Rusty 87 build thread

[musigenesis]

This looks like a nice and neat transition here, as if I didn't crack two of these dowel pieces.



It fit perfectly on the first go, couldn't believe it. One problem that I didn't foresee is that the hinged piece barely has enough upward flex to allow me to get the clasp over the ceiling hook. I'm hoping that lengthening it very slightly will make it easier to attach without drooping the table too much.



I opted not to try and make it 90° plumb, since that would have meant attaching the table hook closer to the wall where it would get (more) in the way of someone eating on that side. The top hook is attached to an oak block so I can't move it any farther into the aisle. I also figured I would fail to make it perfectly plumb anyway and I'd rather it look like I wasn't even trying.



This thing turned out to be actual nunchuks.

[musigenesis]

Fixed a long-ago mistake in calculating how big my floor panel would need to be here. Nowhere to screw it to, but the underlayment layer will hold it in place.



I'm not exactly sure how the base of this wall curves inwards so severely, but fortunately this will all be hidden by the fridge.

[musigenesis]

So, I need one more piece of butcher block 24" x 16" to make a rolling cart of sorts, but I can't find anything that size for less than $70. I really lucked out finding this $100 stash of butcher block for my counters.

[peakbus]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

So, I need one more piece of butcher block 24" x 16" to make a rolling cart of sorts, but I can't find anything that size for less than $70. I really lucked out finding this $100 stash of butcher block for my counters.

Bummer, I have a leftover from my counter but Idaho to east coast shipping probably wouldn't be worth it.
Your interior is looking good!

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by peakbus

Bummer, I have a leftover from my counter but Idaho to east coast shipping probably wouldn't be worth it.
Your interior is looking good!

Yeah, that probably would be like $50 or more. Thanks, though!

I actually have a sort of rolling butcher block table that I think I might shrink down for this. It's not the same type of wood but I think it will work OK.

[musigenesis]

Figuring out where my freezer-->fridge is going to go. It will eventually be about 3/8" higher because of the flooring, so it will be flush with the countertop. Really a total accident that these chest freezers tend to be 33" high and my 36" countertop is 3" lower because of the sunken floor but matches the freezer since it's on the main level.





It's a bit of a squeeze between the fridge and the countertop when it's down, but not too bad. I can just walk through without having to turn my hips.





My plan for installing it is to mount a wooden brace to the two hinge brackets with angle brackets, then have the brace drop into a brace on the wall with dowel pins.





Had to remove the angle brackets to get them on the fridge, then reattach the brace.



Pics of the freezer details since I won't be able to see this.





Both braces attached.





Temporary aligning screws.



Extended the 1/2" holes through the wall brace.



Reamed the holes a bit bigger.



Gorilla tape as grommet.



Dowel pins inserted and fixed with screws.



A bit of an awkward lift but it dropped right into place. Getting it out again when I paint and put in the flooring will be interesting.





Very solid. This worked out pretty well and leaves the freezer open as it specifies. I'm going to cover the braces with some kind of trim, not sure exactly what yet.



This is the nasty thing I was planning on using before I found this other freezer. Same price for both!

[kidharris]

Do you have any experience with the Danby freezer? Is it energy efficient?

[musigenesis]

Donor rolling butcher block cart. I bought two of these 23 years ago for $30 ea. from a Sears that was closing (seemed like they were going out of business for good lol). Much sentimental value with these guys, although you wouldn't guess that from the fact that I put them in my shed and painted stuff on them. I had originally intended to put them both in my bus somewhere but they're too large, so I'm going to see if I can shrink one of them to fit under my countertop.



Sanded the top to make sure it was salvageable. Not sure what kind of wood this is, but it's not the same as the rest of my countertops, which is OK.



I cut the grooves off the edges with my table saw. Grooves like that in a block cart are really terrible, always tough to get the water out of them when cleaning and the groove would never keep the finish.

