Foundations foundation

[K F Wheeler]

We all know to build a wood boat you need a good flat surface to work from. Yesterday I was allowed to search a very large business that sells and distributes slate and granite counter tops. I was looking for a piece of stone reasonably close to 24"x 57"... I knew it would have to be 1/2" thick or less before this old man would be able to even lift it! Every piece I found was 1" thick or more. Did find ceramic that was more to size I was looking for. But that was $61+ a square foot! Probably not smooth enough anyway... So, I'm open to suggestion's as to what and how to obtain what I need. Thinking thick safety glass or thick plastic. Sure it wont be cheap. Maybe 3/8" thick steel Blanchard ground? No idea how much that would cost! What about aluminum? Thanks in advance! Ken

 

[Wasted wages]

1" - 1 1/8" MDF with 1/4 - 3/8" safety glass top
should make a pretty flat surface to build on.

3/4" sanded birch plywood with 2x4 bracing
and a sheet metal top is another choice.

 

[K F Wheeler]

My local Lowes and Home Depo both stack the MDF on racks with the weight suspended by two arms. NOT flat any more!!!

 

[K F Wheeler]

...still a possibility...

 

[Wasted wages]

Yeah, you would need to find a supplier that takes better care of their materials,,, plus if it's cut at the location, and kept flat till you glue and screw the support on the bottom, I think it would work well. Seal it with epoxy so the humidity won't warp it.

They make speaker cabinets out of the stuff and it is plenty strong when it's boxed and supported properly.
I had an old subwoofer box made with 5/8 MDF that I had no use for anymore,, I tried to crush it with my 1 ton rock crawler that has 19"x44" tires... it held up the weight of the truck..and that was only 5/8" !!

I would have no problem using 1" cut to a decent size to build a boat on..

 

[John Beardslee]

We all know to build a wood boat you need a good flat surface to work from. Yesterday I was allowed to search a very large business that sells and distributes slate and granite counter tops. I was looking for a piece of stone reasonably close to 24"x 57"... I knew it would have to be 1/2" thick or less before this old man would be able to even lift it! Every piece I found was 1" thick or more. Did find ceramic that was more to size I was looking for. But that was $61+ a square foot! Probably not smooth enough anyway... So, I'm open to suggestion's as to what and how to obtain what I need. Thinking thick safety glass or thick plastic. Sure it wont be cheap. Maybe 3/8" thick steel Blanchard ground? No idea how much that would cost! What about aluminum? Thanks in advance! Ken

Ken,
You might take a look at solid or hollow doors. What you place it on is as important as the top. I use a 4 foot florescent bulb to roll across the surface to check for flatness. I covered my door with glass so glue scrapes off easy.

 

[Grimracer]

solid core door.. and 5/8 sheet rock...

Grim

 

[Mike Hughes]

I have a 1.5" thick butcher block that I got at lowes for my set up board. It is 25 x 50. I have it on mounted to a rolling cart so it can move around the shop easily.
Mike

 

[Mark Anderson]

Watch Market place for a slate pool table. I found mine for free. Cut the slate to the size you want with a circular saw and masonry blade. You and a buddy can have building tables. Mine was a one piece, some are two piece.

 

[RaceMechaniX]

Granite is the best way to go if you want a flat surface. It is worth checking marble and granite shops for discarded pieces and ask them for a discount. I have also found they produce a man made quartz countertop that is very reasonably priced and dimensionally stable if supported well underneath. Corian is another excellent choice and is cheaper than any of the "hard" material options but it's likely the most expensive type of resin based countertop. It can be cut and routered like wood with the appropriate bit. It's great for mobile setup boards.

 

[Brad Christy]

We all know to build a wood boat you need a good flat surface to work from. Yesterday I was allowed to search a very large business that sells and distributes slate and granite counter tops. I was looking for a piece of stone reasonably close to 24"x 57"... I knew it would have to be 1/2" thick or less before this old man would be able to even lift it! Every piece I found was 1" thick or more. Did find ceramic that was more to size I was looking for. But that was $61+ a square foot! Probably not smooth enough anyway... So, I'm open to suggestion's as to what and how to obtain what I need. Thinking thick safety glass or thick plastic. Sure it wont be cheap. Maybe 3/8" thick steel Blanchard ground? No idea how much that would cost! What about aluminum? Thanks in advance! Ken

Ken,

Check out your local billiards shop. They will often have dropped pool table top segments with have chipped or broken corners that they cannot use. I picked up one of these many, many moons ago, and it is still flat today. I think I paid $100 for it.

Thanks. Brad.
Titan Racing Components
BlackJack Hydros
Model Machine and Precision LLC

 

[K F Wheeler]

Some very good suggestions guy's! Went back to Lowes. Found they had 3/4" MDF stacked on a rack with three supporting arms. Instead of two. Talked with an employee. He said they would NOT cut that in two. He suggested 3/4" thick birch plywood. Cheaper. And, he would cut it. Can't believe the price of lumber!! Another eye opener is that you have to take a whole sheet of lumber. They won't sell just a half sheet! Always thought they did! Now I have a half sheet of nice plywood that I have no use for... Going to top my work surface with 1/4" tempered glass. Somewhere around $100 Unless I go larger...
Ken

 

[K F Wheeler]

Going to seal the wood with white paint. Should be easier to see any gaps between the fixture and any of the frame parts. Will do pilot holes. Think I will do the holes and be ready to assemble as soon as I paint the wood, Would hate to see the wood warp because of the paint!! Would be nice if I had a stand alone belt sander!! Wonder if Harbor Freight sells one and how much??? Any thoughts?? Maybe pick up a four foot florescent bulb.
Thanks for that idea John!! Ken

 

[Tom Foley]

I just use my kitchen countertop . I figure that is if that's not flat enough for something running on a really uneven surface like a race course with flexing boom tubes etc then I might as well give up . Get it as flat as you can and run it . go from there . . Andy had a nice piece of aluminum honeycomb sheet that was really nice and light . I wouldn't mind finding a piece of that .

 

[Wasted wages]

I would use 2x4's boxed around the 4 sides and then X braced inside the box. I also would epoxy the braces to the plywood, and use some sheetrock screws countersunk from the top.

As far as a belt sander another place to look is in pawn shops...

 

[K F Wheeler]

Pawn shops is a GREAT idea!!! I'll have to drive a ways to get to one... Aluminum honeycomb would be nice. I wonder if I might find a source for that at an airport??? I go to a pawn shop I will go past two airports. Probably as expensive as gold dust!

 

[Wasted wages]

Learned that little trick by working out of town jobs,, many times we would need a hand tool or welder or something that we didn't bring with us on our trucks...
We would cruise the local pawn shops before we would decide how to go about getting what we needed either new or driving all the way back to the shop....which could be several hours. Most of the time we could get what we needed to get the job done...cheap too !