Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Ok screwed up again and did not cut the 3/8" notch before mounting the walls and glueing them. What is the best way to cut it once you havbe mounted it? I bought a 3/8" x 2" flush trim bit with a bearing but not sure how to make a guide to use to cut the notch. Any help would be appreciated.

Cliff

CliffinGA wrote:Ok screwed up again and did not cut the 3/8" notch before mounting the walls and glueing them. What is the best way to cut it once you havbe mounted it? I bought a 3/8" x 2" flush trim bit with a bearing but not sure how to make a guide to use to cut the notch. Any help would be appreciated.

Cliff

You could get a 3/8" rabbiting bit and do about 1/2 of it and then us the trim bit to cut the rest. Just a thought. You could also mark a piece of scrap to the exact contour that you have and then draw a parallel line that is offset 3/8" and then cut on that line. Then you can put that piece up against you tear side and us the flush bit - following your scrap piece. Hope that makes sense to you. It made sense when I was typing it anyway!

toypusher wrote:

CliffinGA wrote:Ok screwed up again and did not cut the 3/8" notch before mounting the walls and glueing them. What is the best way to cut it once you havbe mounted it? I bought a 3/8" x 2" flush trim bit with a bearing but not sure how to make a guide to use to cut the notch. Any help would be appreciated.

Cliff

You could get a 3/8" rabbiting bit and do about 1/2 of it and then us the trim bit to cut the rest. Just a thought. You could also mark a piece of scrap to the exact contour that you have and then draw a parallel line that is offset 3/8" and then cut on that line. Then you can put that piece up against you tear side and us the flush bit - following your scrap piece. Hope that makes sense to you. It made sense when I was typing it anyway!

Hey Cliff


He is right. You don't need a guide you can use a 3/8" rabbeting bit to make the first pass and then use your flush trim bit to take out the rest of the material. I think using the router is the best way to cut your hatch offset.

Thanks guys for the responses and I thought about doing that as Karry had sent me the pics of how he did his. I have a bud who is willing for me to treat him to dinner next weekend and he will bring his bits and do just that. I did go ahead and make a template of the sides so I can make the spars for the hatch.

Cliff

Hi Cliff,

When I got to this point in my build, I was a little intimidated. But thanks to all of the help I received, like the responses to your post, I was able to make the notch with little fanfare.

For the benefit of others that haven't seen this technique before, here are a few pictures and sketches.

The first step is to use a rabbet bit to cut the notch to the depth you want.





The second step is to remove the remainder of the material with a template or pattern bit.





Take care,
Tom

Do you leave the ends of the cuts rounded or chisle them square?

aggie79 wrote:Hi Cliff,

When I got to this point in my build, I was a little intimidated. But thanks to all of the help I received, like the responses to your post, I was able to make the notch with little fanfare.


Take care,
Tom

Tom,
Is there any reason not to do the notch cutting on the bench before the walls are installed? That's what I plan to do unless there's a reason not to??

Larry C

dh wrote:Do you leave the ends of the cuts rounded or chisle them square?

DH,

I ended up cutting the ends square and left room for a strip of weaterstripping perpindicular to the weatherstripping along the hatch edge.

Take care,
Tom

Larry C wrote:

aggie79 wrote:Hi Cliff,

When I got to this point in my build, I was a little intimidated. But thanks to all of the help I received, like the responses to your post, I was able to make the notch with little fanfare.


Take care,
Tom

Tom,
Is there any reason not to do the notch cutting on the bench before the walls are installed? That's what I plan to do unless there's a reason not to??

Larry C

Larry,
Cutting the notch on the bench is easier. The reason I didn't is because my hatch framing follows the "pre-notch" profile of the galley walls. I framed my hatch in place to keep things lined up.







Then I removed the hatch and cut the notch.

Take care,
Tom

I'm thinking that even on the bench the router would still be an easier way to go.

aggie79 wrote:

Larry C wrote:

aggie79 wrote:Hi Cliff,

When I got to this point in my build, I was a little intimidated. But thanks to all of the help I received, like the responses to your post, I was able to make the notch with little fanfare.


Take care,
Tom

Tom,
Is there any reason not to do the notch cutting on the bench before the walls are installed? That's what I plan to do unless there's a reason not to??

Larry C

Larry,
Cutting the notch on the bench is easier. The reason I didn't is because my hatch framing follows the "pre-notch" profile of the galley walls. I framed my hatch in place to keep things lined up.







Then I removed the hatch and cut the notch.

Take care,
Tom

I see....

This could be a problem if one didn't plan ahead! In my case it shouldn't be an issue. My hatch is only a half hatch, and does not go all the way to the floor. I should be able to follow the wall profile even with the notch pre-cut, but I'm glad I asked.

Thanks...

Larry C

Thanks Tom for the explanation and giving me another idea. I'll start the hatch on friday night to get it exactly to side profiles before I cut out the notch. It should make it easier to get all the pieces to fit really well.

Thanks all for the help guys!

Cliff

I just thought of another reason to cut the notch after the walls are up. When I installed the outer plywood skin I let it "run wild" past the edges of the sidewall. Then I used a pattern bit and router to trim the edges. If I had notched the sidewalls first I would have had to be careful to not let the bearing of the pattern bit get into the notch.