Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I my youth I salvaged lumber from WWII era buildings at nearby Camp Roberts. I have a big supply of clear heart redwood 1x6 and old growth douglas fir 2x8. I'm thinking of ripping them down, and/or glueing them up, to use for my floor, wall, and roof framing. Using the salvaged lumber will save money. The tight grained old growth doug fir would be stronger than new big box lumber. The redwood could help with rot resistance. I can use all redwood, all douglas fir, or some of each for framing.

I bought Steve Frederick's cd. I'll build much like he does except I'll paint my TD's outside...not finish it like a clear coated woodie.

The plan is to cover the roof with 2 layers of 1/8" ply. then epoxy fiberglass finished with boat paint. I'm not sure if redwood, glued up into 1.5" x 1.5", will be strong enough to use for roof spars for a 5 ft. wide tear drop. I'm leaning toward using doug fir here.

The walls will probably be sandwich construction built with 3/8" outer plywood, an inner frame either 3/4" or 1" thick, foam insulation, and 1/8" inner cabin ply. I think either doug fir or redwood would be ok for wall framing.

I'm also trying to decide whether to build a sandwich floor with a 3/4" inner frame, or one with a 1 1/2" frame for more floor insulation. Again I think either doug fir or redwood would be ok. The top plywood will be 1/2" and the bottom willl be 1/4".

In those few spots where screw holding strength is important, like the rear roof spar where the galley hatch is attached, I'll use hardwood.

Any thoughts on using this well seasoned lumber and where it would be better to use douglas fir or redwood?

Steve B.

Oh boy, last question first. If you live in CA do you need floor insulation? Some type of joinery should get you by.

If you are concerned about the 5 wide don't be. You can always move them closer. Mine is 6'4" and 1" x 1 1/2" (true measure) is plenty strong. White wood BTW. Mike has been laying on the roof with his 200 pounds. Seasoned redwood is at least as strong. All of my framing is white wood and will no doubt someday get wet and rot. It happens. I should be on #10 by then.

Douglas Fir????? Man.... I'd kill for a source of that. That is one beatifull wood.....

Miriam, even in Calif. it can get very cold at night. Years ago I almost got hypothermia camping in nearby California Valley http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bakersfield/Programs/carrizo.html early in the spring. I slept in an uninsulated van with an air mattress, a sleeping bag, a down comforter, and froze my a** off. With that memory firmly in mind, I'll insulate my floor. Not sure if I'll use 3/4" or 1 1/2" of insulation for the floor.

John, I have more old growth 2x8 doug. fir than I can use. I'll gladly share...I really need to clean out the garage. Would you like to come to Morro Bay http://www.morrobay.org/cm/Home.html where it's stored? Gas is just a little over $3/gallon.

Steve B.

Esteban wrote:Miriam, even in Calif. it can get very cold at night. Years ago I almost got hypothermia camping in nearby California Valley http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bakersfield/Programs/carrizo.html early in the spring. I slept in an uninsulated van with an air mattress, a sleeping bag, a down comforter, and froze my a** off. With that memory firmly in mind, I'll insulate my floor. Not sure if I'll use 3/4" or 1 1/2" of insulation for the floor.

John, I have more old growth 2x8 doug. fir than I can use. I'll gladly share...I really need to clean out the garage. Would you like to come to Morro Bay http://www.morrobay.org/cm/Home.html where it's stored? Gas is just a little over $3/gallon.

Steve B.

Steve,
Just curious...
Is any of that clear heart redwood 1 x 6 ya got 20' long?
By the sounds of it, it's probably at least 7/8" thick if not a full inch.
I'm looking for about 15-20 twenty foot boards of flat grain.
Want to rip them so I end up with 1/4" x 3/4" vertical grain strips.
A vertical grain board works too, but I get less yeild... (Gotta rip it to a heavy 3/4" then resaw it)
Future project...
Sure wish I woulda rat holed a bunch 5-10 years ago...

John,
Doug Fir is still pretty plentiful around here...
So is redwood for that matter, but it takes an act of God these days to fall an old growth redwood.
Some of the bigger lumber yards here are even gonna stop stocking second growth.
I love to kick back, look up towards the sky when I'm Swimmers Delight or Pamplin Grove and pick out a tree, then daydream about what I'd do with all that lumber.

Dean, the redwood is nominal 1" x 6" T&G in random lengths. Actual thickness is about 3/4". The longest boards are 10 to 14 footers. It was roof sheathing nailed on 2 ft. centers so there are nail holes.

