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My box build

Along the lines of actually getting something done - got all the major wood pieces and 4 of the angle steel pieces cut. Now I'm just debating whether or not I want to pay Lowes or Home Depot prices for the remaining 25' of steel. No proper steel suppliers seem to be open on the weekends here.
 
All of the steel pieces (including the tabs) have been cut. All that remains is drilling, tapping, and welding... Although I'm not counting the finish-related steps yet.
 
Progress is being made... Hope to have everything done in the next few days.

steelbox_progress.jpg
 
this might be a bit late but you could use something like versatex its made out of PVC, i have used it mainly for outdoor trim replacement (replacing rotten wood) its good stuff but it flexes more than ply wood..... or just seal the ply wood then coat it with herculiner or something.

sorry for rambling its 2am and i should be working on a paper hahaha
 
lol, no sweat man - I appreciate the tip. Versatex looks interesting... If I can check out a sample locally I might give it a shot.

Ultimately, I am planning on sealing the wood first (either a polyurethane or an all-weather sealer - the latter may give off fumes though and might not be suitable for "indoor" use), then wrapping it in carpet.
 
I really like this thread !! I downloaded the SketchUp program and it is a lot of fun but super fustrating at times. I have been using it for bumper and slider designs. Your box looks good but got a question, how are you going to secure it to the Jeep and will it be strong enough to store heavy stuff on top of it like a tire or something big like that? Also sorry a little of topic but it looks like you were able to make different shapes and move them to the big structure, how did you do that and have you figured out how to take a shape and make an exact copy of it. Those are the two big things fustrating me on the program. Thanks and keep up the good work !
 
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Thanks man, I appreciate the kind words - SketchUp can be a bit tricky, but I'll share the key points that helped me the most (by far).
  1. Groups - Think of everything you're looking at as a group of vertices, edges, and faces. Let's say you're making something as simple as a 2' long 2x4 - make a 2" x 4" face, then use the Push/Pull tool to extrude it to 2 feet long. In the scope of the model you're working with, you probably want that 2x4 to be considered a solid piece (something that won't go changing shape on you) - right? Well, highlight all of the "pieces" of that 2x4 (vertices, edges, and faces) using the Select tool, right click on them, and click "Make Group". Now, you can snap that whole group to other components in your model without distorting anything when you move them around.
  2. Components - Similar to Groups, but a layer higher (components are made up of groups, or standalone vertices/faces/objects).
  3. Play with the tape measure - when you've taken a measurement and want to give yourself a waypoint to which a piece should snap, click on that spot (on the edge or face of whatever you're joining it to) and it'll leave behind a "Guide" point. From there, grab whatever part of the Group you're moving (a corner, a face, an edge, a centerpoint on the edge, etc) and drag it over to that Guide point - it should "snap" into place.
It's hard to make a list of tips given how many aspects there are to the program, but the above concepts REALLY sped my progress along once I figured them out.


Oh yeah, and the base structure has been welded together and is ready to go. I just need to drill and tap the 4 corners of the rackmount area, weld a couple square nuts to the structure, and order the carpet... Getting very close. I'll post an update pic here in a bit.
 
Here's a pic of where it currently sits.

steelbox_progress2.jpg


I need to trim a tiny bit off the angle cuts on the side panels, but all in all it's coming together nicely... The lids fit perfectly, and stop just short of the hatch interior trim (didn't take a pic of that fitment though).
 
Oh yeah, and KingCobra - I know it's strong enough to support a spare tire, however, this wasn't designed with that in mind... I've got a rear tire carrier and wanted this to be more of a flat storage area for random day-to-day crap, and things I take with me on trips. The barrier net will serve as the 4th wall once all is completed (to keep things out of the passenger compartment).
 
Thanks the tips on sketchup is exactly what I was looking for !! That's good about the box strength. I like the idea but keep my spare inside and if I could do something similar and mount the tire on top solidly (like a spare mount mounted to the frame of the box which is bolted to the body for saftey issues) it would free up a ton of space inside because right now I just keep it laid flat and strapped down.
 
As always, thanks for the encouragement guys - it all helps keep my drive up to finish the damn thing :)

XgarrettJ - very nice man! The last thing I need is another idea to derail my progress and make me start over yet again, lol. With these kinds of things, it ultimately boils down to what you want/need - that being said, I really dig your setup. Simple, but well thought out from what I can tell!


Another progress report: all 4 rack corners have been drilled, and the frame is almost entirely finished. Just gotta grind a couple welds (due to poor planning) and get the right two rack posts attached, at which point I'll just need to weld 4 square nuts to the structure, tap all the rack post holes, and paint it. I'll post pics shortly.
 
Just for grins, I did a side-by-side comparison:

steelbox_beforeafter.jpg


This evening will be spent finishing the wood prep (including drilling and getting tee nuts inserted, as well as hopefully starting the polyurethane sealing process) and starting on the side bins... Never taken the cardboard template approach before, so I'm gonna give that a shot in the hopes of a better final product.

After that, I just need to order the carpet and decide on hinges and other hardware.
 
I actually have a question now...

What wood sealers would you guys recommend? Based on what I've read, an epoxy-based sealer would be ideal... Everything seems to point to Smith's CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer), but it's apparently pretty expensive.

Anyone have any suggestions for sealers? Not sure this is really ever going to see large amounts of moisture, but if I'm doing it, I might as well do it right.
 
I've used liquid glass with great results. Although you have to have some way to contain it. My buddy built a table with a bunch of pictures and memories from an epic roadtrip we took, and covered the whole thing in about 1/2" of the stuff. Used a heat gun to get out the bubbles.

That was about 8 years ago, still looks just like it did when we layed it down.
 
anthrax323 said:
XgarrettJ - very nice man! The last thing I need is another idea to derail my progress and make me start over yet again, lol. With these kinds of things, it ultimately boils down to what you want/need - that being said, I really dig your setup. Simple, but well thought out from what I can tell!
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! i actually changed my mind on it about 15 times.. haha.
i wanted to have drawers at one point. but i just decided to keep it easy and simple...for now. but again thanks for the compliment! good luck with your project
 
playwithit said:
Marine Spar.
Click to expand...
Cool deal, I'll check it out... CPES seems to be difficult to come by.

whitexj98 said:
When I built my beer pong table I used about 8 coats of just regular polyurethane sealer and it has held up great for the last 2 years and it gets lots and lots of "moisture" spilled all over it on a regular bases.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was thinking of using some straight poly based on the exact same experience - my old roommates and I built a beer pong table about 5 years ago that we let people doodle on for over a year, after which point we stained and poly'd it:

beerpong.jpg


It continued to see use for about 6 months after sealing it, but then became a piece of wall art. I still love looking at it after all these years... Lots of stuff is in there that I somehow never noticed. Really crappy pic, unfortunately (low light with an old iPhone).

DanMan2k06 said:
I've used liquid glass with great results. Although you have to have some way to contain it. My buddy built a table with a bunch of pictures and memories from an epic roadtrip we took, and covered the whole thing in about 1/2" of the stuff. Used a heat gun to get out the bubbles.

That was about 8 years ago, still looks just like it did when we layed it down.
Click to expand...
Liquid glass is a hell of a sealer, but a bit much for this task... Thanks for the tip though!

XgarrettJ said:
Thanks a lot! i actually changed my mind on it about 15 times.. haha.
i wanted to have drawers at one point. but i just decided to keep it easy and simple...for now. but again thanks for the compliment! good luck with your project
Click to expand...
Believe me, I know something about changing your mind while building things... Just look at this thread :) .
 
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