'Adventure Time' Benroy 4'6"x8'x5'H

[Adventure Time]

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Frame
The frame sides are 2"x 3" 16 gage. Yeah I know 16 gage is thin, but the tall shape makes it strong. The cross members are 2x2 16 gage. The tongue area is extended to accommodate...stuff. I had a trailer with a tortion style axle so I cut it off wire wheeled the rust off. I powder coat almost everything I build that is steel. However this project is built like a prototype so I will likely be cutting and welding on this frame after the trailer is together so I painted it with oil based rustoleum with a brush. When I am sure I am done cutting and welding on this frame I will sand down the tongue and spray it with a gun so I will have a nice smooth finish to scratch up with stuff stored on the tongue.
I decided I wanted a 4'6" x 8' box. I built the frame and planned the rest at the same time.
EDIT: 6/3/15 I am almost done while I am writing this edit. One thing I would have done differently is bought a 1500 lb capacity axle. The ride is too stiff with this 3500 lb. axle.

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I mocked it up in tape on the wall to decide the side profile shape. If you look at the shape on the wall, the front is different now. I couldn't sit with my back against the front wall in a chair with that big of a radius. I liked the look of the Moby1 but didn't like the ceiling height. So I bumped it up a foot. In the mock up picture the sides are screwed together so I can use a router to cut them out at the same time.

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I also cut out 14 2" wide ribs out of the plywood for the hatch. I had no idea what I was going to do with these but knew I would need them. That was an incredible amount of wood shavings. I found these little gems at Home Depot. Aluminum channel made to cap plywood. All lower edges will have this and then after the aluminum skin, they get another angle on them. I attached them with temporary screws and marine Goop brand sealant. I am a big fan of butyl tape to keep out water but this needed to be glued together, which butyl tape does not do.

[Adventure Time]

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I bolted the sides (3/4" cabinet ply) to the sides of the frame with recessed carriage bolts. Marine Goop liberally applied.
The Al channel would not allow the ply to sit flush against the frame so I had to shim it with a 1/16" thick piece of AL. Working around this Al channel added a lot of time and hassle. I really wanted a channel that fit over the edge but didn't change the dimensions, ie. the edges would have to be routed to accommodate the channel.

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I read on some dudes build site that 2"x2" pine cross members sagged after he installed them. IN hind sight, This is probably not true. They probably just warped after drying a bit. But I was worried about sag so I did a little research. I was going to do hardwood ribs when I saw in a table how stiff yellow pine is. Twice as strong as white pine! Stronger than some hardwoods. So I used those to build the cross members. Then I drove 3/4" oak dowel rods through everything and clamped it all the way across the box while the glue dried.

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two layers of 1/2"R3 board on the sides and 3 layers on the curved front wall, roof and back hatch.

[Adventure Time]

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I installed the interior skin 1/4" American Birch (cause that's what HD had). Then put all the cross members in. Then I sliced 100 saw kerfs half way through the 1/4"Birch and easily bent and glued it into place. Some people soak it in water to bend them. If you are concerned about the compromised strength after putting so many saw kerfs in, you can mix up some short hair resin and smear it in the cracks after you get it together. The ribs are spaced 10" apart except where the curves are (they're closer like 4"or 5" apart) so I felt pretty good about the integrity.

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OK so to get the insulation in tight, rip it to size on the table saw. Make it to where you just have to press it in. If I had loose pieces I caulked each layer that was loose. Otherwise you have heated air move right around the insulation and start heating up your inside wall. Each layer was sealed the best i could.
I didn't insulate the floor yet. I may not. But what I did do is paint 2 layers of polyester resin on the bottom to water proof it. I did this before I mounted them so I can press the roller into the wood and leave a thick layer of resin. If you've never messed with resin, I encourage you to go to Lowe's and pick up a gallon and start playing with it. It is not that scary once you do a few things with it. Then anywhere they touched the metal frame liberal use of Marine Goop. I saw a tutorial where a guy used roofing tar. While that would be pretty effective. IF you ever have to mess with anything down there it's a real mess.
When I build stuff I try to make everything replaceable and everything I can accessible. You'll see later that all the wiring in the roof and walls is ran through 3/8" plastic "sharkbite" tubing. IF I ever want to add or replace a circuit it will be easy to do.

