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Message |
Richard Cline (Rich83) (65.130.60.63)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 17, 2003 - 1:47 am: | |
I'm considering registering for a bus conversion workshop offered by Tom Winterhalter & Bus Conversions Magazine in Westminster, CA, 3-7 Nov 03 ($1200). Has anyone had any experience with or knowledge of this workshop? Are there any other learning experiences/avenues that you'd recommend instead? |
Doug (69.139.69.67)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 17, 2003 - 8:52 am: | |
ouch, 1200 is alot of green.....what do you get for your investment |
Bill Gerrie (216.185.73.251)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 1:29 am: | |
Richard
I have personally not attended but a friend of mine has and he said it was well worth the price. He said the info he obtained was excellent and was quite helpfull in building his coach. Tom Winterhalter is a very knowledgable person. |
Richard Cline (Rich83) (63.155.216.167)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 2:38 am: | |
Doug,
You can go to the following site to get a description of the workshop: www.busconversions.com/Workshop2002/Workshop%20Info.html
The description claims the course is very extensive but I realize it's only a 5-day workshop. |
Richard Cline (Rich83) (63.155.216.167)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 2:41 am: | |
Bill,
Thanks for the reply. |
Marc Bourget (209.142.38.81)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 11:28 am: | |
Tom's given presentations at MAK's Convention in the past. I've spoken with him at length several times. Yes, I believe he's knowledgeable.
His concentration at those presentations was on interior, but he understands chassis since you have to deal with it to properly construct the systems and interior.
If you're new to the hobby, the stuff Tom offers that you'll forget because so much is pushed past you would be enough to save you the $1200 cost of the program - in parts, labor and wasted time. Take a friend along to help with note taking, etc.
Onward and Upward
Marc Bourget |
H3JIm (68.107.60.222)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 5:42 pm: | |
I took the class last year. I think it very good as far as it goes. Tom is very knowedgeble, but his expertisee is mainly in building cabinets and interiors, certainly a prime area of concern. I thought it had about 3 days of solid information packed into 5 days of classes. Tom stands by to help and to answer questions even long after the class is over. Questions about the pros and cons of which shell are mostly ignored, and in their defense, it is a many faceted subject dependent soemwhat on the converter's goals. MAK strongly supports buying an MCI 9 as being the most cost effective, and don't look back. They of course buy the NJT buses and resell both the shells and the converted Motorcabins. Both Tom and Mike are involved with this. Mike Kadletz, editor of Bus conversions Mag, sponsors the class in his back room of his offices. While Mike clearly supports the class, he left most of the teaching to Tom. Mike is the knowledgeable one about the business end of buses and conversions, but seemed tired and was reluctant to talk about it. The magazines, the class and the bulletin boards all seem to shy away from talking numbers and costs. Most of the decisions are cost / style / function tradeoffs, but it is diffcult to glean the cost information from anyone.
Tom will show you about the Kreig pocket hole jig. The class and he used it to to fully assemble a cabinet face frame in several minutes. very impressive. I ran back home and bought one from Amazon, and have used it around the house for quite a number of projects and repairs. Indispensible in building a bus interior. Tom also has some very handy layout sheets and colorred markers along with the strong recomendation you build the entire interior of your bus out of cardbard first. The cardboard is much easier and cheaper to modify, and later the pieces can be used to help make your list of wood and materials, as well as uas as a cutting template. Good advice. Also mark the layout on the floor in tape.
While there is much information being imparted in the class, I found the brain dump could have been better organized. If you don't take copious notes, you will miss much of it. Sources etc. There was a very helpful field trip to ABC bus and the MCI yard, as well as a trip to Villa International, a well known and local to the class, seat and couch manufacturer. The more knowldegable you are going in to the class, the more you will get out of it. I think I learned as much or more from the other attendees as from the instructor. You can probably learn as much or more by faithfully reading the bulletin boards and especially attending the annual bus bash and talking to all, and looking at floor plans, hearing about each shell and what's good and bad from the owners.
Having said all that, I do not regret taking the class. I wish that it had the level of detail and cost tradeoffs that Gumpy does in his documentation. The entire written matierial you get from the class while good, is less than Gumpy's rather complete discussion on the constuction of his water tanks. |
Steve (162.40.131.225)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 31, 2003 - 12:48 am: | |
Which pocket hole jig did you buy????? Thanks
Steve |
DonTX/KS (205.187.92.17)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 31, 2003 - 7:59 am: | |
I think this is the one he was speaking of, go to this site: http://www.kregtool.com/ |
H3JIm (68.107.60.182)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 01, 2003 - 11:24 pm: | |
I bought the K2000 system, $139. Includes several jigs. A little overkill, I was just so enthusiastic after the class I got carried away. I actually bought it from Amazon. The blue plastic version is just fine, you don't need the metal one. Feel free to email me.
and yes I mis-spelled it in the original post, it is Kreg.
jim dot stewart at cox.net |
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