Mother's Heat Grabber Is Back

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Rabbet all the frame's comers, cut an. other rabbet into the top Inside edge of the frame (all the way around, Including the short pieces, to hold the glass that will eventually cover the box), cut another 3116' X 318" groove in each 14" length of framing as shown, and make a half-lap joint in both sides of the frame where the 67-112° angles will join. This, also, is a good time to rip a 27" length of 1 X 8 into two pieces: one 2-114" and the other 4-314" wide. Trim and rabbet both boards to the dimensions shown.

Cut two 314" X 4" X 4" squares from the remains of your 1 X 8 stock (which, as you know, only measures a real 314" thick . . . and only 7.114" wide), then seal all the sur. faces of the framing wood with a good preservative, such as Waterlox Clear Wood Preserver.

Saw a 26-114"-wide strip from your sheet of paneling and cut that strip into three sections: 69114", 12-314", and 7-314" long. Assemble the hal flap joints on the sides of the Heat Grabber's frame, trim the "point" at the top of each joint, and slip the 26-114" X 69-114" piece of paneling-face up-into Its groove along the frame's bottom edge. Fasten the "foot" to the frame's two sides with wood screws.

Slip the 7-314" X 26-114" piece of paneling Into the lower groove in the upper (14" long) section of the frame. Attach the 314" X 7-114" X 27" end piece to the lower 3-114" of the upper frame's sides (take care to mount the board so Its top edge is flush with the bottom of the grooves that you've made on the Inside of that part of the frame).

Fasten the 314" X 4" X 4" blocks to the ends of the 314" X 7-114" X 27" board and then attach the 314" X 4-314" X 27" piece of framing to the blocks. Tack the 7-314" X 26-114" piece of paneling that's already in the frame to this board with small finishing nails.

Slide the remaining (12-314" X 26-114") piece of paneling into the remaining set of grooves cut into the upper section of the collector's frame and tack it to the 3J4" X 7-114" X 27" end board. Then cut enough aluminum foil to cover the top surface of both the 12-314" X 26-114" and the 26-114" X 69-114" sections of paneling that you've mounted in the frame. Coat the tops of both panels with water glass, carefully lay the pre-cut pieces of foil on the boards like wallpaper (shiniest side up), and smooth out any air bubbles with a small block of wood. At this point you can complete the frame by fastening the 314" X 2-114" X 26-114" board (use small finishing nails) between the ends of the 14" side panels, at the top, as shown.

Turn the frame over, cut five 314" X 1-112" X 25-112" support strips from your 1 X 8 leftovers, space the strips about 17" apart with their 1-112" sides flat against the paneling that's already in the frame, drill through the sides of the collector into the ends of the strips, and fasten them in place with wood screws.

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