Building an Ark of the Covenant from our kit

Been following this on Rebelscum. What a fantastic project!
Too bad this is virtually unaffordable for anyone outside the US :(

We're getting pricing to ship over there for a couple people right now, so we'll know how much it is. No doubt this doesn't make it any easier. But at the same time, sskunky is over there so you do save some money there.
 
Assembling the box

Now that your four side panels are assembled, you have to start thinking ahead to how the legs will attach to the corners.

I used 8 #12 x 1-1/2" long wood screws per leg. We will include laser cut acrylic templates that you can use to mark the hole locations you will now put in the ends of each of the side panels, before you assemble them. You'll do this now because you can't easily do this after the box is assembled. These holes will be used to attach the legs to the outside of the box corners.

Notice there is a top marked on the template, as well as holes marked for the long side and another set of holes for the short sides. Per the photo below, place the side on a table, hold the template to the top and correct template edge aligned to the panel edge and mark the 4 holes. Do this on each end of the panels. Keep in mind you will have to flip the template over (mirror) it so the side with the correct holes is against the edge.

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You'll need to drill a hole through each of these locations that allows the screw to go through with a bit of clearance. You then want to countersink them with a wood countersink drill deep enough the head is just below the surface.

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Now you're ready to put the box together. You will need a flat surface to do this work on. I use two long parallel clamps to assemble the box. I put a bottom in my box, but even if you aren't planning on having a bottom, you will want to cut one from 1/2" MDF or something similar as it will help you square the box. Get your pinner or brad nailer if you have one, and your Titebond III glue. Remember to always do a dry run when assembling parts with glue.

Identify the orientation of your four sides. It's very important to note they are in an upright position when the top rail is narrower than the bottom rail. You can do this by yourself, but it is easier with a helper.

Now is the time to double check that you have the box right side up. Narrow rail on top, wide rail on bottom.

Place the bottom on your surface and stand up a long side beside it. Put glue on the end of your long side and add the end piece, clamping to keep it in place. Shoot nails through the beveled end of the short panel to the long panel. Use at least 1-1/4" long pins or nails. You want to avoid shooting nails where the pocket screws are if you can.

Next add the other end, and after that do the other long side. Always keeping the box square around your bottom piece. Be sure you don't glue in that bottom though.

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Attaching the legs part one

Taking stock of your legs, you will notice the holes in them for the lifting rings are handed, i.e, there's a two pair of a right and left. It's a good idea to mark them now in a manner that you can follow as you assemble them to the box.

Those lifting ring holes are lined up with a machined aluminum "nut" that's sealed to the inside corner of the legs. Your lifting rings will screw into those at the end of the ark assembly.

It's time to attach the legs. You'll need 32 of those #12 x 1-1/2" wood screws, a drill driver to run them in and plenty of 5 minute epoxy. I put them on myself, but a helper will make it much easier on you.

Flip the box over so it's upside down on your flat surface. The bottom should not be in the box. Take a leg and note it's corner location so the lifting ring hole is correct. The next step is to hold the leg on the corner and use a drill to drill through those 8 holes in the panel corner you did earlier. Use a drill that is no larger than the core size of your #12 screw. These are so when you epoxy the leg and go to run those screws in they have a guide hole for them. Be sure and hold the leg to the corner for the best fit possible. There may be a slight gap where the leg profile hits the side of the box. A slight gap is ok, a huge gap isn't. Fuss with it before you drill those guide holes to get the best fit. And it never hurts to check that you have the correct leg on the correct corner so that lifing ring hole ends up correct.

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With this done, you're ready to epoxy and screw it on. Get your screws handy and prepare for mixing the epoxy. I recommend an acid brush for spreading the glue on each leg. When you apply it, take care to put it to the edge this time as a little squeeze out is ok as this is a joint you will have to caulk. If a lot comes out, remove it with a qtip and rubbing alcohol. When you add the screws, don't run them in with a lot of power as it is easy to spin it in the leg plastic and lose your grip. Watch it as it goes in and you should be able to see the leg pull tighter to the box. I like to do one on the bottom, then one on the top of the other side, and try to alternate top and bottom end and side till I have all 8 of them in.

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philip
 
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Installing the ark bottom

I put the my 1/2" MDF bottom 1/4" up from the bottom edge of the box just to give myself a finger hold when lifting the box after it's finished. There are other options you may want to use on yours. If you put a bottom in it, and if you are sending it for any of the spray on chrome methods, you'll have to seal the all the joints with either epoxy or caulk. More on that later.

