Necessity gives birth to an invention

[kiltedcelt]

How does an apartment dweller who likes to make bows store a 7'x1'x2' heat box? Well, I'm getting some cores and bamboo from David Knight and I figured I'd start using a heat box. In the past I've played around with EA-40 (Smooth On), but I've always let it cure at room temperature for 24 hours. I know you get a quicker cure but also a stronger cure if you bake it at 150F for 6 hours. David uses Urac for his glue-ups he said, however I still have plenty of Smooth On so I figured I'd use it up. Anyway, I figured I'd start making more laminated bows, both all wood and wood and glass, so I figured now was as good a time as any to make a heat box. However, I wanted it to be able to bake a 72" longbow which meant it needed to be about 7' long, at least 1' wide and about 2' tall to accommodate the form and clamps. That's a pretty big box to try to store out of the way, especially if you make it out of plywood. My first thought was to make it out of cheap OSB and line it with Reflectix. I thought about it and ended up deciding to make a wood/foam hybrid box. I saw a heat box on here (can't remember whose it was), that was made all out of reflective faced foam board. I wanted something lightweight but a box like that derives it's strength from being completely fastened together. That still wouldn't solve my problem. So, I did some cipherin' and came up with a rigid frame with OSB top and bottom and sides with 1x2 pine furring stripes for a frame to strengthen it. The whole thing fastens together with 1/4" bolts and wing nuts and is lined with 1/2" reflective faced insulation. The sides are the foam just in panels. The only thing I have to do to complete the box is to attach some small metal pieces to the wing nuts to hold the foam panels in place and a switch plate to cover the box for my rheostat. I also need to pick up a thermometer to monitor temperature. What do you guys use for thermometers in your heat boxes? Anyway, the whole thing breaks down pretty small and I can store the pieces on the shelving unit in my work area, thus keeping my work space free to tiller bows out or whatever. Anyway, here are the photos:

The box assembled with lid on
 

Lid up, showing the light fixtures (I'm going to run 4 100W bulbs)
 

The box broken down
 

The box stored up on top of my storage shelf - up and out of the way
 

[dustin smith]

very nice..

[Shakes.602]

What kind of Little Bench do you have it all sitting on?? Looks Just Right for My Indoor "Bow Room"!! Gotta Use Every Usable Inch!!!      

[Pat B]

Very cool idea. I put coasters on the end of my box so I can stand it on end and roll it into a corner when not in use.
  David makes great bows and glue-ups. You can't go wrong dealing with him. I've known David for at least 10 years but only met him personally last spring at the Tenn. Classic. When we finally met he gave me a boo backed and belly bows he had made. I like him even more now!!! d;^)

[kiltedcelt]

Shakes -

The little bench is a Wolfcraft workbench. It's basically the same thing as a basic Black and Decker Workmate bench. You can clamp a board in between its two moveable panels. If you look to the left you can see a 2x8 with holes in it. I clamp that into the bench and use it hold down bows that I'm working on. The holes allow me to put clamps just about anywhere I need them. I know what you mean about using every available inch of space. In an apartment we're at a premium for space. My wife's hobby space is in the same area (the paint booth with model horses off to the right of the picture), so we have to share the area and not get in each other's way.

[kennym]

Nice job!!  

[Hermann From Bavaria]

really cool stuff!!!

greets

[Mike Mecredy]

Good use of brain power right there!
-Mike