[Adventure Time]

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I cover the outside tongiht. I was trimming off the overhang and just wanted to show you the magic of flexible or bendy plywood if you've never seen it. It's pretty stiff one direction, the other it does this!
I found some awesome looking grain patterns at HD in Birch.

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I wish the entire inside looked like this.
If you are actually reading this and not just looking at the pictures. One thing I would have done differently is I would have made the floor out of 3/4" Birch ( the kind where the face layers are thick) from a real plywood distributor, and I would have used cool looking stainless bugle headed star bolts and made that the finished floor. As it stands now I am going to have to lay some kind of hardwood over this pine plywood. My vision is I want the inside to look like a guitar turned inside out. I even found guitar inlay for the trim where the ceiling and walls meet.

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So I read some about bow back on the hatch. So here's my solution to that. I used 2x6s jig sawed to fit in between the ribs where the tight radius is. The other part of the solution is bendy plywood. All the bendy that I have is scab boards so it's not fit to look at. IT is under the aluminum skin only. IF there is a place where you will see the plywood, I will do the 100 saw kerfs and then bend the wood. Inside the hatch will be all birch. When I made the kerf cuts, they are half way through the 1/4" ply and about 5/16" apart. I used a thin kerf blade on a Milluake rechargeable. I drew lines all the way across. IF you don't keep the cuts straight the board won't bend right. If you look at the hatch the lower section that is not bent is 1/4" Russian Birch that has 7 plys to it. This is the lower part of the truck and must be as stiff as possible to seal correctly. And I think it will be handled like a car trunk lid. I need one more piece of bendy 1/8" birch to bring the thickness of the upper part of the hatch to 1/4" and I will remount the hatch and trim the excess off the sides.

[Adventure Time]

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Tonight I was adding the outter skin. Some of the design features will be determined soon, like where will the AGM battery go. I am trying to keep the trailer as balanced as possible so I can move it around easy. So I will wait until I get a little further along before I install that. I have a 10 gal waste tank and need a water tank also. They will all be under the floor as far back or forward as necessary to balance the trailer while leaving about 10% of the weight on the tongue.

[Adventure Time]

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I fit the hatch in place, routed the excess off the sides with a trim bit. I noticed a couple of spots that didn't glue very well so I used an air hose and blew glue as deep as it would go.

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I started reading all the stories of people building their own doors. I got a little concerned with using the plywood cutouts That came out of the sides. I bought this 1" thick birch plywood with 16 layers in it. I haven't decided on which windows and where to put them in the door yet.
EDIT: 6/3/15 If I had the hatch to do over this is what I would have done. I would have built the hatch first and then cut my trailer to match the hatch. Its a piece of cake to jig saw down the side of the trailer, in comparison quite difficult making a curved hatch match a particular shape. Also I am into the waterproofing stage. I wish that the sides of my hatch that contact the trailer were all aluminum, no wood at the edges. look on page 3 I will show you how I used fiberglass on the edges but it would have been much easier to just have it aluminum.
I NEVER USED THE 1" BIRCH FOR THE DOORS. I used the 3/4" blanks I cut out and glued a 1/2" birch that shows on the indside. My finished doors probably weigh 50 lbs. a piece. I go into detail later about how I built them.

[noseoil]

Nice build & details. The 1" birch ply should be plenty strong, but remember, house doors are often hollow core and they work well enough. The frame & panel construction can be strong & light if done properly. A 3/4" frame & 1/8" skins are pretty strong and an aluminum skin will stop most weather if it is fastened properly. They can also resist warping if glued up flat to begin with.

That having been said, I doubt that Chuck Norris can kick through a hunk of 1" ply very easily. That stuff is very tough and stable. Enjoying the build!

[Adventure Time]

Nice build & details. The 1" birch ply should be plenty strong, but remember, house doors are often hollow core and they work well enough. The frame & panel construction can be strong & light if done properly. A 3/4" frame & 1/8" skins are pretty strong and an aluminum skin will stop most weather if it is fastened properly. They can also resist warping if glued up flat to begin with.

That having been said, I doubt that Chuck Norris can kick through a hunk of 1" ply very easily. That stuff is very tough and stable. Enjoying the build!

I bought some latches that require at least a 1-1/4" door. I can always route out sections to lighten it up. I will most likely use fiberglass around the outside and sealing surface. I have to locate some windows for these.

