High School Shop project

[WarPony]

Im in the far Northwest corner of kansas...way up there where the trees dont go and the just blows..

Ken Badsky lives in Oberlin. He is the police chief and has a teardrop. There are is a couple that goes by "ksragwooler" that live in Oberlin and they know Ken, too.

Jeff

[Roly Nelson]

Kansasman, I sure wish I could have built a teardrop when I was in high school, 61 years ago. You can make it as simple as you choose, and save a bundle in the process. Making it 9ft in leiu of 8ft will cost a bit more, but it's up to you.

Roly, the li'l ol' So Cal woody guy. BTW, you can even make it cheaper if you make it 6ft long.......check out my album pics to see a sample.

[Lynn Coleman]

Hi Kansasman13

Nice idea for a school project.

I'd go with 2 inch frame over the 1 inch your teacher suggested. Also someone on the forum used the steel from old bed frames for their frame, that might save you a few dollars, you could probably pick up a couple at a yard sale for five bucks or so. Axle and springs will cost you more but try the junk yards. In fact, see if you can find an old pop-up trailer you can salvage parts you might be able to use. It will give you the frame, axle, springs, if nothing else. But more than likely you can get the stove, sink, inverter/converter and other things from it. Again this will save you cash. However, if time is a problem, you may not be able to wait on finding a cheap old pop-up tent trailer for sale.

As others said, think light for your framing and sides, don't forget the insulation, it adds sound proofing as well as climate control.

Best of luck on your build.

Oh and don't forget to look at all the advise on this forum. They are very helpful here, we couldn't have gotten as far as we have without everyone's help.

Lynn

[tonyj]

Great choice for a project--much better than a hat rack! Welding, carpentry, electricity--you'll learn all the skills a self sufficient person should know.

Most of the time, when we talk about a metal frame, we are referring to the undercarriage, tongue and running gear for the trailer on which the "box" is built. If I am reading your post correctly, you are asking about metal "framing" for the box. You could build metal framing that the sides and top attach to, but wood framing of appropriate dimension would probably be lighter and strong enough. For the style trailer you are proposing, I would suggest looking at Joanne's Desert Dawg website. It contains a treasure trove of pictures, plans and narrative that will help answer many of your build questions.

Just keep asking those questions. I know these forum members will be willing to give any help we can to make your project a success.

[kansasman13]

thanks for the ideas. A plan is starting to come together. Ive decided on a 5x8 frame but i haven't decided between building it out of angle iron, square tubing, or C channel iron? I'm thinking the C channel iron would be the easiest to bolt the floor down to, but any suggestions would be helpful. I was also wondering about axle ratings and how heavy of rating i should look for as well as whether to get a leaf spring axle or torsion axle? I was also wondering on the benefits of using plywood verse osb board? Also when building it whats the best way to protect it from the elements including the bottom and the outside. I saw on the desert dawg website epoxy was used, but that my take too much time for me and too much money. Any other ideas? thanks

[Miriam C.]

KMan we used fibered roof coating. Cost about $6 and is known in my house a evil smelling black goo. I suggest putting it on before bolting the floor down and using a Dollar Store squeegee to put it on with. And lots of gloves. Put it in your bolt holes too. Just remember it gets everywhere and migrates by itself.

C channel- make sure you can get some washers in for your bolts. All the above work for framing. If you look up in the menu a you will find a trailer tutorial. Also in http://tnttt.com/viewforum.php?f=35 YOu will find lots of information.

Sdtripper's index also has some great information.

GirRdun

[Roly Nelson]

Kman, I would steer clear of OSB if I were you and stick to plywood. My experience with OSB is less than favorable, won't hold screws as well, will fray at the cut edges and may delaminate if wet and won't take a smooth finish without a lot of prep work. Just my 2 cents.

Roly

[kansasman13]

alright..well i got the trailer frame all built now next thing i have a question on is bolting down the floor. Im going to use 3/4 inch plywood for my floor on my 5x8 trailer frame. i have three crossmembers going across the trailer evenly spaced. my questions is where to built the floor down, and with how many bolts? I didnt know if i should put bolts in 1/3 away from the sides the length of the trailer and then bolts between the crossmembers on the edge..just looking for ideas.Perhaps if i get time ill throw a few pics up here.

[The Teardrop Nanny]

Glad to see you are back, KMan,
We'd love to see 'dem pictures. Post away, after you've done your homework, of course.

The Teardrop Nanny

[tonyj]

I placed mine on the perimeter only, in the corners and spaced about 18 inches apart. I'm glad to see you are making headway.

[kansasman13]

what size did you use, 5/16 or 3/8 and did u use regular hexbolts of carriage bolts with threads all the way?

[Miriam C.]

Good going! 3/4 ply is a bit heavy for the floor but won't hurt it a bit.

I used Hex bolts, I think 3/8 with fender washers backing them up, and 4 across the front, bolts down the sides and across the back. You can put them in the middle. Never hurts to have some extra.

[Nitetimes]

These are my preferred choice.
Deck Screws
The allow you to put a screw where ever you need to and there's no countersinking necessary, just drill a hole and run them in.

[tonyj]

what size did you use, 5/16 or 3/8 and did u use regular hexbolts of carriage bolts with threads all the way?

I used 5/16 hex bolts, run up from the bottom into T-nuts recessed into the plywood. Here's a diagram I posted way back when:



The combination of the bolts and the roofing tar on the top of the frame before laying down the plywood results in a deck you can barely pry off (I tried unsuccessfully to pull up one corner and couldn't without doing damage).

If you aren't insulating your floor, the middle 2X4 and second sheet of ply wouldn't be necessary. If I were building with a single ply deck, I would use 3/4, but 1/2 would probably be fine and result in some weight savings (and $ savings)/

[MrBuzz]

The total cost of my TD was well under $900...including a HF 4X8 trailer. If you want to make it a welding project there isn't a much reason to go with a steel frame for the body or even building the trailer.
Otherwise if you want to end up with a nice TD at your budget that can be finished in a reasonable amount of time and using everyday materials and techniques stick with the traditional 4X8 floorplan and solid plywood walls...no need to re-invent the wheel so-to-speak. I used 3/4 plywood for the walls and floor and mine is built like a tank...next one will probably be 1/2 plywood for everything...save weight and money. You can save lots of money on the build by finding some used windows and using standard hardware items from your local home improvement store.
Good Luck