| Author |
Message |
Ronnie (24.162.237.118)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 09, 2002 - 3:37 pm: | |
I just came aboard busnuts,have a rv but trading for a conversion.Thanks for all subject post I read and enjoy.I hope my stay is long plus share my knowledge of anything asked on building. Many needs help in this inside finish of conversion buses. I want to explain this method, it works in building a cabinet face or just a curved wall you want to cover. I know this next issue may sound the long trip in trying to build a curves but here goes.In fitting any radius of the coach prefectly lets say the total inward bend is 2 foot and length is 8 foot.You want the wall to fit tight in the end.Cut a sheet in half and lay it on the floor ,push tight up against the wall. Take a string and wrap one end around a pencil and tie it sucure.In left hand hold pencil and place it on the outer side of plywood laying on the floor.In right hand take other end of string and pull out enough that your hand touches the bus wall closest to you. With both hands at once start pulling toward the other end keeping right hand against the bus wall while pencil end is marking on the plywood the shape of the outer bus curves exactly.When you are at the other end you can look back of the curve line you have made that is the same as bus wall.Now say we want to save space and our wall MUST be thin but strong so we will make wall 3/4 inch thick.Cut that curve line with a jig saw.Get a scrape piece of 3/4 board and lay it flush on the line you cut with pencil again on backside of the board. Mark all the way down again.Cut this line. Now you have a 3/4 inch bottom plate that looks like a snake but if you push it against the bus wall you will find it fits perfit.Take this bottom plate you made and trace another 1/2 inch piece of plywood (3/4 works better not breaking)again to form what will be is the top plate exactly like the first.Does not matter how high wall is going to be cause now we are going to cut the studs .Glue or apply one top plate you made against the top and other on the floor ,both tight against the bus wall secure. Now measure the length from top to bottom and cut your studs which in this case they are 3/4 thick and as wide as possible . Put your first board in and nail (air gun if you have one).Continue cutting boards and nailing them tight against each other till you have covered the total wall and all curves are formed.Now your wall is 3/4 inch thick and is very strong as well fits all the curves of the bus but you have all these cracks inbetween the boards showing. Next step I would get a sheet of 1/8th inch plywood and lay it against the wall which bends easy. Glue behind after you are sure your fit is what you want and nail. Your wall now is done , strong to last.If your wall needs to be away from the outer bus wall simply attach top and bottom anywhere needed.If you want a thicker wall then from the start of your second string pull just gather more string around your right hand. Before cutting the second line you may want to measure from the side of the first cut marking say 3-1/2 inch and hand free this second line before cutting to insure the intire wall is the same thickness.........This method will work in a closed in space of any kind or any project being built to insure a wall fits the radius of the coach prefectly. Takes time but the out come is what you want as well accuires a perfict workmanship if someone hires you to do a job.This is how round walls you see built is formed and you wander how a round wall is built or face of cabinets......Anything needed in building contact me and I will reply ,email....rhouse@nc.rr.com...or post a new subject. |
jdexsquid (216.175.64.120)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 09, 2002 - 8:32 pm: | |
No doubt I'll be trying this method! Thanks for taking the time to post this valuable tidbit. I had been worrying about how I was going to cope around the complex curves found in my Crown!
Jim |
John G Root Jr (Johnroot) (140.186.114.253)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 12:41 am: | |
Ronnie, Glad to have you on board! I may be dense but I can't picture what you are describing. I would like to. John |
Pete (152.163.213.66)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 6:48 am: | |
I just finished the interior trim in my Scenicruiser, This posed a few probs because of the rounded sides and edges on the interior of the bus. We took a coping saw and back cut all edges to get our radius's. this can work with plywood but i recommend luan.interior cuts to make the radius inside of the area get a wider cut then the outside, all cuts being vertical. This is because it bends into itself. Being a framer and a contractor we have made rounded rooms and showers for years.
if you have little experience with wood and working with back cutting i strongly recomend layering it with the luan and build it up from there to make it stronger. glue and screw it. 3/4 or even 1/2 inch can be tricky and a pain in the arsse in a tight space. also remember, if you are going to layer it please stager your joints, youll come out with a nice look and its easier to finish.
Pete |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (64.12.96.235)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 7:51 am: | |
Ronnie, I too am having trouble visualizing what you are explaining.
