Saga of the "Old Vic" - Page 14

I should have really designed the fan to be outside the theater like you but I think the Panasonic fan is going to do the trick... I can't mount it in the normal fashion so I've completely taken it apart and converted it to a sort of inline fan. I'll know today if it has successful but so far so good. I will fit a cooling thermostat as well but my goal is undetectable fan noise.

No problem, it actually helps keep up my motivation to review what I've done and post a few pics every now and then.


The biggest problem I had was finding the correct term for the hinges to search for them! I knew they existed but in my native England they are called something different. (BTW these are not "offset hinges" which a used to widen an open doorway by swinging the door away from the jam). Anyway, they work very well and come in several different "throws". The set I ordered could probably work with 2" of treatment but the next size smaller would have been too tight. The set I ordered also has ball bearings for a super smooth action. Let me know if you need help locating them and I'll dig out my receipt.


Ok, you stumped me -- you must be in China again!

Brad, Floyd, you are men of many talents and languages...


My wife liked that to but I need to incorporate a transition from maple to walnut to fit in with the whole scheme. The edges will be moldings added after the trays so I may just play with a few more profiles on the router.


Hmmm, yeah I guess I have, but not as long as many. That said your pace is spectacular and I can't compete I keep jumping between projects since it's taken me 10 years to embark on a HT and I don't want to get bored and take shortcuts. I will be watching movies this summer though.

Stop it, you are making me homesick the funny thing is that I've lived in the US for 15 years but I'm still learning new terms. My daughter is is 3rd grade and I *just* figured out that a "check mark" means she got the answer wrong. In England, a "tick" means the answer is correct. Oops!

I finally have a workable solution for my interior hush box fan. The previous in-line fan was hopeless, so I purchased the quietest bathroom fan I could find (the Panasonic FV08VQ3) and promptly tore it apart. I discarded the metal box, the grill, one mounting plate and the one-way valve and reassembled inside my sealed MDF box. The fan assembly was mounted directly to the original exhaust duct with sheet metal screws (for the square to round hole transition). Then this was suspended using neoprene mounts inside the box. Once the bottom cover was attached the fan creates a vacuum and pulls in air through the 5" intake pipe that leads to my hush box. At about 75% speed it is completely silent. At 100% I can just make out that it is running. My non-scientific test (using my aviation air speed indicator) suggests I can pull up to 75cfm which I believe is sufficient. I'm so glad I didn't have to rework the soffit to fit the fan outside the room.



I wasn't sure this was going to work -- but it did!

Hi Craig, the fan is already sealed and covered, but I know the chassis box for this model (FV08VQ3) is 10 7/8" by 10 7/8". It is approximately 9" deep. It has a 4" metal duct that protrudes slightly beyond the 11" square dimensions. The white vent trim cover is 13" square. I recall there being two larger capacity models that are also louder with a slightly larger rough in dimensions although all are designed to fit between standard 16" joists. I presume it is the depth dimension that is tight with you? Hope this helps.

I doubt it Brad. My bet is that you come up with a dozen ideas that I'll wish I thought of


Thanks, but I generally take photos at the end of the day after I've cleaned up. That said, I'm fortunate that my shop is right next to the theater so I'm usually able to keep the theater clean.

Glad that you are following (and enjoying). I must admit to having a touch of burnout lately but I have made some progress that I can post. I'll gather the pics...

I've been spending most of my time working on the ceiling, specifically the hardwood soffits / light trays. Progress has slowed a little since I've been enjoying the good weather and frankly have found working in the very dark theater a little depressing - flat black paint really does absorb light (and moral).

The soffit has two tiers fitted in sequence. The first layer is up and I'm about half way through the second. Here are some pics.

The first level has a double edge. I also made some cutouts to ensure I had the recommended spacing from the non-IC light fixtures I'm using. Also, I realized that at acute angles I would be able to see over the lower light tray and make out the light fixtures. The solution was to add a 1.5" vertical lip that would mask the lights.



The plan is to add walnut edge moldings to the maple flat work. This is the mock up I used to get the proportions correct although I'm still not quite sure on the actual edge profile and the picture shows offcuts roughly the correct size.



After the first level was fitted I moved on to the lower level. I wanted to do a good job on the critical joints so I built the largest size pieces my workshop would allow and them used my trusty drywall lift to hoist them into place. I also fitted a backing to help attach the rest of the moldings in an effort to minimize nail holes. On top of this I added some aluminium (British spelling there!) tape and two circuits of rope light clips.



It got to be a bit of squeeze but I managed to screw the tray into place by passing my impact driver in between the trays and screwing into the backside of the tray. The outer edge was attached with nails/screws placed at an angle into the side of the ply. The result is that there are no visible holes to fill.



Here's a shot of the front (boy am I sick of the curves ;-) before any finish has been applied. I'm pretty happy with the joints given how awkward this turned out to be.



Before completing the lower soffit at the rear I need to figure out the hush box. The plan is to have it partially hidden in the beam that runs behind the rear row of seats. I'm still not sure how low I want to mount the projector (or which projector I'm going to purchase) so at this point I concentrated on getting the mounting plate installed and coupling up the cooling vent. Here you can see how the upper light trays have been joined and a vent channel has been formed in the beam so I can suck air out of either the left or right side of the projector.



You have to imagine the walnut crowns and edging, but this pic gives a sense of how it is coming together.

Thanks guys. I feel some motivation being restored!


Fantaboulos hey. Can't wait to experience that

Craig, your work is awesome. I particularly liked the stair rails you put in, I even bookmarked it!

I've said it before but I'm in awe of some of the work and skills on this forum. It is really helping me to do the best job I can.