In the bottom view photo below, notice the 2" square 1/4" thick piece of MDF in the corner? That is there to provide a place to seal off the top of the leg for the Cosmichome process. It also provides a handy spacer to hold up your bottom 1/4" above the bottom edge of the box. I just glued mine in flush inside the bottom of the box before I placed the bottom in. I also used another 1/4" piece as a gauge to make sure the middle of the bottom board was also 1/4" up from the edge.

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On the outside of the box, draw a line where the middle of your bottom board is so you can have a guide to nail it in from the outside of the box, around the perimeter. I didn't glue it in, because later you will add some inside corner pieces that are less messy to glue.

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Due to an over-abundance of caution for the leg attachment process, I also recommend adding an inside corner block that allows you to put 6 more screws into the leg. I do this because while the leg is pretty strong, the part you attach to is the thinnest part of it.

Because I want the screws to go right into the corner, the easiest corner bracket to make is by taking a 2 x 4 and cutting a 45 degree bevel on one side. It will need to be 15-5/8" minus your bottom thickness and minus any hold-back you have from the edge to the bottom. In mine it's 14-7/8" long, though because it's more accurate, I'd generally cut this a 1/2" too long and mark the length precisely and trim to that, rather than cut to a measured length. You want the top to be as flush as possible with the top of the box. Note Note I happened to have the corner brackets I used made up from another project, so the one in the photo is a little more complicated than a simple triangle.

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Once you have them cut to length, be sure and mark them so you know which corner they were cut for. Use the other acrylic template to mark the locations of the 6 holes for more of the #12 screws, though this time they will need to be 3"" long. The top is marked and you'll reference from there.

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Get your drill ready to drill through the block into the corner of the box and leg. Use the same drill size as you used for the legs. Also have your driver ready to run the screws in. You'll use a lot of power to run these in and twisting out the leg isn't likely to happen since you are also going through your panel plywood.

Put your Titebond III on the corner block and put it in place. Drill through your holes and run your screws in. Be sure the top of your block is flush with the top edges of the box and leg each time.

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philip
 
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Sealing the bottom joints

If you're planning to have your ark spray chromed, part of the preparation for this includes sealing off any areas of the ark that can't be reached with the special base coat required for the process. Basically as water is used as the carrier for the process, if there are areas water can wash into and back out of, which will bring impurities out that can and will mar the finish, you need to seal those off with either epoxy, caulk, or if the area is small enough, primer that's part of your primer application.

It's a good time to seal up the bottom if you need to. I used blue painters tape to mask off the area that I wanted to brush on epoxy for a seal, including allowing epoxy to go up onto the part of the leg that meets the 2" square filler block mentioned earlier.

Get a couple disposable 1" chip brushes from Home Depot, mix up a bunch of 5 mintute epoxy and brush away, paying close attention to any cracks that expoxy flows into so they do get filled up. As soon as you're done brushing, pull your tape off. It will be much easier before the epoxy is cured.

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While not necessary, putting corner trim inside the box around the bottom finishes off the inside nicely, so I recommend you do it.

I just cut some white wood about 1/2" square and cut it to length, attaching it with glue and pins.

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Panel sculpture opening trim

The next step is to put the trim around the inside of the panel openings where the sculpted pieces go. In your kit of parts you'll find a sample board showing how you need to cut your miters. We included this because it's not completely obvious how these miters need to be done.

This is definitely a cut and fit cut and fit process because you want the miters to be pretty tight when you pin them in.

The trim doesn't set flush with the outside of the panel. It sits back about 1/16" of an inch, which makes a nice detail step like the prop.

Once you have your four pieces cut, gently tap them with a block until you're happy with the reveal distance and look. You can tell if it's flush around the outside by making sure the back side of the trim is flush. My process was to get the four pieces in, flush the backs and tap on either the back corners or front corners until it was where I wanted it.

I also didn't glue these in until afterward, and then I masked off the inside edges and used epoxy brushed on similar to how the bottom was sealed.

philip

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Box bottom edge trim

The trim that goes around the bottom of the box, between the legs, comes in 2 pieces per side. A left and a right piece that have been coped to fit the profile of the legs. There will be plenty of overlap material so you can adjust for a perfect fit.

Begin by cutting one end slightly to square it. Fit the coped end to the leg. It should fit nicely, but you may have to ajust it slightly. Mark the end of the trim on the box. Set it aside and fit the other end / leg, and mark where you need to cut that board to length. Cut it a little long. Test fit both, and begin to sneak up on the end cut until you have a nice snug joint. Once you have it, glue with Titebond III and pin to the box.

Next do the remaining sides.

