DD, on the road to LCG

[LDK]

Hey Gary

What Cliff said. That is one unique tear. Awesome job!!

[aggie79]

Gary,

What can I say? The stained glass and cedar strip door and kitty bowl stand are superb. Beautiful!

I have a feeling the campsite next to mine at LCG will be receiving a bunch of admiring onlookers.

Take care,
Tom

[grizz]

Been keeping an eye on your build friend, and it does humble me, the amount of work you are putting in.

Love the Kitty bowl holder.

[kinto]

looks amazing man!





kent

[StPatron]

Thanks Cliff, Larry, Tom, Rian and Kent.

Tom: Our area at LCGVI with your gorgeous and immaculate Silver Beatle next door to my hack job DD will probably get named "The Beauty and the Beast"!

I planned to take a few pics of DD with her pulled part way out of the shop. But, she had other ideas and rolled completely out. I got greedy, got her too close to the edge and there was no way of stopping her. Sure enough, it rained last night and the soggy ground didn't help matters. Nothing to do but hitch her up and move her to the driveway. As you can see, I still have some work to do. The masking tape for painting is hiding some of the wood trim. The trim piece for the front needs attaching... and a long list of other to-do items. No rain in the forecast for three days, thank goodness. Gonna be busy putting the finishing touches on her.














Full tilt boogie...






Clearance light test
3 of the 4 lights work, must be a burned out bulb. Couldn't be a wiring problem.



The sun sets on a memorable day.

[aggie79]

Gary,

I'll say it was a memorable day!

First time out in the daylight and the DD looks incredible! Can't wait to see it in person next month.

Take care,
Tom

[Jpageau]

what a beauty man!!!! nice!!!! LOVE the cedar siding.

[S. Heisley]

Congratulations on the out-of-the-garage debut!

I love the way you did the door. It looks like the back end of an Indian's arrow. It breaks up the straight stream of wood and adds a nice touch.
She's going to be a head-turner in the campgrounds!

[mezmo]

Hi StPatrón/Gary,

The Dumpster Diner is looking fantastic. The full impact of the ceder
strips is really apparent now that we can see the full view of the sides.
That is a sharp look!

The door treatment was/is an inspiration! It reminds me of the various
multi-thickness antique European plank doors I've seen pics of in various
architectural books. It was really a flash of brilliance to do the door strips
in a herringbone pattern! Instant appeal and avoidance of the tedious
possibility of having to align all the cedar strips up to match horizontally.

Your build is an epitome of personalized style and function. A great job!
Godspeed on finishing up the remaining final details.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[StPatron]

what a beauty man!!!! nice!!!! LOVE the cedar siding.

Thank you. Those are just thin strips ripped from box store cedar fence pickets, attached over an epoxied surface using Titebond and lotza brad nails. Lots and lots of sanding, followed by fiberglass tape on the joints and multiple coats of epoxy resin with fine sanding in between coats.

I was going for the random look in length and color, similar to a cedar strip kayak I once built. That required sorting of the wood during purchase and also during application. Add to the mix the varying width of the strips and I wound up with numerous piles to select from. Once the strips are cut and sorted the applicaton goes fairly quickly. The sanding and epoxy coating and dry time take time, lots and lots of time. I'm satisfied with the look but didn't plan on it. It was an alternative decision after the fabric application failure. All's well that ends well.

Cedar is a delightful wood to work with, IMO. The aroma fills the shop. I made my door and drawer pulls and curtain rod holders from cedar limb trimmings. It's easy to sand and shave with a chisel but the softness and brittleness can sometimes be a pain. Always a trade-off.

There are several cedar builds featured here on the forum. The Juneau Dave and Bohemian builds are real beauties! Check those out if you haven't already. And, I just remembered... there is also a build by... I think it is... CocaColaTeardrop. I took a pic of it at a Beavers Bend gathering. If I'm not mistaken this is what you have in mind?

[StPatron]

Hi StPatrón/Gary

Hi Norm/mezmo. Thank you for your generous compliments and welcome to the cedar madhouse! I think it was Sharon who mentioned one time that these builds often take a life and direction of their own. That couldn't have been more true in my case. I'm basically a function over form kinda guy but everytime I hit a brick wall I found myself falling back on a cedar strip solution. One idea then lead to another and the madness continued... even with the cat bowls holder.

The only downfall I see with my spontaneous approach is... well, the simple lack of planning. The streetside is too "plain looking", IMO. That big stretch of cedar strips only broken up by one window and the electrical inlet plug. I didn't want a window in the bathroom or closet so that only leaves design work in the cedar as an option. Better planning would have solved that but I suppose I'll always be parking it with the fancy door side facing out.

I didn't set out to build a camper that would attract a lot of attention, just something that pleased me in layout, conveniences and style. All in all I'm satisfied with how it turned out and look forward to putting the finishing touches on it and camping in it. If others admire it too, that's a nice and unexpected bonus.

More pics to come later as I complete the galley and other details.

Thanks, Norm!

[StPatron]

Jpageau, Tom and Sharon:

Thank you for the compliments and sharing in the excitement of the daylight debut of DD. While hauling tools back and forth to the shop today I had a couple of moments when it hit me... hey, I'm going to be camping soon! In DD! No more crawling in and out of the truck over the tailgate! It was cool to finally get a view from a distance, my working aisles were about 24" wide on all sides. I'm at the mercy of the weather now but I've got plenty of room to work. Life is good!

[campmaster-k]

Gary - your build is very cool. Attention getting details be ready to give tours.

[Jpageau]

If I'm not mistaken this is what you have in mind?

yes! That's what i'm going for more or less. I can only hope mine will be HALF as good as that one. i'm most nervous about the galley hatch. did you use a hurricane hinge or a piano hinge?

so you used cedar fence ripped to size? great idea! its really cool how every build has that personal builder "touch". the more i see the more i'm intrigued . seriously, congrats on such a great build! you should be proud!

[StPatron]

i'm most nervous about the galley hatch. did you use a hurricane hinge or a piano hinge?

Neither. I used what's referred to as a "Living Hinge", the plastic strip hinge. A hurricane hinge wasn't an option, I don't think they come in the length I needed. And, I wasn't willing to sacrifice a kidney for a customized length hurricane hinge. A piano hinge would have worked. I read many great reviews on the plastic hinge and went with it based on recommendations here by Madjack and some others. And, it was reasonably priced. So far I'm very pleased with it.

The hatch build is commonly dreaded. However, most report that it wasn't near as bad as they had anticipated. Put me on that list. Build it in place with shims for clearance is the best approach, IMO. Total hatch weight will be heavier but I like the protection that the "overhang style" provides.
In addition to reviewing the Gen-Ben plans, study the build threads and pics of your favorite builders and you will find all you need to know. Don't sweat the hatch. If I can build one anyone can.

Here's a pic of the hinge area. It's hidden under the aluminum reinforcing strips. I pre-drilled the aluminum and used stainless steel screws to attach it.