FINISHING A BUCK

Last issue we covered a simple method to rough in a plywood buck for shaping a fuel tank using some 3/8-inch plywood. This issue I will take that same buck and finish it off so it is suitable for making patterns for the fabrication process.

p  I continue to fill the voids in the bottom and opposite side. Then I sand them smooth as I go along. If you have not already figured it out, you’ll want to cut all of the foam pieces a little oversize to help minimize the voids in the surface.

p Once all of the voids are filled and sanded you should have a very good three-dimensional visual of what the entire body of the tank will look like. Don’t be concerned about the surface being flawless or if there are some voids in the foam. We will still have a good surface to lay and pull patterns from for the metal shaping process.

In the next issue I will use the same pattern making techniques we learned in a past issue on this buck. I’ll fully pattern this tank and transfer patterns to aluminum and then begin the metalshaping process.

As always feel free to ask questions or make requests for future issues by reaching out to me at joe@snap-fab.com. HB