Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm building the widget and I'm puzzling out the roof construction from the plans Andrew has provided. The plans call for a roof with 1/8 skin inside, 1 by 2 spars and 1/8 outer skin. The 1/4 inch outside wall skin has has 1 by glued around the perimeter spaced 1 5/8 inches from the edge. At this point I think the sequence of const. is as follows:
1. glue on inside side skin and flush out with the 1 by glued to perimeter of outer skin
2. glue and screw inner roof skin to top edge of 1 by on perimeter of side
3. install 1x2 (3/4inx1/5in) spars. Glue and screw inner skin to ribs
4. block out between spars on sides flush with the top edge of outer wall skin
5. insulate and run wire as nec. and glue and screw down outer skin to ribs, blocking, and edge if outer side skin.
Does this seem right? I've spent some time trying to verify this by reading past posts but haven't found exactly what I'm lookin for and my computer is antiquated and won't let me look at many of the great personal build albums which probably show the sequence. Thanks

Will, if I am reading your post correctly, you have 1x glued to the side with a gap of 1 and 5/8ths down from the top edge, leaving a ledge for the ceiling to sit on...if this is so, your sequence is correct...are you going to skin and or insulate the inside wall...if so, it would be easiest to do this before doing the ceiling/roof...
madjack

This is as close as I can get to showing the ledge my skin sits on. If I am reading you right they want you to make a frame along the side to attach you ceiling to from inside then add more blocking to attach the roof.

Mine is laid on the framing for the walls. The spars are put in and blocking along the edge to give a bigger gluing area.



Hope it helps

Will, this is exactly how I'm going to build my sides. Also look at Auntie M's pictures(if your computer lets you).

Auntie M, I was agonizing over the curved framing. If I'm not hallucinating, you cut a bunch of saw kerfs in your framing, bent it and glued to the side?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

God, procrastination pays off sometimes!

Ilya

Yes it does. Patience right now is my motto.

The kerfing is 1 1/2 apart with a thin blade on the table saw. The 12 inch radii were cut with a jig saw at about 3/4" apart.

The big trick to kerfing is to hold it with the kerfed edge down when you are moving it so it doesn't break and support it while cutting.

I put PL glue in the slices so it will hold the few screws I need to place. I also added a very thin strip of wood to the inside of the curve.


That will be easier than opening an album for dial ups.

Will, you've got it just right. One simplification that someone (Steve F?) has shown here is to attach the roof spars to the inner skin while it's on the floor and then install them as one. I don't think bending 1/8" ply inner skin around the sidewalls without any spars in place is practical.

Andrew

angib wrote:Will, you've got it just right. One simplification that someone (Steve F?) has shown here is to attach the roof spars to the inner skin while it's on the floor and then install them as one. I don't think bending 1/8" ply inner skin around the sidewalls without any spars in place is practical.

Andrew

I bent mine around without any spars, but mine is only 4ft wide. I did put some spars in immediately after fastening in the skin to help hold it in place.

will guthrie wrote:I'm building the widget

This is gonna be so cool! Please keep us updated and pictures if possible.

toypusher wrote:

angib wrote:Will, you've got it just right. One simplification that someone (Steve F?) has shown here is to attach the roof spars to the inner skin while it's on the floor and then install them as one. I don't think bending 1/8" ply inner skin around the sidewalls without any spars in place is practical.

Andrew

I bent mine around without any spars, but mine is only 4ft wide. I did put some spars in immediately after fastening in the skin to help hold it in place.

Me too and mine is 63". No problem at all.

angib wrote:Will, you've got it just right. One simplification that someone (Steve F?) has shown here is to attach the roof spars to the inner skin while it's on the floor and then install them as one. I don't think bending 1/8" ply inner skin around the sidewalls without any spars in place is practical.

Andrew

I don't know how I would have gotten mine on if I had all 3 sheets together and spars on them. maybe some of the spars on each sheet would made gluing the spars down easier though.

toypusher wrote:I bent mine around without any spars, but mine is only 4ft wide.

Nitetimes wrote:Me too and mine is 63". No problem at all.

Which goes to show yer how little I know........

All feedback is good.

Andrew

angib wrote:

toypusher wrote:I bent mine around without any spars, but mine is only 4ft wide.

Nitetimes wrote:Me too and mine is 63". No problem at all.

Which goes to show yer how little I know........

All feedback is good.

Andrew

Please, don't be shy, Andrew!

Thanks for all the feedback. I was planning on installing the inside wall skin first before applying the inside roof skin to the ledge on the wall. Thanks for the heads up about supporting the inner skin by gluing on the spars first while its flat. The widget uses 5! pieces of 1/8 inch for each layer that are 69" wide(236.75 inches long). I at first was thinking of installing some temporary bracing between the walls that would support the skin from underneath as its installed, then glue in spars, but perhaps it's best to glue the spars to each sheet, leaving off the spar at the joint of each sheet and install one sheet at a time then go back and glue in the spars at the joints. I want to avoid as much plywood wrestling as I can

I should have added that if you want to use 'conventional' construction, that would also work fine on the Widget - moving the side wall framing out to the edge and screwing through it into the end of the spars (or making rebates for the spars to sit in).

Of course, then you have to make some support for the inner roof where it meets the side walls, so it's swings and roundabouts.

Andrew

Gluing on the spars to the inner roof skin definitely is the only way to go with wide (68.5 in) trailers. I have 3 of the 5 plys up and because the 1/8 generally looks like a potato chip I think it would have been impossible to glue them on without some support. Thanks for the tip.