Materials cost -- under $20, buying the materials at Lowe's or Home Depot.
Time cost –- once you have the materials, it takes a few hours, unless your paint needs to dry overnight.
Notes --
-- the xB's cubbyhole is tapered, wider at the lip than at the back, so this laptop holder is, too. Holders for other vehicles may not need that.
-- the xB's cubbyhole is taller at the lip than at the back, so this laptop holder angles upward, too (see above photo). The laptop doesn’t sit level; that works well, because no one will be tempted to set their Slurpee on the laptop.
-- the design lets the holder slip past the xB's cubbyhole door, which doesn't open all the way.
-- the design uses the little notch in the door to retain the holder. The "keeper" swings down into that notch and locks it in place so it can't vibrate loose.
-- I recommend soldering the joints. If you want to learn how, Google “solder copper pipe”, or try
http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/homem...ral/solder.php, or
http://www.easy2diy.com/cm/easy/diy_...ge_id=35720496, or
http://www.the-home-improvement-web....opper-pipe.htm.
Tool list -- all can be obtained from a hardware store, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.
- Small tubing cutter, or a metal saw. I prefer a cutter because it always makes perfectly square ends. My favorite is the 15mm Kopex Pipeslice pictured below, but it's hard to find. It's available at Menard’s, Hughes Distribution and Ferguson Enterprises, but I haven't been able to find it online unless I want to have it shipped from Great Britain. Harbor Freight (www.harborfreight.com) has one (their part number 90914) that appears to work the same way, but I haven't used it.
- Metal file
- Emery cloth or even coarse sandpaper (emery cloth works better because it has a cloth backing; the paper backing on sandpaper tears more easily)
- Sharp knife
- Torch system – if you solder. I used propane with a really good torch head I got from Harbor Freight; it's their part number 91061, and it was about $15.
Here are the Pipeslice, the Harbor Freight cutter, and the torch head:
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Materials List -- all from a hardware store, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. This is for the xB-style unit, and it should be close for other vehicles.
5 feet of 1/2" rigid copper tubing (not the soft tubing that comes in rolls)
6 - 1/2" copper 90 degree elbows
4 - 1/2" copper tees (only 3 without the keeper leg)
2 - 1/2" copper caps (only 1 without the keeper leg)
30 inches of foam hot water pipe insulation for 1/2" copper tubing (you'll probably have to buy a whole 6-foot length).
Flux and solder – if you solder
JB Weld, or epoxy, or any other metal-to-metal glue you prefer – if you glue
Cutting schedule for tubing -- This is for the xB-style; to build just like mine, you can probably use the lengths here. The result will extend about 9-1/2 to 10 inches from the dash.
2 @ 9" (outer sides) -- vary this dimension based on how far you want it to extend from the dash. In the xB, the system will extend approximately 1/2" more than this dimension.
1 @ 6" (outer end)
2 @ 4-3/8" (inner sides)
2 @ 2-11/16” (middle cross tubes)
2 @ 2-9/16" (inner end tubes)
1 @ 1-15/16” (“keeper” leg) (not required if you build without the keeper leg)
3 @ 1" (middle cross tube legs and inner foot)
Important Note: Remember that copper fittings vary, depending on manufacturer, so yours may not fit exactly like mine. Also, your cutter makes a difference; some cutters produce rounded cut ends, some produce square ends; this affects how far the tube goes into the fittings, and that affects the lengths in the assembled unit.
Okay, now it's time to assemble.