Building a shelf for van and scribing it into van side

[Keitai]

Trying to build a shelf for van and as the sides of van bow inwards; I was going to scribe the sides into the walls.

To do this, do you hold a pencil on the end of a bit of wood to follow the profile of the sides onto the wood (as in picture)?

 

[Burnerman]

Yes, that will do fine.....
Consider modesty blocks when fixing to the inside van panel ribs.
John

 

[Keitai]

Yes, that will do fine.....
Consider modesty blocks when fixing to the inside van panel ribs.
John

I was going to hook it onto the ply on the sides.

 

[Burnerman]

No problem with that, but if you need to use self tappers at any time, do check the length!
John

 

[Keitai]

No problem with that, but if you need to use self tappers at any time, do check the length!
John

Lol. I mean dont drill through van side


Out of interest, can you take those self tappers out and put them back without losing their strength?

How do you scribe by the way?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Jigsaw with a blade which will cut medium to tight curves, e.g. Bosch T244D. Turn the orbit off

 

[Keitai]

Jigsaw with a blade which will cut medium to tight curves, e.g. Bosch T244D. Turn the orbit off

That's just the cutting isn't it? How do you mark the scribe mark? Pencil on end of wood?

 

[Burnerman]

Self tapping screws are purposely sharp and hard so they cut their own thread through thin steel.....they can be used over again.
Regarding the scribe, I’ve been known to drill a pencil sized hole in a piece of timber to make the job easier.
John

 

[Keitai]

Self tapping screws are purposely sharp and hard so they cut their own thread through thin steel.....they can be used over again.
Regarding the scribe, I’ve been known to drill a pencil sized hole in a piece of timber to make the job easier.
John

U mean putting the self tappers into and out of the same holes is ok? When I put some hooks into my van's ply I had to take them out and put back in same holes.

Good link to scribing I found-

 

[HERTS P&D]

This is painful!!

Andy

 

[Deleted member 174758]

That's just the cutting isn't it? How do you mark the scribe mark? Pencil on end of wood?

Dividers with a pencil (or a school pencil compass), pencil and steel washer, pencil and small block of wood, etc. In your case it might be better to make up a cardboard or hardboard template which can be quickly and easily altered to fit the curve if the side then transfer that to the plywood when you are happy with the fit

 

[Keitai]

I tried the compass (set at 90 degrees) and bit of baton with pencil jammed into the hole. I used the baton (bottom photo) as couldn't get comfortable with compass. A bit shaky.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You arent using the compass right at all. Try folding the legs of the compasses in so that the gap between the point of the pencil and the point on the other leg is about 1in (25mm). You then have to keep the whole thing level whilst you mark the scribe cut. It takes practice

 

[Charlie George]

Jigsaw with a blade which will cut medium to tight curves, e.g. Bosch T244D. Turn the orbit off

Dividers with a pencil (or a school pencil compass), pencil and steel washer, pencil and small block of wood, etc. In your case it might be better to make up a cardboard or hardboard template which can be quickly and easily altered to fit the curve if the side then transfer that to the plywood when you are happy with the fit

You arent using the compass right at all. Try folding the legs of the compasses in so that the gap between the point of the pencil and the point on the other leg is about 1in (25mm). You then have to keep the whole thing level whilst you mark the scribe cut. It takes practice

You must have the patience of a saint.

 

[Ryler]

When I did the shelves for my transporter I kept the two lower shelves flat with a 60mm front upstand and the upper two tipped back at about 20 degrees and no upstand.

When you do a scribe line the priority is waste as little as possible.