Building an Airbrushing Booth.

[tetters]

I finally got started on this project.

Here is a list of materials so far.

1/4 plywood which was formerly a 3'x3' 3'x4' crate that housed some lab equipment. So it was free!
1 Dayton Axial Fan (shaded pole, impedance protected) Specs on the unit are AMPS 0.23/0.22, WATTS 27/25, 115 Volts. 60/50Hz. Can be had at Acklands Grainger here...https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/AGIPort...e=GGS4WT42
1 Dayton cordset for the Fan found here. https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/AGIPort...e=GGS4YD79
A 5 pack of 3/8 x 3" Machine bolts and screws (for mounting the fan and exhaust) also used misc. washers and small lock washers in mounting the fan and duct work
1 5" -> 4" Aluminum Ductwork Reducer
1 "Husky" 8ft long, 16 gauge "Light Duty Tool Replacement Cord". (It comes as a cord that you can wire up to whatever you want).
1 Levitron Lighted Switch (it didn't cost more and it lights up...how cool is that!!! )
1 Device Box - for the switch.
Carpenter's Glue. Not the white craft glue.
1 Tube of silicone sealant.
Package of 1/8" Medium Length pop rivets.

Tools,
Jigsaw to cut the plywood.
Drill and various sized bits I mostly used 3/8 or 1/8 bits for the holes except I used a larger bit if I needed to get the jig saw inside a panel piece to cut an interior hole.
Sandpaper and Sanding Block
Various Clamps. 24" clamps are needed for holding the panels together while the glue sets during final assembly.
Long Metal Ruler, Square & pencil.


So where to begin. The airbrush station will measure 13" high x 21" wide x 20" deep.

I started by measuring and marking the dimensions on the ply. Once I had everything plotted I cut the individual pieces. I notched the pieces to add some strength. I'm also trying to build and assemble it with carpenter's glue so that I don't have use nails or screws and risk splitting the wood. We'll see how that goes...I haven't crossed that bridge yet.



The markings on the side panels are incorrect in this picture. I extended the side panels further back nine inches in order to have a place to mount a switch...as you'll see further in.



Once the pieces are cut I test fitted them a few times.







I cut a 5 1/2" diameter hole in the back panel for the fan/blower. The last pic shows a test fit underneath the bench work...snug as a bug in rug!



The motor prior to wiring and mounting.



In this picture the motor has been mounted to the back panel. I've wired up the tool replacement cord, the lighted switch, and the motor. The Dayton fan cord only has two wires. However, the blower needs to be grounded. On the side of the motor frame there is a grounding screw to which a ground wire can be affixed to. The ground wire then just follows the fan cord into the device box and is grounded to same with all the other ground wires inside the box. I plan on cutting a hole in the side panel and mounting the switch on the side. Should look pretty slick once its done.



The business end of the fan while off.



Now on! We are in business so far. I was kind skeptical about the air movement that this 5 1/2" diameter fan would provide. The spec sheet says it moves 239 CFM's.

When I first turned it on it was face down and I didn't feel any air movement. So I'm standing there like, "Oh, great..."
Then I picked up the assembly and it was sucking up my cutting mat off my work bench! It really moves some air and its not as loud as I thought it would be either.

Next step is final assembly and gluing of the airbrush station panels. This step will also involve installing some strip wood to create a backing for a furnace filter, which will add some structural rigidity and create a three inch cavity for a plenum behind the filter.

Once that is done, I'll begin to assemble the first few inches of the exhaust duct work.