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Woodshop Requirements?


Guest markb57

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Guest markb57

Hi All,

Newbie here, asking a question that doesn't appear to have been asked previously, based on a forum search...

What equipment would be required to do the woodwork for a traditional metal-on-wood coach building job, a la Morgan, old MG, and lots of pre-war vehicles?

Thanks for any advice!

Mark

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At the risk of appearing flippant, there is nothing special about wood frame work or that it even needs to be furniture quality fit/finish. That said, if you don't already know what tools that would require you aren't ready for the job and need to acquire the basics of wood working/joinery..............Bob

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We have been doing woodwork for antique cars for 35 years. You need a band saw, table saw, a drill press, and router at a minimum. Also nice to have are a planer, a jointer, an oscillating spindle sander, a combination disc/belt sander, a mortise machine, a few hundred hand tools and practice, lots and lots of practice. We actually use our milling machine quite a bit when doing wood work. Remember, old car wood has curves and joints a regular cabinet maker would likely never encounter.

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Guest markb57

Thanks for your response, Restorer32! I am about half-way there, it appears, except for the "hundreds of hand tools", and of course the practice required. If I had the money I would have this done by pros, not because it is not interesting, but to get on the road (a lot) sooner! Thanks again!

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Guest AlCapone

The best tool you need is called patience ! Never hurry a project and never discard a piece of the original wood. It takes time and patience but you do not have to be a rocket scientist. Enlist the assistance of people that have attempted a similar or identical project previously.

The last ingredient is good humor !

Wayne

Edited by AlCapone (see edit history)
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I have done a number of cars {wood} There is nothing hard about it . the first one is my 1932 chevy before there was anyone doing kits . I used the most basic tools , jig saw chisels hand saws. As I was said Nothing beats a failure but a try. Howard

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Mark, A couple of things.

1. You might check out http://www.garagejournal.com That Forum is much like this one dedicated to garage/shop ideas, experiences. They have sections on flooring, heating, lighting, layout. Also there fabrication category gets some interesting posts.

2. It depends on your situation. Here in very condensed NJ, you learn to use every bit of shop real estate to your advantage. For me, if it doesn't have to be in the detached garage, then it goes into the basement shop. Band saw, radial arm saw, combo lathe milling head, drill press, stationary belt sander, layout table in the middle. The table saw stays in the garage as the pieces cut are usually too large to work on in the basement. In my garage is the vertical compressor with air lines running back into the basement, that way I can use pneumatic tools down there. Also in the basement is the bead blast cabinet. Think about how equipment will be used. Keeping certain areas clean may be a challenge, hence dust collection maybe in order.

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Some cars are more challenging then others. We did an L29 Cord Conv years ago that had 103 individual pieces of wood in the body, not including the doors or the rumble lid. If you think there is nothing hard about auto wood work you need to try rewooding say a '48 Buick Woodie Wagon or a big '32-'34 Packard or Cadillac.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Don't forget that $100 cut. I have been an avid wood worker and cabinet maker for years. I just hate to pay someone to do stuff that I THINK i can do. The operative word is THINK!!! I have made more than one cut that has cost me a $100 piece of wood with material and time in it. Just a reference, the full wood package for a '49 Ford wagon is $14,600, and I passed on the wagon at a recent auction!!!

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You cut large and sand. Auto body 9" sander is a help. Make your patterns or first run out of building material (pine). Use ash for your framing. Ash cuts and shapes easily on harbor freight or craftsman quality tools. I have my air compressor outside to reduce noise.

I have completed all woodwork on my 29 Dodge Bros truck. Cuts were mostly straight. Nothing fancy as in a passenger car.

I use table saw, router, and hand tools. I did require the help of a friend to fabricate roof slats. He had a planner and a table saw that could rib 1/4 " slats.

You should have good patterns to start and it helped to make prototypes out of softer wood like white pine to confirm the fit up of the pieces.

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Guest markb57

Dan, Dave, and Stakeside.....

More good info. I am not an heirloom woodworker, but I'm thinking I might be good enough for what is needed. Love the idea of taking the first cut <heehee> with construction grade pine!

THanks!

Mark

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Guest markb57
I did the header & top bows with a table saw, band saw, chisels, hand saw, drill and bits & hand plane. you can do it.

Thanks for the encouragement, JFranklin. In response to some of the previous comments, I do, btw, have a wood stove, and my spider senses are telling me that it will be well fed this winter.

