Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

1.. anybody have any drawings or details to share for a tilt out/slide out type setup?? maybe you know of a thread on here that you can link me to?? im not getting anything searching...

maybe you know of something on another site??

im not set on this, just would like to look into it...thinking about a 4 or 5 foot manually operated---tilt-out in my sidewall to make more room...

i kinda have an idea for a slide out, but i really think the "sealing" or "weather proofing" would be a nightmare...

just thoughts outloud...


2..how about ...what plywood is/has the best bang for the buck??? im on a tight budget...i can find all the knotty twisted up "cheap" ply in the world...and i can find the 50 dollar sheets just fine...i cant afford the latter..

anythinig in between?? (20-25, 30 range) i dont need a whole lot of structural strength from the ply...i have a good framing plan going...1/2" ould be plenty strong for my purpose...my walls will be 1 1/2 framing(2x's) and then the outer ply, and whatever i line the interior with...

Any reason you're going with the 2X framing? You lost a lot of interior space that way, and 3/4 framing is plenty strong. Seems like you could size down the exterior ply to 1/4 as well. That will save you weight and money. At that point I would figure out how to make good ply fit in the budget. Every time I buy a sheet of cheap ply (even when it looks nice) I end up kicking myself in the end. Good ply from a good lumberyard (not the BORG) will make your life easier in many ways.

i didnt really lose that much space...an inch or 2 isnt gonna kill me...lol

im not building a teardrop...my interior is 6 feet high...need a lil strength...so i went with the 2x framing...

believe me i know about the cheap ply...i fought it for my bottom...i have 4 more sheets laying in my shed, that im not even gonna use...ill use them for "other projects" around the house...

Lowes in Hammond carries 15/32" (1/2 inch) ACX which is an A face on one side and a C face on the other and glued with a waterproof exterior grade glue. It's an import plywood with at least the face cores being radiata pine......the last I saw it was stamped Chile.

It's $23.66 each in 4'x8' pieces. It's probably about as good as you are going to get without going to a specialty plywood store.

The 23/32" is $34.98 per sheet.

At least their website says they carry it in Hammond. If they don't you can ask them to get it on the next truck delivery.

Both Mandeville and Baton Rouge have specialty plywood shops - at least they did last I looked pre 2005.

Here's a GREAT website if you need specialty wood stuff like 8/4 maple or marine plywood etc locally.

http://www.woodfinder.com/

I used to buy my stuff at Robichaux in Raceland but that's not exactly close to Amite.

thanks yall...

i know robichaux...thats the only place around to get amrine ply in south la...i go thru raceland quite often...but for marine ply i find it better to order from a place in florida, and get it shipped to my buddies business address....thats back when money wasnt an object...lol now im on a budget trying to build a camper, ha, go figure..(i been off work for too long..money getting loooow)


any input on part 1 of my topic?? anybody??

oh i forgot...whats the scoop on this arauco stuff?? anybody fooled with it??

Hi Mike,
I'm working on some details for using the bed slide mechanisms from the popup that I am salvaging for building The Tackle Box. Still dismantling the trailer, but I did do some rather unscientific testing on the slides (see my thread) and it looks very promising for use as a slideout bed space.
I'm planning on making the unit 42" deep and the width of a queen mattress. The bottom will be a torsion box, probably 1/4 ply x 1 1/2 core x 1/4 ply insulated, in the full bed size dimensions. It will be split in the middle crossways using a piano hinge so the bottom half of the bed simply unfolds to the inside when the slideout is extended. I hope to have some sketches posted in my thread soon. Hope this helps.

Also, check out the Castaway build, a great front slide setup.

This guy out here in Sac has a trailer with a fold down tent like sleeping area: http://www.kiene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17373 You'll see some more pictures if you follow the link in his post. His trailer is actually what got me back into wanting to build a tear drop.

laoutdoorsman wrote:oh i forgot...whats the scoop on this arauco stuff?? anybody fooled with it??

I really like the arauco plywood. I've found it to not have voids, and consistent moisture content so it doesn't warp. I give it two thumbs up!

Lifted from woodworking site


Arauco Plywood is manufactured from pruned Radiata pine logs that have a significant portion of clearwood, offering attractive decorative features. Its interior veneers are manufactured from whole sheets, effectively doing away with holes and overlapping. All Arauco plywoods use WBP phenol-formaldehyde adhesives conforming to EN 314 and PSI-95standards.