Nearly two weeks ago I recieved my recharter packet. I plan to post on rechatering soon, but I need some more time to look over my packet. So this post is me stalling, but hopefully helping some one save $40 or more dollars on a modern cave wall.
Once in a while we all need to draw out our ideas on the cave wall. As My cave isn't growing and I have numerous ideas coming about. It seemed reasonable to me that I needed to get a dry erase or white board. I went looking at the usual suspects and they all had a basic 32x48 board for $80 to $100.
I once ran across a guy who when He needed a white board went to Home Depot and Grabbed 3 sheets of white melamine board in 4x8 or 4x10 sheets. Which he glued directly to his office wall. It looked like garbage. Yet, he had 32 linear feet of whiteboard. My land lord would have freaked If I used this method.
I was in Lowe's, I think as I actually used a cashier. Home Depot only has two on duty normally. One watch the self service lanes and one in the contractor lane. Any way, they were out of the 4'x8' sheets of melamine, but I found a 32"x48" sheet of whiteboard wainescotting. I grabbed grabbed two 4 foot 1"x3"boards and a 6 foot 1"x3" board, two 8' sitcks of the paper pressed oak look corner moulding, some 3/4" #6 wood screws, and a package of metal corner brackets. The toal cost out the door was less than $40.
Ok so back at home, let's try to get this assembled. OK let's try cutting a 45 on the 6 foot board. Here is where my tool purchases have me at a dis advantage. I only buy tools directly related to the automotive repair I am performing, my work as a network administrator, or the pinewood derby. I cannot cut a good quality 45 degree cut on my bandsaw and I'm not going to try and cut it on the scroll saw. So I scrap that idea and cut the end square again.
Back to assembly. I Find 4' means give or take a 1/4". One board is 1/16" short and the other 1/8" long. I trim the long one on the bandsaw. I then take and lay the Whiteboard material over one of the 1x4's and pre drill and counter sink the screws about 6 to 8 inches apart. I flip the board around and do the same on the other long side. Then with the white side laying on an old blanket I measure the two side pieces and cut them to fit. Before I screw the sides in from the front of the board, I put the corner brackets on in the back. At this point a flat straight strap would have worked much better, yet I had felt the need to try and miter the corners. Remember KISS. a but joint is so much easier to implement.
Ok with the frame on the back of the board you have a funtional but ugly dry erase board. I'm back to trying to make miter cuts without a miter box. This time its with foam or pressed paper corner molding, much smaller and easier to work with than the 1x3. I figure the easy way for me to do this is start on one side and work my way aroung the board. I cut the molding to about 52 inches to start then mitered or cut the end at a 45 degree angle . I go back to the whiteboard and lay this piece up against the board to measure for the next cut. ( I really suggest that you buy at least a cheap plastic human powered miter box.) I work my way around the board this way until I have finished all four sides. Then I secure the border to the board with small finish nails. My dremel tool has a key hole bit to cut out a hanger or you could buy some picture frame hangers to hang the board on the wall.
It is not as pretty as one of the $80 aluminum framed boards but it was a whole lot cheaper. Now to put it to good use.
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