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Old 02-13-2021, 07:32 AM   #201
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeblack5 View Post
Haha. Pretty hardcore that Rodney..
But actually I really meant that her solution looks better then the rubber mats.
On our own bus and even house I prefer simple rubber also ..more practical but something can be said for a more home-like inviting approach.
You do a great job on making it look very nice ..most buses including my own have a bit of " roughness " around the edges.
I like how you build up the inside of the staircase in such a way that you created a better deal for the door.
Rodney, he gets no respect, no respect at all... Me, I’m married now, but back in the day when I was single, I met this girl. She looked a lot like my mother. It was really weird. She even walked like my mom, talked like her; it was freaky. So... I brought this girl home to meet my family. My dad, HE DIDN’T LIKE HER! (insert rimshot here) Thank you, I’ll be here all week... But seriously, I apologize if Rodney was too racy, I want to be good; I am just a bad man.

I agree with everything you said, and thank you your encouraging comments. Executing Lisa’s (wife) vision is often a challenge. I am a “form follows function” type of guy. I am more concerned about making stuff work reliably, and making it easy to fix if it breaks.

Your comment about roughness around the edges resonates with me. Part of my approach for the bus is to make all visible (and some not visible) surfaces inside the bus “finished”, from the windshield and driver’s area, to the back window. And after 35 years of marriage, I am certain Lisa will accept nothing less...

Nonetheless, I am so eager to get this bus on the road it is making me crazy. “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.” - Proverbs 14:29 (from Rodney Dangerfield to Proverbs...)

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Old 02-13-2021, 07:44 AM   #202
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Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Near Flagstaff AZ
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Year: 1974
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: "Atomic"
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Originally Posted by ComfortEagle View Post
from Rodney Dangerfield to Proverbs...
The best line of the week, sir!
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Old 02-18-2021, 07:42 PM   #203
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
I have been taking a bit of a break from the bus this week, sort of...

I came across some free plans for this ladder chair, also known as a Franklin chair, evidently it was invented by Ben Franklin. The plans are from a fantastic woodworking resource called Saws On Skates.

This version of the chair uses a piano hinge allowing it to convert between a chair and a step ladder. We are planning a flip up desk on the side emergency door and the chair will be used there, and as a step ladder to get to the roof thru the boat hatches.


The wife is away for the week, “freeing up additional workspace” on the kitchen island.


The chair is made from more of the free oak I got from a fellow forum member. I hope to finish assembling the chair (and cleaning up the house...) before Lisa comes home on Sunday. As it is solid oak, I would prefer to stain/poly the chair but I will hold off until the design lead weighs in.


And in another development, our Nature’s Head finally showed up today. I am looking forward to getting some peat moss so I can start pooping in it...
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Old 03-01-2021, 11:56 AM   #204
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
Finished up the ladder chair. Been working on the dinette, more oak...

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Old 03-09-2021, 10:56 AM   #205
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
So, STILL working on the dinette (banquette, booth, whatever...) but I thought I would share the latest.

The church pew benches have been cut down to their final width, but are still looking pretty ugly. Very soon they will be painted black with stained oak accents.


Choosing to use the church pews made it a bit challenging to come up with a design that would allow for (relatively?) easy access in and out of the dinette. And so this is what I came up with. The extension on the table end will be piano hinged to allow it to flip up or down as shown. It’s not a perfect solution but it seemed like the lesser of some other evils we considered...


The big deal for me is the finish we chose for the table itself. I gave the table a once over with some Goodfilla Wood & Grain Filler; fantastic stuff, addictive... Sanded with 120grit and then a single coat of Minwax Colonial Maple stain.

I then applied 4 coats of Waterlox Sealer/Finish. I had never used Waterlox, but I couldn’t be happier with the results. It was super easy to apply; I brushed it on with a foam brush (using a new brush for each coat), and that was it.


As previously mentioned the wood used to make the table were free oak remnants courtesy of fellow forum member, and I will be making the kitchen countertops from the remaining “scraps” of oak. And I will definitely be using Waterlox to finish them.

The sealer/finish (as you can see) is a semigloss and is not sold in a satin. I did however, buy a can of the Satin Finish shown in the pic, but ultimately I decided the semigloss looked too good to cover.


