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Just inside the doorway is mounted a "fire extinguisher". After
watching my wife trip over it once and almost doing the same myself, I decided
to remove the safety hazard it created by building into the wall an
"inserted box".
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I would like
to start of by stating my profession. I am a "plastic
fabricator". Making a insert box like this one was very simple to do,
and I'll be happy to explain how. Just scroll down the page for instructions.
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The view to
the right is an overview of the wall in the entranceway. You can
understand how an obstruction here could be quite dangerous. |
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This close up
shows a "detailed view" of the brass "finishing washers"
and beveled edges around the border of the mounting flange. |
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Some of the drawings below are clickable for larger views
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Materials: I
used an industrial plastic called "ABS".
ABS and ABS cement can be purchased from a
plastic distributor such as "Laird
Plastics", "Cadillac Plastics",
or "Tap Plastics", ABS cement can
also be found at any plumbing store
Step #1: Measure your
fire extinguisher's height, width, and depth. Add 1" of clearance to
all sides including the back (to allow room for the mounting bracket). Step
#2: Cut on a table saw the back and
four sides. Remember the corners overlap, so when you figure piece
sizing, add material thickness to compensate.
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The above drawing shows how the pieces
overlap at the corners. Example: If box I.D. is 4" wide and material
is 1/8" thick. Cut top, bottom, and back pieces at 4-1/4" wide.
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Step #3:
After the sides and back are cut "bonding" of the box is next.
Place the small bottom piece on the table. Bond, with cement, one of the
long side pieces on it's bottom edge to the small bottom piece. (aligning
the edges of the bottom and side piece flush) Repeat by bonding the other
long side piece to the opposite side of the bottom piece still on
the table. What is now sitting on the table is a "u" shaped
structure. Place the small top piece on the table. After the cemented
"u" shaped structure has "set-up", flip it over and
bond it to the top piece (same size as the bottom piece). Step
#4: When the four sides are "set-up" place the
"back piece" on the table. Lay the four sided structure on top
of it and verify the "fit" matches. If it does, apply cement and
bond on back piece. |
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| Step #4:
After the "bonded" five sided box structure is
"set up", cut yourself a piece of ABS that will overlap all four
walls (when placed on top) by at least 1" per side, this piece will
become the box-to-wall "mounting flange". You will be bonding
the "mounting flange" piece to the one remaining open side
of the box, but first you must drill a 3/4"
hole in the middle of the flange piece. (this hole allows trapped
fumes from the cement to escape without causing the currently bonded edges
to fail) Center the box on top of the plate. Apply cement between box and
flange and allow it to "set up". |
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Routing out the interior might be a bit
daunting to some. The same result may be achieved by cutting out the
rectangular "doughnut-shaped-flange" with a jigsaw
and then using a file
to smooth out the edges. |
Step #5:
When all pieces have had at least an hour to dry, you will need to open up
the interior of the box for the extinguisher to fit into. This can be
achieved by "flush routing"
non-needed material out with a router mounted from underneath
a table. A "flush rout" router bit
typically is 1/2" in diameter both at the bearing on top and
1/2" in diameter below at the cutters. Raise a "flush
rout" router bit through a hole in the table
high enough so that the cutters are just above the thickness of the flange
plate. Place the hole in the box structure over the router bit, turn on
the router, and use the bearing to roll along the
inside walls to produce an exact flush to the wall cut-out of the
box's interior. |
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| Step #6:
Now that you've created the "fire extinguisher insert box" all
that is left is some minor (in comparison) installation. Use the bracket
that came with your extinguisher to mount it into the back of the box.
Mounting the box into the cabinet is done by ... A.) Place the box against
the cabinet where you want it to be and use a felt
pen to trace around the contacted edge. B.) Using a Jig
saw, cut the hole out just on the outside edge of the lines. C.)
Place the box into the cabinet opening to verify it fits correctly. A
slightly sloppy fit is preferred because it allows for easy
alignment / leveling. D.) I chose to predrill the
holes in the flange before mounting it to the cabinet.
It just as well may be done while against the wall; drill the
flange and cabinet wall "thru holes" simultaneously for
the mounting screws. |
Be very careful to make sure proper clearance
exists inside the cabinet for the insert box. The hole in the cabinet's
side would look rather ugly if there was no room for the box to fit into
it.
NOTE: Most
cabinet walls are only 1/8" thick, so
don't expect a wood screw to hold well, use a
machine screw with a washer and nut on the inside.
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Between
the ABS housing, ABS cement, and hardware, you could expect supplies
for this modification to be ~25-.
The costing did not take into consideration
tooling. (your on your own there)
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If
you have any questions, or comments about anything,
please feel free to e-mail me .. "CLICK
HERE" |
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