Vagabound's Build-Out - 1993 Ford E350 Box Truck

[Vagabound]

what are they making it out of now?  I remember the older stuff was some type of particle board and wasn't very durable in fact it was very easy to break by just over bending it.  highdesertranger

As far as I can tell, it is whatever Masonite is made out of. That dark brown tightly pressed material. It seems pretty hardy these days, in terms of flexing strength, but I still would not want to expose it to moisture. From what I've seen of the pegboard scraps sitting outside at my work site, I think it would fall apart pretty quickly in the rain.

Tom

 

[bullfrog]

I used small section of peg board inside my trailer to hang things on, been about two years now and only ripped out one hook I had a 14" wrench hanging on for propane fitting removal. If I had painted the board and glued in the hook it might have held even that. Light items do fine except for scrapping the surface up while they swing going down the road.

 

[BradKW]

The stuff I removed from my truck was still MDF, but was dual-faced and probably 5/16" thick. It was installed with lots of washer head screws and caulked at the joints, and I was unpleasantly surprised at how much work it too to remove it. I figured that once I got 90% of the screws out I'd just be able to yank it free, but that wan't the case at all...took more work breaking it than hunting out all the screws. Even in the couple areas that had old water leaks, it was still in good shape. It must be a heavy duty variety, probably not something you'd find at HD or Lowes...

[img=450x375]http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/...ads/IMG_20160530_142659_zpszebui4hc.jpg[/img]

 

[Headache]

Fantastic job on your build! Looks great and you can't beat having organized storage.

 

[mikEXpat]

Lookin' good there. You've put a lot of work into this.

How will you secure things when you're on the road? Seems like while you're driving you'll be making some pretty music. Maybe some zip ties on the peg board will help. A cargo net that covers the board might do the trick also.

That foot pump, how does it work? Do you just step on it to produce pressure? Interesting. I can't see it working in my van due to the lack of floor space, but the concept is good. Others use pump faucets and even pumps on water jugs. I like the foot method better. I'll probably have to go with an electric pump myself, just haven't figured out a good method yet.

What's next?

Mike

 

[Vagabound]

Progress Update
What is old can be new again

This update ranks among my top three update posts, along with my Thanksgiving post when I bought the truck, and maybe when I finally got the side door installed. Only this might be my favorite. Not because it's particularly important, but because … well, that requires a short story to explain.

According to Native American legend, they have great reverence for animals. Long ago, when they stalked and killed an animal, in addition to thanking the animal for giving its life for their sustenance, they were also very careful to use every part of the animal for something useful.

Having always been impressed with that ethic, I’ve tried to incorporate it into my life where possible. And as my life has been the build-out of this truck recently, I wondered how I could apply it to this project. Well, I found a way.

I stalked and killed a desk.

As often as I get a chance, I like to stop by thrift stores. Sure, bargains are an attraction. As much or more than that though, I really like the idea of rescuing something from the scrap heap that still has value.

In anticipation of and once I started my build-out, I went to thrift stores quite often. I bought all kinds of things. Some I knew exactly how to use. Others I just thought were great and needed to find a way to incorporate them. Some of my purchases were prescient. Others not so much. One of those items was a wooden desk. I was thinking, “I have a box truck, I can put anything in there.” Well, as it turns out, there is a lot less space in the truck than I imagined. Certainly not enough for a regular desk. So my nice wooden desk had become a white elephant. I didn't even know how to get rid of it.

In addition to that problem, I was running out of building materials without the budget to get a lot more. And then one day as I was lamenting not having what I needed to continue, those two thoughts came close enough to each other in my head to touch. And when that happened -- shazzam! -- I had one of them there genuine paradigm shifts. Suddenly I saw my white elephant desk as a nicely structured pile of building materials!

As soon as that happened, it wasn't five minutes before I was taking the desk apart and planning what I could make from it.

That project is done now.

----------

So, this desk …





Became this cupboard …








And this bookshelf …





And one of the best parts is that I used almost every part of the desk. What you see below is all that remains …





Mostly I just work on this project as a matter of necessity. Rarely does it make me happy. This was an exception. Using the desk as building materials actually allowed me to make much better finished products. I'm very pleased with the way they turned out and even a little bit proud of myself.

Tom

 

[Gary68]

check out the craigslist free section,with people going flat screen the are getting rid of their entertainment centers

 

[jimindenver]

Looks great Tom. I also recommend the free section of craigslist. It's amazing what people give away.

