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Shop Vac Lessons [boatbuilding]
Oct. 26th, 2024 09:38 pmAfter 3 hours of sanding yesterday, I got through two half-sections out of the five sections on the boat's interior (+ bow and stern decks).
Today, after another hour or two of sanding, my mom's shop vac, which I've been using for dust collection from the orbital sander + more, started making horrible noises.
My mom happened to be stopping by, and commented that she thought she was supposed to be oiling it, but she never has. By this point, the shop vac is a crucial part of the project.
I found a website that goes over pretty thorough shop vac disassembly and lubrication instructions:
https://woodgears.ca/motors/shopvac.html
I didn't do a full disassembly, but I did take the main covers off. Since I had things opened up, I cleaned a bunch of parts as best I could, and added a bit of lubrication to the top bearing. That *might* have done the trick. It was certainly better than having to run out to a hardware store.
After another full day mostly spent sanding, I'm estimating I'm now 43% through this round of work. (yes, the degree of precision is supposed to be a joke) I've been working on the starboard half of the boat, using a combination of the orbital sander, all the scrapers, and hand sanding blocks.
It looks better from further away than it does up close.
Up close you can see where I've sanded through bits of the fiberglass. You can also see, on the right side, what a partially-sanded plank looks like. It takes a surprisingly long time to go from that blotchy appearance to the smooth, matte look that's ready for paint or varnish. I'll need to go back over the sections on the upper left of the photo - still too much gloss peeking through, showing that no, I haven't actually gotten that part completely flattened out yet.
My neck aches, but I'm determined to keep at it.
Today, after another hour or two of sanding, my mom's shop vac, which I've been using for dust collection from the orbital sander + more, started making horrible noises.
My mom happened to be stopping by, and commented that she thought she was supposed to be oiling it, but she never has. By this point, the shop vac is a crucial part of the project.
I found a website that goes over pretty thorough shop vac disassembly and lubrication instructions:
https://woodgears.ca/motors/shopvac.html
I didn't do a full disassembly, but I did take the main covers off. Since I had things opened up, I cleaned a bunch of parts as best I could, and added a bit of lubrication to the top bearing. That *might* have done the trick. It was certainly better than having to run out to a hardware store.
After another full day mostly spent sanding, I'm estimating I'm now 43% through this round of work. (yes, the degree of precision is supposed to be a joke) I've been working on the starboard half of the boat, using a combination of the orbital sander, all the scrapers, and hand sanding blocks.
It looks better from further away than it does up close.
Up close you can see where I've sanded through bits of the fiberglass. You can also see, on the right side, what a partially-sanded plank looks like. It takes a surprisingly long time to go from that blotchy appearance to the smooth, matte look that's ready for paint or varnish. I'll need to go back over the sections on the upper left of the photo - still too much gloss peeking through, showing that no, I haven't actually gotten that part completely flattened out yet.
My neck aches, but I'm determined to keep at it.
