Storage Solution Cont.
As expressed earlier, I tend to have 3-4 project going all the time on this vehicle. One of those projects was to finish the storage system in the back of the Jeep. It still isn't 100% (is anything ever 100%?), but I thought I would share. I was bothered by the look of the storage solution. It appeared as though I just found a box that fit, and threw it in the back. I wanted to make it really fit the vehicle by adding some components to it to finish off the look and serve a few purposes. The problem is with both sides of the box. I use that area for storage, but it tends to overflow with stuff, and look like my closet when I was a teenager. That stuff would then start to protrude from the front and back of the box as well, hanging out by the fridge in the front, and out the back as well. My solution for this was to build some components to cover all of those areas.
I stopped back in to visit the guys at Artistic Wood and procured some "scrap" pieces of Baltic burch to do the job. This is where I find myself very far out of my element. Wood is not my friend, I do not know how to negotiate with it, as I do with most things metal. The tools are different, the methods are foreign, and the idiosyncrasies are completely unknown to me. This fact forced me to do some testing before I made any parts.
First, I'll share my Jigsaw, this little beauty was left to me by my grandfather, who was quite the wood worker in his day. I am guessing that technology has come significantly farther and this is a little out of date, but it is what I have and what I will use.
I decided it was time to cover the top of the openings on either side of the box. This had been my plan from the beginning when I designed the box, I just hadn't made the time to complete it. In order to access the areas, I decided to hinge the pieces that would cover the space. On the advice I secured from Gabe at So Cal Teardrops, I went with plastic hinges. These are meant to offer a little resistance and be quiet!
I haven't messed with these hinges before, and was not sure how these were meant to be installed, so I decided to do some testing and learn how they work. I started with a few small wood squares and tried to make them hinge successfully. I wanted to make the cut outs for the hinges on the doors only, as to not have to cut into the main box.
I noticed when I cut this material with my saw, it really did a number on the edges of the finished surface. This meant I would have to make all future cuts 1/8 to 1/4 from finish line and used the old belt sander to bring it to final spec.
Once I mounted the 2 pieces it the hinge, it appeared as though only cutting the hinge into the door side would work just fine
Through this test process, I think I learned enough to make this work
Next on the list was to develop some patterns for the parts to be cut
This is one of those jobs that just takes time to complete. It is important to sneak up on it, little trimming at a time
Like every pattern, it is a rough estimate of what needs to happen. This is why I always used foam core for patterns, as paper or poster board is too flexible and will cause more more in later steps.
Oddly enough, the basic dimensions of the rear of the pattern was perfect for the opposite side of the vehicle, that means I managed to mount the box fairly centered and square
I laid the pattern on the material and started cutting. A buddy asked me after the fact if I had set the grain to match the other surfaces, and I said "grain?" ya, I really dont do well with wood!
Once I had the pieces cut I just had to take the time to fit them. I also had to make sure they would hinge, which required more trimming than I was expecting. The hinges make the material swing out due to the height of th hinging point.
I decided to make the other front and rear filler pieces while I was in cutting and trimming mode. My next piece was the front of the box on thr driver's side nearest the fridge. I made a base pattern first
\
During the layout stage, I add lines to add material where I mess up the pattern
This piece took a little while to fit, because of all the curves in the interior plastic. It is not perfect, but it is good enough for who it's for
At this point I decided to pull the box out of the back and mount the "side flaps" on the box before doing the final filler pieces at the rear. This would allow me to make sure I had the box completely mounted and secure with the new parts in place, and th=insured there wouldnt be a gap if it went in differently than it came out. I quickly cut the hinge slots, and test fitted them