 

[Vagabound]

check out the craigslist free section,with people going flat screen the are getting rid of their entertainment centers

I'm nearing the end of my need for lumber, but thanks for that idea. Might come in handy.

Tom

 

[Gunny]

Outstanding work and ingenuity.

Rob

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

That looks great Tom! Great kill. Imagine if everyone in the country reused and re-purposed everything they bought? What a great world it would be.

I'd try to knock out that first thing on your to do list. I know procrastination gets the best of everyone, but that's something no one should procrastinate doing!

 

[Vagabound]

That looks great Tom!  Great kill.  Imagine if everyone in the country reused and re-purposed everything they bought? What a great world it would be.  

...

Thanks, Matt. We're 100% like-minded when it comes to reusing and repurposing. That would certainly be one genuine way to make our country great again.

Tom

 

[BradKW]

Well, except for toilet paper I think... That wouldn't be so great.

 

[Vagabound]

Well, except for toilet paper I think... That wouldn't be so great.

That said, the toilet paper is a topic of a future progress update. Try to contain yourselves. ;-)

Tom

 

[highdesertranger]

that came out great Tom. hey after you get number one done on your to do list are you going to share with me. LOL. highdesertranger

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Beautiful use of the desk!!

 

[rvpopeye]

Grade A recycling !

 

[Vagabound]

that came out great Tom.  hey after you get number one done on your to do list are you going to share with me.  LOL.  highdesertranger

I'm a sharing kind of guy in a non-sharing world. That's my burden to bear, but it's good news for you!

Tom

 

[Vagabound]

Lookin' good there. You've put a lot of work into this.

How will you secure things when you're on the road? Seems like while you're driving you'll be making some pretty music. Maybe some zip ties on the peg board will help. A cargo net that covers the board might do the trick also.

That foot pump, how does it work? Do you just step on it to produce pressure? Interesting. I can't see it working in my van due to the lack of floor space, but the concept is good. Others use pump faucets and even pumps on water jugs. I like the foot method better. I'll probably have to go with an electric pump myself, just haven't figured out a good method yet.

What's next?

Mike

Hi Mike,

Lot of work:. 
You can say that again!

Secure things:
Wasn't it Mary Poppins who said always look on the bright side of life? I think everything will just stay where I put it, right? I don't need no stinkin' bungees! ;-)  

In short, my answer is that I don't know. I'll have to wait and see what tends to stay in place and what tends to hop off, and then create solutions along the way. Probably a lot of stinkin' bungees!

Foot pump:
Yes, you just step on it to pump water. However, it's not like a toggle switch and it is not electric. That means you get water when you press and no water when you stop pressing. When you press down with your foot one time, you get about one ounce of water. If you purposely push down more slowly and fully, you get about an ounce and a half. Yes, I measured it. 

When you first hear it, that doesn't sound like much water. Actually, it's more than you think, and you get used to using much less water with this pump ... which I think is a good thing. For example, I can wash and rinse my hands with about 4 to 8 pumps, or, 4 to 12 oz. You know anybody doing that at a regular sink and faucet? 

Also, each repetition takes a second for less, so in about 30 seconds, I can fill up my one quart drinking bottle, which is the most water that I ever pump at one time. Most things take much much less including washing dishes and water for tea. In fact, I'm liking this thing more everyday, especially now that I got a replacement pump that doesn't leak!

What's next?
I've moved through a few major phases in this build-out. The phase that I entered a couple of days ago is probably the fourth major phase so far. 

The theme of this phase is storage. I don't mean mini warehouses. I mean creating and organizing storage space all throughout the box. My guess is that will take 10 to 15 small projects. I think I have finished about 5 so far. At the moment I'm working on building a closet and shelves in the shed and then organizing it. After that, it will be a major effort to build and organize the under-bed storage. Of course, I can't just work on the under-bed storage. First I have to take nearly everything out of the truck and put down the laminate flooring. Then I get to do the under bed storage.

A few very busy weeks ahead.

Tom

 

[ArtW]

Love the repurposing of the desk, good save there

what are they making it out of now? I remember the older stuff was some type of particle board and wasn't very durable in fact it was very easy to break by just over bending it. highdesertranger

I have a piece of it in my old trailer, seems like MDF to me, too, but pretty strong
My dad and uncle never used the stuff, they'd just put up a sheet of ply and use nails and screw hooks as desired