Transport Case Having built a Victorian ship with overhanging vulnerable detail the problem is how to avoid significant damage every time I move it off the workbench.
There is / (was) an old thread on Mayhem for transport cases but sadly almost all the photos (hosted elsewhere I guess) seem to have been deleted or lost.
So I am almost designing from scratch.
The subject is 1.3 m long (51”), 0.5 m high (18”), and weighs over 11 kg (24 lb).
The case has to easily handleable, strong but not too heavy, protect the vulnerable bits, and on arrival double as a display stand that you can easily slip the handling straps under bow and stern. Due to ballast tanks taking time to fully empty it also needs to be waterproof with good drainage.
Photo below shows the ‘base’ in 18mm pine with profiled supports, and also shows areas of vulnerability. The hull profile was too large for a profile tool so I used layers of 10mm square balsa strips to get the shape, allowing for the 8mm thick neoprene protection strips. The supports are dowelled and glued to the base plank.
An additional keel support (see 3rd photo) bears most of the weight so the hull is only snuggly resting into the profiled supports.
Another picture showing the amount of detail to protect.
The base ‘box’ has to be wide enough to guard the overhanging bits, be able to take a lighter weight cover-box, and have handles to man-handle from the car to the trolley. I used 3.6mm ply with wood mouldings as reinforcements. Screwed pinned and glued. Removable supports carry the engraved brass plates with ship name and details. These just slide out when using the lifting straps. Cover box will be retained by 4 HD toggle latches.
I may not have time to make the cover box before next weekend, but at least in case of an ‘accident’ there is a Black Box fitted.