Construction - Metric - Low Rider - Side Panels
Notes
Side panels are not so much difficult as tricky. If approached carefully, they can be consistently built with little effort.
To build a side panel:
- Build a 'U' of the bottom 1 meter stud with the 917mm and the 1090mm verticals. Do not attach the top stud yet!
- Attach the U to the sheathing (plain plywood for a storage unit; plywood/insulation for a living unit). The bottom of the sheathing extends 50mm past the bottom of the bottom plate; since a stud is actually 50mm thick, you can use the top stud as a convenient spacer. First connect the bottom stud to the sheathing, then the sides. Use two scrap pieces of stud lying flat to space the 100mm plywood 'flaps'; the flaps cover the front and rear wall studs.
- Bring the 1200mm top stud to the top of the U; it won't quite the top diagonal completely, but that's all right. Nail the top to the verticals, and then nail the sheathing to the top stud.
- Repeat for the opposite panel, making sure that it's a mirror image of the first panel!
- The top edge of the sheathing doesn't quite align with the top edge of the stud. This is usually OK, as long as the discrepency isn't over 6mm. 12mm" is probably OK, but any further is pushing it.
- You've built two identical panels - "two left feet". You'll have to take one apart and rebuild. Good thing there are only four studs!
