The Menehune Swoop

[green_eyed_diablito]

the adventure begins! i have finalized a design (that is, until i start cutting plywood...things may change before that ). i jot down ideas as they come and redraw sections as i change my mind, but this is where the design is now. i'll start looking for a trailer now so i can get started (possibly HF, possibly have one made).

ideally, i would like to find an axle from an older car so i could use standard steel wheels, nice hubcaps, and wide whites.

i want reading lights and one overhead light in the cabin as well as working lights in the galley, so i will install a 12V deep cycle battery and a solar panel trickle charger (will also carry a Battery Tender in case i need i quicker charge).

feel free to share your thoughts with me. thanks!

[starleen2]

At least the plans are on paper! it looks like a good start

[GregB]

Mahalo, little craftsperson. Good start, your design looks a lot like Len's Slumbercoach, now in Belgium somewhere. Its a beautiful design.

GB

[Alan Wood]

Looks pretty interesting there. The angled drawer fronts will limit your drawer building options though

[green_eyed_diablito]

Mahalo, little craftsperson. Good start, your design looks a lot like Len's Slumbercoach, now in Belgium somewhere. Its a beautiful design.

GB

thanks!
miriam pointed out the similarity to the slumbercoach too - and showed me pics. i was happy to see the slumbercoach because i wasn't sure if the angled hatch (as opposed to a curvy hatch) would be appealing to the eye. to my relief, it looked very good on the slumbercoach!

[Trackstriper]

While you might be able to find an old car axle to keep things in the true vintage mode, it could be more work than it's worth. You can probably get a standard (or dropped) trailer axle with hubs of suitable bolt circle diameter to be able to mount up most any kind of standard steel auto wheels. Standard trailer springs, standard U bolts, standard hangers, etc. ....electric brakes if you want them. Or consider a torsion axle. Might make life a little easier.

Nice design.

[green_eyed_diablito]

Looks pretty interesting there. The angled drawer fronts will limit your drawer building options though

the drawers will take a little more work than conventional drawers (it's just a matter of cutting them at an angle instead of 90-degrees), but it will be worth the work. i did it for aesthetics, but also to make use of the otherwise wasted triangular space at the bottom of the galley.

what i'm still undecided on is the construction of the face frame for the lower cabinet. i always blind-dowel when i build cabinets, so i think i will drill for the blind-dowels first, then cut the edges of the rails and stiles at the appropriate angle. this way i can use the blind-doweling jig without worrying about the wood slipping in the jig.

[wlivesey]

I like the forward leaning front. I've done something similar with my Northwestern Build.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=29883

[green_eyed_diablito]

I like the forward leaning front. I've done something similar with my Northwestern Build.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=29883

thanks! having the front angled out like that reminds me of the lines on cars of the '40s...swoopy!

[green_eyed_diablito]

i found a trailer today. it's used HF trailer and it's in great shape. the tires are almost new, the paint is solid with no rust, and the wiring was doen sloppily. not that it matters much because i'm going to paint the frame black and run new wiring inside conduit. i will need to register it - any tips on that? below are pics from the craigslist ad.

i took a ride to see it during lunch today and liked it so much that i would have brought it with me, but i commute to work on two wheels. i'll drive my truck tomorrow so i can take the trailer home.

i'm excited! the adventure begins!

[green_eyed_diablito]

well, things didn't work out with the used trailer, so i bought a new HF 4'x8'. i really like the shade of red, so i won't be painting it.

i can't wait to start making sawdust!

[wlivesey]

Let the saw dust fly!