Thanks Again!

Mark

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A quality table saw with a big table and a very high quality fence should be the starting point. Have the table big enough to drop in a router that can have it's own fence and also share the main fence.

You'll need to spend some time getting the saw tuned precisely. Get several zero clearance inserts, high quality blades and a stacked dado set. You'll need to build a multitude of jigs but you can do those as you need them. The table saw will be a big help getting your wood dimensioned correctly as your project is going to require odd dimensions.

On that note... where are you going to get your wood? Don't expect to be able to go to the big box hardware stores and get the wood you need... it won't be the right size and probably will not be dry. You'll need to find a source for wood and if you look hard enough you might find someone that will be a tremendous help in getting you wood that is close to the dimensions you need. I have two places close to me that I can order wood at about 1/8" over in thickness, maybe 1/2" wider and with one straight edge. That cleans up real easy on the table saw and doesn't cost that much extra. I find that having the saw mill handle the thickness for me is better than having a planar.

A band saw with an oversized table and fence would be my next choice. You'll build a lot of jigs for this as well and a big table and sturdy fence will help with those.

A nice drill press will save you some frustration by, among other things, allowing you to clamp boards and drill holes in the correct spot.

Quality hand tools can really help and to some extent you could do everything with them. In addition to saws, chisels, hand planes, drills etc, I've found a spokeshave to be extremely helpful. You can make several straight cuts on a length of board to get the basic shape correct and then quickly produces the correct curvature with a spokeshave. There are several different styles and with them you can shape just about anything.

I've found that, in addition to having high quality tools, having your tools in top shape (sharp, aligned and tight) is such a huge help. I'll never forget taking a class on hand cutting dovetails. Before the class I had tried for days to cut some decent dovetails and really couldn't get it to work. When I used the tools the teacher had prepared it was so, so, so much easier. They were the correct tools and there were tuned precisely. I had no idea it would make such a big difference. It wasn't just the better tools either... it was the tuning. I brought my tools the next week and we spent the time getting them in shape after which I could use them with no problem.

My best advice would be to find someone in your area that has these skills that will work with you to help you along.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest markb57
A quality table saw with ........

My best advice would be to find someone in your area that has these skills that will work with you to help you along.

Thanks, luv2wrench !

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I am in the middle of replacing the wood in my 29 Whippet. It was extremely rotted so I had to encapsulate the rotted ends with Quick Polly just to remove what was left of the wood for patterns. Band saw and stationary sander are a must for me, sanding to the line and fitting over and over. Slow work but very rewarding. I am making one set of roof parts from pine to fine tune the fit on the roof, and then will make another from ash using the first set as a model. If I'm going to mess up, let it be in the pine.

Good luck: Rick

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On that note... where are you going to get your wood? Don't expect to be able to go to the big box hardware stores and get the wood you need... it won't be the right size and probably will not be dry. You'll need to find a source for wood and if you look hard enough you might find someone that will be a tremendous help in getting you wood that is close to the dimensions you need. I have two places close to me that I can order wood at about 1/8" over in thickness, maybe 1/2" wider and with one straight edge. That cleans up real easy on the table saw and doesn't cost that much extra. I find that having the saw mill handle the thickness for me is better than having a planar.

These are very wise words. I have had wood cut for a couple of projects and the sizes are everywhere. You need wood with sizes (like used on my one truck) 10/4 X 7 1/4 X 12-1/2 ft. I ended up becoming friends with a guy that owns a saw mill and a kiln. The one project takes over 400 board ft of lumber.

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I found some ash in the penna farm paper . Guy had it cut to redo a barn , never did it . I bought it all about two large truck loads for $200 . I did my 1930 Oakland and had enough to do maybe two or more cars , he had it for a few years so it was nice and dry. I have a logging fellow near me who is a good friend and keeps a eye out for me . I also do other wood work beside cars. Woodturning ! Kings32

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I found some ash in the penna farm paper . Guy had it cut to redo a barn , never did it . I bought it all about two large truck loads for $200 . I did my 1930 Oakland and had enough to do maybe two or more cars , he had it for a few years so it was nice and dry. I have a logging fellow near me who is a good friend and keeps a eye out for me . I also do other wood work beside cars. Woodturning ! Kings32

Here is interesting videos about building Packard bodies. May take time to down load but quite interesting to see the craftsmanship .

http://forums.aaca.org/f219/how-packard-builds-body-c1930-365117.html

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