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I'm going to teach you how to make a flight case for a Boss GT-10 guitar pedal, but you could use these instructions to make a flightcase for any purpose you want, and you'll find it's a lot easier than you thought.
Before I tried to build this case I had absolutely no experience doing anything like this, so if you have no experience than you're perfectly qualified. I have no fancy equipment - the only powered tools I used were a jigsaw and a drill - so you really have nothing holding you back. Before making this project I thought that a flightcase would be very difficult and precise work, but it turns out you can be a lot sloppier than most projects. The pre-made aluminium extrusions cover up all manner of mistakes, so relax, it's going to end up looking amazing.
My case has a patch panel on the back of the inside shelf [pic 3], and a built in cable storage compartment in the lid [pic 4]. It also integrates my wireless receiver so when I set up at a gig I plug the power cable in, plug it into my amp or the house, and I'm done. That's it - my bass case, my pedal case, and two cables - that's all I need.
Materials needed:
- A big sheet of laminated plywood, I used 7mm. You could use non-laminated and paint it, but it is nowhere near as strong.
- Flightcase hardware from Penn Elcom . I'll be detailing what I used as we go through, but there are so many different parts you could use to change the functionality or the aesthetic. I wanted to get the base part of the case (the side with the pedal in) as thin as possible, so that I could still easily hit the buttons with my foot. For that reason I got specific corner pieces and butterfly catches, which I detail in steps 3 and 4.
- Aluminium blind rivets. I used 4.8mm diameter, 9.6mm grip.
- Washers the same size as the rivets.
I haven't given any measurements for the pieces I used because you'll most likely want to customise the box to your specific requirements.
Tools used:
- Jigsaw
- Power drill
- Hacksaw
- Mitre block
- Rivet gun
Before I tried to build this case I had absolutely no experience doing anything like this, so if you have no experience than you're perfectly qualified. I have no fancy equipment - the only powered tools I used were a jigsaw and a drill - so you really have nothing holding you back. Before making this project I thought that a flightcase would be very difficult and precise work, but it turns out you can be a lot sloppier than most projects. The pre-made aluminium extrusions cover up all manner of mistakes, so relax, it's going to end up looking amazing.
My case has a patch panel on the back of the inside shelf [pic 3], and a built in cable storage compartment in the lid [pic 4]. It also integrates my wireless receiver so when I set up at a gig I plug the power cable in, plug it into my amp or the house, and I'm done. That's it - my bass case, my pedal case, and two cables - that's all I need.
Materials needed:
- A big sheet of laminated plywood, I used 7mm. You could use non-laminated and paint it, but it is nowhere near as strong.
- Flightcase hardware from Penn Elcom . I'll be detailing what I used as we go through, but there are so many different parts you could use to change the functionality or the aesthetic. I wanted to get the base part of the case (the side with the pedal in) as thin as possible, so that I could still easily hit the buttons with my foot. For that reason I got specific corner pieces and butterfly catches, which I detail in steps 3 and 4.
- Aluminium blind rivets. I used 4.8mm diameter, 9.6mm grip.
- Washers the same size as the rivets.
I haven't given any measurements for the pieces I used because you'll most likely want to customise the box to your specific requirements.
Tools used:
- Jigsaw
- Power drill
- Hacksaw
- Mitre block
- Rivet gun
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Signing UpStep 1Build a closed box
This is the step that makes all the difference - build a closed box and then cut off the lid. This way you can be sure that the lid and base fit perfectly together, and it also saves you a lot of time. Make sure you glue and clamp it.
When it's fully dried, use masking tape to make a guide for cutting the lid off [pic 3].
You can get all fancy and tape some cardboard on the bottom of your jigsaw so as not to scratch the case, but seriously it's going to last all of one roadtrip before it's scratched to hell so why bother. To start the cut, drill a hole on the tape line that your jigsaw blade can fit through, and start cutting. Don't worry about that original hole, it's going to be covered up by the locking extrusions. And just to prove how easy it is to build a flightcase, it doesn't even matter if your cutting is a bit wobbly - the extrusions in the next step will cover that up!
The last picture is a test fit with my 10B and wireless receiver.
When it's fully dried, use masking tape to make a guide for cutting the lid off [pic 3].
You can get all fancy and tape some cardboard on the bottom of your jigsaw so as not to scratch the case, but seriously it's going to last all of one roadtrip before it's scratched to hell so why bother. To start the cut, drill a hole on the tape line that your jigsaw blade can fit through, and start cutting. Don't worry about that original hole, it's going to be covered up by the locking extrusions. And just to prove how easy it is to build a flightcase, it doesn't even matter if your cutting is a bit wobbly - the extrusions in the next step will cover that up!
The last picture is a test fit with my 10B and wireless receiver.
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Steve
Thanks again. Great stuff. Very inspiring. It's making me want to walk to my garage through the snow and build one now.
I am one of the salespeople in the Canadian Division
When it comes to pricing...it all depends on what you are looking for.
There are many options to suit your needs.
Thanks!
I am currently gather and pricing materials for my build. I am a little confused about the lid extrusions and the L extrusions. I understand the L extrusion as that is fairly straight forward, but what exactly does the lid extrusion look like? You have a link, but it just goes to the home page.
Much obliged!!
-Matt
http://www.penn-elcom.com/products/hardware/extrusions/edge-extrusion/58/
Penn Elcom must have deleted the original one I linked to.
Diesel Phoenix?
I got most of the hardware from http://www.livesound.co.nz/, and a couple of items plus the audio connectors from http://www.jansen.co.nz/. The L extrusions I just got from Bunnings as it was much cheaper.
John from Livesound was great, really helped me out and gave me a couple of pointers. They build a lot of roadcases so it was quite cool to have a look around their workshop.