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Commanders projects

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Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 05 May 2015, 16:19

Hi guys, so as requested in my introductory post I have decided to add some of earlier work. So I decided to start from the beginning, this was my first big project and the first time I realised that I could actually make useful items.

The reason for the build was that we had a n exchange student coming over and we needed to squeeze my brother (I was about 15 or 16 at the time)and I into 1 bedroom along with our desks, computer etc. Luckily my brothers room has a vaulted ceiling giving me ample space for an "out of the box" bed idea.

The photos were only taken recently and there are no pics of the build, but you should be able to see roughly how it was done. It did also involve a bit of metal work as I had to make the fold-up steps from steel. Please excuse the items on top, as it is currently being used for storage :mrgreen: .

You will also notice the platform is a bit bigger than a single bed, which turns out is a good thing as getting up and down was a bit of a mission, even for a teenager!

Image

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Most of the construction is made up of scrap 110x36 pine normally used for trusses in RSA. I cleaned everything up a bit, but some of the original nail holes are still visible. No stain or varnish was used at all. I recessed the bolt holes and added washers to the wood would not be damaged when tightening up the bolts. I bolted everything to the wall with coach screws and plastic plugs. The chipboard base had to be cut in half to get it up onto the frame, which I then hid behind the middle support. The chipboard and coach screws were the only items I needed to buy, making this a pretty cheap build for me.

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Moving on to the steps, I didn't want to build a whole ladder as it would then also take up a lot of space, I decided a folding step arrangement would be the way to go. I made the base from 2 pieces of angle iron welded together, the steps themselves were made from sections of flat box. I added some plastic stops to the box sections to round them off and painted them up before installing. I added some magnets later so the steps could be folded up and retained by the magnet.

I hope the images come out right! :D
Last edited by Commander on 06 May 2015, 16:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby TrimTheKing » 05 May 2015, 16:24

Haha, love it! Great lateral thinking with those steps!!! :eusa-clap:

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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Andyp » 06 May 2015, 07:24

Very clever steps and and interesting use of space. Must have been fun if you needed to get down in a hurry.

BTW your images take ages to load on my iMac/Safari. Not sure why thi is at the moment will try and investigate later. Is anyone else having problems with the images on this thread?
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby martc » 06 May 2015, 09:56

the images were slow first time I loaded the page but they seem to get faster, would it have anything to do with internet speed on the posters side?
my net speed is not great due to the infrastructure here.
Commander that is what i love about this country, people come up with really good simple solutions to problems.
nice work
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Rod » 06 May 2015, 10:49

Clever solution but a long way to fall!

Any safety bars across?

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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 06 May 2015, 14:59

Thanks for the comments guys!

Andyp wrote:Very clever steps and and interesting use of space. Must have been fun if you needed to get down in a hurry.

BTW your images take ages to load on my iMac/Safari. Not sure why thi is at the moment will try and investigate later. Is anyone else having problems with the images on this thread?


I have gotten down a bit quicker than anticipated once or twice, luckily with no real injury! With regards to the photos, I used imgur but I think it links to the full sized images (I did not re-size before uploading, so might have to redo it. It's my first time using an external image sharing site).

martc wrote:the images were slow first time I loaded the page but they seem to get faster, would it have anything to do with internet speed on the posters side?
my net speed is not great due to the infrastructure here.
Commander that is what i love about this country, people come up with really good simple solutions to problems.
nice work


Thanks! That's what I really like about DIY, I can create a custom solution for my self using skills and materials I have available, instead of spending a fortune on a shop bought item that will only partially do the job.

Rod wrote:Clever solution but a long way to fall!

Any safety bars across?

Rod


There are no safety bars, but luckily the platform is a bit bigger than the mattress, and a fair part of your body lies behind the wall, it actually feels quite cosey up there, the ceiling is high enough that I can't touch it when lying on my back. It is not ideal if you are feeling sick and have to climb up there, but for most of the time it worked very well. Because it is clear above the door it also doesn't really make the room feel much smaller.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Andyp » 06 May 2015, 15:03

Yes i did notice the images were 5000 x 3000 pixels.

