Where To Start... Where To Start.... :P

[Curtis in Texas]

Sorry for a little Hi Jacking, but I thought about the poor Job your local wood supplier (cough) did for you and I thought maybe I should post up a little tutorial for those non wood working folks. This way you can spot a potential problem next time you go shopping. Especially if you want a top notch job.
A little about me!
I worked several years in a Cabinet shop, many years ago, and learned a lot about wood that has stuck with me ever since. While I don't claim to be an expert I do know what to look for when it comes to cutting wood. So I did a llittle searching and found two excellent tutorials to share.

Hope this helps you folks understand why Lowes and Home Depot ect give you less than stellar performance. It's mostly because they don't bother to train their Associates in the proper use of the tools they are required to use. Read up on it and you may pass the next time your in there and find a way to do this yourself or get someone who knows how to cut your pieces. I'd bet they use the same blade for everything and only change it out if it set the place on fire.

http://woodworking.about.com/od/toolseq ... Blades.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_5784985_use-mai ... lades.html

I'm no where near a perfectionist, but I prefer to use the proper tool properly.

Hi Jack off!

The black finish is a nice touch and should be easy to maintain.
Looking great and you inspire me to get out and get going on mine.

Curtis

[SirJoey]

Hey Curtis, no problem on the hijack. This is stuff that can potentially benefit MOST of us,
not just the amateurs like me! "Knowledge shared, is knowledge doubled". Thanx!





Got my surge protector & battery tender mounted.
Just starting to break ground on the 12-volt stuff:











I'll take the little wood block back up later, & paint it to match,
next time I have a few other things to be painted black.







Still don't have a fuse block & a couple other things I need to finish the
12-volt wiring, so I'm gonna put it on the back burner for now, along with
the cabinet door situation, & move on to the bed/closet/shelf unit.
L-O-N-G way to go, but should be able to meet my goal of early June!

[SirJoey]

Got a good start on the bed/closet/shelf unit:





Once the bed is finished, I'll feel like I can "officially" call it a CAMPER!

[lonerider]

Question....why have you put the "Galley/Shelf/Battery unit in the back? Seems you are adding alot of weight behind the axles. Won't that screw up the balance of the trailer?

[SirJoey]

Question....why have you put the "Galley/Shelf/Battery unit in the back? Seems you are adding alot of weight behind the axles. Won't that screw up the balance of the trailer?

Nah, not at all. Only the rear third of that wall unit is behind the axle, & the amount of overhang behind the axle
on this little trailer is tiny, so that battery, heavy though it is, isn't gonna make any difference, believe me.
Take a good look at one of the pics of the outside of this thing, & you'll see what I mean.

Besides, my little mini-fridge & closet will be at the front end, & I'll have a tongue box on the front with a bunch of junk
in that as well, not to mention the 140 lb AC unit just in front of the axle, so she'll still have plenty tongue weight.
Legitimate concern though, thanx!

[SirJoey]

Except for adding some face trim to the shelves, & painting,
the closet/shelf part of the unit is finished.







As nice as a door would be, I don't think I'm gonna bother with it.
Dangling wire is (eventually) for dual reading light above bed.
The wire will be inside the closet, & poked through a hole.

[pete42]

Do you plan on adding a strap to hold down your battery or does the metal piece hold it down?

Do you think a 30 inch wide door would make a good bed once a matteres was added?

[SirJoey]

Do you plan on adding a strap to hold down your battery or does the metal piece hold it down?

Well, it's pretty darn heavy, & I don't plan to do any "Baja" driving, so I don't think it'll bounce clear up outta there.
If the going gets THAT rough, I'll go back there & check on it, but the metal angle bracket & wood block will keep it from sliding around.

Do you think a 30 inch wide door would make a good bed once a matteres was added?

Personally, Pete, I think that would be perfect, cuz that's the exact size I built my bed!
30" wide, by 78" long, the exact dimensions of the ThermaRest DreamTime mattress I bought!

[Curtis in Texas]

You're going to wish you'd tied that down some day.
Trust me!
Even if you only add a block with thumb screws to the wall above the battery to keep it in the hole.
One good pot hole and it will bounce. And a broken battery case in your trailer will make a heck of a mess if it doesn't start a fire first.
EvenMercedes have their batterys secured even if they are never taken off the pavement.
With your battery in the rear of the trailer will be like riding the back bench on a school bus.

[SirJoey]

Well, I DO always say "Better Safe Than Sorry", so....

Maybe you guys are right. Time to re-think my strategy.
That's some darn good advice, & I think I'm gonna take it!
Thanx a lot for the valuable input!

[Curtis in Texas]

I'm here to help when I can!
Really enjoying your build!
Will your bed fold up?
Sure would be nice should you ever wish to take a scooter camping with you.

[bobhenry]

You're going to wish you'd tied that down some day.
Trust me!
Even if you only add a block with thumb screws to the wall above the battery to keep it in the hole.
One good pot hole and it will bounce. And a broken battery case in your trailer will make a heck of a mess if it doesn't start a fire first.
EvenMercedes have their batterys secured even if they are never taken off the pavement.
With your battery in the rear of the trailer will be like riding the back bench on a school bus.

That was my thoughts so I found one of those sterilite plastic tubs to place mine in and tossed a chunk of egg crate foam under the tub to cushion the ride a bit. I then screwed the tub to the galley wall. I put a small bungi cord across the top but if I hit a dip hard enough to lift that battery 5" off the floor and out of the tub I will have other things to worry about as well

[SirJoey]

Really enjoying your build!
Will your bed fold up?
Sure would be nice should you ever wish to take a scooter camping with you.

Thanx, Curtis!

Unfortunately, no, on the folding bed. The bed & closet/shelf unit are all one piece, & the whole thing is
screwed to the wall & floor in several places. It feels really solid, & should be even more so after the plywood
bed top is added. I toyed with the idea of a foldup bed, but decided it would tax my limited carpentry skills
beyond their limits, so I just concentrated on trying to keep it all square, properly sized, & well anchored.
It's no showpiece, but surprisingly, I seem to have accomplished at least THAT much!





I WILL be taking my quadcycle along with me this Summer, but it will have to go in the back of my truck.



Here's a video of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Xwopiu6gc

[pete42]

How about an electric motor for that thing?

[SirJoey]

How about an electric motor for that thing?

Already have one, Pete! The front wheel is a hub motor. The
blue box behind the seat contains four 50ah AGM batteries.



Top speed is 30 mph. Range is 45 miles @ 15 mph, before low voltage limiter kicks in.