Finally ready to start working with wood.

[darrellbeck]

Today I took the new trailer frame and got most of the wood for the 5X10 Benroy variation that I am going to build. My build will probably be boring for those who read a lot about other peoples builds. I really believed that I had some brand new ideas, but then as I read more and more about other peoples builds, I saw more and more where others had used the same (or a very close
to the same) idea. Oh well, that just shows that those ideas will probably work.
Anyway, you can see from the pictures, except for building the frame, I am just starting. Anyone who follows my build will probably be pretty bored, since because of health problems I will only be working a couple of hours per day. I do want to not take too long, though, because we plan on taking a long vacation with it next summer, and I want to have at least a few shakedown weekends before then. Both my wife and I are really looking forward to using it because our last RV was a 34 ft pusher diesel, and after while (if you are like us and like to actually travel, and not just go park for a week) a motor home just gets to be a big pain, especially when every time you stop for fuel it costs around $300 to fill the tank.
Enough for now, but here are a couple pictures that I took today.

[rebapuck]

Lots and lots of ideas to choose from. Maybe they aren't new, but you can put them to use in a new way.

[drewh1]

Hey, good for you, you have started. I am finding it is better to work a few hours a day then to push myself and make mistakes. Take your time, have fun with it. It is so great when things start coming together and your plans materialize!

drew.

[dbuettner]

Is this your first build?
I had the same experience with seemingly new ideas found to be already thought of and built. I'm a couple weeks ahead of you on my first build and found the info from the other build journals with similar designs very helpful. I'm interested in following your build.

Good luck
Dave

Ps. Got a name yet?

[Johnysteam]

Yes, tried and tested is safe. Go for it

[darrellbeck]

I never realized how slow I was going until I started this post and saw the date that I got the wood. Oh, well, had to take a couple days of for some family stuff, then it was Cheryl's birthday, so another day off, and so it goes. I have the cutting and routing for both walls done now, so tomorrow I am on to bigger and better things. I did take a couple very poor photo's to point out a couple procedures that helped me a lot. They are of things I took from other people's build journals, but I thought that others like me (new to teardrops and about ten years away from any carpentry) might be more apt to find them if they were in more places.This first picture for example is how I cut my corners. By assembling the router with a 1X2 attached I was able to anchor the stick with a single screw and use that as my pivot point. I Could also make any radius I wanted by putting the pivot either further away from, or closer to, the router.

To do the cutting, I just made two passes with this bit:

Then, to make a step at the top of my 3/4 thick plywood wall, I used a larger bit of the same type and the little adjustable fence that came with the router. By carefully setting the distance that router could go into the wood (both depth and the distance that the fence allowed) I was able to put the step at a point that would allow me to lay my ceiling with spars attached on the step, with the top of the spars level with the top of the wall.

I know that the pictures are poor, and that most of this is covered elsewhere, but it takes a long time to find it, so I thought that another location would be OK.

[darrellbeck]

Is this your first build?
I had the same experience with seemingly new ideas found to be already thought of and built. I'm a couple weeks ahead of you on my first build and found the info from the other build journals with similar designs very helpful. I'm interested in following your build.

Good luck
Dave

Ps. Got a name yet?

Yes, definitely my first build. In fact I have never been inside a teardrop, and have actually only looked inside 4 or 5. As far as a name, we have decided to call it "The Phoenix" for reasons that are a long story, but have mainly to do with my health which is such that I have seemed terminal on several occasions, but I have always "risen from the ashes" , in addition to the fact that we live in Metro Phoenix.

Darrell

[aggie79]

I love to see sawdust flying! Keep up the good work!

[Ron Dickey]

the only real advantage you had with your RV was it came with a restroom with shower. But you can have an outside shower and some of the folks here have added potties too.

I think you have made a good choice, Roly said his brother drove an RV and most of the RV'ers did not talk much, where as Teardroppers like to make friends and go to gatherings. and it is on heck of a lot cheeper to pull, then that RV. But RV do have there good sides too.

[darrellbeck]

Another day, another little bit of progress. The sides are up and I have started on the cabinets. Tomorrow the face of the rear cabin cabinets goes on first. That way I can install the AC without having to deal with the ceiling. I have included some pictures again, but I am a lousy photographer, the pictures aren't very good. You can see where I bolted the sidewalls to the frame. It is bolted in 16 places and has over 100 screws holding the floor to the frame. The body is also glued to the frame. Yes. I do have a tendency to overbuild, but I like it that way.
Anyhow, here are some pictures:

I will try to take better pictures in the future.

Darrell