Planning and Building My Kenskill

[madjack]

Ed, therein is the rub...hunting the proper ply can be kinda like the hunt for the holy grail and you will be limited to what you can find...obviously, if building a woodie, you will want the best looking ply you can find...the box stores are usually out...try independent lumber yards or like we do, we order thru a cabinet shop...10' ply, if you can find it IS pricey...better is to use two pieces and put the seam over a doubled up inner frame member...with thicker ply you can use biscuits or splines to make up your length...this won't work for 1/4" ply...oh and the aluminum will probably run you 300+bucks for 4 sheets of 4x10x.032/.040........
madjack

p.s. a tip...often, you can find 1/4" all wood paneling with a pretty decent looking backside to use for show, whereas the 1/4"ply you find might not do for showing..........MJ

[Ed K.]

better is to use two pieces and put the seam over a doubled up inner frame member...with thicker ply you can use biscuits or splines to make up your length...this won't work for 1/4" ply...oh and the aluminum will probably run you 300+bucks for 4 sheets of 4x10x.032/.040........
madjack
MJ

madjack,

OK, the aluminum is out. Not worth the $300.
I'll probably just paint the plywood. The look of a woodie can be nice but seems like it'd be more work and maintenance.

Ed

[kennyrayandersen]

A woody is probably more maintenance, but they do look cool, so I can see someone going in that direction. You could also think about going with a thin ply of fiberglass over the wood which won't be real expensive, but will seal up the tear really well and will , IMHO probably be a little less trouble than simply painting over the long run, which over time can be an issue, unless really well maintained.

[Ed K.]

You could also think about going with a thin ply of fiberglass over the wood which won't be real expensive, but will seal up the tear really well and will ,

Kenny,

What type of fiberglass are you referring to? Can you give me a brand name or a link to the type of fiberglass? Fiberglass sounds like a good option to me.

Ed

[madjack]

...checkout www.raka.com for epoxy resins and fiberglass cloth, which I am guessing Kenny is talking about...glassing the entire tear is probably not needed but glassing(tape) the seams and edges is very worthwhile...epoxy coat(3-6 coats) everything else and paint with either a one part or two part urethane paint (look at Interlux Brightsides...others available) will give an exterior finish which will last a very long time...can probably be done for around 200bucks...under no circumstance would I ever recommend simply a primer/paint on ply job...this is no place to scrimp since the skin is what protects your hard earned investment in time and money to build your Td......
madjack

[Ed K.]

madjack,

Thanks for the info. I've seen a lot of pictures of painted TDs and was wondering what type of paint they used. I knew ordinary paint wouldn't hold up well on the plywood nor would the plywood. If the epoxy and and paint is only $100 less than doing it in aluminum, now I'm back to thinking of going with aluminum.

Decisions, decisions

Ed

[madjack]

Ed, I have said this to many new builders...patience grasshoppah...you have the time now to make these decisions...continue to do your research, which is the best thing you can do at present...doing aluminum or doing epoxy/fg/paint will be near to the same costs BUT price them out thru many sources because prices can vary greatly based on the supplier and local...this is going to be your tear and the great thing is doing it like you want it...in other words, it's your vision so follow it.........
madjack

[Ed K.]

Ed, I have said this to many new builders...patience grasshoppah...you have the time now to make these decisions...continue to do your research, which is the best thing you can do at present...doing aluminum or doing epoxy/fg/paint will be near to the same costs BUT price them out thru many sources because prices can vary greatly based on the supplier and local...this is going to be your tear and the great thing is doing it like you want it...in other words, it's your vision so follow it.........
madjack

madjack,

Thanks for the words of wisdom. I won't be starting the build until next fall at the soonest so I have lots of time to do my research and planning. I think I have enough details to start on building the trailer frame if I wanted to get started on something sooner. I could use the trailer to haul stuff with until I'm ready to start the actual TD build.

Ed