Must people here tend to use photobucket but I know that Mike G uses imgur and I have never noticed any problems loading his threads.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 06 May 2015, 16:40

I have re-uploaded smaller versions of the images and edited the original post, this should hopefully do the trick, so if you guys are still having problems with loading times please let me know so I can try something else.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 06 May 2015, 16:56

I will be adding images and a short description of some of my smaller projects to this post, if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask and I will elaborate.

Small bookshelf

I made this bookshelf from some off-cuts of MDF I had lying around after I made the bed with drawers (I will still add a post for it later). It is designed to hold DVD's, PC/Xbox games and also the small paperback novels. I recessed all the screws so as to not interfere with the items placed on the shelf and painted with a water based sealer available locally called Gripseal (Don't know if ti is available overseas as well?) I was really impressed with the ease of application and the final finish.

Image
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More to come!
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Andyp » 06 May 2015, 17:03

Commander wrote:I have re-uploaded smaller versions of the images and edited the original post, this should hopefully do the trick, so if you guys are still having problems with loading times please let me know so I can try something else.


Erich, thanks for that. The smaller image size now allows the whole thread to be loaded in an instant.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 06 May 2015, 17:32

Bed with drawers

This was to date by far my biggest project, I started it about 3 years ago a couple of months before getting married. It had occurred to me that we did not have a bed to move into our new home as we both had single beds previously, we would also have limited space available in our starter home and the idea was born to build a base with built in drawers to solve both those problems.

I started doing some sketches and quickly realised that I would need to use CAD software to make the project a success. Luckily my father in law is a draughtsman and has access to software, he could also give me a short crash course on how to use Solidworks 2009. After spending a lot of time trying different designs I was able to come up with this:

Isometric view:
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Foot end view:
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Side view:
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Top view:
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I designed the bed so it consists of 4 pieces, 3 "cabinets" and then a ladder section of slats for the mattress to be able to breath. Had it been in one piece it would be nigh on impossible to move due to the massive weight and bulky size. Keen observers will also notice that it is quite a bit higher than a standard bed, I thought it best to use every mm of available space (and as you know I'm no stranger to beds that are higher than normal :lol: )

The next step was to try and figure out how much material I would need, I ended up downloading a software package that could calculate the cuts required to make up all the boards needed. I went to our local DIY and hardware supplier, luckily they will cut your sheet for free, so I could give them the BOM and they made it all happen! I think it took them about 2 hours to make all the required cuts, but that would end up saving me an awful amount of time and waste as some of the items would be very difficult to cut on our small table saw. Getting all the boards home was an challenge in it self, it filled my Jeep and some of the bigger parts had to be strapped to the roof rack!

First job was to make sure all the boards were correctly sized and square, which they were (with the exception of 2 sections that were cut too small, the merchant had no qualms swapping them out luckily!) Then I could start with making out and cutting the feet. (I added the feet to make the bed easier to lift off the ground and also make it look a bit more elegant than just a square box straight on the floor)

Marking up:
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Drilling the round cuts with a hole saw:
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Short ends for the first cabinet:
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And here are some long ends:
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I will add more as time allows!
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 06 May 2015, 17:35

Andyp wrote:
Commander wrote:I have re-uploaded smaller versions of the images and edited the original post, this should hopefully do the trick, so if you guys are still having problems with loading times please let me know so I can try something else.


Erich, thanks for that. The smaller image size now allows the whole thread to be loaded in an instant.


Excellent!
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 18 May 2015, 06:57

Sorry for the delay, its been pretty hectic, but here are some more photos.

So the next step was to start assembling the 3 "cabinets" that make up the main structure of the base. Here we are mocking up and starting to assemble:
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Sorry for the poor image quality!

