Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

what is the easiest method for gluing 1/8th birch together to end up with 1/4th? even clamping has been quite a pickle since so many gaps want to form. I could use the 50 or so finishing nails again but i cant help think there has to be an easier way.


the glue i am using is a thinned and brushed on titebond 3.


any tips pointers or common sense in this would be greatly appreciated.



Thank you

William

Curves or flat...vertical or horizontal? I did all the curves in the pic in my avatar by using 2 layers of 1/8" baltic birch, sucked it down with screws and some backing pieces of plywood. Pulled them after the epoxy was cured. Filled the holes . All the flat areas on the roof are 1/4" baltic. Just what I did. Doug

curves. it is the hatch. at the lower point it goes to a 5 1/2 inch radius..

So far i have one skin on there and the other is waiting its turn.

I've skinned in cheap luan and 1/8" baltic birch...I'd never do luan again...it's the Anti Christ....a waste of time to save a few dollars. I made up for it in doing body work to hide the problems with it...did a major crack and split! It all depends on the type of finish you want. Others may disagree. I'd do 1 layer of 1/8"...shoot some screws into it...when it is cured, back out the screws...mop that layer with glue...lay on another 1/8" piece and when you shoot the screws into it, use a piece of ply as a washer on them. Clamp the edges. When it is all cured...back out all the screws. Fill the holes. I use epoxy, so this is just how I've done it. Others may have differing opinions. Make sure all your edges are well clamped and sealed. If you work it carefully, you can get the 1/8" to do some incredible bends. On small pieces...I've gotten it to do 1.25" R. Doug

well it will end up painted,, really is a shame because this wood looks really good.

the way i did the first layer was to start at the hinge and put brads in it working 3 inches at a time while doing some creative angle then pull work to keep tension on it..

for the second layer i am thinking of using masonite bands and finish nails to do something similar and using clamps on the edges with thin strips to help the clamping to be more uniform.


doing all this while racing the setting time of the glue really feels like i am going about this the hard way.

An advantage to using an epoxy over a Titebond or aliphatic glue is that the epoxy will give you more working time in this situation. Just what I've found. Doug

what epoxies would you reccomend for this? i have seen some at the hardware stores but knowing so little about them i just glanced past them.


do you mean the stuff that is used for glassing? Cost is a concern of mine

I used two layers of 1/8" Baltic birch on the curved top on my tear. The first layer is glued (Titebond II) and screwed to the spars, and has some 5/8" long brads on the edges. The screws were countersunk just below flush and left there. The second layer is glued over the first, with some more brads on the spars and along the edges. Once it was painted, the brads were invisible. When gluing the second layer, I poured glue on, then quickly squeegeed it down the surface with a scrap of wood about two feet long. I got pretty good coverage in a hurry that way.
Sam

looped wrote:what epoxies would you reccomend for this? i have seen some at the hardware stores but knowing so little about them i just glanced past them.


do you mean the stuff that is used for glassing? Cost is a concern of mine

Go to a boat store like Boater's World or West Marine, they have epoxy. The stuff you usually find at home improvement stores is usually a polyester resin, not the same thing.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that you won't find it at a home improvement store, you are just more likely to find it at a boat store. Or that you can't do it with polyester resin, epoxy is more forgiving if you aren't very experienced.

Thanks for the replies, i really appreciate it. depending on the humidity level tommorow (sunday) i just might get this on there.


thanks again

William

Not a cloud in the sky! ! ! I didn't like using the masonite, I would do all 1/8 Birch if I had the $$$ ! I hand hammered in trim nails to get mine to stick. I will be in a pickle when it comes to putting on the trim I'm sure! ! !