PTS

My Feedback: (153)

I have inquired about a true building surface a few times and I have always found the answers to vary if there is truly a flat surface to build on. I am picky and have ran across a company that manufatuers and sells what they claim is the answer. Go to www.c3gm.com and let me know what you think! If someone is using this, please let everyone know your opinion. They are highly priced but not really compared to the cost of a tempered glass surface or a ill flying plane. I am leaning towards the 84x32 board or maybe even longer.

Would you trust this board to build a Carden Cuda is my big question?


Thanks,

Perry


www.c3gm.com

kregan

A simple hollow core door is about as flat as it gets....

seanreit

My Feedback: (60)

Your building a Carden, so it's clear you've got the cash, I'd say go for it if that's what it's going to take for you to feel like your build job is going to be done on a flat surface and come out right.

I'd say 99% of giant scale planes are not built on that product (in fact they are built on all the random answers you've come across) yet most seem to come out just fine.

I agree, a hollow wood door is good, a piece of sheet rock is good, etc etc, lots of good answers.

I build my jets on a warped plastic folding table, so far they've all flown straight as an arrow under 30 lbs of thrust and more

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

I suggest a hollow core door. Put some 2'x4' ceiling tile on the board to put your pins in. This is an inexpensive building board that is about as flat as you can get.

I would also suggest picking up a piece of DOUBLE STRENGTH glass that you can put on the work bench for cutting your covering. The glass will not dull your blades as fast as the ceiling tile and the edges (provided the blade is new/sharp) will come out clean and sharp.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Holy Rube Goldberg! That thing will take longer to build than the plane! And it's just as expensive!

But It's got all the bells and whistles all right, so if you got a few hundred buck that you can't use to buy an engine with. go ahead

JeffH

My Feedback: (43)

My new bench tops will be granite, flat as it gets!!!

Broken

That building board is hilarious!!! Have you ever seen anything so ridiculously over the top....

I have a 3' X 3' wooden cart-table with edge extensions that can accomidate up to a 5' X 5' piece of sheet rock when needed. And it works great.

PTS

My Feedback: (153)

Believe me the money is the factor along with the assembly time as well. I was just wanting opinions. I already have a building surface but the downfall being that I have to continiously adjust the darn thing...

Perry

jaka

Hi!
I have used a door for building board for the last 25years...never have to adjust anything!

Regards!
Jan K
Sweden

cstevenpeterson

My Feedback: (21)

Wow! Better get some carbide building pins - that stuff is really hard!

Sorry I just couldn't resist. Actually I though about granite, but it's heavy and expensive - do you have some "special source" for yours? I am currently using hollow core doors, but I used to have a custom kitchen cabinet business in another life and I was thinking about building something similar to the one by c3gm.

Steve

blikseme300

My Feedback: (118)

No matter how flat or how rigid the building board, you can still build skew. Even jigs are not immune. A good set of straight rulers and a fresh eye will beat any building equipment each and every time.

If you are using a hollow door, check it often for trueness as they can and will warp. If you live in an area where there is high humidity or varying humidity be extra careful.

Just my 2c

Safe flying!

YAT-28E

Jeff H
What are a counter top contractor?
I am in the stone biz and thought about that cause you can CA right to the stone and it comes off nice!
But, I have seen slabs with a bow to them from grinding an polishing.

carlmyers

Perry

As the designer of the (ww.C3GM.com) Tru-Surface Building Board I can tell you that "Flat is Important". I have made a complete reply in the "Building Boards Recommendations Please" listing in the forum section on this site. For builders who want to understand why so much effort goes into design and building of this kind of product please check out my reply.

In answer to comments like "Over the Top", "Way too expensive", "Hollow Core for Ever", and other home grown replys I say "You get what you pay for, home made or purchased from a manufacturer".

My Dad always wanted a Packard Car because it was the best in his mind. Dad never got his Packard (but he did have a number of Nash Ambassadors, good car). Just like the Packard advertizing pitch "Ask the man who owns one" we say check with great builders like Bruce Thorpe (BTE Engineering) about building boards and why he ordered a 32" X 72" Tru-Surface from us.

Put your hollow core to use as a dog house roof and get back to building streight!!!!!

I am intrested in your comments and will reply to all ask good questions about our manufacturing efforts with the Tru-Surface Building Board System.

Carl L. Myers

PTS

My Feedback: (153)

Carl!