Kitchen cabinets are on order and will be here sometime in April. After doing the table, I cannot wait to build the oak countertops and lather them up with this Waterlox; I would love to take credit for the finish, but honestly, I just wiped it on with a foam brush...
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Old 03-11-2021, 10:27 AM   #206
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Location: Rapid City, SD
Posts: 993
Year: 2001
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: CS RE
Engine: ISC 8.3 L 260 hp
Rated Cap: 36
Your table is beautiful. The dinette is going to look really classy once you get the benches painted and stained.

Ted
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Old 03-15-2021, 09:30 AM   #207
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TJones View Post
Your table is beautiful. The dinette is going to look really classy once you get the benches painted and stained.
Thank you Ted.

So here it is; a mock up at least. Still sorting out exact spacing and how to deal with the slope of the floor (for the forward bench).

The bead board will stay on the wall, but not sure yet of the color. The kitchen cabinets will be finished in a dark grey paint and I may try to match that color once they get here (which is now looking like first week of May).


The open wheel well space will be covered with flooring planks, or maybe just painted black?


I need to get busy on designing (and building) the couch base. It will have a new “bus heater” in it and some storage. It also will need to pull out to hold a full size air mattress. The cushions and back are from an inexpensive couch we bought and gutted from Bob’s Discount Furniture.

And finally, this bathroom is not building itself as I had hoped it might... All this “creativity” is getting tiresome.
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Old 04-20-2021, 06:07 PM   #208
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
The cabinets finally showed up today, most of them anyway. 1 of the 5 cabinets was “lost” in shipping. Not sure how a cabinet gets lost, but an expedited replacement will be here on Thursday.

I ordered the cabinets back on 2/14/21 from www.cabinets.com. They weren’t free (delivery was) but I felt they were a good value for the money. They come with good quality soft close door hinges and full extension soft close drawer slides. They all showed up (the ones that did show up) in one piece, were well packaged, and undamaged. After giving them a once over I am pleased with the build quality. If you go to their website and don’t like their prices, check back as they have regular “sales”.


The sink will go on this side and a wash/dryer will go in between the cabinets and the refrigerator.


A 20 inch stove will go on this side along with the last cabinet, a 9 inch pull out spice rack style cabinet.



I guess I need to get to work...
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Old 06-01-2021, 05:40 AM   #209
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
The interior build continues for now.


The couch is almost done. Under the right half of the (soon to be hinged) slats is storage and a new “bus” heater.


Unfortunately, our mini split is not working. We will be getting our HVAC guy over soon to have a look. In the meantime I decided to install a removable window AC unit in the back of the bus.

I chose this GE 350-sq ft Window Air Conditioner (115-Volt; 8000-BTU). It seemed like a decent middle ground in terms of size and I was lured by the promise of smart phone connectivity (which I haven’t yet tried).


I still need to do some sealing and weatherproofing, but it is in and helping to keep it comfy while working and hanging out on the bus
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Old 06-01-2021, 05:45 AM   #210
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Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 6,995
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
Looking great! I love the claw foot (claw hand?) arm rests for the couch, and that AC mounting is very attractive.
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Old 07-21-2021, 05:50 AM   #211
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Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 2
Year: 2001
Chassis: Thomas
Engine: 3126B Cat
Awesome progress

Just read through alot of your build thread. Top notch work and love your design. My wife and I are also currently converting and we live only about 15 to 20 minutes south of you in St.Leonard. Born and raised in Calvert and I used to live over in The Willows. Hope we can meet up sometime soon and check out eachothers busses. I met another person converting a skoolie who lives in Lusby, and we are planning on meeting another couple who lives in Owings soon. We should all get together for a meet. Never realized there were this many like minded people all in the county.
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Old 08-28-2021, 09:39 PM   #212
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Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Virginia
Posts: 2
Year: TBD
Coachwork: TBD
Chassis: TBD
Engine: TBD
Rated Cap: TBD
Following with interest! Just fixin to get ready to think about converting a bus! Need a tall one, so will check out Cali. Thanks! In Nova and DE so not too far from ya'll.
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Old 08-28-2021, 10:20 PM   #213
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Location: Mesa, AZ
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Engine: 8v92T Detroit
Rated Cap: 2 adults and two pigeons
Looks really nice! Are the cabinets plywood box? I was going to see about having mine custom made but might go the route you did.
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