San Diego 5 x 8+ build

[adventurelad]

by jbyrd » Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:18 am
If you don't mind can I ask where you got that sink stove combo from? I love it and want it for my next build!!!

jbyrd - the sink / stove combo is:

SMEV MO0911 - 2 Burner / Sink Combination | $187.01
Purchased from Panther RV Products at http://www.panther-rvproducts.com
http://www.panther-rvproducts.com/SMEV-MO0911-2-Burner-Sink-Combination-MO0911.htm?categoryId=-1

They have a few different types, but this one is the most suited to the geometry I had to work with.



Adventurelad

[jbyrd]

Thank you very much.

[Oldragbaggers]

Curious to know how others cut their 1/8 plywood? On day two I used a jig saw which was better, but still a bit ratty on the cut edge...

I cut my 1/8" with a router using a laminate trim bit. I line up the cut line over a guide board and rip that router down it. It's fast as anything and you end up with a beautiful smooth edge on your plywood. If your guide piece is straight and lined up right you'll have a perfectly straight cut as well.

[adventurelad]

Feeling the panic of the looming camping date (Oct 12, 11 days to go...), I declared a 3 day weekend and took Friday off work.

First up for Friday was the aft roof insulation and skin. Apply contact adhesive to ceiling and insulation and hold in place with ratchet straps. I kerf-cut the insulation to get it to bend nice and easy. Just set my Stanley knife to about 1/2 the thickness of the insulation then made a bunch of transverse cuts.



It is quite the exercise in high speed work to get the roof paneling on before the glue sets. I marked all of my screw locations before I started to that it would go quicker. In order: apply glue to roof structure, position and align panel (had dry-fit already), drill in ~40 screws, then screw down / shape aluminum edge and bottom trim pieces. All within ~20 minutes... I decided that getting sealant applied in that same time-frame wasn't going to happen, so I am going to pull the edge trims back off, epoxy coat the outside, then apply sealant. I am also going to seal the screw holes and put washers under the heads.





Next up was a bit of finish work on the inside. Thanks to an awesome suggestion by KCStudly, I just used hot-glue to apply the quarter-round to cover all of my edge gaps. Another fun exercise in working fast before the glue sets, but trying not to get squeeze out. It probably took longer to remove any squeeze out than it did to get the molding in place, but still a good method.



First task on Saturday was to finish the forward roof with insulation and birch. Similar game to the aft roof...work fast before the glue sets! Since I ran out of contact adhesive I have resorted to hot glue to hold the insulation in place. Much faster and easier.


Insulation in place


Outer skin on!!

Moving back to the interior, I installed the center strip on the cabinets and galley bulkhead that I had made on Friday. This covers the panel join between the two halves of the cabinet front, and is also routed on the backside to hide the wiring from the galley to the cabinets (12 V plugs) and the speaker wiring up to the hatch. Taped all the edges and ready for the interior varnish...



We used a very light varnish by Rustoleum...very subtle change to the color, since we like the look of the birch so much.

Now moving on to the hatch...trimmed up the aft side of the hurricane hinge (offset type) and slid into place



I used some leftover luan to trace a template of the curvature needed for the ribs. Then constructed my own 3-legged compass based on some ideas from members here...



The resulting template...ribs will be 1 1/2 inches deep x 3/4 in thick.



I used 2 x 2's for the top and bottom, cut out 6 ribs and Kreg-screwed them to the top and bottom pieces. End of the day on Saturday:



Woke up Sunday to this giant bug hanging around my work area He is about 4 inches long, for reference!



Time to put the inner skin on the hatch. I am only going to cover the top part on the inner since I didn't account for the radio and 12 V plug sticking out of the galley cabinet front. There is only ~1/8 of an inch between the inside surface of the hatch and the galley front, so can't put skins on there.



Next was insulation and some reinforcement for the stereo speakers on the inner skin. I also needed to offset the speakers inboard since they are deeper than the 1 1/2 inch depth. So a cut a bunch of circles the same size as the speaker diameter out of 1/8 birch and glued them together on both sides of the inner skin.



Now, time for the hatch outer skin. This is where my first major screw-up occured

I had some spring-back in the hatch, so I belt-sanded the outermost ribs of the hatch to get them to match the wall profile better. However, I didn't think about the fact that that would then require the birch to curve in two directions...which it won't. So I started putting the outer skin on (fortunately without wood glue as I was trying to be very careful about hitting the hidden ribs with the screws) and realized I had some big bubbles on the outer edges.





