The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

[KCStudly]

Spent about 4-1/2 hrs fitting the first layer of foam on the upper roof in between the spars.

When I cut the blanks I measured the opening at both ends of the spars and set the rip fence to the widest measurement. From there I just used the coarse/larger sanding block to scuff one edge of the foam until it would squeeze down into its bay. On the spar that is over the backer piece for the splice in the ceiling panel I used the 3/4 inch straight cutter and rip fence attachment on the trim router to cut rabbets along those edges. Here’s the router setup.


Here’s how that worked out. The one on the left is how I let it run off the edge about 1/8 inch to allow it to be sanded back fair after gluing. The one on the right is held back just to show the backer piece and rabbet a little better for the pic.


Here on the street side the pieces that fill the bay next to the roof fan were cut to rough length with a straight edge and the steak knife.


The foam is a little higher than the spar here, and using a scrap I can tell that it will be in other locations, as well, but not everywhere. Not sure if I will try and sand all of this to the profile, or try to shave the panels with a hot wire before install.


On the curb side I ran the fan wires up thru and used the router to hog a trough. Once this panel is glued in I’ll tape over the wire before gluing the top layer on.



Switched the router over to a 1/2 inch cutter, transfer marked the wire holes for the ceiling outlet from the spars to the curb side foam panels, removed them, and cut the troughs for those wires; shown here after dry fitting the foam again.


Decided I had better mark the panels for location and orientation, ‘C’ or ‘S’ for curb or street side, 1 thru 6 corresponding to the spar bay front to rear, ‘B’ or ‘T’ for bottom and top, and an arrow indicating front.


For the ceiling outlet I laid out both the box and the stiffening flange, as well as for the backer for the ceiling panel longitudinal splice over the rear cabinets. With the router set to full depth, I used a scrap of the busted up pink foam as a sacrificial cutting surface and free handed out the hole for the outlet. Then reduced the depth and free handed out the rabbet for the flange and along the middle edge.


After trimming the corners square with the steak knife, I flipped it over and cut the trough were the wires enter the box knockout, using the sanding block to open the edge up a bit.



The bay behind the fan (in front of the ceiling outlet) has a backer were the panel is spliced over the rear cabinet face frame and another longitudinal backer. These are the dado and rabbet for one side of those. I used a straight edge clamped on to guide the dado but just free handed the rabbet (which is easy to do in the foam because it does not try to pull the router at all).



Progress. You can see the little 3/4 inch fillers down the middle.


A little better look at my reference marks and you can see how I let the panels run off the edge a bit.


Progress.



Next I will finish piecing together the front wall foam. Before I start ripping the full width pieces for the top layer, I want to do the hatch first to prioritize the larger panels.

[GPW]

Looking GOOD !!!!

[Ned B]

loud cheering!!

[Wobbly Wheels]

As if you hadn't had enough of snow, you had to make it 'snow' inside the shop ?
I bet the router worked like a hot damn but man what a mess it must have made

[KCStudly]

Thanks guys. Love the motivation.

WW, just have to be careful not to shoot chips toward the kerosene heater; don't want stinky noxious fumes forming.

[lthomas987]

As always your work is beautiful.

[KCStudly]

Thanks Laura.

As WW alluded, we had more snow last night (inch or two), which turned into a light frozen rain during the day. Anything that wasn't covered with snow had cobbled ice on it like a curling sheet, but it wasn't a hard freeze, so didn't seem to create the problems that usually come with bad ice storms.

The roads weren't horrible, and I even headed for Mecca after work. About half way there the rain turned to snow. I was less concerned with driving in the snow than I was with the return trip home heading back down into the rain zone after sunset, once things would have a chance to cool back down. So when I got to the cut off, to continue or turn back toward home, I copped out and headed for the couch.

And we're not done yet. More snow coming this week.

[bonnie]

KC, keep safe, man. The trailer will be there. I have been thinking about all of you out there on our snowy coast. Tough winter, but spring's coming! Almost enclosed, how cool is that!

[GPW]

Bonnie’s right !!! Spring must be coming soon . Today my yard is filled with Robins ...

[lfrazer98]

Continually impressed with your attention to detail and how perfect and pretty you make everything even if it isn't going to show! I'm glad I got to cover up my ugly "insides" with pretty plywood. Can't wait to see the finished product!

[KCStudly]

Thanks for the kind words, Lauren, they are much appreciated.

GPW, Robins are a sure sign of spring, but I’m afraid we won’t see any here for some time.

Bonnie, no worries, and thanks for the warm thoughts. Turns out that Karl had not plowed out the end of his driveway until Tuesday morning, so I wouldn’t have been able to pull in anyway. Usually I give a call first, but have been having trouble with my cell lately not holding a charge.

