May 7, 201313 yr actually sometimes I need a lot of help but don't we all !!! A good friend of mine from church, who happens to be a retired navy chief and fellow legionaire has asked me to build a display case for a wooden model motor grader that his son in law built for him a few years back. Now you may ask why not let his son in law make it, well he passed away in Febuary after battling cancer for just over a year, at the young age of 42. He was also a good friend, a U.S. Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm, a fellow church member and legionaire, not to mention one heck of a good woodworker. He left behind a great wife and 14 year old son. So yes this is a special project. I have never built anything like this and need some design and construction ideas from those here who know more than I. The motor grader is 28x14x12. GregSite hosthttp://www.thesawdustfactoryga.com/
May 7, 201313 yr I'll be watching but i am going to step back and let the flat woodworkers take over.Charles NichollsSite Hostnicholls61@att.netProud supporter of The Wounded Warrior Project, Homes For Our Troops and the NRAhttp://www.etsy.com/shop/nichollswoodworks
May 7, 201313 yr just a couple of things Greg, do they plane on hanging it and will they want to open it to take it out? i did some for golf clubs and they wanted to be able to take them out. i hinged the doors on the top so you had to lift it to access it and put the latch on the bottom.John MoodySite AdministratorJohn Moody Woodworkshttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
May 7, 201313 yr Author John, due to the size it will be either on a table or shelf. The only description they really gave me is a glass or plexiglass dispaly case but nothing fancy. What stumps me is how to create a frame for the glass top . Probably something along this line John Moody said: just a couple of things Greg, do they plane on hanging it and will they want to open it to take it out? i did some for golf clubs and they wanted to be able to take them out. i hinged the doors on the top so you had to lift it to access it and put the latch on the bottom. John MoodySite AdministratorJohn Moody Woodworkshttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
May 7, 201313 yr You could make a wooden base then build the sides and top from 1/4" plexiglass. The plexi could be glued together on all edges as well as the top glued onto the sides. The plexi "box" could set into a dado around the wooden base. This method allows an unobstructed view of the interior because the plexi solvent causes the edges to become clear. It's very strong yet light. Unfortunately, it isn't cheap.Lew Kauffman-Wood Turners Forum HostTime traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!
May 7, 201313 yr Suggestion: Put life and action into it, don't set it flat. Make lie in the case on a rakish angle as if it is grading on a slope.You can do the wood frame a couple of ways.The easiest is to do a faux frame. That is glue the glass together like an aquarium and apply the wood framing to that. Use the framing to reinforce the glass joints.This is easier than trying to create a thin frame with structure.If you prefer to do the frame as a stand alone rigid structure into which the glass sets, consider a finger joint router bit to assemble the Horizontal pieces of the top. You can route a slot in all the pieces to lock the glass in much like one makes a raised panel door. For the 4 vertical members: inset the them into and through the base.Do it like you were making a stool and use a wedge from the bottom to lock the 4 posts tightly in place. This will give you structural rigidity. The frame for the top with the glass can rest on little mortise and tenons or simply dowels to locate it. I'd turn the ends entering the base. The shoulder of the 4 vertical posts will cover the hole in the base and the round tenon will allow you to rotate them to precisely locate the angle.
May 7, 201313 yr Author Thanks for the help everybody, I think I can figure it out now with everybody's suggestions. GregSite hosthttp://www.thesawdustfactoryga.com/
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