I know it’s important to have your resin connect to the deck when installing FCS plugs. They sell something - “H pattern tool” to cut the connector channel. I’ve been using one of these after cutting out the hole with a 1 1/8" hole saw… seems less likely to damage the deck.
Howzit John, Actually the tool is just electrical conduit cut at an angle and then serrated so it will cut the foam. probebly really easy to make. Aloha,Kokua
How is that supposed to give you an H pattern? Wouldnt it remove the rest of the foam in the whole instead of the perimeter?
Howzit cappio, The pipe conduit is hollow so it only cuts the outer edge not the center core. Have you ever seen the tool? Aloha,Kokua
Hey John,
Now I am intrigued.
Removing all the foam to the deck would create a lot of heat when the resin fills it and exotherms. You would probably blow the deck. So this cant be what you are suggesting. Do tell…
The regular H-pattern tool has been bluntened and coated in grit. It is merely meant to cut down through the foam, then lightly ‘kiss’ the deck in one place. The you use a hand scribe tool to complete the circular ring.
Uh oh… sounds like I’ve been doing it all wrong. Haven’t had one fail yet though.
Yes, I’ve just been boring through to the deck with that wire cup brush and filling the hole with resin. Had a minor heat problem once with fast set WEST epoxy… not a big deal really. I ended up with a slight distortion on the deck directly above the plugs.
I’ll have to try it with the H pattern next time. Thanks!
Kokua, it wasnt a comment towards your post. I was refering to the wire tool John posted.
Howzit?!? The H pattern would be as viewed from the side. The design makes like a column structure of resin. with the plug basically suspended in the resin, surrounded on the sides and the bottom. The foam plug that remains stuck to the deck glass essentially takes up space. The whole structure is like a reinforced column through the board, with the plug rooted in it. Personally, FCS is still the best system I think. Aloha…RH
not trying to challenge the ideal way of doing things but if the board is relatively thin and the hole is close to the deck, you can use just about anything to gouge out the foam…a flat screwdriver…a metal nail file…a scribe…whatever…its just light foam
Maybe I’m missing something, but whats wrong with a forsner bit to drill the plug hole, and a hole saw bit to finish the H deck connection…follow it up with a shop vac to suck out the foam bits?
And I’ve been using 3M 5200 Marine to glue the plugs in, a tip from Herb Spitzer
so could you apply the same concept to say futures boxes and dig out a hole around the box, so the box is still sitting on foam, but there is a thing of resin that connects it to the deck?
But aren’t futures also supposed to be used with an internal support system or something?
Resinhead, Your method will work up to the point where you use the hole saw to connect to the deck. Since decks are curved near the rails in that area, the hole saw won’t get everything. That’s why FCS includes their serrated hollow tool, so you can scrape the glass of the deck by hand without drilling through by mistake. Doug
Hey guys,
I dont see why john couldnt use that and just get rid of all of the foam. Some people said it would get hot etc. Why not just kick it slower? Seems to me that it would be even stronger than the “right” way to do it.
Austin
Well, yeah, but the nice thing about a hole saw is you can mount it in tap wrench like this cute little devil here: http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/jhtml/detail.jhtml?prodId=IrwinProd100344
Similar goodies are found in yard sles and used tool stores all over. No need to send it in with power - this is foam and maybe a weak wood stringer, after all, not two inches of oak.
Use a busted drill in the hole saw such that it just provides a shank for the tap wrench or set a real full-length drill in a bit behind the plane of the hole saw teeth and you have an even better reinforcement.
hope that’s of use
doc…