Will this work for framing?

[Darren]

Thanks again for all the guidance. I'm still learning, and making revisions. I'm going to follow your good advise and not cut the trailer either direction. For simplicity I'm going to lose the front and rear bottom radius', and gain a lot of interior space.

I'm really considering stick building the walls with 3/4" wood and skinning inside and out with 1/4" luan, same with the roof. Where I'm having a hard time figuring out is how the roof and spars will be attached to the walls. So how would you all or did you do this?

Good news is I was able to spend a few hours last weekend getting the trailer together. All I have left to do is make the new cross member, like the cubby plans, and relocate the axel mounts. I am taking photos but there's really not much to see yet.

Thanks again.

[bdosborn]

You should check the axle position using Angibs spreadsheet. I used the Cubby plans and did not move the axle. I think moving the axle significantly weakens the HF trailer. My trailer pulls straight and the tongue weight came in right where the spreadsheet said it would. Lots of guys move their axle and nobody's reported any problems but its worth checking your layout.
FWIW,
Bruce

[Ira]

Victor, I didn't do stick framing because first, I thought it would be too difficult, trying to get those curves and such. It was just so easy doing the sides out of 3/8 ply. (I have zero skills.)

What's confusing you about the spars? The ends of the spars can simply butt your side walls, and you drive screws in from the outside of the walls into them. If you're talking about making those cut-outs in the interior wall per the Cubby plans, for the spars to stick in, a lot of us didn't even do that.

A few folks even used hangers, like joist hangers. I didn't because I doubled up my 1 by 2 poplar sticks for each spar, making for a 1 and 1/2" square spar, and I couldn't find a hanger in thie right size.

[toypusher]

Victor,

Cick HERE for a picture of how I did it. Notice that I built the framing down away from the top of the exterior wall by the thickness of the spar plus the thickness of the interior ceiling skin. When you put up the walls, you can then just screw the spars on top of the framing. I also did the wiring and interior skin prior to putting the sidewalls on the frame.

[Ira]

Yeah, Kerry did it right. (That pisses me off.)

I basically did the same thing, but I didn't leave the gap at the edge of the framing for the spar to "sit" on. I drove deck screws through the ply, the framing, and into the spar.

The only thing wrong with Kerry's picture is that I don't see a single beer can anywhere. (And he calls himself a TD builder.)

[toypusher]

..........The only thing wrong with Kerry's picture is that I don't see a single beer can anywhere. (And he calls himself a TD builder.)

It's in the fridge! That's how come I still have all of my fingers!

[Darren]

Thanks, I think I keep trying to over engineer and overthink the construction.

Bruce - I did play with Angib's spreadsheet and I think I'll be in good shape. With the 2 center cross members relocated into the side rails it's very rigid.

Ira - I had thought about doing them like you did, it just appeared to easy so I thought I must be doing something wrong. From looking at your trailer I'd say your skills are fine.

Kerry - That looks like the way to go. Since I have my design in CorelDraw I can plot out the radius on my vinyl cutter, on paper, and use them for templates to cut the wood. No notching sounds good to me.