a way of jigging up a hole of less than 4" radius and I need four holes with 3" radius'es (can't be ar**sed with radii lol). So it's either spend £70'ish on a smaller router - or pop down to ToolStation and get a hole saw for £11.95. Fortunately the largest size they do is ideal at 6" diameter (152mm). Made light work of reducing the weight of the sides:

 

 

 

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Another foible I found with the drill was doing the small middle hole with a hole saw. If the drill is too powerful and the saw is small - it buzzes round rather quickly creating friction - and if there's too much of that you get fire. So by the time I'd done the two small holes the wood was smoking.... Hilarious indeed - especially being right next to the caravan - but heck it's out there as a warning for anyone else who, like me, is finding out as they go along.

I'll have to sand the holes and sides now to smooth out one or two rough edges - but here's the latest mock up:

 

 

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I'm surprised and happy to say we don't seem to have sacrificed any strength - the sides are pretty rock solid thank goodness. :)

Edited by Brantuk
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Great thread Kim, keep it coming!

I bought myself a router a while back & havn't even tried it out yet, must get on with it, especially now I've seen yours in action!

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Thanks Dave :)

 

Yes I'm having a great time with the new router - dead versatile they are. Which make/model did you get? And what're you gonna make with it?

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1 minute ago, Brantuk said:

Thanks Dave :)

 

Yes I'm having a great time with the new router - dead versatile they are. Which make/model did you get? And what're you gonna make with it?

Got it from Aldi - for making Dob parts of course. :)

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Keeping an eye on this thread for when I refurb the dob- the chipboard will not last much longer

 

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This is a great thread Kim, you make it all look so easy! I got a 'C' in woodwork eons ago, so I am well impressed! ?

I want a router too. Just in case!

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Thanks Rob - glad you like it :)

 

And thanks Stephen - it's not quite so easy as it looks actually - taking the pics and saying what I did is easy lol.

But measuring and cutting is sometimes tricky - there's a few rough edges in there that need smoothing (or re-doing).

But it's fun. :)

 

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Thanks Mick - yep practise is deffo what I need - learning by my mistakes - lucky I didn't have to call the fire brigade today lol. :)

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