Quote:
Originally Posted by Beachvbguy
So, my issue isn't how to frame the curve, I've seen it done where several small pieces are attached along the curve, and then the wall itself is cut using a template or contour gauge to fit the curve.,
My question is this: how can I ensure that the pieces that I'm attaching to the bus are in a straight line? I don't necessarily have a reference point to measure against, nor will a square or t-square work, since we have a , you know, curved surface.
suggestions?
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Buses just aren't as dimensionally precise as you might think. It wasn't a manufacturing priority in the first place, and over the decades all these structures have dimensional creep from wear, stresses and thermal cycling. A bulkhead template carefully made for one rib station probably won't fit many others perfectly- even without being in the hot sun over different exposures.
Suggestions:
1. Buy a projecting laser level. 2 lines minimum. Mine is 3 and it makes everything WAY easier. Get the cheapest (Chinese) one you can because you're working inside a small space, and what costs money with these things is the resolution and brightness of the projection. In a bus, you need very little. I consider my 3 line laser an absolutely essential tool for the garage door and security gate installations we do. One of the handiest tools in the shop or the field. Once you have one, you quickly realize that ALMOST NOTHING is square and plum, and NO surface is level throughout. Fortunately, that turns out to be mostly just fine...
2. Level the bus. If you can't do that, at least get it on flat enough ground to get any twist out of it so your work will be (relatively) square to it. Your laser level will let you see just out of level, plum and square the bus is, and you can then correct for that with the laser, lining up your interior structures as you make them- or not, if you want a perfectly hung swinging door, for example.
3. Keep the bus in the same place as much as possible- or move it back to the same place whenever you built interior structures. That will minimize mid-build dimensional changes from flex. Kinda depends on how fine you need or want your work to be.
4. (Really should be #1) Mostly, relax. It isn't a pressurized cabin. Get everything to fit up nicely against what's immediately adjacent to it, and nobody will ever notice what's square and parallel- especially going over a double railroad crossing or parked on a hill.
5. You can get a lot of nice work done with a a builder's square, a torpedo level, a plumb bob and a snap line for next to nothing. A compass is a good idea, but a pencil taped to a small block of wood is easier to use and more accurate. You can also use a ticking stick to make bulkheads/walls precisely and fast. See youtube for how it works. Boat interiors have been made with them for
centuries...