Canned Ham Toy Hauler Camper

[Cyclicpitcher]

AuntieM - I know this thing is going to be heavy, I guess measuring the weight as I go will mean less shock in the end. I am hoping to have some room for cargo!

Ol' Pete - I am gluing every joint too, those kreg screws sure make a good joint to hold the stud while the glue and clamps do the rest. I enjoy reading build journals and really get ideas and inspiration from the pictures, so I am making an effort to provide tons of pictures of everything. I learned about the Kreg tool on this site! My son comes to me now and says "Daddy have you got anything for me to do?"
That's a great feeling to know the kids are interested. Hope to let them loose with some Spar Urethane in a few days. If the sun will come back out!

Prem - I plan on just painting this thing with some kinda enamel weather resistant paint. I would love to do FRP, smooth like a modern camper but the cost will be way too high. I want to keep this build as low cost as possible.



Used up the Gorilla Glue and so its time to switch to the titebond II


I like the size of the Gorrilla bottle applicator so I just used a funnel and poured up some Titebond

Got a little bit done tonight, a couple of sticks glued up on that second front side panel.


One thing I did during my garage cleanup is move to a small miter saw with a small vacuum to pick up dust.

Cannot say enough good things about this little Home Depot 89 dollar 7.5 inch miter saw with laser. Comes with a good blade and is setup good right out of the box. The small vacuum came from Lowes for 29 bucks. The whole setup is quiet enough I can work a little later at night. The saw has a built in blade brake and makes a cut noisy for only a few seconds. My full size table saw is just way too loud for evening work.
I built a little base and backsplash to block the shavings/dust. After every cut I remove the vacuum tube and clean the whole area. Stays very clean
At this point in the build I only need the larger saw for ripping my studs from 2x4s and cutting panels. The little miter saw makes it simple to sneak up on a cut. I like to cut once a bit long and then make a second cut to make the joint very tight.

Havunfun!!
CP

[Prem]

CP,

Enamel paint peels off of wood in short order. Exterior, acrylic latex is more durable and so is elastomeric roof coating. It more or less comes down to "pretty for one year" or "not so pretty and durable," if you want to keep it as inexpensive as possible.

How about something really wild: Polyester resin rolled on and white sand pour all over it.

[Miriam C.]

CP I found that if I ripped my studs from 2x6s they stayed straighter and tended to have less knots. Was a bit harder when I used long boards but was worth the trouble.

[Cyclicpitcher]

Prem - Once I reach the paint stage I will figure out how much I have in the project and then figure what I will do. I have painted a few cars in my day and I could go some kinda spray on catalyst based paint or even spend the 500 dollars it would take to do it fully in FRP.

AuntieM - I thought of that and went to lowes to look at the 2x6 by 8 and they all had rather large knots. The best looking were the 2x6x 12 and I could get Lowes to cut them in half. I will do that next time I buy. I got lucky a new pallet of 2x4s had just arrived and they broke open the bands and I was the first one to pick. It was early one morning and I was the only one around and so I took my time and picked about 5 good looking sticks.
I moved my large table saw to my parent house, they saw my trailer project and was inspired to loan me their garage to store my lumber. So now I drive out to their house and only cut what I need. My garage is really too small for this project, It's gonna get interesting once all my walls are up.

Thanks!!
CP

[Cyclicpitcher]

Well today was milestone number 1 for me and that is raising the second wall into place. I can now see the camper rising from the dust!

The last thing I had to do before finishing the second wall panel was to cut out the window. A router makes this a simple and most professional job.



A- pick a drill bit that will let the edge router bit fit through the paneling.

B - Drill a hole in a corner but not directly in the corner of the frame

C - I like to drill a hole in all four corners to know where I am going.

D - Place the bit in place and begin to cut in a clockwise direction working to each corner.

E - The panel removed and a lot of sawdust!

F - The final result! Makes me proud when it all works as expected!



And Now the Reveal!!!! Two walls!!!! Yeee Heee!!!!



For some reason I been holding my breath on the front panels. Now the fun starts!

Cheers!
CP

[Cliffmeister2000]

Building from the inside out is very smart!

I've never seen anybody build their walls in sections as you are doing. What is the purpose?

[Cyclicpitcher]

Cliffmeister2000 - I am making it up as I go !!!

I didn't want to have to deal with each side being 6' by 10 foot long.
My garage is too small for this project and too heavy for me to manage.

I haven't decided what to do fully on the back end. My plans are to do a modern rear like a square box in the back, But if I build from the inside out I can frame in four foot by 6 foot sections and bolt them together.
Once I build the next sections, I still have time to decide if I want to add some curves to the rear. I want to put in a large door and some kinda galley access. Some parks dont allow small scooters and so a different config on the rear door could focus on a galley. A square rear end with a floated panel that bolts in would allow two door configurations. So I have a lot of ideas and that's what makes this project fun for me.

So that's my story and I am sticking to it!!

CP

[Cyclicpitcher]

Update: Taking some time to paint both front wall panels with Spar Urethane on both sides. Want to get a good seal on all exposed wood at this point before I permanently mount the walls on the floor base.


Happy Halloween!

CP

[Cyclicpitcher]

A quick update: Urethane dried. Currently installing horizonal spars



Purchased Lowes Select Pine 1x4x8 @ $7.20 each and ripped them in half
I found those boards to be perfect! No knots and little to no warp.

When the 1x4 is ripped in half it makes a perfect spar because the KREG jig will allow for both screw slots to be used as fastener points. I found the distance between the two walls to be 70 and 3/4 inches. Next I need to frame the front window...

The harder you work the luckier you get! I believe it!

CP

[Cyclicpitcher]

Small but steady steps...

Got the front window mount installed tonight!



Cheers!

CP

[Cliffmeister2000]

Small but steady steps...

Got the front window mount installed tonight!



Cheers!

CP

Is that a jalousie window mounted sideways? If it is, be careful of leakage. Also, depending on how it was made, be careful the glass stays in tight.

[starleen2]

You're making some quick progress - are you planning to have the inside spars exposed? If not, now is the time to put in the front inside curve. Believe me, it's much easier at this stage

[aggie79]

Very cool! It's an incredible feeling to see the walls going up.

[Cyclicpitcher]

Thanks Everyone for your comments!!

Cliffmeister2000 -
No, it's not a jalousie window , it's a Transom window for a playhouse/yardbarn. It is one piece of glass and it has small plastic rails that simulate multiple panes. The glass is very tight in the frame and it looks like I could remove those rails to make one solid window.
I do plan on making an outside cover that will be hinged to protect against road rocks when traveling.
I purchased the windows for this project at: http://shedwindowsandmore.com/index.html

Starleen2 - I purchased a sheet of 1/8 inch bending birch for the inside curve. I will use it from the window up and use luan from the bottom of the window to the floor. I ordered last night the hanger rail and leg for my dinette table and will not wall up the inside until I have the front spars strengthened to handle the weight of the table. With two kids, that dinette table will need to be super strong.
I purchased my table supports from: http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/

Aggie79 - Thanks! I think the walls is the most fun part, the part I am not looking forward to is, sanding prep for painting.

Thanks again for your comments/questions!
CP

[Cyclicpitcher]

Well a little progress has been made by adding the ceiling panel made from 1/8 bending birch plywood. This stuff was easy to cut using a straight edge and a razor knife. I placed the seam along the center of the window frame. If I add a small shelf on each side this will hide the panel seam entirely. Once the glue dries I will be able to cut out the top part of the window opening.


Cheers!
CP