How to make a bumper SixFootCow style!!

Equipment Proton Packs
1

I guess the first thing that needs to be mentioned is that you need a dremel tool with a drum sander bit and a router bit with a very steady hand. Also a lot of patience…oh yeah and TAKE YOUR TIME…I almost broke skin. :stuck_out_tongue:

I started off by laying out the U shape of the bumper on my 3/4" MDF. Once I got that cut out I glued it on a duplicate for thickness and started sanding them together. I used a combination of the drum sander but, a rasp file, and a bit that I cannot find the name of. It is about 3 inches long and I think its for cutting ceramic tile but it has been a phenomenal little bit for several occasions.

When I laid out the first cut piece I included the depth lines to tell myself how far down the channels were to be cut to. After gluing I used the drum sander bit to create a trough to the bottom of the channel.

I then used the straight face router bit down the lowest point of the trough which created a flat plain to follow and started eating out the rest of the mdf to the desired witdth leaving about 3/16 of an inch to act as the lips. I must reiterate that this needs patience and great care as router bits can cause nasty cuts..

If you don’t lose any fingers it should come out looking like this. I thought that maybe an easier way to do it was by 3 pieces at this stage alone. Two 1/4" pieces acting as the rails and 1" being the center…no routing would be necessary and you could create the inside curvature using a filler of sorts. Mine does not have the curvature and I’m okay with that.

I then cut out a 3"x3"x3/4" mdf and routered out a channel in the middle for the bumper to sit in. I didn’t get the thickness of the 3x3 right because it’s supposed to be level with the rail as it comes in from the left but I’m okay with it as no one will never see it.

The original pack has a smooth curve where the rail touches the 3x3 so I used bondo spot putty to round the inside corners. There may be some more touch ups after I seal and prime the piece but thats how I made it in a nutshell.

Please feel free to ask any questions.

Have fun with your unlicensed nuclear accelerators ladies and gentlemen!!

2

Nice, another great job on how to build a bumper made from wood. I bet thats more durable than a resin cast piece.

3

Damn that looks nice. Thanks for the tutorial.

4

Great job.. having just gone that route myself, I appreciate good craftsmanship.

Make sure you use a lot of filler and sanding, otherwise you still end up with a grain/wooden look, even after a few coats of thick flat black house paint.

5

haha! So how much is it going to cost for someone to make me one of these :slight_smile: LOL, I bet the resin would be cheaper anyways :stuck_out_tongue: