CapeBuild Build Journal

[Capebuild]

Hello eLink. Hope your build is going well... I haven't seen any posts from you lately... nice to hear from you.

I kind of struggled a bit with the front bump out, but in the end all seems to have turned out well.... or okay. Got the insulation done and applied the outer layer only to realize I forgot to add blocking.
That wasn't too bad a screw up but I'll need to use some longer screws to attached the aluminum moldings in place.... but wrapping the .156 okoume around the roll pans was a challenge in that no matter how careful I was the wood cracked going around the curve. Not too bad, but bad enough. So when I got to the top radius I wet it. Wet it continually for about an hour. Kept wetting it with wet rags. And slowly, using clamps, forced it around the bend. Got to the last inch or so, all was going great, ...... and then CRACK...... Argghhhh. Patched it with some titebond mixed with sawdust. When that dried, sanded it. And then applied bondo to rework the curve. Made a template to check the curve. Probably should have used some of that "bendy birch". Anyway... all good now. I think when I install the outer roof layer where it bends around the front roll pans I may kerf the underside and fill the voids with PL Premium. Will see. I may also try to get some bendy birch for that section, but getting it is not an easy task. Otherwise, will finish up the wiring and insulate the ceiling next.

John

[Capebuild]

11.25.21

I decided to add another layer of ply to the front bump out. I noticed there was a bit of unevenness when holding a straight edge across the surface, a high spot in the middle, a dip at the corners..... etc. Bending the ply around the forms did not work so well with the first sheet with some cracking happening....... so..... with this additional layer of okoume I kerfed the underside where it would bend around the curves of the roll pans and the top curve. I also added some strips of ply to the existing surface to build up the low areas (think lath walls under plaster), sanding them down to be even with the high spots and then bondo in areas to build up. I put some hot water on the areas that bended and stapled it in place with PL adhesive. This worked out much better. Pretty flat and even with no cracking around the bends. Happy.

Also completed the insulation in the ceiling. After some bondo and clean up around the seams I'll install the roof ply.

Thanks for looking.

John

[JasenC]

Those tight bends can be tricky, sounds the the water did the trick.

[noseoil]

Bending poplar is good stuff to use for those tight bends. Instead of having 3 skins which run perpendicular to each other, they are all in the same direction, so it bends into a sharper radius than a normal 3 ply lamination.

[Capebuild]

Bending poplar is good stuff to use for those tight bends. Instead of having 3 skins which run perpendicular to each other, they are all in the same direction, so it bends into a sharper radius than a normal 3 ply lamination.

Thanks Tim.... I wish I had gotten "something" that would like to bend a little more easily (bendy birch or the poplar you mention)... for now I think I'm done with the pieces that need such tight radius bends..... but next time I'll be ready

John

[Capebuild]

11.30.21

Big milestone.... .installed the roof yesterday and removed the clamps today. Routed the edges flush and cut out for the roof fan. Did some touch up here and there.
Next I'll start thinking about the galley hatch.

John

[Capebuild]

12.6.21

Got a few days of good weather last week and put 3 coats of urethane on outer ply layers.... so now ready to install the aluminum sheathing when the good weather rolls around..... like in April.

urethaned.12.6.21.jpg (235.06 KiB) Viewed 1056 times

Today received another sample of window gasket for the front window. This one seems to be just about perfect. I wanted to cut the polycarb a bit larger than the opening and have it sort of sit on top of the aluminum (above the aluminum). The only downside is the recess that mates with the cabin body is sized for .125" body. When I add the okoume plyand the aluminum the thickness winds up at .196"..... it seems to tightly fit the okoume without the aluminum ..... so I'm probably going to have to cut the aluminum back from the okoume opening. So be it.... if that's what works.
The scrap piece is the same thickness as the polycarb I'll be using.

John

[Onajourney]

John - I have been waiting for you to work on the window. You changed gears a little on the trim. What was the reason not to use the TRIM-LOK EPDM? I assume you're going to use .07 aluminum. Seems heavy. I am going with .04 and hope I can squeeze .25 wood and .04 aluminum in the .25 Trim-Lok. Chris

[Capebuild]

What was the reason not to use the TRIM-LOK EPDM?

Hi Chris.... I'm using .040 aluminum. Not sure where the .070 figure showed up.
Regarding the window gasket, the one shown in the picture from the previous post is Trim Lok model LK1660. It is EPDM material. It accepts .250 glass and accepts a .125 body panel.
My issue is, the glass fits great. The trailer's body where I as going to fit the trim is to be .196". I get that from the .156 okoume ply layer and add the aluminum sheet (.040") to get .196". So that's
a bit bigger than the .125 spec.
I think what I'll wind up doing is cutting the aluminum a bit wider than the window opening, and gingerly size the aluminum so it fits just inside the edge on the seal.... the gasket will only be
trapping the .156 okoume ply... which seems to be stiff enough. I've attached a screen shot of the Trim Lok catalog (page 38) with the LK1660 I'll be using.