I believe in what you pay for is what you get and I feel like I opened a can of worms on this thread only trying to suggest something new and correct for intended purposes. I am a picky builder and demand the best in what I do. Call it overkill but I consider it my satisfaction. Doors are not straight and I know that tempered glass is not cheap either. The last quote I got on a 1/2" piece was $350.00. I will buy a board soon from you. I just acquired a steel table last weekend which measures 4X6 and I am trying to decide what size board. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Perry

saramos

Build on a steel surface, using magnets. Caffeenman has good info on building with magnets at his website, www.airfieldmodels.com. I made my buildboard 48" x 98" using a box construction with a steel top. The base is two 18" x 48" x 72" Gorilla shelf units unstacked. The shelfs were $100 each (which I already had), the steel was $100, and the rest of the materials were about $60.

Scott

JeffH

My Feedback: (43)

The granite will pretty much follow the bench frame. To make it perfectly flat, it has to be shimmed here and there. It is pretty rare for slabs to come in not flat, but I supposes it can happen.
Yes, the family is in the stone business, so the cost is really really cheap for me...
I will use sheetrock on top when it comes time to build wooden structures that need to be pinned.
Another really great part is that Monokote irons and soldering irons can lay directly on the surface with no burning.

Gollywock

Some people go crazy in search of the Holy Grail of building surfaces. I'd like to know what's wrong with a three dollar ceiling tile atop a flat, sturdy work bench. Jim
PS- I build mostly gas F/F, and they always come out as straight as a guitar string.

beachflier

I have one question.

Why do you need something so perfect?

I am sure that the wood being used is not. The grain may not be just right. The density could be different from one end to the other. All these items can cause you project from not being perfect. Save some money and go with one of the more economical alternatives.

CafeenMan

beachflier - because the tolerances add up. The wood is indeed imperfect, but you can account for that easily by using oversized pieces and sanding them to final shape. If the structure is designed properly then nothing should be able to "shift" and the structure will remain as straight as it was when you sanded it so.

If you build with imperfect materials on an imperfect surface then you are introducing more inaccuracies. I think at the point where you need a micrometer to tell if something is flat you've gone too far though.

I used to build on a solid core door covered with a ceiling tile and my work was straight-ish. I mean there were no obvious warps or anything crooked but there were small undulations that don't occur any more.

beachflier

CafeenMan – I would think that your method of using oversized pieces and sanding them to final shape would also work for a building service that is not perfect. ( I completely agree with this method of building)

I currently use a bench made of 3/4 inch MDF with a framework of 2x6’s. The bench is 30”x 84” with one of the 2x6’s running down the center. This cost me about $50 to build. I can put a straight edge anywhere on the board and not see any daylight under it. I then use a ceiling tile on top to have something for the pins to stick into.

Frost_

My Feedback: (1)

That top looks clean.... it has to be stainless, what is the thickness of it? Great job by the way.

saramos

Thanks for the complement. It is 16 guage cold rolled steel. I picked it up at a local metal supply place a couple of miles from home. It came as a 4' x 10' sheet which they cut for me. I need to wax it to preserve the finish. I had seen the Great Planes magnetic buildboard advertised and was intrigued. Then I came across Cafeenman's website and decided to try a metal buildboard. I started out with a 2' x 4' sheet that I got from a local hardware store. It worked well, but was a bit small for my likes. I started converting my garage into a workshop and designed and built the 4' x 8' board. As you can see from the photo, my current project is past the frame stage, so I still haven't done a build on my new table. I look forward to it.

Scott

OldRookie

My Feedback: (13)

I would recommend going the plate glass rout for a flat top to work on. You can get a piece of salvaged plate glass for about 1/4 the cost of new. One of the pieces I have is 1/2" X 36 x60 and cost me $140.00 cut to size and all of the edges were smoothed out so you won't cut yourself. It is plenty heavy.

Greg

JollyPopper

My Feedback: (6)

Why not buy an old pool table from a pool room going out of business or the like, place it right in the middle of your hobby room so you can move all the way around it, remove the rails, level it up, and place cork or ceiling tiles on the absolutely flat surface? Probably be cheaper than this board. Must be a thousand good reasons not to do this, but damned if I can think of one at the moment.

Dragon Fly

I agree with Minnflyer, That's ridiculous! You said you wanted opinions.