Monday, May 25, 2015

Cutting through metal

Aside from putting up the final supporting member for my dinette, I made a little progress on making the lock fit the side emergency exit. I made a tongue upon which the receiver for the lock in order to attach it to the bodywork. The mount for the other part is proving most challenging.

I'm using a hole saw and aside from having to fight to dismantle it in order to tighten the grub screw that's supposed to hold the drill but securely, every five minutes, its having a tough time getting through my inch thick block of aluminum. I think, after having to pause several times through the day, that I might be 1/5th of the way through. After that's done, I have to attach it to the door and use the same hole saw to bore through the 2 steel faces of the door. This could take a while!

I did intend to do some interior painting today but the only thing I painted was the bedroom door. The paint is supposed to be paint and primer. I wish somebody would be more honest on their packaging as that's very misleading. What paint and primer means is sure - you can use it as paint and primer but you're still going to have to put two coats. Defeats the purpose of having it all in one!

After fitting the final beam and finding to my delight that it supports my weight, I filled all the little crevices and areas where my workmanship had left gaps with foam sealant. I have a lot of trimming to do now!

One little issue surfaced - with the dining table in place I might not be able to open the cockpit door. Maybe the door will have to be made in two pieces using my cafe door hinges. I didn't want to do that but if its the solution then I may have to employ it.

The above is a photo of my dinette, taken from the driving seat. I must say I am feeling rather accomplished. I also note how much my carpentry has improved since I commenced my bus project.

Its becoming noticeable now that the heat is really restricting progress. I'm giving more thought toward installing a fan to extract the hot air. I'll probably have to install a solar panel to drive it. I really didn't want to do any more electrics right now - aside from fixing the CB radio so that it'd work. I did try the CB today. 40 channels of nothingness other than a couple of guys talking in Spanish.

My next task is to keep working on the door lock, complete the dinette and start the kitchenette. Some time or other, the project will be complete.

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