Build thread: One-man Sleeper

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Build thread: One-man Sleeper

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:51 pm

Well, that's the name. It sleeps one, with not much room for anything else. It's also shaped a bit like a coffin. I haven't used my carpentry skills for a long time, so it is what it is.

Here's the starting point. A PWC trailer from CraigsList for $160:

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Stripped off the boards, extraneous hardware, and decals, then primed:

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Bottom side got cleaned and primed as well:

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Last edited by eggsalad on Tue Feb 03, 2015 2:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:53 pm

These lynch pin thingies had to go:

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Whacked off with a cutoff wheel, and primed the bulkhead:

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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:00 pm

Couple of sticks of 2x4, ripped down to 3", make up for the dropped crossmembers:

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Half-inch BC plywood, cut to size & shape:

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Framing for mounting the walls. The gaps are for the bolts that hold the floor to the frame.

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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:03 pm

Painted the frame with 2 coats of Rustoleum High-Performance oil-base enamel in Leather Brown:

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The bottom of the floor is primed and painted with the same stuff and bolted down (no pic). This is the desert, so it's all the "undercoating" I think I'll need.
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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:12 pm

A brief diversion...

The hitch is mounted:

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The HF LED taillight kit is installed and wired, along with a license plate mount:

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So that the self-aware, soon-to-be camper can pick up its own lumber:

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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:15 pm

Couple of side walls go up:

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Then the back wall is temp'd into place, so I can nibble away at the bottom corners to tuck inside the frame drop:

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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:19 pm

When I saw how my sketched design looked "in the flesh", I hated it. It was essentially a 4 foot cube with a "nose cone". Instead, I decided to go with a full wedge profile.

So I whacked off the tops of the walls:

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Cut down the back wall, too, and cut the opening for the door:

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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:22 pm

Brief diversion...

This door came off a full-height camper shell at the junkyard. It wasn't pretty, but for $30, I couldn't resist.

Inside is primed:

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And painted "Unmellow Yellow":

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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:27 pm

Here you can see the forward 3 walls, primed and attached to the floor. Also, the roof framing is starting to go in.

(Yes, I'm aware that I'm building this "inside out", i.e. framing *after* the walls are up. It's the best I can do.)

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Framing for the 14" x 14" roof vent. You can also see where I finished framing the door jamb.

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Lots of triangles make the roof really beefy:

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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:31 pm

First finish coat is on. Starting to look like something:

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The door is hung:

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And the sub-roof, 3/16" Masonite, is cut and partially installed:

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That brings us up to today. More to come. Thank you for reading my build thread,

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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby Ron Dickey » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:39 pm

Welcome,

You may have more room then you think. You can put in shelves over head or by the door. You could raise the floor a little and have room to store some bring alongs. like stove, canopy, table. which way is you head?

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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:43 pm

Ron Dickey wrote:Welcome,

You may have more room then you think. You can put in shelves over head or by the door. You could raise the floor a little and have room to store some bring alongs. like stove, canopy, table. which way is you head?

Ron


Thanks for the welcome, Ron. Sleeping position will be "head to the rear". That's why the door is offset, so I can "sit up in bed" on a 4" foam mattress, with my back against the rear wall. Eventual plans call for shelving & storage on the driver side wall.
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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby Cantputt » Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:02 am

You are making good progress. There is a certain satisfaction for doing it your way vs following the book. Keep it up. :applause:
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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby eggsalad » Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:40 am

Cantputt wrote:You are making good progress. There is a certain satisfaction for doing it your way vs following the book. Keep it up. :applause:


Thanks, Cantputt. My skill level and tools force me to do it my own way. I see what others here have done, and I know I could never duplicate those techniques. Heck, even with what little I've done, I've had to learn and figure things out and "wing it" just to get this far!

:lol:
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Re: Build thread: The Coffin

Postby KCStudly » Wed Oct 09, 2013 2:38 pm

I feel the same way, too.

Everything is relative to our own personal experience.

You will be camping very soon! :thumbsup:
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