Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am going to have to splice 2 pieces together to make my sides and seem to remember that someone had done this on a teardrop but I can't remember who. I need to see some pics.

Dear Eric,

Check out Steve Frederick's site for a discussion on the lap joint v. scarfing debate.'

If you are covering the Tear, just butt-join with a biscuit joiner, or you could half-lap. My two choices, if the ply is thick enough..1/2" or more. Or you could make the joint in thinner ply, over a framing member. If you want to go with something like what I did on the 'Diners, Check out my site. I did Mike's panels with a saber-saw, Mine, after a little research, with the router...my favorite tool!!

Steve Frederick wrote:If you are covering the Tear, just butt-join with a biscuit joiner, or you could half-lap. My two choices, if the ply is thick enough..1/2" or more. Or you could make the joint in thinner ply, over a framing member. If you want to go with something like what I did on the 'Diners, Check out my site. I did Mike's panels with a saber-saw, Mine, after a little research, with the router...my favorite tool!!

My sides are going to be 3/4" in a fir or Oak.

I'll check your site but what am I looking for exactly?

Steve Frederick wrote:If you are covering the Tear, just butt-join with a biscuit joiner, or you could half-lap. My two choices, if the ply is thick enough..1/2" or more. Or you could make the joint in thinner ply, over a framing member. If you want to go with something like what I did on the 'Diners, Check out my site. I did Mike's panels with a saber-saw, Mine, after a little research, with the router...my favorite tool!!

Would it be ok to biscuit-join the 2 pieces together using Liquid nails as a glue between the 2 pieces?

Example: take a 4X8 sheet and 4X2 off the other sheet and join them. (Biscuits and liquid nails) THen treat it as a whole 4X10 sheet of ACX 3/4" plywood and make my normal cuts, etc.

Would it be ok to biscuit-join the 2 pieces together using Liquid nails as a glue between the 2 pieces?

IMHO, if I were going to join two pieces of plywood with biscuits, I'd use epoxy glue. Again, just my opinion.

SteveH wrote:

Would it be ok to biscuit-join the 2 pieces together using Liquid nails as a glue between the 2 pieces?

IMHO, if I were going to join two pieces of plywood with biscuits, I'd use epoxy glue. Again, just my opinion.

After seeing Steve's work with Fiberglass, I'd reinforce the joint with fiberglass!

Mike...

Eric,
If you wanted to make a butt splice with a biscuit joiner, I'd do it over a framing member.If you reinforced the joint, as Mike said, with fiberglass, and handled carefully 'till glued to the frame, it would work fine too.

A half lap with the thickness you're using would be a good choice too. Try turning the wood so that the face grain runs up/down on the panel. I spliced three sections to get a 11-foot panel for the stripper. Long grain blends the joint away better than an end grain joint.

The butt joint method works for me, because I'm using thin, light ply. There's not much stress in the joint from the weight of the wood. I don't worry about the joint failing in the final structure, just during handling.


Mike's panel, 5' by 11', cut freehand, laminated in 'glass.


I joined the panels for the Stripper with half-laps, grain up/down.


A finished panel 4' by 11' also glassed. You could cut the sections at 5', but there would be waste! However, I would not hesitate to use this panel as is, alone for the whole wall, if you weren't using an insulated frame.

Steve Frederick wrote:
<snip>
A half lap with the thickness you're using would be a good choice too. Try turning the wood so that the face grain runs up/down on the panel. I spliced three sections to get a 11-foot panel for the stripper. Long grain blends the joint away better than an end grain joint.
</snip>

Hi Steve,

I'm planning on using half lap joints to make my side walls (an maybe the floor deck as well). Since I'm completely green to doing wood work, how do you go about getting a reasonably precise half lap? I have a router and an edge guide for it (to keep it a constant distance from the edge). Do you have a special router base that keeps the router from tipping as you cut the lap? Or is it a matter of proper technique? I think I need to practice on some scrap wood!

As I was looking at your website I also read where you use a pattern, collar and cutting bit with your router to cut doors and other shapes. Can you give me a short primer on that as well?

You seem to have a lot of experience in this type of construction and I'm clueless.

Thanks!
Joanne

Joanne,
Check out my build journal for the stripper. The process is simple. Layout a line about 4 times the thickness of the material, 3" for 3/4" ply. for example. Cut away 1/2 the thickness of the ply, a little at a time, maybe 1/4" each pass, until you get to the fence, clamped to that line. On the back of the mating piece, do the same process. Voila!! Half lap!
If you see any waiver or gap in the joint, you can remove it by laying the pieces together, as you would glue them up, but a little less thean the width of your bit, apart. Say the bit is a 1/2" bit, then space the sheets a bit, maybe 1/8", less than the bit diameter.
Place a fence in a position that makes a cut that will hit both pieces at the same time. The resulting cut will remove just a bit from BOTH sheets, and following the same fence, will be an exact match!
Confused, Check out the journal, A picture is worth a thousand words. Half lap joints

Here's what I was trying to describe in the last part of the post. The lap was cut, and this is the final step.

Great tip steve I have not thought of that one. I think you must be th Norm Abbrams of teardrops.

THANKS Steve!!

I had a general idea of how to go about it but I've been very hesitant to try. Your pictures are exactly what I needed. It's supposed to rain all this weekend, and next weekend I'm heading to Southern California for a Dutch Oven Gathering. Oh, trying to put Pergo flooring down in one of the bedrooms too! I'll get back to the trailer one of these days.

Thanks again!
Joanne

Steve Frederick wrote:Joanne,
Check out my build journal for the stripper. The process is simple. Layout a line about 4 times the thickness of the material, 3" for 3/4" ply. for example. Cut away 1/2 the thickness of the ply, a little at a time, maybe 1/4" each pass, until you get to the fence, clamped to that line. On the back of the mating piece, do the same process. Voila!! Half lap!
If you see any waiver or gap in the joint, you can remove it by laying the pieces together, as you would glue them up, but a little less thean the width of your bit, apart. Say the bit is a 1/2" bit, then space the sheets a bit, maybe 1/8", less than the bit diameter.
Place a fence in a position that makes a cut that will hit both pieces at the same time. The resulting cut will remove just a bit from BOTH sheets, and following the same fence, will be an exact match!
Confused, Check out the journal, A picture is worth a thousand words. <snip>