It is not a long time ago, I discovered that fantastic world of teardrops. I was looking at tiny house blogs, and somebody showed a picture of a tear drop. I immediately loved it! The shape of those wonderfull houses on wheels made me shiver...
I am French, and a woodworker of a special type. I make telescopes for amateur astronomers, called Dobsonian telescopes. They have large aperture, are made of wood, aluminium, carbon, or composite. Most of the basic production for telescopes is made in China, but a lot of passionate peope make their own one by themselfves, and there are some small companies, in the US, UK, Germany, France, who make large top class telescopes one by one, in their workshop for demanding amateurs.
I have the impression that the world of teardrops is similar.
Here is the type of telescope I make:
Morevoer, the words of amateur astronomers and tear drop fans should cross in a certain way: amateurs astronomers go in remote places in search of dark skies, they do camp, and they have to transport their telescope. They should need a tear drop!
Anyway, I want a teardrop for myself and my wife fell in love with those tiny little things!
I have not yet fully decided if I will make it from scratch, if a buy one ( those from Diddyvans or Retrotrailers in the UK, or Vacation in a Can in the US are wonderful!), or if I make part of it, and buy the rest of the parts (it seems that Diddyvans offers such kit), or make the structure, and have it skinned with aluminium by a profesionnal.
It wil be a small one, for two people sleeping in it (my car is a BMW Z3, convertible, with a hatch in order to be able to cargo a telescope, no kitchen, with the shape of a Light Cub, Modernistic, or Pico light.
I still have some questions and concerns on certain details:
- The chassis: considering the regulations in France, and the control process, I think I will buy a ready made chassis, already approved. It might be a trailer for boats, jetskies, or for motorbikes, which I will modify.
- I have concerns on the suspension of the wheels. Should they be "hard" or not ?
- It will be made of wood, birch plywood, may be a kind of composite (a sandwich a thin plywood layers and styrofoam inside, wich is very strong and light). I do not know if I try to put an aluminium skin, or if I coat the would with an epoxy layer (but no fiberglass)
- I have concern about water leakage, particularly on the doors and the hatch. I need more information about this.
- I would like to find retro style lightings, but no sure to know where to find them.
There is a big meeting of amateur astronomers in May, in the middle of France. 500 passionnate people meeting in a camp. I hope to have the tear drop finished for the next one!
I am reading intensivelly all the topics of this wonderful forum, and learn a lot. Thanks for sharing your ideas and experience!
Pierre Desvaux
Bourgogne, France
and is a simple rubber automotive type door gasket.
) tant que tu respectes