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Old 05-18-2016, 05:41 PM   #1
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Couple of mods to our "New to us" 17B

Twenty plus years ago in our Triple EEE Surfside, we had an inexpensive set including a barometer, hygrometer and thermometer. So as an amateur woodworker, I decided to make an new set for this trailer. Lee Valley supplied the instruments. The second mod was to solve the problem or where to store the TV while on the road.

Fred Alexander
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Old 05-18-2016, 05:47 PM   #2
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I do love the set up for storing the TV while on the road. Are there outside instrumentation for the weather station, if so how did you run the wiring? Thanks for the pictures.
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Old 05-18-2016, 06:28 PM   #3
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The matching clock at the top is a nice touch, Fred. Did you get that from Lee Valley, too? I don't see it in their catalog.

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Are there outside instrumentation for the weather station, if so how did you run the wiring?
I assume that these are classic direct-reading mechanical weather instruments from Lee Valley, not displays for electronic instrumentation... so if you want outside conditions, you need to mount a set outside.
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Old 05-18-2016, 06:55 PM   #4
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I traveled cross country 3 times and not once did I remove my tv from the wall mount. I secured it against the wall with hooks, but left it mounted the entire time.
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Old 05-18-2016, 07:36 PM   #5
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I traveled cross country 3 times and not once did I remove my tv from the wall mount. I secured it against the wall with hooks, but left it mounted the entire time.

Same here Jim. We just bungee it to the mount (to prevent the swing arm from extending) and off we go. Works well, but then again we had the wall reinforced, and I made sure the mount was extra sturdy when I installed it.
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Old 05-18-2016, 07:40 PM   #6
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I had the wall reinforced also but ended up attaching the stand at the edge where there is always a stud to tap into. Will do the same in the 19....but not the wall reinforcement, just mount on the edge...
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Old 05-18-2016, 07:45 PM   #7
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Very nice Fred I have always like the classic look of a oak wood barometer ,hygrometer & thermometer weather station.
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Old 05-18-2016, 07:52 PM   #8
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That's the only mod I've done to my Escape - using the Lee Valley instruments.
Problem I've encountered is that the barometer needle ends up in the six-o'clock position after traveling. I've taken to removing it from the mount and wrapping it in a towel so I don't have to reset it.

Oak mount cost a fortune and has stayed in place with double sided tape for at least six years.
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Old 05-18-2016, 08:23 PM   #9
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The matching clock at the top is a nice touch, Fred. Did you get that from Lee Valley, too? I don't see it in their catalog.


I assume that these are classic direct-reading mechanical weather instruments from Lee Valley, not displays for electronic instrumentation... so if you want outside conditions, you need to mount a set outside.
Clock is not shown with the weather instruments. You have to look under "large clock inserts". As mentioned above they are direct reading so no information from outside the trailer.

Fred Alexander
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Old 05-18-2016, 08:29 PM   #10
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Wall Mount

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I traveled cross country 3 times and not once did I remove my tv from the wall mount. I secured it against the wall with hooks, but left it mounted the entire time.
Well looking at our mount, I wasn't sure it would hold up. And the former owner did not have the TV attached to the mount so I was just following his lead. Even if it is strong enough, I'm thinking that the "bride" would veto and say that it was in the way! And... after all, "happy wife... happy life"!

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Old 05-18-2016, 09:59 PM   #11
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Clock is not shown with the weather instruments. You have to look under "large clock inserts".
Thanks Fred. I knew they were not in the weather category, and looked at clock inserts, but skipped the "Large" clock inserts guessing that it would need to be the 2-3/4" Bezel Inserts, given the size of the weather instruments.
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Old 05-18-2016, 10:59 PM   #12
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I had a heck of a time finding a woodworking shop with a 2 3/4" hole saw. Had him just drill the holes in a foot long chunk of oak at $8 a foot and I did the rest. What I want to know is what oak you used Fred. I need to take a better picture because the color match I have is better than it appears, but yours is even better.
I took the first barometer back because the needle kept dropping to the six-o'clock position during travel and Lee Valley replaced it. Replacement does the same.
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Old 05-18-2016, 11:47 PM   #13
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I had a heck of a time finding a woodworking shop with a 2 3/4" hole saw.
That's why Lee Valley lists suitable saw tooth bits with the instruments and the clock inserts... but at fifty bucks a bit, if you're only doing this once it's worth finding that shop. I have Forstner bits, but nowhere near that large.