I noticed while doing this that the alignment of the strips of wood was slightly off the rectangle of the original block, so I was able to square the whole thing up. It's 23" x 16" which will just fit under the counter and is a decently usable size.



Figuring out how tall the new legs needs to be. I ripped them 1/4" thinner as well and almost killed my table saw in the process. I regretted the decision about 2" into the first piece but had to keep going with all of them.



It kills my hands, but sanding down wood like this is soooooo satisfying.



My new casters go directly on the bottom of these legs, but I have to figure out some way of mounting the plywood base closer to the floor than 3" (which is how tall the wheels are).

The top of this cart will also be about 3.5" below the 30" level of my dining table, so I have to figure out some simple way of boosting it that much when I tie it in to make an L-table. Maybe just of couple of hinged pieces of 2X that fold down from the underside.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by kidharris

Do you have any experience with the Danby freezer? Is it energy efficient?

My other upright chest freezer (the scrofulous one) is about the same size, 4 cu. ft. (I think my new one is about 4.5 or maybe 5) and I had it set up as a refrigerator with my thermostat gadget last summer when the temps in my garage during the day were 90s or 100s. I had my kill-a-watt meter on it for two months and it averaged about 16 watts (I kept it full of soda and opened it a few times a day) keeping the inside around 37°F.

I haven't run the Danby yet but I'm expecting it to be about the same. I wonder how much less efficient it would be running off DC through an inverter, but it seems like even if it were half as efficient, 30 watts is pretty good for your fridge.

My issue now is what to do for an actual freezer.

[kidharris]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

My other upright chest freezer (the scrofulous one) is about the same size, 4 cu. ft. (I think my new one is about 4.5 or maybe 5) and I had it set up as a refrigerator with my thermostat gadget last summer when the temps in my garage during the day were 90s or 100s. I had my kill-a-watt meter on it for two months and it averaged about 16 watts (I kept it full of soda and opened it a few times a day) keeping the inside around 37°F.

I haven't run the Danby yet but I'm expecting it to be about the same. I wonder how much less efficient it would be running off DC through an inverter, but it seems like even if it were half as efficient, 30 watts is pretty good for your fridge.

My issue now is what to do for an actual freezer.

Thanks for the answer. When you say "it averaged about 16 watts" are you saying 16 watts per hour or day or ? (24 hours per day= 16 watts x 24 hours =384 watts per day) I would agree, that seems pretty good to me.


"scrofulous" I had to look that up. Are you on some vocabulary improvement program? How long did you have to wait to find a use for that word?

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by kidharris

Thanks for the answer. When you say "it averaged about 16 watts" are you saying 16 watts per hour or day or ? (24 hours per day= 16 watts x 24 hours =384 watts per day) I would agree, that seems pretty good to me.

I mean over the long term it consumed energy at the rate of 16 joules per second (aka 16 watts). The rate would be a lot higher when the compressor is running and 0 when it's off, but on average it's equivalent to a 16 watt lightbulb burning continuously.

Originally Posted by kidharris

"scrofulous" I had to look that up. Are you on some vocabulary improvement program?

Yes, it's called "being pretentious".

[musigenesis]

The bottom of my rolling cart is a piece of birch plywood. I'm cutting edge pieces out of the original top's edges that will cover the ends of the plywood and create a lip for the bottom shelf.









Crude notch for attaching the corner of the plywood.



Matching plywood corner.





Looking like a cheap TV table at the moment.



The frame will have a back piece and the two sides will have the pieces of dowel from the original glued in. I'm thinking the top will have dowel pins in the corners which will position it on the four legs. To raise it up 3" to have it at the same level as the counter/table, I'll have four extender blocks that will sit on top of the legs and then the top will fit into those. I'll have to wait until my flooring is in to make those, in order to get the height right.

