Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

When I got around to making my doors, I thought that everything was in hand. WRONG! Even though I had cut everything for both doors at the same time (with both doors and skins fastened together), the first door fit fine, BUT the second door would just barely wedge into the opening. Go figure. Anyway, I had to tear out all the trim on that door opening then take the belt sander and enlarge the opening. Put new trim back on and the door fits fine now.

Here's a pic of the wasted trim:


Hope to get the hatch mostly done today.

Kerry

Okay--I'm afraid. I'm going to start on one door this weekend because I'm broke and I can only afford enough trim for one until payday next Friday. (My wife got tired of lending me money, and no amount of crying would change her mind.)

Kerry, how come you didn't sand down the door instead?

This is where I'm confused about door construction, so what else is new?

I planned on putting wood strips in the interior of the opening, then putting the trim on that. I just figured this would give me a straighter, truer edge to attach the trim, as opposed to the 3-layer sandwich of outer skin, frame, inner skin. It's pretty damn straight now, but I figured, what the heck. These strips would also give me a more solid surface to attach my hinges and that "hole thingy" that the door knob "thingy" sticks into.

If these technical terms are over anyone's head, I apologize.

TP, my guess is that your saw had a slight angle to the blade, your second cut with a small bevel to the edge because of the thickness of the top cut was enough to make it smaller once it was trimmed out.

IraRat wrote:Kerry, how come you didn't sand down the door instead?

I already had the door completely trimmed out, the latch on, and the hinge was also fastened. It was simpler to just take the trim off the door opening (except the hinge side) and sand it to create a larger opening. Bottom line was that the opening was easier to redo than the door itself.

I'm not sure I would add anything else to the door openings. I found that the screws were pretty close to the edges and adding something else could create a weaker place for a screw to hold. Anyway, if everything looks straight and even, I would not do anythinge else to it. Just a word of caution: When you cut the final size for the door itself, measure each one in the opening that it will go in to ensure enought clearance. It won't take you more than a few minutes longer to ensure you don't end up like me. Trim the door openings first, then prop the door blank up to the opening and scribe a line 1/4" smaller than the opening. Don't think you can go wrong with that.

Kerry

gman wrote:TP, my guess is that your saw had a slight angle to the blade, your second cut with a small bevel to the edge because of the thickness of the top cut was enough to make it smaller once it was trimmed out.

I just bet that you are right about that. I use a jig saw and the blades seem to bend pretty easy. When (not if) I build my next one, I will measure and cut them separately.

Thanks for the input.

Kerry

toypusher wrote:I'm not sure I would add anything else to the door openings. Trim the door openings first, then prop the door blank up to the opening and scribe a line 1/4" smaller than the opening. Don't think you can go wrong with that.

Kerry

So install the trim on the openings first, push up the blank for the door, scribe, go 1/4 less all around, and cut the doors?

In other words, that 1/4" less, measured with the opening trim in place, is enough to accommodate the door once it has ITS trim on it later?

I used to be afraid of the boogey man; now I'm afraid of doors.

And did you use the ply cutout as the main blank to size it, or one of the skins instead, since they're lighter to hold?

I'M LISTENING! BUT I'M VERY THICK AND HAVE A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING!

But I think I understand prefit:

Just stick this into that before screwing this into that.

Ira,

I used the blanks that I cut out of the original 3/8" outer sidewall, then framed them out and skinned the inside with 1/8" and put the aluminum on the outside. then applied trim per the Cubby plans. If you do it like the plans say to, you should be OK! Guess you won't have to put the aluminum on the outside, though

Kerry

Here's the offending door (AFTER I fixed it)


It works too!


My next phase that may cause problems. For now at least it fits!


On the brighter side, I got some finish work done in the Galley area.


More in my Yahoo photos: Here

Kerry