basslord1124
Master member
Just wanted to share this with the community.
So, I tend to be pretty hard on the FT wood firewalls. I started looking for some alternatives. One thing that caught my attention was @nerdnic plastic trash can approach. I was at a Dollar General and unfortunately they didn't have any cheap small plastic trash cans. They had a larger trash can that cost more AND honestly the plastic felt flimsy. So I hunted around the store for something else I could use. Ended up finding a a plastic dishpan for $3. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039V2G5E/?tag=lstir-20
The plastic felt much stronger than that larger more expensive trashcan. So I gave it a try.
Using some large snips to help sort of break up the dishpan into workable sections. I used the Flitetest standard firewall template from the plans to get the basic size. Just with the bottom of the dishpan I managed to cut out 14 undrilled standard size firewalls. I haven't even started to tackle the sides of the dish pan yet but I'm sure I could rack up a bunch there too. Oh...and once marked, I could easily cut them out with a pair of scissors. And believe it or not, they definitely seem just as strong as the wood firewalls.
Not too bad for $3 and a little bit of work.
While I'm sure @nerdnic trash can approach works great as well, it just didn't work out for me when I went looking. So if you wish to pursue this, I would say just look around to see what you can find that has some strong durable plastic. That's the key. It could be a trash can, a dishpan, a storage container, etc.
So, I tend to be pretty hard on the FT wood firewalls. I started looking for some alternatives. One thing that caught my attention was @nerdnic plastic trash can approach. I was at a Dollar General and unfortunately they didn't have any cheap small plastic trash cans. They had a larger trash can that cost more AND honestly the plastic felt flimsy. So I hunted around the store for something else I could use. Ended up finding a a plastic dishpan for $3. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039V2G5E/?tag=lstir-20
The plastic felt much stronger than that larger more expensive trashcan. So I gave it a try.
Using some large snips to help sort of break up the dishpan into workable sections. I used the Flitetest standard firewall template from the plans to get the basic size. Just with the bottom of the dishpan I managed to cut out 14 undrilled standard size firewalls. I haven't even started to tackle the sides of the dish pan yet but I'm sure I could rack up a bunch there too. Oh...and once marked, I could easily cut them out with a pair of scissors. And believe it or not, they definitely seem just as strong as the wood firewalls.
Not too bad for $3 and a little bit of work.
While I'm sure @nerdnic trash can approach works great as well, it just didn't work out for me when I went looking. So if you wish to pursue this, I would say just look around to see what you can find that has some strong durable plastic. That's the key. It could be a trash can, a dishpan, a storage container, etc.