Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I have noticed that some of you have such clean cuts. I use a jig saw and the cuts are not so clean. Another teardropper suggested that I sand afterwards. That does improve the look.

...but I have wondered, for those who don't have to sand afterwards, what tool are you using (tool name and brand). Is it a router, band saw, etc?

Todah

I would suggest the Harbor Freight jig saw with the laser guide. It's very affordable and should help you make a better cut. I assume of course, you are talking about cutting out the side profile? Cut out the sides just a little over your outline mark, clamp them together than use a belt sander to achieve your final mark then both sides should be equal. For framing, I use a compound sliding miter saw. Also you don't have to rush out and purchase the most expensive tools on the market. Your local home improvement store usually carries a "house" brand and they work just fine. Harbor Freight also has a good selection.

I'm thinking some folks use a Router, me I use a jig saw, and cut very slowly on my pencil line. I found if I try to cut outside the line my cut is more jiggy, so make sure the line is where I want to cut.

Mk

Sierrajack wrote: Cut out the sides just a little over your outline mark, clamp them together than use a belt sander to achieve your final mark

This is what I did for the sides, my belt sander has been worth its weight in gold to me on this build so far. I recommend getting one.

Mk

Todah Tear wrote:I have noticed that some of you have such clean cuts. I use a jig saw and the cuts are not so clean. Another teardropper suggested that I sand afterwards. That does improve the look.

...but I have wondered, for those who don't have to sand afterwards, what tool are you using (tool name and brand). Is it a router, band saw, etc?

Todah

Todah,
I'm not sure what cuts you're talking about, but this is what I did on my profile cuts...
I laid out a full size template of the profile on plywood, cut as close to the line as I could with a jig saw and sanded the edges into shape, taking great care that the edge was at 90 degrees to the surface of the template and that the profile had a nice fair to it.
The finished template was used with a router and a flush trimming bit to make the final cuts on my framing for the walls.
I don't feel that a template like this would really be neccesary, if my walls weren't going to be insulated... but the template itself can be used as a "story pole" for most of the build.
The router is a great finish tool and with the use of other accsessories, like bushing inserts, template guides and various bits... there's not much you can't do with a router, but you must have a good template or guide to follow.

Todah... About roughnes of your cuts with a jigsaw... A lot has to do with the blade you choose. There are a number of blades you can get that are hollow ground with no set in the teeth. These are made to produce very clean cuts and limit the amount of tearout you get. They do cut a bit slower but do a fine job. Just look for a wood blade where the teeth are not offset every other tooth like a common blade.

I've said it before, but they're so good it's worth repeating: you can buy reverse jigsaw blades that cut on the down stroke. In Bosch brand, the blades are T101BR - same tooth as the T101B but t'other way round:



Sometimes it's a big advantage to be able to cut from the 'good' side and these blades let you do it. Of course they need to be used more carefully as they work in compression.

Andrew

Besides having different blades for the jig saw I found the router to be my next favorite tool. Several different bits were used in the build and I got it on sale at HF.

Barb

We make full sized templates and then use a Porter Cable plunge router with a guide bushing to do our cuts...I have used those blades that Andrew suggest and do a very nice job indeed but quite often still require some sanding....
madjack

Depending upon the cut, I either use a router, circ saw, table saw or miter saw.

Like Ed said...there are any variety of tools depending on the cut you want to make...one trick that I do is get a sheet of 1.5" sacrificial styrofoam and lay ply, or whatever I want to rout, or cut down on top of it on the bench...I can run just about any tool across the material and the foam helps minimize the tear out, and I get a completely flat surface to run the equipment across. Just set the tool depth accordingly. Another idea is to use painters masking tape and then draw your lines on it and cut it out. When you peel the tape, the cut will be a lot cleaner. It won't make up for a wobbly line with a jig saw...that just takes time and patience, or a fence. However, the correct blade as mentioned is key to a lot of it. If you are having to really push to get the saw through the material and it's getting torn up, either the blade is the wrong tooth or is dull. Let the tool do the work and don't crowd it...just what I've found...others experience may differ...Doug

My final cuts were done with a router. The template was cut with a jigsaw and sander.

I used a water jet to cut my latest sides..boy, it's almost like I wasn't there doing the work..oh, wait..I wasn't there..but it sure was worth the 200 bucks I spent.

Hey Gang,

Thanks for the tips. I'll give them a try. Well, the closest that I have to a waterjet is my spray nozzle for my lawn hose. I just need a fitting with a diamond w/a hole in the middle to produce a pressurized, focused cutting jet.

Wow, they use waterjets for everything. When I worked in the diaper industry, they used them to cut out the legs of the diapers. From diapers to tearsdrops, what a versitile tool.

Todah

I cut one side out with a saber saw then run an electric plane over the edge to get the flaws out and to get all the edges to a right angle. Then I clamp that side to another piece of plywood and cut the second side out with a top bearing router bit. This makes both sides identical.

Once you have the one good one you can use it to cut as many sides as you want for multiple trailers.

If anyone uses this method make sure your Router is big enough. If it isn't, go very slow. I have done this on 3/4" material with a 1 1/2 HP Router. But now I have a 3 HP.

Happy Trails

Len