Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

PB, either way should work out just fine...I believe Doug removed the screws after the glue had set on his Comet...me, I like the added security of glue and screws...kinda belt and suspenders sorta thing
madjack

I on the other hand like to live dangerously, No screws, nails or staples penetrated the surface of my 1/4" plywood roof. Used epoxy, joints are stronger than the wood itself. If it comes apart it will be because the plywood completely delaminated. If it came to that, I don't think screws would have helped anyway in my opinion. On the roof edge trim I did put wood plugs in it. It looks like they cover screws but there arn't any there, just going for that "Woody" look.

Steve

If you are planning to cover with uniflex leavem' and skim over them. just my thoughts.

Powderburn....I left them in on the top...and I used epoxy.....I only pulled them out on the woody framing on the sides, countersunk and installed plugs....Doug

Speaking of wood plugs. Does anyone use plug cutters? For a woody look, you may want to have contrasting plugs. On other applicatons, you may want the plugs to match your wood. I have a set and love them. If I want plugs to match, I rip a piece of the wood down to 1/4" thick and cut my plugs using my drill press. Then, I put them in the holes with the grain aligned in the same direction. Before inserting the plugs, I smear glue on the bottom and lower sides, but not enough that it comes out the top of the plug joing. You can cut plugs from any color or lighter/darker grain of wood for contrasting plugs.

Once I put screws in, they stay in. Too much work to take them back out and the holes gotta be filled anyway because I'm painting. Besides, like Jack says...added security. It's all a matter of choice and opinion anyway. If we all did it the same way, it would get boring doncha think?

If you don't like a smooth roof on a tear, then this material may be just what you may need or want. Its practicle as it may help beginners put on an alum. skin atop their tear. I will be trying this after I check with Andrew and get his 2 cents. I hope I get his nod.

I work with windows and have the option of using existing material I know of or am formiliar with. I have alum coil stock used for covering gaps after windows are installed. Comes in 24" x100' lenghts and diffrent colors. I also have vynal 14 foot lenghts of this material called screen track snap. These hold alum window screens in place on the vynal windows. Two pieces of alum coil can be held together to join several strips of alum over the top of the tear. Also I plan on using the vynal screen snap to cause the alum to cover over a lap at the edge of the sides of the tear. This will then also be snapped together by another screen snap. Some screws may be needed but could be covered by this same vynal screen snap material. As for the buckling on the vynal, I know I went just a bit to far. A normal curve on a tear is less then this bow seen here.

Here is a view of me bending the alum and the vynal to represent the material's strenght as it would bend without buckling over a tear roof.

Ah, I understand a little better now. You want to use that as a replacement for the dead soft aluminum angle that you put on the edge of the teardrop.

What is the width of the leg? Do you have enough room to get a screw in and still hit wood?

Mike...

Mike!

Thanks for the come back. It's encouraging that you at least see what I have to work with to make my tear easy to build.

This material is to be used on the main top roof as well as seen by the bottom drawing and yes it will reach the wood. I also can use diffrenet screws which will have screw caps over the screw heads. Sealed with silicone, leaks will be non existance. Also adding another screen cap over the screws atop the roof shating, I can cover the screws on the top as well as the sides. Or anywhere on the tear for that matter.

This lip is wide enough to have a screw head 3/8 " wide screw screwed through it. Here is a photo of the screw in the vynal lip. Remember the color/cocoa is what I have now showing in the picture. I think I will go for almond on the whole trailer as an outside theme when I make it. I am actually getting all the material now. But want to build it once I have everything collected. I will have great building shots as I have a great camera as you can tell by these shots. By the way the trailer you saw previous, is tested this vynal without screws as I drove up and down the turnpike at speeds of 60 mph. Non of the vynal came flying off the alum. Notice two pieces of alum clamped by the vynal without screws.



Here is a drawing of how it will be used on the top.

Penn,

I've been talking to Andrew offline... here's what Andrew said..

I think that 'I don't know' is the correct answer - it's an exterior product so should stand up to the weather, so the remaining questions are 'does it seal well?' and 'does it bend well?', neither of which I can answer, as I haven't seen/handled the product.

I suspect you'll have to teach us what you learn by trial and error. How easy is it to get this stuff btw? and how much does it cost?

It also appears that you are pulling the aluminum skin away from the body at the edge where it meets your molding... is this a concern?

Technically we can float skins, but they are typically captured by deadsoft aluminum angle. Can your molding capture the skin safely and reliably?

Mike...

In that shot I am bending it in the exact way I would use/install it in the construction phase on top the tear. Of course it would be installed piece by piece. If you look close I am bending it much tighter then it would be installed on the tear.

Box of coil 2'x50' approx price $56.00 probably need two boxes. I get to use the left overs on a future window job. No waate there.

Vynal screen track material, for me no cost but probably $7.00 14' length if I would buy it.

All ends of alum would be bent to eliminate leak points as these points would be covered connecting the two sheets of alum by the screen tracks.

southpennrailroad wrote:Long time researching the abandoned South Pennsylvania Railroad along the Pennsylvania Turnpike

Now if we can get you to research teardrops as long as you have researched the PA Railroad, we could put that to good use!

Mike...

William Henry Vanderbilt would be very upset with you calling his South Pennysylvania Railroad a Pennsylvania Railroad route. It was a war between the Pennsy and the New York Central.

Anyway I am doing tear research and trying to do some moderate changes once I get started. I am presently off work for a few weeks (slow time of year servicing/repairing windows) and constantly watching behind the sceens and on this forum. I will definetly be building one on a Haulin trailer I showed you I have. On top the flat roof trailer in this picture is the same way idea I have planned for the tear. The screen strips are holding the alum on top of this trailer together as it will be doing on the tear. I checked inside this morning and not a drop of water was found. No sealant is used either.



I definetly will be making it almond color.