[musigenesis]

I'm on the hunt now for a cheap CL/FB/OfferUp one of these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RCA-1-1-...F110/308892245

So far $100 is the cheapest I've found. These things are designed so that the compressor is mounted at the back and bottom of the case, which is why they have a shelf and are deeper at the top. I want to see if I can remove the compressor from the case and have the freezer still run (i.e. see if the tubes are long enough and flexible enough to allow this). If so, I could turn it upside-down and cut off the part of the case where the compressor was, allowing it to fit up against the curved ceiling, with the compressor mounted next to it.

I don't feel like like hacking a brand-new one of these at $150.

[musigenesis]

Just got my email bill for my Allstate RV insurance renewal for the next year. I've seen a few posts recently about Allstate supposedly dropping its skoolie insurance line, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I need to contact my agent and find out what Allstate's requirements are for full coverage (I only have liability coverage right now). I think that I have everything I need installed in the bus now, except actual water and propane. Electric is kind of installed, sort of.

[joeblack5]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I'm on the hunt now for a cheap CL/FB/OfferUp one of these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RCA-1-1-...F110/308892245

So far $100 is the cheapest I've found. These things are designed so that the compressor is mounted at the back

I like that idea. In Dory and also Elfie we took a 12 vdc fridge and raised it up above the wheel well. It makes getting access a lot easier and less bending. In both we have a little storage space above the fridge.. that is handy to but really I regrating it to the ceiling would be cool...
I think it would be easier to go with an normal under counter fridge / freezer with a separated condenser and cut the rear of the fridge in the shape of the ceiling while leaving the door frame and ceil intact.
The advantage of taking a freezer is that it just has more insulation but with a separated condenser ( one not integrated in the freezer side panels you can easy add more insulation.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

I like that idea. In Dory and also Elfie we took a 12 vdc fridge and raised it up above the wheel well. It makes getting access a lot easier and less bending. In both we have a little storage space above the fridge.. that is handy to but really I regrating it to the ceiling would be cool...
I think it would be easier to go with an normal under counter fridge / freezer with a separated condenser and cut the rear of the fridge in the shape of the ceiling while leaving the door frame and ceil intact.
The advantage of taking a freezer is that it just has more insulation but with a separated condenser ( one not integrated in the freezer side panels you can easy add more insulation.

I just found one of these 1.1 cu ft freezers on OfferUp for $50, going to pick it up tonight. It will be interesting to see if this works or not.

[musigenesis]

So much sanding.









This is where my plan to have dowel pins in the bottom of the top piece that fit into holes on the legs died. Couldn't get remotely accurate enough with my standing drill press placement to make it work, the top is just too big and heavy and I didn't feel like building a supporting framework for it. Probably for the best anyway since assembly required a lot of long clamping to get everything to come together square - without the top screwed in I think it would have warped somewhat.



These blocks were going to go under the top to raise it 3" but I had the same problem with bit placement. I'm instead going to have to use something underneath the cart to bring it up level with the countertop.



Decided to just screw the top to the legs and fill in the counterbore with dowel.



Assembly was fun. The right piece here took an enormous number of mallet blows to get it down onto the cross-dowel, and then I whacked the left piece down too far and slightly cracked the cross-dowel trying to get it back up into proper position.



The lip pieces all around the base were attached with framing screws run up from underneath.



All assembled.



Filling in the counterbores. Just need to sand them all down and I can start with the poly.



Got my $50 1.1 cu ft freezer. Other than being black it's perfect, no dings or scratches. Shame to cut it up, a darn shame.



This thing might be almost custom-made for chopping up like I'm planning to do. The compressor and other little gadgets are all mounted to this separate foot piece which easily unscrews from the frame. I'm probably going to break that copper line accidentally but I believe that's fixable (?).

The freezer temperature control knob is mounted in the back here, on the left, which I would say is a pretty inconvenient location. I should be able to remount that where I can get to it more easily.



It would be less work to just mount this in the cabinet next to my fridge, and I may just do that. Or possibly still mount it up high but so that it occludes the top of the side door a few inches, which would also save me from having to cut it and move the compressor.

[kidharris]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

So much sanding.

