T48 Build Thread

[miked]

I haven't used any alignment jigs b/c all my panels were cut on a TS and are 90 degrees on their edges. Aslo, I laid out the lines on the side panels to literally 1/32"accuracy and ensured that when drilling their screw mounting holes, the panels stayed aligned and square. TRUE: The interior panels can still be warped, but at least I have solid reference lines to...reference from. While installing the interior panels I've kept an eye on their top edges. I.E. where the second side will sit in order to seal and complete the cab. I have very slightly shifted some interior panels so that they may all sit FLAT, and I have no sealing issues later. We're talking a max of 1/16" or so. Maybe 2 panels so far I've had to do that with, out of 4 cabs, and I have PL'd the living daylights out of the joint.

My braces are 8.0" apart. At least the lines are. We'll see how the braces work out tomorrow when I install panel 5 and the 2/5 braces.

[sine143]

Word up, dont get me wrong, your build is looking sick thus far.

Very clean

With baltic birch the jigs are not super necessary, i just use them as my extra hand so i can get the brad nailer in place

[miked]

Thanks, sine143. I'm a little nervous about the braces, since they can rattle if not done properly. There will be copious amounts of PL on them.

If anyone has any "brace advice" please share. I won't be working on the cabs until late this afternoon. Thanks.

[sine143]

Givin your attention to detail thus far i dont think you have to worry too much. since you already have all you lines laid out beautifully, you could consider attatching half inch bbaltic birch 'shelf' on the side of the brace closest to side one. this will insure it will stay in olace while you grabe the brad nailer

[sine143]

I also like o affix the braces to 2/3/4, before installing panels 5/6/7, sliding them in after panel isntallation gets super messy, and it can be difficult to tell if youve pushed your beaces in toofar/not enough, which can forxe the box out of sqaure. If youbinstall them before 5/6/7 are glued up, you cab at least dry fit and assure the cabinit is quare (and correct it i it isnt)

[MissileCrisis]

I utilized Dado grooves for pretty much all my braces in my t60 which reduces the chance of rattling but it does add a fair amount of work, in my case worth but only because I had access to a Dado blade equipped table saw. Peace of mind takes work and lots of pl . My motto is if you don't see it, goop it on, because pl is much cheaper than tearing apart the cab.

[miked]

Thanks for the tips. I will be sure to dry-fit everything before making a mess with the PL. I've already gone through about a dozen pairs of disposable gloves. I think we all have a love/hate relationship with PL.

[MissileCrisis]

+1 on the love hate relationship. For me, I don't mind the fact that it is nasty and doesn't come off anything, mainly because It comes off my hands if I scrub enough and it always gets the job done, the first time.

[sine143]

Even dados can lead to improperly placed braxes, hard to see anything once youve got thw panels installed and pl laid down, and you still have to slide it in (smearing pl down the whole panel, which can lead to a glue starved joint).

[miked]

..., and you still have to slide it in (smearing pl down the whole panel, which can lead to a glue starved joint).

This has been on my mind for awhile now. Attaching the brace to one panel first, before attaching the second panel to the same brace eliminates that problem, but getting the placement correct and the amount of PL correct is tricky. Again, experience comes into play...of which I have none. Building Titans, anyway.

[sine143]

Getting placement correct is hard no matter what... At least f you do fasteners befor glue you can determine its right/wrong befoe the pl hits the ply

[MissileCrisis]

I always do dry fits with screws before committing to pl and I usually don't have problems with smearing but I am quite careful putting them in. My braces are so tight they need a mallet to know them out (before glue) so they usually don't have rattle problems even if by some chance the place missed a spot. For the record I use less pl on braces because of the tight fit.

[miked]

So you guys screw your braces in? You don't use brad nails? I was planning on brad nailing them in place. Screwing them in would be easy enough as I drew out the alignment lines on all the panels. Never thought of screwing them in. Hmm.

[byacey]

My braces are so tight they need a mallet to know them out (before glue) so they usually don't have rattle problems even if by some chance the place missed a spot. For the record I use less pl on braces because of the tight fit.

If you fit them that tight, it's likely you are distorting the panels by wedging them apart with the brace. I think a snug fit is all that's required.

I rotate my braces 90 degrees after applying the PL, and then rotating back into place when they are placed almost close to position between the panels. This minimizes smearing and glue starved joints.

[miked]

Byacey: Do you brad nail your braces in or screw them in? I'm taking a poll here. LOL! I'll be home in a couple of hours and plan on hitting the garage right away.