John

[Onajourney]

My mistake. I thought your skin was .125. That why I figured .07. But I guess my question is why the LK1660 and not the LK987 which I think you sketched up a while ago? BTW- I order a sample kit from Trim Lok which I think includes all of therm. We shall see.

[Capebuild]

I was considering the 1536. I then thought it a good idea (which another builder suggested) to have the window sit slightly higher than the aluminum siding, which also requires the window to be a tad larger than the opening. I had thought an “S” shaped gasket would help but then I found the 1660 which offsets the window gasket recess from the body recess on the gasket.

[Capebuild]

12.9.21

I've been working on the galley hatch (at least the design of it). Last March I had roughed it out in CAD but now that I'm getting to building it, I'm working out the finer points... adding taillights, locking mech, hatch underside puck lights, etc. into the CAD so I have a "go by" to work from.

One thing that bothered me and has been causing some headaches along the way is when I first built the floor base layer and installed it, there was a slight crown that developed in the middle. Wasn't much but enough to be annoying. So as things moved along I always had to work around that high point, fitting things to account for the curve. When I installed the rear roll pan I noticed a slight gap in the middle, that crown rearing its ugly head once again......right above the rear receiver hitch. So.... thought I'd document how I fixed it.

When I placed a straight edge along the span of the roll pan there was a high point in the middle (a gap)... wasn't much, maybe .100". I'll be sheathing it with aluminum so I'd not like that gap to transfer to the aluminum. By putting the straight edge up there to span the length of the roll pan I could insert a shim into the gap up to the point where the shim went tight and I could draw a line across the shim. That way I could measure the thickness of the shim and know how much I needed to shim out in the dip. I noticed the gap was larger at the top of the roll pan than the bottom, so moving the straight edge down to the bottom did same shim measuring to get the gap at the bottom.... if I remember correctly the gap went from about .100 at the top and about .060 at about midway down and then to zero (no gap) at the very end edge of the roll pan.

shim.jpg (250.98 KiB) Viewed 962 times

I double backed 2 thin ply strips on the work table the correct length of the roll pan's curve with double sided tape (the model maker's friend) and using a belt sander, removed enough material to get the strips to taper from .100 to .060 (or there abouts).

I applied these two strips to both sides of the receiver hitch and placed the straight edge back across to check. The two ends of the roll pans and the two strips should all be on the same plane with no rocking from the straight edge.
You can see the two shim pieces on both sides of the hitch receiver and the gap which is what needed to be filled.

straight edge.jpg (145.03 KiB) Viewed 962 times

Then applied bondo over the entire surface using the 2 installed shims as reference markers as to how high the bondo filler needed to go. From the strip(s) to the outside edge of the roll pans, the gap spots could be filled in. Of course there was a lot of sanding and refilling.... and kept checking with the straight edge. I also made a curved template using the profile from the side of the trailer to check the curve along the way.

It eventually worked all to being fairly straight and a fairly consistent curve. (unfortunately didn't grab a pict of the bondo surface).
Then installed a second layer of .156 okoume ply over the roll pan shape. I wound up gingerly sanding the bottom edge of the okoume where it wraps around to the bottom kind of tapering it into the curve of the profile so there's no errant edge sticking out..... it just sticks out .156 where it meets the galley floor, which is fine since that needed to build out.

new layer.jpg (186.4 KiB) Viewed 962 times

So.... a lot of "on the job" revising. "Cut to fit, paint to match" kind of thing.

John

[lfhoward]

John, I just skimmed through your build, and your tear is BEAUTIFUL.

The workmanship here is first rate, and the detail you put in to your build journal is exceptional. I think this thread will be one of the ones people come back to in future years to see how it’s done.

Cheers,
Lauren

[halfdome, Danny]

looks like you licked that problem.
I've had to do some shimming on the floor to chassis and I use plam that I've glued up in various thicknesses when I have to shim a drawer front,
drawer guide, etc.
Being it's plastic laminate it will hold up to the elements.
Danny

[Capebuild]

Thank you so much for your nice comments, Lauren. Really appreciated!
And Danny, thank you for your ongoing encouragement . Also, really appreciated.
I could not build one of these without the invaluable help from the members. I know everyone who builds one of these trailers puts there blood, sweat and tears into these builds and it's the encouragement and knowledge sharing that keeps things going.

Been working on the hatch and roughing it out. Attached are some pictures. Everything is just dry fitted now(friction, clamps or double sided tape). I settled on a .250 gap on each side (there's shim's there but probably not visible). Need to notch out the horizontal spars which will mate with the notches on the vertical spars. The top on bottom horizontal end members will be oak so will need another trip to the lumber yard. There will also be an aluminum plate on the bottom of the hatch door which will land on an aluminum plate on the floor.

Thanks for looking.

John