Victory at last! My O15TB's are done! A few pictures....

[Alan Star]

Thanks for sharing, your work is an inspiration. Must have been a tough decision with the screws hey

[Scott Brochu]

Very well done

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Thanks for sharing, your work is an inspiration. Must have been a tough decision with the screws hey

I'm considering rivets for my next.

[Rick Auricchio]

Wonderful work.

I also plan to go with the 1/2" extension for a grille. It looks like it's a good idea for me to plan to assemble the midhorn prior to installing the front panel.

And I may go with just the single handle as you did, rather than a pair.

The toughest thing for me will be collecting and printing all these ideas and tips. No way I'm gonna bring the laptop into the shop!

[Harley]

I'm considering rivets for my next.

The local guy here making road cabs uses rivets almost exclusively for fixing fittings onto ply.

I copied his idea making up some elaborate storage shelving at work a while back. The trick is that you must have the right dia SHARP drill bit for the wood that matches the rivet dia. I used 4.8mm dia rivets ( 3/16" ) and found that the 5mm dia drill bit made the grab of the rivet too sloppy and a blunt 4.8 the same. When I had a sharp 4.8mm - WOW!

As an experiment I hung a vertical sheet of 15mm thick 8 x 4 with just 4 rivets and tried levering the sheets off the steel angle surround - almost impossible.

Good quality ply is also a must.

The down side is that if you screw up, drilling out the rivets makes a mess and if you need to use the hole again, you have to go one size bigger again.

[Bryan316]

Any of you guys ever glue your screws in? I've done a project with regular drywall screws, and before drilling the screws in, I dripped glue into the pilot holes, and dipped the screws into the glue. They're hella strong, and only take a few extra seconds of labor.

[David Carter]

Any of you guys ever glue your screws in? I've done a project with regular drywall screws, and before drilling the screws in, I dripped glue into the pilot holes, and dipped the screws into the glue. They're hella strong, and only take a few extra seconds of labor.

Actually on all my builds except my very first, I took all the screws out after the PL had cured (then filled the holes with Bondo). With good wood and enough PL, screws are redundant. Save some $ on screws, too. I've used the same handful of screws to build two DR250's and two T39's. Pretty sweet having cabs I can dance on that don't have a single screw in them!

[Mikey]

I like the added security of increased mechanical coupling, but I don't like leaving screws in. I love my biscuit jointer. Also, as I've mentioned before, when I remove screws, I often drill-out the hole and insert a wooden dowel, especially in stressful areas. I buy pre-made ribbed dowels from the hardware store. I dip it in wood glue, tap it in the hole, let it set, then cut it and sand it flush. It may sound like a PITA to some, but it really takes very little time and effort.

[Harley]

I like the added security of increased mechanical coupling,....when I remove screws, I often drill-out the hole and insert a wooden dowel,....

I go against the general grain here. Nowadays if the screw interferes with routing, out it comes - if not I can't be stuffed removing them and frankly I feel safer by leaving them in.

The screws I buy in bulk so they are as cheap as chips and my time is worth far more! Besides, they weigh stuff all in the greater scheme of things.

I have been dealing in supplying goods/services to "leaky home" rectification work and I have been noticing with interest the failure of high-tech glues and adhesives over time coupled with stress. These glues are "guaranteed" never to rip, tear, buckle or bust - hah hah bloody hah!

"Leaky homes" are those where cladding has been glued to timber framing ( untreated sometimes ) and the old style tin and copper flashings dispensed with. The glues fail eventually, let in water and the whole house framing rots. It's not uncommon for people to have to spend another $200,000 to $350,000 to remedy this or walk away. All in the name of saving a few copper nails and some proper old fashioned flashing.

I am not knocking everyone's faith in PL - but I am a cautious sort and I'd rather have that screw hold the cab together in 8 years time than it to fall apart because of glue failure. As in the case of the leaky homes, the glue manufacturer will always have a slick excuse.

To summaries - glues AND screws = happy Harley cabs.

[Tim A]

I am not knocking everyone's faith in PL - but I am a cautious sort and I'd rather have that screw hold the cab together in 8 years time than it to fall apart because of glue failure. As in the case of the leaky homes, the glue manufacturer will always have a slick excuse.

However, a leaky home and a leaky sub are two different things. If a house leaks due to glue failure it can be made watertight. If a sub leaks due to glue failure the cab is rendered useless, so what difference does it make if the side falls off?

Brads-n-glue. If I do use screws for anything, such as the butt cheeks on a DR, I'll typically pull the ones in the way and leave the others. Either way makes no difference to me.

[Harley]

...If a sub leaks due to glue failure the cab is rendered useless, so what difference does it make if the side falls off? ...

Priceless Tim - I have no answer for that one!

btw - I also use brads

[SoundInMotionDJ]

PL & brads & 3/4" staples.

Screws were reserved for DR horn sheaths, and the middle of Titan second sides. Every installed screw is still installed.

--Stan Graves