| Building a Radio Box: Making the Cover and Mounting the Box |
From "Shipshape Boating"
episode DSSB-103 |
|
|
|
advertisement
|
In this segment, host John Greviskis makes the cover for the radio box. Materials: Tape measure
Pencil
4 x 8 1/2"-thick PVC structural foam
Straightedge
Orbital sander
320-grit sandpaper
Razor knife
Stainless steel finishing nails (approximately 20)
80-grit sandpaper
Sanding block
Fiberglass chopped strand mat
Stitched biaxial cloth
Polyester resin
Self tapping screws
3"-wide throw-away brush
Fiberglass roller
Epoxy filler
4" plastic applicator
Random orbital sander
Denatured alcohol
Tack rag
Polyurethane paint
3/8th napped foam roller
3" Badger hair brush
3/8" Lexan or Plexi glass
500-grit wet/dry sandpaper
1/2" stainless steel machine screws
Washers
Nylon lock nuts
Drill Making the Cover/Door for the Radio Box - What you need to make the cover or door is a sheet of 1/2"-thick acrylic glass. Leave the protective sheet on so you don't scratch it.
- Measure out how tall and wide the door needs to be and mark it out with a pencil on the protective sheet.
- With a sabre saw (with a fine-toothed blade) or jigsaw, make the cuts, and round out the corners using a belt sander (figure A).
- Buff the edge first with a 500-grit sandpaper and a sanding block. Then, take it over to the buffing wheel and work the edge with rouge (figure B), which is a polishing compound, and start buffing. This will clear any remaining saw blades and make the edge transparent.
- For the door/cover hinge, you'll need a stainless steel piano hinge. Simply lay the hinge over top of the acrylic glass and mark for the mounting hardware. Using a pencil you will need to drill through the plastic using a high-speed cutoff wheel with a 3/16" drill bit (figure C). You'll have to countersink the hole.
- Apply some double-face tape to the box side of the hinge.
- Center the hinge on the acrylic-glass door/cover, and then through-bolt the hinge onto the door using a 7/64 drill bit (figure D), and be sure to tape the bit with masking tape in order to use it as a depth guide.
- Use a tap (figure E) in order to create some thread in the acrylic. On the plastic you will have some type of protective paper layer. Simply peel it off.
- Now it's time to set the piano hinge onto the uncovered acrylic glass. Use six stainless steel machine screws and affix the hinge onto the door (figure F).
- Hold the door and the hinge up to the box and mark for the mounting hardware on the topside. Drill a small pilot hole for each one of the 1/2" stainless steel self-taping screws. Countersink these holes as well so that the fiberglass doesn't spider crack.
- Add weather-stripping (figure G) around the door of the box to keep it a little more water tight. This forms a gasket around the opening of the box. Cut out a v-notch in each corner to create the curve.
- Mark out for the stay (this is so the door will stay shut when needed.) Mount this on the bottom of the box about in the center. Again drill, through-bolt and counter sink.
- Now you'll need to add a latch (figure H) to the top panel of the box. Again, line it up with the stay and drill, through bolt and countersink
- Before the final step of mounting the box, you'll want to add some stainless steel hardware (figure I) on the side of the box in order to hold it open. Use double-face tape on the box end to get the best angle for the hardware.
Mounting the Box - Hold the box in place and, with a grease pencil, mark where the holes will be and drill for the mounting hardware and attach it.
RESOURCES :
VHS Marine Radio Handbook
Model: 1892216477
Author: Mike Whitehead
(January, 2003)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Bristol Fashions Publications
Communications at Sea
Model: 1574091611
Author: Mike Harris
(May, 2003)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Sheridan House
The Motorboat Electrical and Electronics Manual
Model: 1574091492
Author: John C. Payne
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Sheridan House
Electronics Aboard
Model: 189221640X
Author: Stephen J. Fishman
(September, 2002)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Bristol Fashion Publications
The Marine Electrical and Electronics Bible
Model: 1574090607
Author: John C. Payne
(October, 1998)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Grafton Books
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