The next step was making all the drawers which was pretty repetitive as you can imagine, but there was nothing for it but to crack on. The drawers consists of 4 sides of MDF with the bottom being made of hardboard. I also decided to make the drawer faces separately so as to avoid the nasty holes. For the hardboard I decided to cut slots so it can be properly supported on all 4 sides as the drawers are fairly big. This turned out to work very well:

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And assembly:

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For the handles I decided on 2 handles per drawer as this would make opening and closing much easier on a big drawer. I also wanted a low profile handle with no sharp edges as you could easily injure yourself on a sharp edge when getting in or out of bed:

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Here we are mocking up to get a general feel for how everything is coming together:

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For the slides I wanted to use some of those nice beefy double extension drawer slides, but these proved to be insanely expensive (since I needed 12, it would cost more than the rest of the materials put together), so I settled for the normal kitchen drawer slides (450mm IIRC). I was very worried about the weight on these slides, but so far they are holding up nicely!

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[imghttp://i.imgur.com/u0pIwlQ.jpg][/img]

2 cabinets done (sans the drawer faces):

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Now things are starting to come together!

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Here is a photo with the slats in place and enjoying some well deserved (non-alcoholic) refreshment!

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Last step was to add the drawer faces and get everything painted up:

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And then getting both my father and FIL to assist with getting the bed into the room and assembled:

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Its now coming up on 3 years of use and the bed is holding up nicely, it is nice and solid and the drawers work well. I foresee having to repaint in another 2-3 years, but for the rest I am very happy!
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Andyp » 18 May 2015, 08:10

Nice job Erich, plenty of storage there although one set of drawers appears to be unaccessible up against the wall.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby DaveL » 18 May 2015, 11:10

Great way to get extra storage, but does it make the bed quite high?

Another question, in the first picture, are they home made shutters in your workshop window?
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby TrimTheKing » 18 May 2015, 12:00

Nice work Erich.

I also noticed those shutters, more info on those please…! :D

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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 18 May 2015, 12:41

Thanks for the positive feedback guys!

Andyp wrote:Nice job Erich, plenty of storage there although one set of drawers appears to be unaccessible up against the wall.


Yes they were indeed inaccessible, we have however since moved some furniture around to enable access to both sides of the bed! :D

DaveL wrote:Great way to get extra storage, but does it make the bed quite high?

Another question, in the first picture, are they home made shutters in your workshop window?


The bed is pretty high, but we got used to it very quickly, sleeping on any other bed now feels very low to the ground! The only thing you can't really do is put on your shoes while sitting on the bed, but I have quickly learned to do that step of the getting dressed process in the living room! :D

TrimTheKing wrote:Nice work Erich.

I also noticed those shutters, more info on those please…! :D

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I'm not sure what shutters you guys are referring to, the only thing I can see that may resemble shutters is actually the inside of the flip-up garage door. They are made from galvanized steel plate and normally painted in what ever colour suits the rest of the house, they are pretty common over here.

P.s if there are any questions I will be happy to answer to the best of my ability! i can now start uploading some photos of my current project!
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby TrimTheKing » 18 May 2015, 16:36

Commander wrote:Image

Over your left shoulder in this pic…?

They look like shutters to me! :)

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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 18 May 2015, 16:41

Nope, garage door :D Note the heavy concrete filled counter weight on the right hand side of the door. If I can get some better photos I will add them.
P.S that is my FIL, I am a measly 31 years of age! :mrgreen: :lol: :mrgreen:
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby TrimTheKing » 18 May 2015, 16:42

Commander wrote:Nope, garage door :D Note the heavy concrete filled counter weight on the right hand side of the door. If I can get some better photos I will add them.
P.S that is my FIL, I am a measly 31 years of age! :mrgreen: :lol: :mrgreen:


:)

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Current WIP: Bedside table

Postby Commander » 18 May 2015, 17:23

So for my current WIP I decided that the tea tray on legs was just not cutting the mustard any more and it was time for a proper bedside table. I hate clutter and I also have very limited space available to me so it required a bit of out of the box thinking to get to what I needed. The basic idea is to incorporate electrical outlets for all the necessary items and chargers in the table (cabinet) itself and then having a built in lead to plug directly into the wall socket. I also wanted to have some neat builtin storage so as to keep clutter to a minimum.

