Planning for First Build - Completed!

[KCStudly]

If weight is a concern you could plow out a channel in the back of each board, or even plane the backs down thinning the whole board. Just a thought.

Should look good.

[chrisgrashorn]

If weight is a concern you could plow out a channel in the back of each board, or even plane the backs down thinning the whole board. Just a thought.

Should look good.

I was worried about the weight for a little while but after feeling these, they are quite light. I'm not sure what a sheet of plywood weigh's but I weighed these and they come out to about 1lb per 4" section. I calculated there to be about 28 pieces so 28lbs total. I think the added weight is worth it because it looks very good!



I also test fit the fan and a few lights. The lights are 1w soft white LED which fit perfectly in a 1-3/4" hole. Got them on amazon for $9.50 each. I'm planning on having 4 of these in the sleeping area and 2 in the rear storage. They are very compact but put out a good amount of light.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BL ... UTF8&psc=1

[harleykamper]

Nice idea using the tongue and groove boards on the ceiling! Look great. I do like those LED lights also. Doing good work there Chris. Keep it up.

[Steve 70]

Chris, I really like the look of your pine ceiling. I used tongue and groove knotty pine planks with minwax natural stain and polyurethane from Lowe's.
I also used LED lights because they stay cool and being mounted in the ceiling I felt that was a good thing.

Your tear is really coming along and looks great. I like your profile also as I believe it gives you more room.

Keep up the good work

[S. Heisley]

Chris,
Your tear is really coming along and looks great. I like your profile also as I believe it gives you more room.

Keep up the good work

+1

[chrisgrashorn]

Made some progress today with the back shelf/electrical storage area as well as the front curve.

The area behind your feet will house the battery, fuses, brake lights, 15amp input, and all other electrical goodies. I'm thinking this will have a cabinet door without a hinge which can be popped off if access is needed. The upper storage is split between a shelf accessible from the back and a shelf for the inside. You will notice the offset between these. This is for wiring to get from the battery area up to the wall which will be built between inside and outside storage. In the last picture you can see how the wiring can go up from the back and run between shelves and eventually up through a wall.



The 4" t/g boards fit the curve pretty well. I wanted to cut out curved pieces of plywood to go perpendicular to the boards but I figured that would be too hard to get multiple pieces perfectly cut. I ended up just continuing down with 1x2 every so often. With wood glue in the t/g joints and construction adhesive connecting the boards to the 1x2, it is very solid.

[Oldragbaggers]

You're really going gangbusters!! Looks good. I think that tongue and groove will look nice. Is it heavy?? What will you put over it??

[chrisgrashorn]

You're really going gangbusters!! Looks good. I think that tongue and groove will look nice. Is it heavy?? What will you put over it??

I'm not sure exactly what product I will be using but some type of clear lacquer. I'm hoping for a glossy natural look.

A lot has happened since my last update!


First off, I found a nice surprise under the trailer one day.. The roof tar has been dripping down and making a mess everywhere. I'm guessing this is because It went on super thick and gravity is doing its thing. I ended up getting a sheet of FRP and cut out sections and screwed them up to the floor. This kind of sandwiches the tar up in there, and protects the bottom even better.



Next up was work on the back storage sections. I was holding off on cutting out the back door as I was looking for a pre built door but decided to just build my own. This way it is the perfect size and will fold down/latch the way I want it to. For now I have a hole rough cut until I plan the exact door.



I then began all of the electrical work and inside cabinets. I ended up with a lower shelf which will be left open, along with an upper cabinet area. The middle section houses some electrical goodies (12v master switch / battery meter, switch for night lights, and 120v master switch and GFCI). There will be doors on the side cabinets and possibly over the switches, not sure yet.



Here you can see how crazy the work area was.. This is about as messy as I have ever had the trailer / garage. I also quickly realized how much of a pain it was to crawl back there and do all of the wiring while laying on my back.