[Adventure Time]

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I routed an extra 3/4" wide 1/4" deep channel so I could trowel in long hair fiberglass resin. As I press this in to try to penetrate the wood as much as possible, I am also scraping off the very outside edge of the door frame. The fiberglass will "kick" and then you have about 4 minutes where it is still soft enough to easily and quickly scrape off any surface you don't want it on. I use a 1" wide sharp wood chisel to lightly ride it along that outside surface and watch the freshly kicked fiberglass fall off like wax.

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Now...the second picture. I went into the office to eat some pie and finish watching the Matrix Revolution and forgot to scrape off the glass where I didn't want it. That was a total B because It sat for about 25 minutes. That gives me a lot of faith that this idea will work. The next step will be to lightly sand the outside race of the door frame and then set the router depth to leave a nice flat surface for a gasket to seal against. I am kinda winging this. I have never routed fiberglass before, I'm not sure how it will take it. I will wait until tomorrow until the fiberglass hardens up for a day.

[Adventure Time]

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That worked out waaay better than I hoped. I took a close up of the seal surface. After I hit it with that vibrating sander it felt pretty slick. I am going to make all the edges of these doors like this. So where the seal will actually press against it will be 3/4" thick glass and right at the edge it is 1/8" thick.

[Adventure Time]

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I decided to do the whole door jam area in fiberglass. I have the outside strip yet to do that I have been using as a guide for the router jig.

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Installed the Hella dome lights. I got these on ebay. They are dome lights for a Volvo truck. I ordered LED replacement bulbs. I like the idea of being able to switch out bulbs if I don't like the lighting.
The lights are inset. I thought they were flush mount. So I had to do some cuttin'. The tube conduit idea worked great. I was able to pull the wires out of the way while I cut up the roof.

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I am going to start finishing the inside birch and was going to set up a shop light instead decided to install these.

[Babartlett]

Great looking build!

I like that you have used resin on certain parts of your trailer. It will make it bombproof but too scary or most of us to use.

I am also thinking about stealing your idea about conduit in the roof! I too am afraid of sealing up electrical components permanently.

How do you manage to powder coat your metal projects?

I will post the plan for my doors on my build here soon.

[Adventure Time]

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I started on my removable air conditioning box. Lots of fiberglass there. I ripped wood 1/4" and made a dam all around where the AC slides into. I put tape standing up out of the air holes and just started mixing resin and pouring it in and let it self level. I will use neoprene flat discs as seals. The two holes with the pvc flanges is where the condensation drips out of, those holes are the intake for the condenser. I used the AC in this box before I started fiberglassing it, it had water all in the inside but it worked great.
I am getting ready to pull all the wire out to reroute the fuse box. Good thing it's in conduit. I am going to have a 20"x22" door to access my rather large sink from inside the cabin. And I had the electrical all routed right to that corner of the galley.

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I went to a restaurant supply store and found this serving pan for $25. The half size of this is $10. I decided to have a big sink and if I don't want a sink, I put a board over it. But there's no easy way to make a small sink bigger.
For powder coating, I found a local shop. I was making fitness equipment prototypes and then ended up setting up a factory. It was cheaper and easier to have the equipment powder coated than to have it painted. And of course much better. It has to be clean new steel, grease is ok rust is not so ok. Forget about sandblasting anything, way too expensive if the shop is on the up and up.

[Adventure Time]

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I took some time off from building my teardrop but used some of the things I learned to build something else. This is called a warped wall. It's from American Ninja Warrior.

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I started back on the teardrop and I finally have the layout and design figured out. I have a big sink that can be accessed from inside or out. A cooler that can slide out and into the cabin. A removable AC box that vents down and cabinets that are accessible from inside and out. The only storage area I can't get to from inside is under the sink. I'll probably store things that I won't need inside like the stove.
It's getting lighter in the front. I will end up putting water storage and the battery near the front.
I really don't have a lot of cabinet space. We eat out almost every meal when we vacation. So I am not even going to buy a stove until we actual decide to use it.
Oh yeah and I am going to put a flip up counter on the back of the big AC box that's in the middle.

[Johnysteam]

Your build looks great. I love your sink , and you have given me the idea to do a similar thing, because a proper sink costs soo much