Assembly and Finishing All the parts are now ready for assembly. Now that all the parts are ready, it’s time to glue and clamp everything together. After a couple of hours drying time, the rack gets a final sanding. A quarter is used to indicate the corners at the top of the two side panels. They… Continue reading Magazine Rack (3)
Category: Woodworking
Magazine Rack (2)
Enhance the Tiger Maple Before continuing with the assembly, the three front pieces that are made out of Tiger Maple, need some ‘popping’, that is, enhancing the visibility of the curl in the wood. Tools & materials required: Dye, sand paper and jar. A little ‘Dark Mission Brown’ powder dye is combined with some distilled… Continue reading Magazine Rack (2)
Magazine Rack (1)
Utilizing every available space is a priority; the area to the right of the rear side window is large enough to accommodate a magazine rack and is conveniently close to the bed. This will allow for some late night reading. Back to the workshop for some woodworking! The main wood choice is again Cherry in… Continue reading Magazine Rack (1)
Monitor Console
Between the window and the side doors is a narrow strip of wall available to house a small console. It is the future location of the battery monitor and a reading light. With a narrow piece of wood, the length of the console, placed against the inside wall, the curve of the wall is transferred… Continue reading Monitor Console
Bed, Wall & Window
Before continuing with the other side of the van interior, it’s time to put the wall and window above the bed, back together again. Two issues remain: the battery cables and the solar controller cable need to be installed. The other is the decision I have to make, whether to go ahead with batting as… Continue reading Bed, Wall & Window
Toilet Access Door
The last time I worked on the bed, the pull-out, sliding shelf was installed. Now I’ll continue with a door for the toilet compartment. In deliberating the hinge options, I came across a simple wooden hinge design, that looked appropriate for this application. Under the built-in, slide-out shelf is just enough space to house the portable… Continue reading Toilet Access Door
12V Cooling Fan
The compartment under the bed that will hold the charger, controller, inverter, etc. is a small enclosure and needs some form of cooling. I choose a 5” computer fan with thermal control, that automatically adjusts its speed as the temperature rises. Other considerations were low noise level (<18dB), high airflow volume (up to 42cfm) and… Continue reading 12V Cooling Fan
Wiring
While working on the multi-use cabinet, I started with some of the wiring. Before I can continue building new cabinets, the majority of the electrical wiring has to be installed. Battery Monitor The monitor will be located on the wall next to the side doors and connected to the batteries with 4 small… Continue reading Wiring
Multi-Use Cabinet (8)
After my last post, I took a short brake, but now I’m refreshed and at it again. We are in the final stretch of the multi purpose cabinet and next time I hope to have it ready to install in the (cargo) van conversion. Meanwhile, to prevent any noise made by the cooktop cover while… Continue reading Multi-Use Cabinet (8)
Multi-Use Cabinet (7)
Previously I messed up one of the drawer bottoms of the cabinet that I’m making for my (cargo) van conversion. First redo that, then do the top surface with access to the cooktop. After all the major parts have been put together, only the hardware, the finishing and final installation in the van remains. … Continue reading Multi-Use Cabinet (7)