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08-18-2014, 08:35 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Corte Madera, CA
Posts: 28
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Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
Started lurking here a while ago when I was thinking about buying a SMB. Well, found a reasonable one for sale nearby:
Although it had pretty good maintenance throughout its life, lots of little things needed attention, like loose or missing bolts/screws, some deep cleaning, repairs of doors, shades, etc. A few of the projects completed this weekend --
Fabricated and mounted holders for table feet and legs:
Repaired and mounted broken Day/Night Shades on the rear doors. Used 80 lb. monofilament rather than the nylon cord on the originals.
Repaired door & hinges under gaucho then put in new catch latch and anti-rattle brackets.
Replaced cardboard box "drawers" in the closet with home-made coroplast boxes.
Enough for now - lots more on the horizon (coat PH top, replace running boards with hoop steps, change out interior lights to LEDs, install backup camera, etc., etc.). Appreciate all the help provided by the forum.
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08-18-2014, 11:25 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 879
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Re: Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
Ooh, can you explain a bit more about how you made the Coroplast boxes? I have some compartments that defy any standard plastic tub or drawer to fit - this looks like a great option. I'd never thought of this.
Congrats on your new rig
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08-18-2014, 11:51 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Longwood, FL
Posts: 1,560
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Re: Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
Quote:
Originally Posted by Viva
Ooh, can you explain a bit more about how you made the Coroplast boxes? I have some compartments that defy any standard plastic tub or drawer to fit - this looks like a great option. I'd never thought of this.
Congrats on your new rig
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^^This! Tagged for coroplast interest.
__________________
Greg
Old van: 1997 E250 EB30 (Stolen)
New van: 2003 E250 EB10
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08-19-2014, 05:58 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 4,198
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Re: Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
+3 on the Coroplast. Cool idea!
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08-19-2014, 08:28 AM
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#5
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Corte Madera, CA
Posts: 28
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Re: Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
Making the box is pretty easy - finding the 4X8 sheets of coroplast is the difficult part.
It's an interesting material to work with, almost indestructible, but easily cut with a blade. I used leftover aluminum ducting tape to secure the flaps on the bottom, but not all tape or glue sticks to the surface of coroplast.
I'll be making another box today and will take/post some pics of the process.
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08-19-2014, 01:16 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 879
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Re: Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
Quote:
Originally Posted by DVD
I'll be making another box today and will take/post some pics of the process.
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Cool, thanks!
Also, where did you end up finding the Coroplast? I had previously wanted some and tried Home Depot etc. with no luck. (But then I stopped looking as that project went another way.) I definitely want to make some of these boxes though.
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08-19-2014, 01:43 PM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Corte Madera, CA
Posts: 28
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Re: Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
It was difficult to find the full sheets. Home Depot had 2'X3' pieces for $9, I finally found full 4'X8' sheets for $15 at Discount Builder's Supply in Downtown San Francisco. Coroplast is used a lot in sign making, so a sign shop may have some, although I have no idea what they might charge.
A couple of hints:
Reduce your layout sizes by about 1/2 to 3/4 inches all the way around. The box is bigger than the layout size due to the thickness of the material and the radius of the corners.
Check to make sure your tape sticks - I hear that Gorilla Tape works well, but the HVAC contractors had left a roll of aluminum ducting tape and it happened to stick well. I'm kind of into resource conservation (i.e. cheap), so I used what I had around rather than buy a $12 roll of Gorilla Tape.
Use a sharp blade to cut the coroplast. A small utility knife with "break-off" blades worked well as cutting dulls the blade quickly.
Experiment with different patterns. I made about the simplest box possible, using the least amount of material, but there's no end to what you can make with this stuff. You can double it, rivet it, sew it with zip ties, bolt it, melt holes with a soldering iron, etc. etc.
A big problem is lying awake at night thinking of all the things you can make with this stuff.
Here's how I made my boxes:
1. Layout all 4 sides + a 2" fold-over tab on one piece, including 2" fold-under tabs (with mitered corners) for each side/end. Cut a separate rectangle for the bottom of the box.
2. Crease all fold lines with heavy pressure from the wheel of a screen tool. I'm sure you could figure out other ways to make the crease if you don't have this tool, but it takes a fair amount of pressure to crease when you are going across the corrugations.
3. Fold the box carcass into a rectangle and tape the fold-over tab.
Continued on next post...
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08-19-2014, 01:51 PM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Corte Madera, CA
Posts: 28
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Re: Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
Coroplast Box, continued -
4. Place bottom into carcass, fold over and tape bottom tabs to hold in place. I also taped up the mitered corners to cover all raw edges.
5. The material has some "memory" from the folds. In my case, I don't really care since they will be inside the cabinet. I hear that if you heat the corners as you fold them, some of this memory disappears, but I've never tried that.
6. The final product(s) in place in the closet shelves. I melted small holes with a soldering iron and used parachute cord (knotted on the inside) for handles.
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08-19-2014, 03:12 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 879
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Re: Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
Slick, custom-sized, and lightweight. Sweet! The only thing I thought of was that sliding the "drawer" in and out (with the weight of stuff in it) might abrade/wreck the tape/joints on the bottom/outside... but you could perhaps put that all on the inside on some drawers (?) Or maybe it is not a problem in real life.
Funny but I just bought a screen roller for another (unrelated to screen) project, but then didn't end up using it, and was thinking "Now I'm carrying around a screen roller for no reason..." But maybe I'm not!
Thanks for posting the details.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DVD
A big problem is lying awake at night thinking of all the things you can make with this stuff.
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Ha ha, indeed
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08-19-2014, 05:10 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
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Re: Mini-Projects on my new-to-me SMB
Very nice! Thanks for the insructions, it would work great in my cabinets too..........if I can find it.
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