Any who, let’s see what I got up to tonight. This is the first layer of 3/4 foam for the curb side front radius. I had to lay out and cut for the upper axe mount block.



While that was dry fit I marked the location where the ceiling outlet wires will enter and strung the tape measure like a string up to the point where the wires will enter the first roof spar. This gave me where the wire way will leave this panel (at the joint to the next radius panel) so that I can route that groove in the flat on the bench.



Made some extra work for myself. I had used all of the off cut ends from the full sheets on the roof first layer, and to get the last of those panels done I grabbed a “stray” piece that had been stashed over with the 64 inch long stash. It had a rabbet along one edge, but wasn’t ringing a bell with me, so I went ahead and used it. Shortly after cutting it down I remembered that it had been the first piece that I had already fit to the bottom of the hatch. Doh. All pieces get labelled with sharpie now.

Next up I fit the second layer piece to the lower street side front, fitting it around the shovel mounting blocks. Shortly after this pic I trimmed the excess down to near flush to the side wall, matching the first layer, leaving a little for final fairing.


On the curb side I had stuffed the ceiling outlet wires thru the toe kick, just to make sure that I could, but hadn’t pulled these thru all the way yet. I want to add a dedicated ground, just in case I end up going with AC (alternating current, not air conditioning) for the outlet. My point is, the wires kept me from pushing this piece down all the way at this point, but it was enough to be sure that it will slide over the lower axe mounting block and fit snug to the locker. This piece will also be trimmed to the outside once the wires are tucked in and it has been final fit.


To get to that point I needed to cut the wire trough into the first layer of foam that had already been glued to the front wall. Can’t get the router that close to the locker, so rather than just totally free handing it, I used a narrow strip of scrap as a straight edge shoved up against the locker and scored the foam with the utility knife. A second slightly wider strip was used for the second score line (shown here).


Then I made a few more scores in between, and a bunch of cross nips to chop out the trough like you would when dicing a mango in its skin. Then sort of just scratched out the bits with the edge of the blade and the 3/8 wide chisel. Forgot to take a pic of the finished job.

About 2-1/2 hrs more progress.

[KCStudly]

Let’s see, where did we leave off? Thursday I was late getting to Mecca so didn’t get much done.

Took a picture of the curb side front foam where I had gouged out the wire trough heading for the ceiling outlet. I think the camera lens fogged up when I took it out of its nice warm case.


Here’s a better close up showing the texture. Not that it will make any difference, but I prefer the cleaner job that the router does.


Next I used a straight edge as a guide to route the next piece up; the first layer piece above the rock guard that starts the front profile radius.


When I test fit this back on the cabin it looked like the line I had marked was a little off. No biggie, I will make it up in the next piece before the first roof spar.

I hadn’t foreseen that my chosen router depth of 3/8 inch would nip thru the kerfs on the other side. Interesting, but doesn’t really cause a problem.


I might squirt a little GS in the kerfs in that area right before I glue the panel on, touching up from the outside as needed, just to keep the boundary of the first layer of foam intact.

Next, I almost forgot to do this part, I test fit and laid out where the dreaded buckle in the ceiling panel front radius was, and sanded a little depression into the foam here. Before doing this the bulge in the foam wasn’t really visible, but I could feel it when I ran my hand over it. I’m sure that it would have telegraphed thru to the paint layer and would have bugged me for evermore, but, to paraphrase, ‘the buckle stops here’.


After just a few sanding strokes and another test fit I couldn’t feel the buckle thru the foam anymore.

Yesterday was single digit temps in the AM and only got into the teens during the day. I did the pilgrimage and fired up the heaters, but it was just too cold; lost all motivation and called it a night.

Today I had to install a new electric water heater at the house. The old one started leaking just 8 months after the 5 year warrantee was up. I swapped out the whole house water filter cartridge while I was at it.

It snowed all afternoon, at least another 2 inches. I was glad that I had already run the snow blower around to the basement door before the snow got grunchy. I would have had a heck of a time dragging the new water heater around on the hand truck without a clear path; there was still at least 8 inches of crusty snow on the ground before this fresh stuff started.

[atahoekid]

Hey KC, glad to see your still at it and still doing quality work. I've been away from the site for a while but took some time on this quiet evening to check in and see how things are coming along! Anyway, keep plugging along!!!

[KCStudly]

Thanks Mel. Glad to hear from you again. Don't be such a stranger!

[GPW]

KC , Best of Luck to you .... Every time we look at the weather , youse’ guys are having another Storm .... and now they’re naming them ...