Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi all. I was planning on aluminum door trim but the more I think about it I'm wanting to go with wood trim. I made a "prototype" door to see if my ideas would work and have the right clearances, all is good. This is my first woodworking project and I think I've done alright so far, don't want to mess it up at this stage. The plan is to make a 3" wide ring that will mount on the outside of the door and overlap both the side and the door by 1.5". I want the ring to have a radius on both edges so would a router/table be the way to go? What is the proper way to make the ring, buy a huge piece of wood and cut the ring out or glue pieces together and have a lot less waste? How do I keep the ring from warping? And lastly what type of wood and stain/urethane should I use to complement my current color scheme? This is what my trailer is looking like now and I would really appreciate you opinions.

You know...from my experience and from what I think you are trying to do...you probably ought to make a pattern out of some cheap 1/4 inch ply or luan, then use the pattern to cut your trim to match with a router (or other appropriate tool). I would just plan on using well joined pieces as opposed to a built up blank the size of your door.

As far as warping...you shouldn't have any problem....Hope this helps...Juneaudave

Thanks Dave. I've already made a template out of paneling. My thought was to make a basic ring out of 4" wide wood and then trim it to the right size. I think we are on the same page.

Yep...you know it's been awhile since I saw a picture of your build. That ply really has awesome coloring, and your build looks really nice. What kind of material are you running over the top ????

Victor...make up a test piece...I think you'll find that 3" wide is going to look a little out of place on the tear...just a hunch...I did mine up in 1 3/4"...you don't want the trim to overpower the look...Doug

The top is covered with marine grade vinyl. It has some UV ratings that make no sence to me at all but I thought I'd take a chance. I did a lot of testing and as long as I get a good seal on the edges it should be water tight. If it fails on me I'll probably just rip it off and then paint or cover with AL.

I know what you're saying Doug. I did a number of drawings in CorelDraw and I thought the 3" was pushing it. I'm smoothing my template out now and I'll see how it looks before I commit to anything. I really chose 3" so the hinges and handle would fit totally within the trim. It would be just as easy to make those areas a little wider and the rest of the trim narrower.

Thanks for the input.

Victor Star wrote:The top is covered with marine grade vinyl. It has some UV ratings that make no sence to me at all but I thought I'd take a chance. I did a lot of testing and as long as I get a good seal on the edges it should be water tight.

How did you adhere the vinyl to the roof??

After several different tests I wasn't happy with the look so I just stretched the vinyl and stapled it 1/8" from the edges. I tried contact cement, urethane, and PL adhesive but couldn't get it as smooth as I wanted. I'm going to fold the edges back and lay down a bead of silicone to hopefully seal it. If I get any kind of hole in the vinyl I'm sure water will wick it's way in. The top was sealed with a couple of coats of spar urethane so I'm not worried about that.

Victor Star wrote:After several different tests I wasn't happy with the look so I just stretched the vinyl and stapled it 1/8" from the edges. I tried contact cement, urethane, and PL adhesive but couldn't get it as smooth as I wanted. I'm going to fold the edges back and lay down a bead of silicone to hopefully seal it. If I get any kind of hole in the vinyl I'm sure water will wick it's way in. The top was sealed with a couple of coats of spar urethane so I'm not worried about that.

Somebody (can't remember who) did a vinyl roof with foam under it, like the roofs on some of the cars. That would be a cool look, and also cover any undesirable bumps...

That was Warpony. His roofing came out very nice.

Doug, you are right. The 3" trim will look out of place.


I think I'll try something like this instead. The left one is 1 3/4" with space added for the hinges and handle. The right one is 3".


Thanks,

Victor
Is there any way to finish without interrupting the pattern on your wood? It is so unique I hate to see it gone.

Miriam

Thanks Miriam. I agree but with the window it's going to be pretty broken up anyway. I'm going to give another shot at bending the aluminum angle. That will leave a lot more of the wood exposed. I saw the post about using Tempilstik to judge when it hits the right temp and I think I'll try that.

That's true! Perhaps the dragon will look like she is hiding behind the door.

Looks great anyway.
Miriam