The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

[Wolffarmer]

If I get to where I am in over my head I will probably call the guy I work for and get him to help me. But do what I can even if it is taking me about 3 times as long as it did 20 years ago. I have the rig up on my lift rack I built a few years back. The whole thing is almost 2 feet off the floor. I can raise it a bit more if I want but it is not needed, just makes the transmission that much higher. I did build some sliding panels that will make it floor hight but I have never used them for much so will have to see how it all works out.

Randy

[atahoekid]

I refer to it as being a "one man army". Being the only male in the household who was at all interested in getting work done, I often did stuff alone that I should have had help to do. It gets done but often takes way too long and is way too difficult. Unfortunately, as much as she would try to help, my wife was really of little help and it was easier to try to do it myself. Be careful out there...

[KCStudly]

I certainly stirred up some dust in the loft tonight(!) …so I apologize in advance for the “sawdust snowflakes” in all of the pictures. Not so funny how you don’t see them until you take flash pictures.

I started by hooking up The Briq (UT) to bring with me shopping for and moving saws. Then Karl and I moved some things around in the outer area of the loft to make a little more room to park the cabin.

I rolled up the plastic drape wall using the spring clamps to clip it up. Karl helped me move a makeshift table on sawhorses from just outside the tent where I keep some supplies, and we wheeled the panel cart out of the aisle between the wall and saw. Here’s a pic from the outer area by the stairs looking back into the work area.


Karl had a pair of moving dollies. We shimmed them up with a 2x4 and some 1/2 inch ply which was just enough to lift the folded up sawhorses off of the floor.

Lifting each end of the cabin was not hard for one person (while the other slid the dolly under), but it was no cake walk holding it for more than a few seconds. I’ll try to weigh each end with the bathroom scale when we move it back.

Here’s a shot during the move as we rounded the corner of the workbench.

You can bet I was a little concerned about gouging a big ole gash into the side of the wall on the table corner, but it all went easily with no drama.

Looking out from the work area, somewhere in the haze of dust you can see TPCE in its temporary parking spot.


Looking back.


I spent the rest of 2 hrs clearing off and under the bench, rearranging things out of the way of the hatch, and removing the anchor screws that I had installed to hold the work table flat and secure to the floor. So everything is all set for the big move.

Karl and I both commented on how big the space was with the drape up and the camper off to one side. It really is a useful space if you don't fill it with too much stuff.

[GPW]

Gosh , that’s a HUGE space !!!

[S. Heisley]

Hi, KC:

Looking at your teardrop, back in the corner without its chassis, it looks so small! I know it isn't; it's just because it is currently low to the floor and in the corner of a big room. If I remember correctly, you're building this in an upstairs area. Is that right? If so, reading about how heavy it felt to lift one end, how will you get it down to ground-level? Even with pullies, you may need extra help. I can hardly wait to see that! I'm guessing you'll be ready for the chassis by this spring?

PS. Will you make a video of the trip down and post it?

[KCStudly]

It's funny that you should mention it looking smaller, Sharon. As soon as we moved it from the spot that it has been sitting in, it seemed to offer a whole new perspective. I mean, it is still the same size and the same height off of the floor (give or take 3/16 inch or so), but it just felt weird.

If you look back you will see that there is a steel beam with electric powered trolley hoist over the build area. There is a large area in the middle of the floor just in front of the windows where the planks lift up, the joists lift out of the joist hangers, and abracadabra, you have a large shipping hole in the floor directly under the hoist. I'll take some pics while we are rigging Ben's saw and table down.

I did get a chintzy little table saw tonight. Skil Model 3400-8. Slightly used for less than half of retail cost. We'll see how it does. I'm sure that it will need to be adjusted some and will take a lot more work to get accurate results in use, but it should be good for small stuff like lantern boxes and the bulkhead fan chase. I would have liked to get something much nicer, but I do have access to more capable saws and Karl was also on the fence about investing with me (the eternal struggle between wanting all of the best tools whether you need them and can justify the cost versus planned usage, or not).

Tomorrow after work I will use The Briq to get lumber to build a new work table, and then swing by the house to load up the band saw before off loading at Mecca.

[be_a_jayhawk]

I am jealous of the space you have to work in. With temps dropping again and wintery mix on the way to Kansas City I won't be getting much done anytime soon.

[Wolffarmer]

I had to post this even though I imagine most have already heard or read it. But it seems the right place to put it.

Newton

Ok, so it is an urban legend but still funny. Strange thing is that two days back when I brought up getting chicks in the mail I had ended up on this same sight and did a mess o reading about raising chickens. And it is one of the places I found that story.

Randy

[KCStudly]

It was 8 deg F when I left the house this morning. There was a raw wet wind blowing this afternoon with a snow squall. It was not pleasant. I know because I was out in it most of the afternoon taking a tanker truck delivery of petrolatum.

The loft is a great space to work in, but it is not insulated, and the eaves and ridge vent are wide open to breezes. With the plastic drape open, and the temporary disruption to the work area, I didn't even go upstairs when I dropped the 'new' saw off.

