Modified Grasshopper, more diamond plate

Design & Construction of anything that's not a teardrop e.g. Grasshoppers or Sunspots

Modified Grasshopper, more diamond plate

Postby MKE_Tear » Sun Aug 08, 2010 9:49 pm

Time to move my posts out of the “Newbieâ€
Last edited by MKE_Tear on Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:21 pm, edited 33 times in total.
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Postby rxc463 » Mon Aug 09, 2010 4:30 am

Great start :thumbsup: Looking good 8)
Russ

Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason.
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Postby glassice » Mon Aug 09, 2010 5:28 am

Holy cow bat person your moving right along
It is not the return ON my investment that I am concerned about; it is the return OF my investment
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Postby MKE_Tear » Mon Aug 09, 2010 5:47 pm

Thanks guys!

Ha! Glassice: I can see where you would think that was all done so quickly. Same looking angles, lighting, background, and the fact that I posted all of those shots in one message, but the reality is that was several WEEKS worth of work and many (MANY!) trips to the hardware store(s). I’m not a big fan of this saying, but as they say, “You’re on teardrop time.â€
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Postby steve smoot » Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:39 pm

No matter how long it has taken, you are doing a nice job... :thumbsup:
I am not a complete idiot, some parts are missing...
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Postby MKE_Tear » Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:35 pm

steve smoot wrote:No matter how long it has taken, you are doing a nice job... :thumbsup:


Thanks, Steve!

I've purchased tools I never thought I would own (table saw) to tools I had never even heard of (Kreg jig). It's an adventure every day!!

Speaking of...today I fixed up the (hopefully!) "final" template of the doors. (Thanks to absolutsnwbrdr he told me how to put them in -- if you haven't seen his build, you'll be blown away: http://tinyurl.com/zketeard ) Anyways, I hung it up and think the doors need to be raised an inch or two. Currently, they sit right below the height of my shoulders.

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and, my favorite shot of them all, from the second story (I call it the snooper):


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Postby MKE_Tear » Wed Aug 11, 2010 8:23 pm

I cut the holes tonight...


Hole #1:

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Hole #2:

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And wifey makes a special guest appearance:


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Postby MKE_Tear » Sat Aug 14, 2010 3:26 pm

Not much of an update but...

1. The height of the door was raised one inch (before the cut -- should have said that earlier),
2. Primed the rest of the inside (been doing 3 coats to be extra-sure/safe),
3. I have been filling the screw holes and the gaps where the plywood was stretched, and
4. Test fit the window -- I can see progress!!

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Anybody ever used/heard of aluthane?
(Aluminum Filled Urethane Metallic Coating)

http://www.epoxyproducts.com/aluthane.html

http://www.epoxyproducts.com/dataaluthane.pdf

It's a metallic coating or moisture cured urethane and I'm going to cover my outside plywood in it. Instead of a two-component system like epoxy, you just roll it on, and you can put another coat on in 1-2 hours. I ordered a gallon and will report back afterwards. Hopefully, I will get it next week and can put it on over the next week or two.
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Postby MKE_Tear » Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:11 pm

From fear of this...

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I got out the power sprayer & primed the frame (studs/spars/supports).


Here are the before shots:

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to the after shots:

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Now I've got a skeleton. :D
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Postby Cliffmeister2000 » Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:17 pm

What's your towing capacity? That looks like it's going to be heavy... :thinking:
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Postby MKE_Tear » Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:19 pm

Vehicle is 2,000 and the trailer is 1,500.

EDIT: Changed as of May 2011...got a new tow vehicle. It's towing capacity is 3,500 (not that it should really matter much).
Last edited by MKE_Tear on Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Cliffmeister2000 » Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:22 pm

My trailer weighs in at 1,340, and I used 1x lumber for the framing. I hope you meet your 1,500 goal! :thumbsup:
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Postby absolutsnwbrdr » Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:25 pm

MKE_Tear wrote:Not much of an update but...

1. The height of the door was raised one inch (before the cut -- should have said that earlier),
2. Primed the rest of the inside (been doing 3 coats to be extra-sure/safe),
3. I have been filling the screw holes and the gaps where the plywood was stretched, and
4. Test fit the window -- I can see progress!!

Image


Test fitting the door is definitely an exciting point in the build! Looks good!!
Zach
Coming Soon...
Image Image
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Postby MKE_Tear » Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:34 pm

Cliffmeister2000 wrote:My trailer weighs in at 1,340, and I used 1x lumber for the framing. I hope you meet your 1,500 goal! :thumbsup:


Me, too! 8)

I put in a lot of (potentially) additional/extra spars & studs but each round or series really firmed things up. I realize you need some flex but it felt like it had just a bit too much. I just don't want to see the thing blow up in my rear view mirror. :?



Cliffmeister2000 wrote:Test fitting the door is definitely an exciting point in the build! Looks good!!


Thanks, Zach!!!

Next up: the pink stuff.
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Postby Cliffmeister2000 » Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:44 pm

The real strength comes from the skin on the frame, creating a torsion box. The frame does not have to be very strong.
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