Attachment 57303

Attachment 57304

Attachment 57305

Attachment 57306

This is where my plan to have dowel pins in the bottom of the top piece that fit into holes on the legs died. Couldn't get remotely accurate enough with my standing drill press placement to make it work, the top is just too big and heavy and I didn't feel like building a supporting framework for it. Probably for the best anyway since assembly required a lot of long clamping to get everything to come together square - without the top screwed in I think it would have warped somewhat.

Attachment 57307

These blocks were going to go under the top to raise it 3" but I had the same problem with bit placement. I'm instead going to have to use something underneath the cart to bring it up level with the countertop.

Attachment 57308

Decided to just screw the top to the legs and fill in the counterbore with dowel.

Attachment 57309

Assembly was fun. The right piece here took an enormous number of mallet blows to get it down onto the cross-dowel, and then I whacked the left piece down too far and slightly cracked the cross-dowel trying to get it back up into proper position.

Attachment 57310

The lip pieces all around the base were attached with framing screws run up from underneath.

Attachment 57311

All assembled.

Attachment 57312

Filling in the counterbores. Just need to sand them all down and I can start with the poly.

Attachment 57313

Got my $50 1.1 cu ft freezer. Other than being black it's perfect, no dings or scratches. Shame to cut it up, a darn shame.

Attachment 57314

This thing might be almost custom-made for chopping up like I'm planning to do. The compressor and other little gadgets are all mounted to this separate foot piece which easily unscrews from the frame. I'm probably going to break that copper line accidentally but I believe that's fixable (?).

The freezer temperature control knob is mounted in the back here, on the left, which I would say is a pretty inconvenient location. I should be able to remount that where I can get to it more easily.

Attachment 57315

It would be less work to just mount this in the cabinet next to my fridge, and I may just do that. Or possibly still mount it up high but so that it occludes the top of the side door a few inches, which would also save me from having to cut it and move the compressor.

I'm not as hip to the new refrigerants. Had a bit of experience with 22 & 12 in my youth. If you accidentally break that copper line I'm guessing you already have a torch, silver solder aka silflaus, a vacuum pump, gages, refrigerant, and a vacuum pump and know how to charge a system. May also need some more tubing and fittings.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by kidharris

I'm not as hip to the new refrigerants. Had a bit of experience with 22 & 12 in my youth. If you accidentally break that copper line I'm guessing you already have a torch, silver solder aka silflaus, a vacuum pump, gages, refrigerant, and a vacuum pump and know how to charge a system. May also need some more tubing and fittings.

Nope, I have none of that. Also no experience or knowledge.

[musigenesis]

Finished four coats of poly (six is crazy with this much annoying sanding to do between coats) and installed new casters on my rolling cart.



Before and after (the one on the left is the second of two carts I had like this). One nice thing about the inflating lumber prices is that it makes recycling a more cost-effective approach than it would otherwise be.



And of course it doesn't fit in its cubbyhole.



I think this is probably a more reasonable spot for my freezer. Much easier than trying to edit it to fit against the curve ceiling. Have to decide whether I want the door exposed since it's the wrong color; alternative would be to have it behind a regular cabinet door, which would be a bit of a pain to open two doors to get something out. I might try unhooking the door and mounting it to the cabinet door instead of using the built-in hinge, but that would depend on my aligning everything very exactly so the door seals.



Fortunately easy to trim the corner piece so the cart fits.





One thing I sort of regret is using poplar 1/2" dowels for my bungs. The piece I chose had a big chunk of the greenish wood poplar has, which obviously stands out. Not a huge deal but two seconds to pick a lighter piece would have been worth the effort.



Paneled the back of the cubbyhole. Getting close to the final coverup of the insulation in my bus.



Trimmed out the front of the opening. The two runners along the bottom are to keep my casters from turning and jamming when I try to pull the cart out - it's still a little tricky.



I'm pretty pleased with this cart. Now I have to figure out some way to keep it locked in place.