Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

[roamer46]

It's broiling hot in the tent. Working with unfinished plywood in this heat and humidity is a real challenge because sweat runs down my arms like a river, then from my hands to the wood. I'm having to quit by early afternoon because it's just too danged hot. That said, I'm still getting things done...and now I've almost got a place to put a mattress in the V-berth.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up the V-berth Bed Foundation

Cheers,
Q



Oh, and does anybody know what causes this to happen to doug fir plywood?

[roamer46]

It's roasting in the tent, but I got the bed foundation panels insulated on the backside, installed, and then I coated the top with a heavy coat of white-tinted epoxy. It turned out pretty good!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Insulating and Final Install of the V-berth Bed Foundation

Cheers,
Q

[roamer46]

I've been slaving away in the brutal summer heat, but I'm slowing making progress. When I step outside of the tent even on a 95° day, it feels cool! I'm having problems with sweat running down my arms and staining the wood, so when it gets that hot I just call it a day. The V-berth cabinet door openings are turning out quite nicely in spite of the heat. My Shopsmith jointer was a big help getting these solid mahogany pieces just right.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The V-berth Closet

Cheers
Q

[rcplaneguy]

Have you considered a portable ac unit?

[roamer46]

I have thought about it. I even brought a big window unit to the boat. But the dusty environment is a problem, and not having a door or portholes poses challenges, too. The biggest issue is electricity, or the lack thereof. The entire yard is supplied by a single 25a slow-blow breaker. I couldn't run a saw, the dust collector, and the AC at the same time, and neither could anybody else.

[BuckeyeDennis]

I have thought about it. I even brought a big window unit to the boat. But the dusty environment is a problem, and not having a door or portholes poses challenges, too. The biggest issue is electricity, or the lack thereof. The entire yard is supplied by a single 25a slow-blow breaker. I couldn't run a saw, the dust collector, and the AC at the same time, and neither could anybody else.

What sort of dust collector are you using? I have one with a 5" hose between the blower and the filter/bag assembly, and found that it can also serve as a dandy paint-fume / heat extractor. I simply disconnected the hose from the filter unit, and vented it outdoors. Works like a charm to keep dust, fumes, and overspray out of the finished bedroom adjacent to my project. In my case, I made an input-filter box with a furnace filter to help keep overspray from getting into my DC fan. For spraying shellac, it works so well that I don't need to wear a mask. (Time will tell if the same is true for the lacquer topcoat.)

Fume extractor low-res.JPG (454.31 KiB) Viewed 15925 times

I got this one really cheap on CL, because it has a 3-phase motor. So I stuck a VFD on it. The beauty of that is the variable-speed control. Crank the speed down just a bit, and it gets very quiet. When not spraying, I can turn the speed down to 20%, to keep from sucking all the heated or cooled air out of the house, and still vent fumes while the shellac dries. That exhaust-vent panel mounts to the window in place of the regular window screen.

[roamer46]

I have one of those, too, but it's 110v. But for most operations, I use a shop vac connected to a Dust Deputy cyclonic dust separator with a hose going to the tool I'm using. Both are good, but the shop vac has the best suction.

Unfortunately, neither are any good at heat removal. The tent is basically a 50x20x20 building, with many large vents and a 20" box fan running on high to push air out. But it still gets above 110°F even on an 85° day.

[BuckeyeDennis]

What if you reversed the air flow, and blew outside air directly into the area where you are working?

[roamer46]

I think that'd be time consuming and complicated. If you saw the boat and the tent and the V-berth, I think you'd agree it's not worth the effort.

I just need to get the dang thing done!

[roamer46]

Speaking of getting it done...

I cut and fitted the mahogany plywood panel for the closet, then finished fitting the solid mahogany door opening pieces. All these angles made that a lot tougher job than it needed to be. I'll be glad when this is done.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: More On the V-berth Closet

Cheers,
Q