MyAway build - Updates for space usage & organization

[aggie79]

Thanks to All of You, for your kind comments. It keeps me going.

I’m using Grant’s awning windows for all my windows. My dog likes to push out screens…don’t want him jumping out!

I started working on that front folding wall while I was waiting for the roof plywood to curl enough to glue. Because I'm painting my folding walls and ceiling like the sky, I needed to find a way to work in that window so that it wouldn't look like a sci-fi painting of a window, hanging in the sky. I’ve added some lattice/basket weave-type trim across the bottom and around the edge of the white maple wood so that it looks like an extension/feature of the wooden maple 'fence' (wooden walls). The added trim is presently getting a couple coats of Urethane. Since I had scraps left over from the trim, I’m using that to build some SKEWW shelves (Spectacles, KEys, Wallet & Watch). So, I guess I’m side-tracked from the roof this week. Ah, well….It’s all got to be done. More pics soon…I won’t make you wait until the end of the month this time. The window looks crooked in this picture but it really isn’t:

Sharon, I think the awning window is going to work fantastic there. Nice finish work on the trim!

Hey, Tom (Aggie79)! You ought to like the above picture. I'm using one of your favorite things: Blue Painters' Tape!

Be careful with that stuff. It is addictive! (I've found that buying it in the contractor packs rather than individual rolls saves a bunch of money.)

[quote="S. Heisley"]It just seems to take forever.

When my friends ask if it’s done yet, I feel like a parent driving a car with kids in the back seat saying “Are we there yet?â€

[Billy K]

Hey Sharon and Aggie; at least you are some of those in the build stages....some of us are waaayy back here in the planning room..or is that 'awaiting funds' stage..??

Both of your builds are inspiring; keep at it.

[S. Heisley]

Tom, Thanks for the tip on the painters' tape. I'll look into that.

Billy K, I'll say thanks for your kind words for both Aggie79 and me. We're getting there.

[Prem]

Sharon,

Just make it roadworthy and post photos from your first camping trip with it!

Winter will be here in 60 days.

Enough with the fluff! Get it on the road!

Your slave driver,

Prem

P.S. Roundtail almost finished.

[S. Heisley]

Your slave driver,

Prem

Yup!

How's your Round tail coming? Where's the pics?

[Prem]

Sharon,

Photos later in Member Designs.

Bought the vinyl flooring for it today.

Prem

[S. Heisley]

…Got the lifting roof skirts on, CPES’d and painted the under side, figuring it would help stabilize the roof when I flipped it to put the final skin on. This pic was taken just after painting the first coat. (The color is a little off in the picture):



It did make the entire unit more stable. So far, I can still lift the roof and was able to flip it by myself. I applied the last plywood skin and coated the exterior with CPES:



Tomorrow, I will cut out the vent hole and fill and sand the seams and then cover them with fiberglass. (I’m running out of excuses….Gonna have to start the dreaded fiberglass sanding soon!)

[Prem]

Tomorrow, I will cut out the vent hole and fill and sand the seams and then cover them with fiberglass. (I’m running out of excuses….Gonna have to start the dreaded fiberglass sanding soon!)

FINALLY!

Finished in two weeks?

S.D. Prem

[S. Heisley]

Prem wrote:

FINALLY!

Finished in two weeks?

[aggie79]

…Got the lifting roof skirts on, CPES’d and painted the under side, figuring it would help stabilize the roof when I flipped it to put the final skin on. This pic was taken just after painting the first coat. (The color is a little off in the picture):



It did make the entire unit more stable. So far, I can still lift the roof and was able to flip it by myself. I applied the last plywood skin and coated the exterior with CPES:



Tomorrow, I will cut out the vent hole and fill and sand the seams and then cover them with fiberglass. (I’m running out of excuses….Gonna have to start the dreaded fiberglass sanding soon!)

Sharon,

Looks like you've completed another milestone on your build! Keep 'er going!

(BTW, seeing the painters tape in your pictures warmed my heart!)

Tom

[S. Heisley]

Thanks for the cheer, Tom. I followed your advice this week and bought the contractor's package of blue tape for the upcoming painting.

========================================

This might be of interest to some Compact II builders.

According to my calculations, the 4x7.5’ lifting roof weighs 50 pounds. But, I was curious to find out how much of that I might actually be lifting. So, I slipped the vent in place and rested the front of the lifting roof on the scale.



I was going to raise the roof and position a stick between it and the scale but it kept slipping. So, this was the best I could do. A close-up of the scale read 35 pounds.

[myoung]

Unless the roof is weighted heavily toward the front, this reading would indicate a 70 pound roof. Is that so? Seems like a lot.

[S. Heisley]

myoung wrote:

Unless the roof is weighted heavily toward the front, this reading would indicate a 70 pound roof. Is that so? Seems like a lot.

After reading your comment, Mike, I became concerned. So, this morning, (knowing that it was a foolish attempt) I tried to get the actual weight. The end result was difficult and inconclusive at best. This is because I had to kneel on the scale with my toes still touching the floor, under the roof, and lift it...very cumbersome and wobbly. I could not hold the position very long and the scale weight fluctuated too much with the roof wobble to get an accurate reading, the end result being between a low of 35 pounds; but, I did manage to get it to read 70 just once.

Next, I took all the actual weights from everything that I had and generously re-calculated everything. The weight from these calculations came in at 55 pounds. I think my calculations are probably closest to correct as I don't think I could bench press 70 pounds. (Based on my kneeling position, would that be a knee press? ) Also, I think that once the hinge is in place, it will help with the lifting. The beginning push up will probably be the hardest and, as the roof is lifted higher, more of the weight will fall to the hinge to carry.

All this weighing is questionable at best. At this point, I am going ahead with the roof and will simply see how it works out. I like the rest of the build and, since the lifting roof is removable, it could be replaced with something lighter at a later date (if necessary).

[Prem]

Also, I think that once the hinge is in place, it will help with the lifting. The beginning push up will probably be the hardest and, as the roof is lifted higher, more of the weight will fall to the hinge to carry.

You took physics and/or mechanical engineering, didn't you?

[myoung]

The load on the hinge or on the lifting mechanism at the opposite end is a simple calculation. Think of the roof as a beam with uniformly distributed weight. The force at either end is one-half the weight of the roof.

If the center of gravity of the roof is skewed forward, for example, to a point where the distance between the hinge and the center of gravity is three-quarters of the distance between the hinge and the lifting attachment at the opposite end, then the force needed to lift the roof is three times greater than at the hinge.

The force needed at the hinge is a function of the center of gravity relative to the two ends of the roof. It does not change with the angle of the roof, because the relative position of the center of gravity changes proportionately with angle of elevation.