Finally begining my 06 build after 3 + years

[Tripton]

Well, it's been over 3 years since I purchased Joes kit and most of the hardware. First my mother got sick (I'm the only sibling in town so I took care of her) and passed away. Next my father got sick and passed away. Then I got married to the most high maintenance, emotionally unstable woman on the planet so I was still forced to keep the project on the back burner. Now I find myself with some extra time on my hands. You guessed it...I filed for divorce (on my birthday no doubt). So here I go again.

Please bare with me as I'm sure I will be asking some questions that have been answered numerous times on the zone but there are so many more posts now than 3 years ago. I can't believe how much the site has grown since then. I think the first thing I am wondering is:

1. What is the best glue to use for mdf?
2. Joe mentioned that he used a brad nailer on the torsion boxes. Is that just on the top and bottom skins or is it diagnally through the ribs of the boxes.

I am sure these questions have been asked and answered and hopefully as this progresses I will get more competent with the search engine.

Many thanks in advance for any assistance you guys render. I am most appreciative.

Trip

[MrWild]

1. Gorilla Glue is by far the best glue out there. It uses a small amount of moisture to kick, then foams to fill all gaps.

2. All a brad nailer does is hold the parts in place while the glue dries. I doubt very much brads add much extra strength.

Had a high maintenance gal myself. It seems this personality is usually attached to the Lookers with fantastic bodies. Sadly, all too often pretty = poison.

[Tripton]

lol. Yeah undoubtably a "looker with a fantastic body", 16 years and 70 iq points my junior, but hey, I'm not bitter or anything. I'm just glad to be back in the good company of all the zoners.

Thanks for the glue suggestion MW. I'll go out this morning and pick up some Gorilla Glue. So you think I can forego the brads? Also I can't seem to find 1/4" mdf in anything other than 2'x4' locally. Would it be detrimental to the x axis torsion box if I were to seam the top and bottom skins by using 2 pieces per side?

Now if I can just find what she did with my Hitachi router, steppers and controller board and bearings as well as the plastic from Joe's kit.
Thanks,
Trip

[BobF]

I disagree on the Gorilla glue. TightBondIII for me.
Gorilla glue makes an awful mess and cleanup is horendous. There is no gain for the pain in my opinion.

[ger21]

Gorilla glue has a much longer working time than Titebond. This has advantages and disadvantages. For a torsion box, having more time to clamp or screw the skins down before the glue sets can be very helpful. For other parts, having to wait an hour for the glue to set can be a hindrance.

And I wouldn't use Gorilla glue for it's gap filling abilities, either. It'll basically fill the gaps with foam, which isn't very strong. It works best with tight fitting joints. I like to use it in tight fitting joints, where Titebond can actually make it harder to get the parts together before the glue sets. Gorilla glue almost acts like a lubricant, helping tight fitting joints go together.

[MrWild]

USE gloves with this glue. I have a box of silicone exam gloves. As this is a Joe2006 kit we are talking about, the gaps aren't really gaps. If you get this stuff on you, you will see why I suggest silicone gloves and old clothes. It don't come off.

[ger21]

Laquer thinner will take it off.

[Tripton]

Thanks guys for all the great information. After I called menards and they told me they carried 1/4" mdf but only in 2'x4' sections I drove up only to find they had no 1/4 mdf at all. We also have a Lowes but they don't carry it either. Any suggestions for an alternate material for the x axis torsion box skins? They had 1/2 " mdf but it looks like crap. It does not even look like the same material that Joe uses in his kit. I wish I could find something already cut to 24" wide because my table saw is not really designed to cut full sheets. I did pick up some Gorilla wood glue from HF while I was out.

Also is it best to just glue the ribs together first or should I glue the bottom skin on at the same time I glue the ribs?

[BobF]

Use the pipes to help align the torsion box. Lay out all your clamps and dry fit everything first. If you have some long square clamps like K-body use them to help keep all square.
Here is link to my build and glue up.
http://cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43485&page=3
glue up starts at post 31

[BobF]

Titebond III has more open time than the other titebond glues. It is also more water resistant, but it cleans up with water prior to drying. Their site lists open time as 10-15 minutes vs 5-10 for their other glues.

[jmerson]

Bob,
I was just killing some time and noticed your post on projects and did some snooping. Is MDF anything that a sign shop would use for a substraight? My son has a sign shop and uses MDO for some of his work. I like metal myself.
Jim

[Tripton]

Originally Posted by BobF Use the pipes to help align the torsion box. Lay out all your clamps and dry fit everything first. If you have some long square clamps like K-body use them to help keep all square. Here is link to my build and glue up. http://cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43485&page=3 glue up starts at post 31

Thanks Bob. Looks like a great build. So, do we have a general concensus for an alternative material for the torsion box skins? If I go with 1/2" birch ply, would there be any detrimental effects? The only other material I have local access to would be 1/4" hardboard. I'm not thinking hardboard would be durable enough for this type of setup. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

Eventually I am going to have to get some mdf but what they have locally is crap. It looks rough and it crumbles when you touch the edges and corners. There is a HD just over an hour away but will their quality be any better than Lowes or Menards? Is there an online source for quality mdf? I would think shipping would kill though.