The warm weather we had last week was just a tease. But before we know it it will be sunny and warm again.

[Wolffarmer]

Temp here was up in the high 40s but a light rain. Got 3 hours in at work but ground was getting slippery when we finished that little job. So far have only worked 15 hours this month. And no work tomorrow. Or for a few days after that as the weather shows a good chance of rain for the next week. Ok, I know, now I am complaining about to much rain. But really we have not had enough moisture up in the mountains where we need it.

Randy

[KCStudly]

How did things go with the transmission removal?

[Wolffarmer]

Transmission still hanging in there, so to speak. I do not think the tranny has ever been pulled in 210,000 miles. Lots of hard to get to bolts that take a lot to break lose and one fat old fart. I do not have many left to get out and probably could have gotten them this afternoon but I had a nap attack after I got home from driving truck. I should get out there late morning and finish most of the bolts and then the guys I work for will probably come over and help with the heavy lifting.

Randy

[capnTelescope]

Wow, KC, such a nice big work area. You are fortunate to have Mecca for a resource.

[KCStudly]

Capn, it is a great space and I am lucky to have such a generous friend to share it with me.

Today was a big moving day for Ben’s stuff.

Here you can see that the floor planks, insulation bats and most of the floor girders have been removed from the joist hangers to open up the shipping hatch.


The last couple of girders and the center beam (joists) have been removed and the hoist has been plugged in and rolled over.


Mind the hole. Topside looking down… a long way down.


Ground level looking up.


We flipped the work/out feed table over so that smaller items could be laid inside it more efficiently while in the back of Karl’s truck.



“Dropped it” right into the bed of the truck.


The miter fence goes. I pulled the truck out some and we slid it thru the legs of the overturned table.



Next we hooked Karl's UT up and put that under the hole.

Then the table… … saw… went. The three of us just about couldn’t lift the granite topped saw to get it on to the dolly and over to the staging area next to the hole, so we took the outrigger legs off and tipped it to get the dolly under.



(Don’t worry about Ben’s dog. She has lots of experience on work sites and was fully aware to mind the hole.)





Man I hate to see the saw go. That thing was a pure pleasure to use.

Looking down as I operate the hoist. Below, Ben unhooks the table that the miter fence sat on.


Last night after work I picked up a sheet of melamine and some lumber to build a new work bench. Here we are shipping the 49x97 inch sheet up.


From there we ran down to Westbrook to off load at Ben’s place, then he treated us to lunch at a nice deli market. I had hot pastrami on a hard roll with Swiss cheese, sautéed onions, cole slaw, brown mustard, and a root beer.

Back to Mecca, Karl and I hoisted the new saw up. It’s not that heavy, but it was a lot more convenient than carrying it up the stairs.


This rolls machine had been stored under the crawl space in the loft and Karl has a job coming up that he will need it for, so down it goes.


Easier to bundle the lumber for the new bench and hoist it up, rather than maneuver it up the stairs.


Next we put the floor hatch joists back in, and while Karl stuffed the insulation and floor planks back in, I brought the shop vac up and sucked up the accumulation of sawdust that had been building up.

Karl was a great help feeding wood to me on the miter saw, and helping build the new bench. Here we have built one of the side frames (squaring the legs up, me pilot drilling and him impact driving the screws in; went fast that way), and are starting to align the second side frame parts on top to match.


Here is the new bench screwed to the floor with those cheesy little hardware store corner brackets, and the melamine screwed down to the top. I left 3 inches hanging over the frame all around for ease of clamping things down to the edge.


And finally, I fit and added some diagonal bracing on each end and across one bay at the back. This made the table rock solid, but doesn't block access too badly, so I should still be able to fit stuff under for storage


So after an 8 hour day Karl and I were both pretty bushed and that is where we called it a day. Tomorrow I plan to move the cabin back into position, rearrange all of the disturbed parts and supplies, and get the plastic drape back into place. Weather forecast is for snow again soon.

[Wolffarmer]

Looking good there. Does not appear any thing of major weight got dropped on anyone. And a fine work bench coming along. I bet that saw was nice. I hope to do more sawdust making this year but need to get my Suk fixed. I pretty much have the tranny out, I is kind of hanging by the input shaft and an unnatural angle just need to maneuver it about a bit and it will be out. I got tuckered out and left it. Get it back in will not be easy either. But for that I will recruit some idle hands for a while. Need throw out bearing, pressure plate, friction disk, clutch cable ( it uses a cable and not hydraulic ) muffler/tail pipe, and I think I will replace the 2 front u joints. They are non greasers. I replaced the rears with greasables 60,000 miles ago. They don't/didn't need replacing but just to easy to do it now. Pressure plate might still be ok. I have a datsun pickup that has almost 300,000 miles and still on the original pressure plate. Probably replaced the throw out and friction disk at least 3 time on it. But on the Suk I do not want to do this again.

Randy