Here are some photos of the CAD drawing:

Front view:
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Side view with the side panel suppressed so as to show inside details. The open (front) end of the cabinet is on the right side of the drawing. Starting from the bottom there is a fairly large shelve, then a smaller shelf (for soft cover books) on top and a small drawer right at the top. At the back is a void area for all the electrical components. On top of the void is a small space that will be covered by a lid, in here I will place some USB ports so as to allow the iPad and cellphone to be charged.
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Top view showing where the lid will be:
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Here are 2 isometric views to give a general idea, note on the second photo I have added the feet with 2 different styles, one is minimalist and the other is a bit more complicated. I have still not decided which design I prefer, although I'm leaning towards the more complicated design as it will give me a bit more actual woodwork!
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Here is a bit more detail on the top and drawer. I have added a small cutout in the back of the drawer so I can run the charging cable for my phone into the drawer.
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The construction will yet again be mostly MDF, with the feet being pine.
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Current WIP Bedside cabinet Day1

Postby Commander » 18 May 2015, 17:37

Day 1 started a bit slow. The merchant waited almost 3 hours before informing me that the saw used for the cutting of the MDF sheet was out of action, I then had to arrange for a refund so I could drive to another merchant to buy the sheet there and get the cutting done. I was eventually ready to start at 3pm with a somewhat grumpy SWAMBO and mini SWAMBO, so I could only squeeze out another 2-3 hours.

With joy, some boards cut to (roughly) the right size!
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Enough material for 2 cabinets:
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Assembly is just starting:
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And end of play on day 1:
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All and all I was pretty happy with progress so far, some of the boards had to be trimmed as it seems the cutter at the merchant was in so much of a hurry he did not bother to make all the cuts straight. Getting the inside of the cabinet lined up and assembled proved to be a bit of a challenge with some head scratching going on to try and get all the measurements correct and all the corners square.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 28 May 2015, 06:33

At last I have found some time to do an update. Day 2 was spent mostly just finishing up the bolting together of the basic cabinet. I also found there was one board that was pretty skew from the merchant (clearly the saw operator was in a bit of a hurry, also not too sure how I missed it during the first go-around as I check the dimensions on each board before assembly) so I had to disassemble, cut the board so all sides are square, and then reassemble. I could then start with the main job of building the top drawer.

I started with cutting slots for the hardboard in the sides and rear panel using the table saw. The hardboard is slightly wider than the saw blade, so I had to make 2 cuts that are merged (hope that makes sense).
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Next step was starting to assemble the drawer.
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For the front of the drawer I didn't want to use a separate front board and drawer face (due to the drawer being pretty small as it is already. I also didn't want to cut the slots right through as that would make it visible from the sides. So my only alternatives was to use the router. The bit I had was slightly too narrow, so it meant 2 go around on the router as well, the slight difference in the 2 cuts will be hidden by the sides of the drawer.
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I then cut a profile on the drawer face just to round it off.
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Here is the final product, I'm not too happy with the fit the white plastic corner joints give, so I will probably end up changing those and making another plan.
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The rest of the day was spent sanding the front of the cabinet and the drawer to get the fit just right. Some fine tuning will still be required as well as making a plan for sliding the drawer (the drawer is too short for any off-the-shelf slides).
Image
Image
Image
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby martc » 30 May 2015, 17:05

commander, you say the drawers are too shallow for off the shelf runners, how shallow are they because Gelmar do some full extension runners from 250mm up to 600mm.their quality is quite good as well.
http://www.gelmar.co.za/drawer-runners/ ... ated-250mm
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 30 May 2015, 18:18

Thanks for the tip Martin, I think the longest runner I would be able to use is in the region of 200mm, the shortest I have been able to find so far is 300mm, but this info gives me hope to keep looking!
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