I even copied your writeup and pasted it to a word document and then tried to add paragraphs to format it for easier reading and I am still too dense to to understand exactly how it works. And I really would like to understand it.
How about a little more explaination and some formatting for us dummies!
Thanks, Richard |
Ace (24.28.44.126)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 9:28 am: | |
I think what he is referring to is called "scribe-ing"! We use this method in the floor covering business as well and it DOES work if your sure not to move any of the pieces during line drawing and if you try not to get one hand before the other! If you do then obviously the line will be either longer or shorter from your projected target!
Hope this helps! |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (64.12.96.235)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 12:04 pm: | |
But how can you scribe a line from the wall to a board lying flat on the floor?
Richard |
Ronnie (24.162.237.118)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 6:12 pm: | |
Easy . You have in your left hand a pencil tied to a string and your right hand finger tied to about 20 inches of string on the other end . If you have that right hand against the bus wall , start sliding down following in and out all curves. Your left hand with pencil is tied to the right hand does not the pencil go right and left following the right hand that is tied together ? One has to keep all slack out of the string while scribing. If your curve goes in 21 inches then the pencil will mark the plywood 21 inches away. After all is marked , cut out, slide your cut to the bus side. It will fit.
There is thousands of ways to do any job . That is just a thought on one. For the small corners of turn lowes has a special tool you slide up against ANY corner wheather it be a inside or outside corner that is exactly the corner shape. Push it against that curve the pens will get that shape. Take that tool and transfur it on your plywood.
Most times there is not enough room to lay down a big sheet to mark
Yes luan works great as well . Roll as much up in a roll you wish to push up against the bus side . You keep cutting away till the luan(rug) fits the curves.
For a vertical cut you want to fit up against just simply get a compass . Say your wall is from bottom to top. Push a board the full length up against the wall. Take the compass ,open it up , slide it down total length going in and out till you have marked the shape of the vertical curves . (compass)I amsure in school you all have used a compass , pencil on one side, a point on the other side like a pair of sissors.
The first post is the same method only a compass will not open 2 feet . You use the string instead , same effect.
I was just trying to help anyone that may need this info . If out of 1000 it helps just one then my time was worth the typing. |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (152.163.195.189)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 9:45 pm: | |
OK. I think I got it. You were describing a horizontal line across the bottom of the bus. I was thinking you was scribing a vertical wall and marking it on a board lying horizontal.
Richard |
Ronnie (24.162.237.118)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 10:13 pm: | |
First post was lying on the floor. My last post above was up and down for you that mixes up horizontal and vertical. |
John Biundo (Jbiundo) (64.175.37.67)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 11, 2002 - 12:12 am: | |
I guess I got my up, down and sideways mixed up too. Now I understand. I think most of us were confused because the most common curve nightmare we have is with the curving roof of the bus, so that's the picture we all started with. |
Ronnie (24.162.237.118)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 11, 2002 - 12:17 am: | |
For that curve just get a piece of card board and a knife. Cut away till it fits , then transfur. |
Scott Whitney (66.214.66.193)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 11, 2002 - 2:09 am: | |
I did a simlar procedure today on walls for my shower enclosure. I used a piece of sheet metal clamped to the shower wall framing (perpendicular to bus wall). Then I measured down from the ceiling 20 inches. (could be any amount depending on how big of a pattern you want) I then moved the T square an inch closer towards the bus wall and measured & marked again. Repeated about 15 times. Eventually a rough curve was formed. I then cut it our with sheers.
Then I clamped this curve up the the bus ceiling again. A close fit, but not perfect. But close enough to scribe again and get very close. I used my caliper set to an inch and ran it along the ceiling while scratching the sheet metal. Used the snips again to make the cut, and a perfect match was achieved.
Tomorrow, I'll use my sheet metal pattern to mark the plywood for the shower walls. With luck, they will fit. . .
In theory, this pattern can be used later when I get to cabinets etc.
Scott |
Steven Gibbs (12.148.43.7)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 19, 2002 - 8:02 am: | |
When I tore out the bathroom on my MC9, I kept the forward bulkhead wall.
I then laid this piece over any material that was to form a wall perpendicualar to the coach side and cut out the curve at the ceiling and the bow that the coach wall has.
All I had to do was compensate on the bottom for the increasing ceiling height from back to front.
This got me real close and the rest was covered with trim.
I still have the piece even though the interior is complete--I'm afraid to throw it out.
Steve |