Gauge upgrade
 

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/f...uges-here.html

What do you guys think?

Looks good.Nice idea with the plug ins.

Thanks

It's up to mike, but you guys might want to stay tuned to this for a while....
He's heading out again, but I volunteered to fall on the sword and help him out on this project.....
The design will be his decision....and I will help him create the reality.

Couple of ideas coming......

Yes and I certainly appreciate it Rich!!

Here we go.....
 

All right folks....

Here is the outline:
I am going to make a panel...options and design are 100% the owner (I.C.U./Mike) and the finished product is his entirely for zero, zip, zill, zilch, nada..u get the point....

I am not the best at fab....but I am good. If there comes a time when u are wanting more info....tooling....sourcing raw materials...technique, please...speak up. If I know, I will share.

My next post will be a description and opinion of process.....and I will post daily on progress as mike and I approach a final product.

If you are better equipped/knowledgable about this process, please....chime in! A fellow member/members of our community will benefit from me/us.

So....it begins......

Tooling
 

Really easy here....and a minimum of cost and space required....

Simple things you most likely own already...
Drill (vari speed)
Screw gun...not a 1/4 inch impact!
Jig saw (also vari-speed)
Router table. I put the (.) at the end to convey the importance. It is not optional. I can build anything...
A
N
Y
T
H
I
N
G
(almost)
with the items listed above...but nothing without the table.

Here it is....and as before...cheap. WITH router and electric add-ons and a simple selection of bits and bearings, I am wayyy below 500 for a start....

Basically, it is a table that I made using box tube, angle and plexi with a hinged front access and a rubber rim.

Later, I added a JessEm lift...not necessary, but whoa what a great piece of machinery...

The router is a 3/4 horse Porter Cable with a 1/2 inch chuck (collet) but I also have the 1/4 inch collet.

The JessEm gives me infinite adjustment on the "x" axis.

Here is a look at something I did to mount a fishfinder and GPS on acrylic in the ProLine (no...not the one that the phuckbagz in Port Charlotte sank)....

I take a piece of crap 11x3/4 inch pine shelving from Lowes/Depot and trace a heavy border of the piece ONTO the pine.....cut it out...bigger than needed...and force bondo into the gap between my "part" and my "template"...

Oh....and make sure you tape your "part" to prevent phucking it up with bondo!!!!

I lay the part (GPS/gauge/switch/whatever) face down on wax paper to prevent my project from messing up my router table...