Day 14 - Fender fun

(Originally posted on July 25th, 2013)

Ok, I stopped by Lowe's and grabbed a sheet each of 8' x 4' plywood, in 3/4" and 1/2" thickness.  This should be all the material I need for the rest of Rainier, which is exciting!  I have no excuse for not starting any of the rest of the build.  I'l re-mark the lines for the fender on the 3/4" plywood, and make the rings from the 3/4 MDF.  Also, I got a shit-ton of Titebond III glue for weatherproofing pretty much all of the wood.

In addition, I was able to get the 3.5" and 4" hole cutter attachments, with the arbor. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit my existing drill.  So I need to get another drill!  Aaaaargh!

Some of the recent comments in this build diary (and perusing AdamSt's fender section once again) prompted me to make the base out of 3/4" exterior plywood instead of the 3/4" MDF I had originally marked up.  So, last night, I spent some time making the new markings on the plywood, and today I cut it all up, using a 25° angle for the chamfered edges.

My circular saw only has markings for 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45° angles on it, so I had to mark my own 5° incremental lines on the guide.  I eyeballed them as best as I could, and used the corner of a flat screwdriver to scratch them into the metal.  Considering the Doctor's penchant for improvisation, I figured he wouldn't mind.  Daleks on the other hand ...

I then set to work on a sheet of 1/2" exterior plywood for the fender side slats.  I kept the same 25° angle on the saw, and cut lengths of the plywood for the narrower of the two sections.  After all the 25° angles were done, I adjusted the plate to 20°, and ran into an issue.

Angle work would have been much easier on a table saw, but I don't have one.  It's easy when you're only having to deal with one side of a board; simply clamp a straight guide board down on the greater sheet and cut away.  However, when it comes to having to cut the other side of the resulting strip, there's no room to clamp a guide anymore.  So, I improvised again (refer to the two pics above).  I came up with a way of securing the strip of wood and cutting the needed 20° angle to the opposing side.

Then I simply cut the rest of the bottom fender slats, using the same 20° angle.  Now I just need to either get a miter box and saw the complex angles necessary for all the slat sides, or find someone who has a chop saw I can use.  (I've luckily been given an offer already! :))

Since today was another hot, sunny day in Seattle (quite uncharacteristic, believe me!) I decided to work in the garage.  It is now a sawdusty, unholy mess!  But, the feeling of accomplishment is grand.

My father is bringing a router over from across the state (where my parents live), so I might not need to invest in one.  I can use the 3/4" MDF I had originally intended for the fender base and use it for the neck rings instead.  I'll start marking those out soon.  And I can also start marking the shoulder bits.  This is moving along a bit faster than I thought!

Materials:
1 - 8' x 4' x 3/4" plywood: $40.47
1 - 8' x 4' x 1/2" plywood: $35.47
1 - Titebond III glue (1 gallon): $27.77
Sub-total: $103.71

Tools:
1 - 1/2" spring arbor: $20.08
1 - 3.5" non-arbored hole cutter: $16.97
1 - 4" non-arbored hole cutter: $19.88
Sub-total: $56.93

Total: $160.64
Grand total: $872.20