Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi, I haven’t posted in ages. Currently I’m helping my daughter with building her tear that she started several years ago.
What I need to know in what size router bit you guys use to cut out your doors with?
On my tear I built the doors to fit the openings and did not rout them out.
thanks

I used a 3/8 inch up cut blade in the router with a frame to keep the cuts straight. Then I used a radial arm jig to cut the curve. All the door and wall edge trim fills the gap again. I actually had to cut more off the door later to make it fit with all the trim.

If I had to do it again, I would just carefully cut it out with a jig saw.

I user a 1/4 " cutter with a pattern micro nailed to the door. I took small cuts at a time. The pattern cut out with a jig saw under sized for the router base.

I used a straight edge and did a plunge cut with a circular saw for the edges. Then free cut the radius corners with a jigsaw.

I used a 5/16" x 1" straight carbide bit with a 1/4" thick luan template. Set my router up with a bushing that would just let the bit through the center and made 4 different depths of cut and came out with a piece that required very little sanding to get smooth. I did buy a new plywood blade for my circular saw but I am very happy with the results that I routed the sides, doors, window openings, floor pieces and am planning on routing all plywood parts the same way. I never have used my router as much as I am doing now, it sure works slick

Paul in Janesville, Wisconsin making a sawdust mess all over the place dreaming of camping

I win the prize for smallest bit, at 1/8", in a RotoZip. Such a small bit ensured a small gap between door and wall.

woodywrkng wrote:I win the prize for smallest bit, at 1/8", in a RotoZip. Such a small bit ensured a small gap between door and wall.

I used the same tool and bit, except that I cut out both doors at the same time... 3/4" stacked on 3/4" plywood. It was a bear to cut, and I had to sand both sides of the cut significantly (in some places) to "smooth" them out. Ended up with a variable width gap all around, from 1/8"+ to 3/32"+. Fortunately, the automotive doorseal I used doesn't care! I would not repeat that mistake (even though I later cut out the holes for my windows and A/C, albeit from a single thickness of 3/4", using the same tool) I would probably get a Dremel Saw-Max, if I were to repeat.

We used a circular saw for the straight portions, a jigsaw for the corners and a slow & steady hand.
The kerfs are small enough that I could use the panels again, but I'm using RV doors instead.

I used a router with a 1/4" solid carbide spiral bit with bushing and 1/4" MDF template to cut the plywood framing for the door. Tabs were left to keep door blank in place for interior wall finish.





The interior wall finish (5/16" pre-engineered flooring) was applied to the framing. Then I used a jigsaw to rough cut the door blank from the rest of the sidewall.





Later, I cleaned up the edges and door opening with a router and template bit and applied the exterior 1/8" plywood (after insulating the framing.)







The plywood was oversized. After the glue set, I trim the excess with a router and template bit.



Take care,
Tom

Damn you Tom, you make it all look so easy.

He must've taken woodshop in high school!!!!...I took 5 years of Latin; hasn't helped me build anything yet.

Fortunately we had wood shop in junior high and high school. But that was about 35 years before I started my teardrop. Besides this forum, my biggest helpers were Norm Abrams New Yankee Workshop and YouTube videos.

My high school counselor(s) and course advisors told me to not take any shop (metal or wood, automotive not offered), nor typing, nor Spanish, but to concentrate on only my "advanced" college prep stuff like the Latin, and chemistry, calculus, etc, because "you'll never need them". Ha. I could've used all of them everyday for the last 45 years. Who knew?

Not trying to hijack a thread, but too many counselor think college prep or shop class. It's my experience that life is rarely "either or" most of the times it's "both and".

Very nice work!