So, I guess, like so many others, the hatch will need some serious re-build before it is 'finished'. I figure my options are to completely start the hatch over, or so pull off the outer skin and sand the other 4 ribs to try to match the two outer ones. I even have the crazy notion of cutting a wedge shape in the outer skin, and then covering that with a 'decorative' piece to hide and and seal it. Any other suggestions??

Looks OK from here:


Well, huge weekend...tired body. Best actually get to work!

Adventurelad

[pohukai]

I feel you pain... I ran into a snag with my hatch, too, this weekend. The hatch fit very well after skinning the exterior. However, after skinning the interior of the hatch, I introduced a nice twist. One side would fit nicely, the other side produced about a 1 1/2" gap. Pushing down on the side of the hatch with the gap, caused the other side to produce the gap. Since I knew the twist was introduced when skinning the interior, that is what I removed... ouch! Anyway, the twist is gone.

If I decide to skin the interior, I'll do it AFTER I glass/epoxy the exterior. The additional stiffness the glass/epoxy provides may allow me to skin the interior without introducing that nasty twist.

Jim

[Oldragbaggers]

Ditto on hatch problems this past weekend. (I think we've got enough people for an official pity party!!)

The hatch itself is "okay", not perfect but do-able. Where I ran into problems is that I cut the notch in my wall too deep so the gap between the wall and the edge of the hatch is far too wide to make it waterproof. After agonizing and considering various fixes over the past 2 days what I decided to do is build up the gap with fiberglass tape. Fiberglass seems to be my "go to" solution whenever things don't fit. Using tape will also enable me to finesse the shape of it until I get it just the way I want it. It will certainly take a lot more time and quite a bit of extra work, but will be worth it to get the fit right. Rebuilding the hatch itself wouldn't help me with my problem.

It's always something.

[adventurelad]

Thanks for the words of encouragement on the hatch...it is good to know I am not alone in my errant ways And as my wife always reminds me, it's not as though you lost an arm or leg! Gotta keep things in perspective

I think we are going to just epoxy coat the current 1 layer of birch to get us through our first outing, and then fix it later. Too many other jobs to get done in the next 10 days...like getting the doors on!

Adventurelad

[adventurelad]

Rushed home after work to get a coat of epoxy on the forward roof last night before dark. I had to remove all of the edge trim and screws that were holding it all in place while the wood glue cured. End result is great color...here is a not so great taken in the garage with my smartphone...



I decided to go with the PVC holding tank, and after reading Forest747's build journal, I went with 3 in diameter ABS pipe. I can fit three transverse runs between the trailer rails underneath, so will get ~5 3/4 gallons of holding capacity. Work in progress...



The tricky part (for me anyway) is getting the water into the tank. I drilled and very carefully threaded a 3/4 MIP x 5/8 barb fitting into the ABS pipe. I'll add some silicone inside as well to keep it from leaking, as I am sure repeated thermal expansion and contraction will not do this joint any favors!



Then I used my sink drain flange to go through the floor, and bought a 5/8 ID garden hose and cut the male end off to finish the run from the sink to the tank.



The galley plumbing is now nearly finished. I had an issue with the stove regulator interfering with the center dividing panel, so I have been buying multiple brass fittings to get the feed from the tank to the stove to work.



That's all for now...

Adventurelad

[Forrest747]

Looking good and love the tanks. you are almost there.

[adventurelad]

Very similar set of activities last night...epoxy coating exterior and plumbing...

First was to epoxy the rear part of the roof...I noticed, despite the thickness of the epoxy going on, there were a few drips / runs in the forward vertical parts. I brushed them over with a little fresh epoxy, but may need to sand and recoat everything to get a nice smooth finish.


You can also see how much clearance I have in my garage I think once the ceiling vent goes on it isn't going to fit inside any more

Here is the grey water tank fully assembled


I put clean-out caps on all of the ends to allow easy flushing / cleaning, and a 22 deg. elbow where the regular drain will be to create a local low point (and hopefully direct the water in the right direction). There is also a 3 in to 1 1/2 in step-down bushing to slow the water flow down a bit when draining.

And some poorly directed shots of the assembly installed using steel straps. I held the assembly up with jack stands initially, then using the tongue jack I lowered the back end of the trailer down until everything was snug. Then screwed in the steel straps. Even with that method is was still a good work-out for the arms!