Alternative include a circle cutter in a drill press (if you have both of those things - I only have the drill press), or a router with a suitable circle-cutting jig (have the router, not the jig).
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Old 05-19-2016, 12:05 AM   #14
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I think it cost me $15. The hard part was finding somebody willing to do it for me.
Now, I need somebody with an oscillating multi-tool to come over and make one cut in a piece of 1 x 3.
You busy?
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Old 05-19-2016, 12:52 AM   #15
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What I want to know is what oak you used Fred. I need to take a better picture because the color match I have is better than it appears, but yours is even better.
Red oak with a stain polyurethane finish matches the ETI interior finish quite well.

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Old 05-19-2016, 12:55 AM   #16
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I
Now, I need somebody with an oscillating multi-tool to come over and make one cut in a piece of 1 x 3.
That's about the one tool that I don't have. What do you need to do? I usually have enough other types of tools to get the job done.

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Old 05-19-2016, 01:12 AM   #17
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I've a chunk of 1 x 3 about 7' long that is part of the front door frame. I could probably attack it with a chisel. I just want to cut out the part that was attacked at some point by carpenter ants and replace that section ( about 2 feet of it ).
Basically, I want to make a straight cut without cutting the siding or door frame on either side.
I'd buy an oscillating multi-tool, but was thinking the other day of saying to my son-in-law, "someday, all these rusty tools will be yours".
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Old 05-19-2016, 06:27 AM   #18
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I have used one of these for cutting off rotted door trim in the basement and then replacing the space with a small piece of trim, paint and good as new. Robot Check
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Old 05-19-2016, 10:39 AM   #19
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I had a heck of a time finding a woodworking shop with a 2 3/4" hole saw. Had him just drill the holes in a foot long chunk of oak at $8 a foot and I did the rest. What I want to know is what oak you used Fred. I need to take a better picture because the color match I have is better than it appears, but yours is even better.
I took the first barometer back because the needle kept dropping to the six-o'clock position during travel and Lee Valley replaced it. Replacement does the same.

I "think" it's a chunk of red oak. The edging is another oak that I had left over and cut in thin strips. I's lighter in colour so it "might" have been a piece of white oak. I didn't buy the oak, it was given to me and I didn't ask what kind of oak it was.

I did not stain it so the colour was crap shoot. I used General brand hybrid water based finish: Enduro-Var Water Based varnish also from Lee Valley. The colour is pretty good, but not perfect. Anybody that comes into the trailer and mentions that the colour doesn't quite match, gets shown the door!

Weather instruments need a 2.5" hole. Lee Valley sells a forstner bit for this @ $44.40... not to me though! I bought a Samona cheapie for less than half. Not a particularly good bit... but it makes a hole. The clock is supposed to have a 2.75" hole. But I took the plastic ring off the clock and got it to fit in the 2.5" hole. See the picture. I might have had to sand the hole a bit for the fit... don't quite remember.

I have not had the trailer out on the road so I don't know if the barometer is going to do the "six o'clock" thing.

Second picture is one I made for the house. Walnut and Maple.

Fred Alexander

Fred
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Old 05-19-2016, 11:23 AM   #20
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Basically, I want to make a straight cut without cutting the siding or door frame on either side.
.
I've been in those blind cut situations before. There are a couple of possibilities other than buying a tool specifically to do one job.

One is to take a hacksaw blade and snap off the end at a 45* angle. If you have one of those blade holders for a hacksaw, great, if not just wrap some tape around the teeth and pull it back and forth. It will go right into the corner and only a very small amount of clean-up would be required.

The other tool that I'd use would be something called a bench saw. It's short and the end is square so it cuts right up close to a shoulder.

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