Note, because I had this ark when I was cutting the trim I didn't have to use two pieces per side.

philip

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Mounting the panel sculpts

The panels have each been machined so they will fit in the openings with little to no play, depending on how precisely you made the box. Be sure and test fit them before beginning work to mount them. Mark the back side of each panel so you know which goes where, and which side is UP so you don't have an upside down panel when you're done.

They push in from the inside of the box. Without spacers, the panels will push in too far so you'll have to to make spacers that limit how far they go in, giving you a slight reveal on the inside of the molding. Since the panel isn't the same thickness all over, you will have to judge this for yourself, but if I say there's a number it would be about 1/8".

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I cut strips of white wood about 1/8" thick for the long panels. I believe I cut slightly thicker ones for the small panels, but what you use may be different. You'll need to do test fittings until you're happy with the reveal. There isn't a single school of thought on how to cut thin strips on the table saw, but I always do it on the left side of the blade because it's the safest method. It means adjusting your fence for each strip, but leaves little chance of an accident. If you don't already have a practice for this, I'd suggest Googling it and decide which method you want to use.

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Once done, I glued them to the back side of the panels with Gorilla polyurethane adhesive, which is very good for this joint. If you haven't used it before, there are a few tips. Always use gloves as the glue once cured will not come off your hands. It cures in the presence of moisture, so when you go to use it, wet a paper towel and dampen one side of your joint, preferably the wood side. Apply enough glue to the panel side and spread it with an acid brush. Clamp the pieces together and let sit a few hours. Don't overdue to glue as it will foam out a bit, though it's easy to scrape off if it happens. It has a long open time so you don't need to rush, but I'd do just one panel at a time anyway. You'll only need a small bottle.

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I also used Gorilla glue to attach the panels. I did the small ones first, then the long ones. I cut spreader bars to put presssure on them while the glue cured. The long panels they were slightly bowed, which the bars sorted out easily.

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Hi guys

Yes we plan to do a run of primed cherubs for the Ark purchasers.
I will put an interest thread up shortly. Just working out costs. Etc. As we need new moulds. I'll need at least 10-15 interested to make this happen.
 
The flat top leaves

The flat top leaves are left separate because if you are using the spray chrome process and they are attached to the top, it's easy for impurities to run out from under them if they are not completely sealed on the edges. It isn't really possible to completely seal them to the top. This isn't a problem for you if you are painting it yourself.

On the prop there are two attachement devices that appear to be holding the leaves down to the top. It's unkown what they are so we modeled them and are providing cast pieces. These are also not shiny gold, and appear to be rattle can gold. You can use these to cover screws that you use to hold down the leaves, or they can just be decorative if you glue your leaves down after they are chromed. Your choice.

philip

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The lifting rings

The rings will come with the threaded rod ready to put in screw in place. Each leg comes with an internal machined aluminum "nut" that you'll screw your lifting ring into after you put the escutcheon on the threaded rod.

We use red Loctite to fix the threaded rod to the ring. Once you have test fit your ring to each leg, you can either leave them there, or secure them with Loctite as well. I would suggest if you intend to lift it with poles through rings, you secure it in this manner. Since I have never lifted my Ark with poles, I haven't secured mine, so I don't know for a fact they will stay fixed when lifting it. If they do not, then I'd suggest securing them with epoxy in the hole in addition to the red Loctite.

Note, that on the Ark prop, these pieces are not plated with the same shiny gold the Ark is. The finish appears to be just a sprayed rattle can gold paint.

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This wraps up the actual building of the ark.

The next steps depend on how you are planning to finish it. If you are using a spray chrome process you'll need to fill all your joints with caulk. The spray chrome guy I used recommends DAP Kwik Seal Plus for the caulk.

You'll specifically need to put this at the leg to box joints and around all the sculpted panels where they meet the trim. It smooths with water, so you should be able to get a nice fillet in there. You can even use a q-tip wet soaked with water.

Where the leaves are on the lid it's less critical, but you want to seal the edges as best you can. The gap there can vary so the method you can use will vary from adding caulk, or epoxy and wiping it off well, to just brushing in some primer to bridge the gap.

If you are spraying it yourself, it's up to you how you want to finish the joints.

Finishing the inside of the box is entirely up to you. You can get machined wood fillers for the pockets made for the panel screws and cover those holes up. I'm pretty sure they are on Amazon.

philip - philip@rebelscum.com for questions.

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Stunning tutorial.

Thank you for the incredible effort you have put into this and into the kit offer - its sincerely appreciated.

Kind regards
MARK
 

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