Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi everyone,

I just started building a Kuffel Creek Cubby.

I would like to have the sides be woodgrain finish when I am all done. I don't know if that means using fiberglass or spar varnish or what, but my question is: How do I follow the plans without tons of screw heads showing on the finished outside?

Keep in mind I would also like to keep this as simple as possible. Does this mean I have to countersink all screw heads and fill in with plugs? Is there some simpler way?

Do I only use screws around the edges, where they will get covered with trim anyways?

Any comments greatly appreciatted,

-Ben

Hi, Ben. Welcome.

I'm building the Cubby too, and also doing it as a woody, so it's pretty simple. (Well, maybe not simple--but a lot more straightforward and easier.)

Your sidewalls are plywwod, and you don't put "skins" on them until much further down the biuld. Those skins can be a variety of materials--in my case, it's beaded birch "paneling" which is spar varnsihed for protection.

Main thing is, once it's time to put these skins/coverings on, all of your side screw heads have already been inserted--so it's real easy to cover them with the wood. No special prep required, because they won't show at all.

Real simple ,too, like we BOTH want.

If you were doing ALUMINUM skins, or painting the plywood, that's a different story--where every screw head would have to be countersunk, those depressions filled and sanded to a level surface.

--Ira

On my Woody, I laminated up the exterior ply to the sides prior to cutting them out. I then finished them with dye and epoxy resin. No visible screws. On my framing on the sides, I used screws while the epoxy cured, then pulled them out and countersunk them and filled with a plug. I only have screw plugs on the framing....Lots of time....doug hodder

I'm building my Cubby with 1/2" oak ply sides and aluminum roof. By using lots of glue, clamps and carefully sized screws, I've been able to fasten everything from the inside. The only place I plan on using screws from the outside, is into the roof spars. The ones that don't get covered by trim, I'll plug with oak plugs. I stained the sides with Minwax Gel stain, and then coated it with fiberglass resin. When it's all done it will get a few coats of spar varnish for UV protection.
Al.

Ben,

If your outside ply panels have any veneer joints, (most do). Epoxy resin alone will not hold up, more than likely the ply will "check" on these joints causing the resin to crack over time and let moisture into the ply. The cure for this is using a layer of 4 or 6 oz. F/G cloth and epoxy resin on the sides. A point to remember when doing any glass work, it is alot easier to apply glass on horizontal pcs. if at all possible. A good UV top coat finish will still be needed, apply multiple coats.

CncMan
(System III resin dealer & user)

Ben, Check out my build journals.( link at the bottom of post) All of my work is wood, finished in 4-oz 'glass and epoxy, coated in 4-5 coats of spar varnish. Splicing wood is no big deal, just reinforce the joints with 'glass, as CncMan said earlier. My first project was the Comet, also a Kuffel Creek design.
As for the screws, if you plan things out, they can be applied in hidden locations. I build with a sandwich system that allows assembly of the tear without any exposed screws. The journals should explain things better. If you need help, just ask! We are all about helping out here!!