I've thought of ripping it, or the doug fir, into thin strips to glue up a bow for the top of the wall frame similar to what jplock is doing with his Windsong TD http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=8908

Is that what you have in mind?

I'm not sure it'd be worth all the work for me to cut my wood into thin strips and then glue it up. I sometimes over complicate things trying to be perfect when good enough is plenty good enough. Sure looks pretty though.

Steve

Steve,
Naw... I was talking about a wood strip canoe or kayak project.

About your build... I'd definately use the fir for your spars over the redwood. Although fir is a softwood, it's stout as hell, just be sure you seal it well.... doesn't hold up well to moisture like redwood does.
A laminated roof plate like what you're thinkin' about doing would work, but you might have to soak it or steam it to get a tight radius, depending on the thickness of your strips. Although redwood is somewhat flexible, it can be brittle, espically older lumber like what you have. My concern using redwood would be the holding power it has for a screw... it can be soft, but it depends on how tight or loose the rings are in the wood. For holding purposes, Id go with the full fir on that laminated beam. Play with some sample strip thicknesses on your tightest radius to see if wetting the wood will be neccesary.
Myself... and this is just me, I'd use the redwood as an accent wood on a teardrop.
But then again... If weight is an issue, redwood is lighter than fir.
Have fun with your project!

Steve,

I believe that 1.5 by 1.5 should be plenty strrong, especially since you are planning on using two layers of 1/8 on top of that.

I also think that 3/4" of insulation should be plenty for the sidewalls and the floor.

I would definitly NOT do the strips. that is a lot of extra work and unless you were building an ultralight, I see no need for that kind of construction. Just do it the way that Steve shows in his manual and you will be fine.

You really should have no need for using the redwood in any part of the construction if you just seal things the way they should be. Save the redwood for some nice outdoor furniture or something. If you decide to sell some of the wood, then the redwood should be worth more to sell, also.

Being as curious as I am ... I found some beautiful cedar here in Finland that has been imported from Nort America... Smells good as well..

It seems soft to me ... but is it in reality... can it be varnished normally?

It is not native to Finland at all... but I thought I could use it on my ceiling or hatch interior?

What do you folks say about it... It has a nice grain to it as well...

Classic Finn

Classic Finn wrote:Being as curious as I am ... I found some beautiful cedar here in Finland that has been imported from Nort America... Smells good as well..

It seems soft to me ... but is it in reality... can it be varnished normally?

It is not native to Finland at all... but I thought I could use it on my ceiling or hatch interior?

What do you folks say about it... It has a nice grain to it as well...

Classic Finn

You may want to do some research on this. I believe that cedar is very 'oily' and you have use something special for sealing it or staining it. I am not an expert on this, but that's what I seem to remember. I do know that we always used cedar for fence posts because it took longer for it to root in the ground.

Heikki,
If you use cedar on the interior of you cabin that nice smell will multiply. You can seal it with Lacquer to keep the smell out. It really can get strong.

My friend Allan and I did our floors out of a variety of wood scraps he had in his shop.

http://curriecoalition.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=31

We also built the floor frame with oak that we ripped down and used mortise and tenon joints.

Overkill? You betcha. But part of the purpose of this project is for me to learn some woodworking techniques AND we got a killer looking floor.[/img]

lcurrie wrote:My friend Allan and I did our floors out of a variety of wood scraps he had in his shop.



We also built the floor frame with oak that we ripped down and used mortise and tenon joints.

Overkill? You betcha. But part of the purpose of this project is for me to learn some woodworking techniques AND we got a killer looking floor.[/img]

Whoaaaaaaaa that is a Killer Floor... Beautiful... I be Lovin it...Very Nicely
Done...

Ya just gave me some more ideas into my Finndian Head...

PS Lynn what Make of a Scooter is that you are riding? I like the style.

Classic Finn

Thanks for the kudos on the floor. I think Allan and I are giving new meaning to the phrase 'teardrop time' but we are having fun and i'm learning more from him than i did in the woodworking class i took.

My scoot is an Aprilia Mojito. I got it last year and I LOVE riding around. The pics on my site were taken at the first scooter ralley i attended in San Antonio. For every scooter ralley, a patch is included in the registration packet and people have vests or jackets covered with them.

Maybe we should do patches for the teadrop gatherings!!