Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

My dad and I have started building an oak woody. We were wondering about trimming the outside edges with a darker wood. I have noticed that almost all pics on this forum show light colored trim. Is there a reason for this, or is it just preference.

I went with light trim simply because when I built mine I looked at a lot of Station Wagon Woodies, there weren't many Tear Woodies at the time and that's what they did. No other reason.





Happy Trails

Len

I used Mahogany, first because it is a little easier to bend, and second it is a little darker than the redwood strips. It is fairly easy to find at home centers and lumber stores. You could also install the wood of your choice, finish all shaping and sanding, then carefully stain just the trim to your liking to get it darker.

I used ash becaue it was readily available up here, inexpensive and bends well.

I did up my corners with cedar and then stained them dark. It's really just personal preference. Good luck on your build-Wayne

Bohemian; I drool every time I see that woodwork; absolutely amazing!

I love the woody. I can not even compete with these guys, but I will do my best. There tears are sharp.

I thought the dark trim question was silly, but dad and I have been kicking around (black walnut trim). Very dark, but it would give it great contrast. I ask the question because I did not want to make a mistake because I did not ask. Thanks for taking time to respond.

I thought the dark trim question was silly, but dad and I have been kicking around (black walnut trim).

Do you expect to have to bend much of this trim? Black walnut if fairly dense, and I have used some of this on my wood fishing nets that I make, and it is hard to get the fibers to bend without splitting! Even in very thin strips. IMHO

It would depend on where you plan to camp. I spend time in deserts and darker colors absorb heat. That dark green on the top would be a heat sponge; but I doubt it will ever sit in 110 degree Sun.

No bending will be done. We plan to make trim using pieces glued at angles that will let us cut them into shape. This way the grain will follow the curves of the trailer without bending. We are discussing it. I think that stained oak will end up winning out. We looked at cedar, but there is not enough difference in the color to give contrast. I told dad to decide what he wants and it is fine with me. I hope to take the trailer all over the U.S. if god is willing to give me the time and the funds. I do think that most of its use will be in surrounding states for weekend get aways.

Something to consider is that you can dye the wood to suit your needs. In the following pic, I used mahogany but was able to make it dark walnut outer covering boards and colonial red in the field...same wood. Thing is, you can dye just about any wood to suit the color you want, regardless of it's species. Some woods won't take on dye as well as others however. Wood can also be bleached....just what I've experienced. Doug

Not only bleached, but you can use caustic lye to give an aged affect to wood.

My answer is just a guess...but...

Most people create a plywood project, then apply stain without first creating a test board to determine what the final color and look will be.
Many use basic inexpensive plywood that has pretty wild grain not understanding that the softer parts will accept more stain than the harder ones.
Once stain is applied, the wild grain becomes ferocious!
So more stain is added to "tame" the grain.
A lot of people don't consider too, that several coats of (final) finish will usually darken the color by several shades.


When the time comes for trim, the only choice left is "light".

Rob

I used Mahogany for the sides and Ash for the trim.