Stopped (again) at the hardware store this morning to hopefully get the last of the gas plumbing connections!!

[Forrest747]

I love those large cleanouts and they make it so easy to do. On one of mine i have a small drain and to be honest i shouldnt have because ti doesnt really allow me to clean it out. well leason learned. looks great and your campable.

[adventurelad]

Focus last night was on getting systems working and completed...it is good to finally get something fully-completed

Finally have all of the gas fittings sorted for the propane to the stove. The issue was not enough space to the right of the stove unit under the counter to use the supplied regulator and suggested piping arrangement. So a few 90 deg elbows were required to get things pointed back the other way, and an extension piece of flex hose to reach from the tank to inlet.



Brought the whole assembly to the back yard and fired it up...

With the protective plastic removed, the unit looks great!



Now that the front of the trailer is all epoxied, I could mount the 'toy box' on the tongue and do the final electrical installations. Here it is, all connected up. Just need to put in some wire anchors and strap fittings to hold the battery in place.




Scheduled work slow-down for the next two days while I race a 60 foot trimaran sailboat from San Diego to Ensenada, Mexico

[KCStudly]

while I race a 60 foot trimaran sailboat from San Diego to Ensenada, Mexico

Ooh. that sounds like fun! Be safe and have fun.

[adventurelad]

Lots of work this weekend, but not many , working at a frantic rate Lots of re-prioritizing of work as well, as I was reminded that we have several evening engagements this week, so my available hours budget got a lot smaller

The major task was to get the doors edged and installed. Much more time consuming than I thought. The first one took an entire day Final product:



I did the first without an inside skin for maximum flexibility (i.e., in case I really screwed something up!). I had cut the doors o-so-carefully, then realized I needed full 1/4 inch gaps for the 2 x 1/16 edging and target 1/8 gap. For whatever reason, I didn't attack the first door with the jig saw, I belt sanded all of that material off of the edges. Pretty silly in retrospect...

For door #2 I did the heavy cutting with the jig saw, then finished with the belt sander. Much faster! I also went ahead and put on the inside skin first as I was feeling a bit more comfortable about my chances for success!



Since I had already set the latch positions, I had to split the gap creation between the door (top, bottom and hinge side) and the door frame (latch side). Final product #2:



I also epoxy coated the hatch outer skin...remediation work is going to happen after the first outing



As the neighborhood interest continues to grow, my neighbor came by and shot some photos...including one with myself in it...



In the not-photographed category...I installed the spare tire under the trailer, but need to install some blocks for stabilizing it a bit. I used two threaded rods through the steel frame with a locking nut on top, a regular nut clamping the actual frame, then locking nuts and fender washers under the wheel. Also tidied up the electrical in the toy box, cleaned the majority of the saw-dust out of the interior , sealed and reinstalled all of the roof screws and edging, installed a wooden strip (with lots of sealant) over the join in the roof panels, etc...

Adventurelad

[adventurelad]

Lots of little finish-up projects last night...

Put the hatch back on, installed a lift handle and the latches. The latches that I bought (SC-97533 :: OVER CENTER DRAW LATCH B KEEPR, Reid Supply) are over-center type, so needed some blocks to move them out to be parallel with the hatch outer skin surface.



Installed the windows into the doors...I didn't use the trim rings for now as it wasn't very clear how they actually work. Seems like I need to cut my door openings bigger to fit the trim rings, but the opening is already nearly too big for full coverage by the exterior flange. So I think I am going to cut the trim rings into 4 pieces (cut on the flat sides and top / bottom) and make them a little smaller and install later. Also will replace the outside stainless steel screws with something black in color.



Finished re-installing the edge trim...I had run out of stainless steel pan heads the other night! Then pushed in the vinyl edging, looks much more 'finished' to my eye.



Threw a few more 'essentials' into the toy box...fire extinguisher, coil hose, jack stands. Still need to pick up some webbing buckles to secure the battery to the strap anchors that I mounted to the box walls.



Did a final vacuum on the interior and put in the mattress! Probably will need to trim the width a bit as it takes a bit of force to close the doors since the mattress is trying to push out to its 60 inch width.



Now, just need to finish up the galley over the next few nights and we'll be good to go. Certainly not 'finished', but usable, and a big step up from a tent!

Adventurelad