Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

and how did it work out?

I've been shopping around for plywood of different types and am curious what has worked out for other people.

Used birch outside/inside. It was that or oak, the only two choices where I live. Liked the birch better. Cherry trim, oak galley cabinets. I am happy with it. If I had more money and more choice, may have gone a different direction.

I used marine grade mahogany, I'm thinking 6mm laminated over 1/2" ply, dyed colonial red...has that vintage Chris Craft look. Doug

doug hodder wrote:I used marine grade mahogany, I'm thinking 6mm laminated over 1/2" ply, dyed colonial red...has that vintage Chris Craft look. Doug

heard you can get the original Chris Craft colour from one of the club websites..

I used Baltic Birch because I like the color and because I could get it in 5' x 5' sheets!

I used Baltic Birch inside and for the roof. I used Big Box 2.7 mm Luan for the sides. The Luan is actually holding up better on the sides than the Birch on the roof......

how does the lauan stain up?

I used Baltic birch too. It's great to work with. It's strong and takes all types of fasteners well without splitting out. It takes paint or varnish well too. I didn't try stain, but I'm pretty sure it would work well too. the 5'x5' sheets were handy for my 5' wide teardrop - very little waste. I recommend it highly. It can be a little tough to find, though.
Sam

Meranti.

Holds up well as long as you keep it dry!

dave

Sapele plywood.



The plywood was cheap because I think it had been sitting around for awhile. The veneer was super thin, really dry and super fragile. It was a major PITA but not that it's encased in fiberglass and epoxy it's OK.

Eric

I used oak plywood and oak trim. Epoxy and polyurethane coated. 5 years and a couple of polyurethane recoatings. Sold it, new owner is sincere about doing the maintenance to keep it looking good.

I used Birch Ply. 4x9, Dyed and w/ 5 coats of McCloskys Marine Varnish. Trim is Maple 5/8 w/ Walnut Dowels. I keep it in doors when not in use.

Dave

I used 1/4" birch ply from Lowe's for the flat parts, and two layers of 1/8" birch for the curvy parts (had to go to "the Cities" for that).

d_lairson wrote:how does the lauan stain up?

It's up to you, remember, what you see is what you get when finished up. Any discoloration or flaw will show. It's a lot of work to get something that you potentially are not completely happy with in the end. Luan typically has a very thin veneer over a core. I went with the marine grade thin ply as the plys are solid material and more forgiving when it comes to doing any sanding/work on it and finish up much nicer. I wanted mahogany. It does cost more though. Much more difficult to sand through a ply layer than the veneer, is more stable and less likely to de-lam. If you sand through the veneer on a luan...you're sunk. Just my opinion. Doug

Rock wrote:Sapele plywood.



The plywood was cheap because I think it had been sitting around for awhile. The veneer was super thin, really dry and super fragile. It was a major PITA but not that it's encased in fiberglass and epoxy it's OK.

Eric

Oh that is very nice!!!