You will notice the ridiculous amount of wiring throughout. I wanted all of the lights and accessories to have their own wire back to the electrical cabinet. I think I used about 200' of 16-2 wire. The battery meter I got on ebay which I modified to fit into a standard switch cover. I went with all 120v type switches and plates for the 12v as well to keep things looking consistent. I have the interior lights on 2 seperate switches to control the light better. One is for the lights above the cabinets, and one is for the lights up towards the front. This way we can have the cabinet lights on for some accent without being blinded by laying down. It also goes the other way if we only want a few reading lights on up front. The DC side of things was a bear to keep organized but I think it looks good and everything is easily accessible. There is a terminal block for the trailer marker lights , and the night lights which will consist of 6 small trailer plate lights around the outside of the trailer. The AC side is pretty basic with a 15amp breaker and outlet of the battery tender.



Can you spot my mistake in this picture? I have 2 pieces of the bead boards on backwards.. Luckily this is inside the cabinet and isn't noticable at all. They are nailed and in with construction adhesive so I don't think they are going to come out easily.



I also started to trim out a few spots. This piece of pine will go around the curve and wherever the bead boards edge is shown. Sadly the other side decided to crack on me when I hit it with the brad nailer. I'll have to be more careful as they are quite thin. Also, you can see a dark spot in the 3/4" side. This is air tool oil which my brad nailer sprayed out. Any ideas on how I clean this up? Maybe a light sanding?



Finally I started to insulate the roof. I'm using foam board along with spray foam for where the wiring is


Next step is to pickup the doors and aluminum! Things are taking shape quickly. One thing I am somewhat worried about though is how it is somewhat back heavy. Not sure what the doors weigh but I'm hoping they along with the spare tire up front on tongue will help somewhat.

[Oldragbaggers]

Very nice. You obviously know what you're doing with that electrical. What a plus. That's the part that scared the beejeezus out of me so I ended up doing the drop cord outlet. You are doing a great job in all respects.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Looks really good! The bead board and LED lighting really makes the inside look nice and inviting

[chrisgrashorn]

It's been a while since I've had time to update this but my build is complete! After all of the hard work everything turned out great! Thanks to all of you guys for the ideas, and support.

Here's what's happened during the final stretch:


Outer skin is 1/4" Maple plywood. Definitely was a bear to bend around the 24" radius but with enough muscle, glue, and screws, I got it lined up and secured. This was followed by the Aluminum and doors from Frank Bear at Vintage Technologies. As I got the aluminum attached I also worked on the running lights and LED night lights.


Next up was the back door. I used other parts from Frank (Offset hurricane hinge, T-molding, seal, and supports) with the door being made out of 3/4" plywood. I did not have the latch installed at the time of these pictures but that was the hardest part. I used the T-Handle type with 2 rods which lock each side. I used 1/8" x 3/4" aluminum to make strike plates on each side along with notched rod's to pull the door in as the handle is turned. Also shown here is the flooring/counter. This was 12" square self-stick floor tile which also made a great surface for the back counter top.


First Road test and camping trip!! This was the first time I had taken it out on the road since it was only a frame. Luckily the balance was pretty good and I didn't get too much sway. At the campground we had many questions and surprised looks! I must admit the trailer looked pretty odd next to all of the huge RV's and trailers. Only minor inconvenience was lack of a mattress. The hard floor didn't feel too good..


Here is what the trailer looks like on my car, along with a decal surprise. The name really makes it personal


Here is a little side project I did last weekend. I wanted the spare tire to be mounted on the front, but I think mounting it to the A frame part throws off the symmetrical look. What I did was take the bolt on spare tire mount from Harbor Freight and weld it to my center steel tube with some angle steel. With a little paint, I think it looks pretty good! I also switched out the green/yellow/brown/white bonded wire for a black jacketed cable which looks nicer. The electrical box on the front is the junction point where the wire enters the trailer and through the roof to the back. I designed it this way so the wire up by the tongue could be easily replaced.

We are excited to start using our trailer now! Finding this site has been the greatest help!

[Oldragbaggers]

Great job. Now throw in a mattress and it'll be home sweet home on wheels. Even an inflatable is better than a hard floor. You have a really nice trailer there. Enjoy!!