Father-Daughter Build 2013-14

[oakinteriors1]

Each situation could be different, so it pays to check it out beforehand. You don't need fancy computer software. Graph paper and scissors can get the job done.

I don't mean to high jack your thread, Lauren, but since you are deep into your planning stage, this all seems to be germane.

With the access to free 4x8 sheets of cardboard from my lumber suplier, I have been building full scale templates for years, from furniture to boats ....

[lfrazer98]

Not a problem everyone. Yes, I am very deep in the planning stage still. KC and Steve, that is about what I want my interior shelves/cabinets to look like. Reading all the information posted, I believe that I will have a lot of storage space and will go pretty deep with the upper interior cabinets with an open section in the middle. I may have a slightly lower open shelf and will have a headboard storage area as well. I will plan on getting some large pieces of cardboard. It is always good to plan, measure and model before building.

Right now I am trying to figure out how we are going to attach the walls to the trailer. We didn't seem to get all the extra welding material off the sides when we cut off the side rails. We are going to try grinding it down tomorrow, but I was worried about having gaps between the wall (sandwich style and bolted on the outside of the angle frame) and the frame. I wanted the wall outside the frame to keep 60" inside for a queen. So we are sketching away whenever a new idea pops up.

About the battery, I was thinking about having it on the tongue. I figured it didn't really matter where it was, but have read others that say it shouldn't be enclosed inside the trailer. I don't know much about them, but that is what I read...

Yep, Steve, I have seen this video among many others. I will send you the link I found of the interior cabinets that I really liked. Gotta find it, but when I do I will send it to ya.

Happy, Monday, everyone! Long day tomorrow dropping my car off at the shop and an evening of bowling See you all later in the week.

[KCStudly]

Bowling? Oh now we know you are way too cool!

[lfrazer98]

Yes, I bowl. Just got my first ball though, so now I am officially a bowler!

http://edteardrop.blogspot.com/
Thought this guy's build was interesting. I want a similar galley and like the pull out table/shelf under the interior cabinets. Interesting exterior... Would that be hardwood flooring? Looked like tongue and groove and pretty thick. I want a woody exterior as well, but am worried about it looking plain. I've seen some cool designs in my searches and hope to create something just as neat.

Jim has got the trailer looking more like steel rather than patchy rust and the wheels are ready for priming and paint. Pictures should be posted tomorrow. I guess I should add that my father is retired and I am working all day. It may seem in my updates that I am a big slacker! However, I am doing the majority of the designing and he is the guy to make it happen. Oh, someone asked what type of engineer he is/was. He was an aeronautical engineer, but his career was in a slightly different field. I will get him on here so he can elaborate.

Papers to grade, so I'm offline until tomorrow!

[KCStudly]

Looks like he used redwood lap siding for the exterior and redwood paneling for the inside. The real stuff, but made to be siding, not flooring.

[lfrazer98]

So it is siding. Ok! I liked the look and it is different than a plain woody side. Thanks for the quick reply! I haven't gotten offline yet.... Sometimes I can't stop looking at these teardrops!

KC- got a question for you and it may or not be a simple one. Someone wrote that cutting off the side rails of the type of trailer I got might compromise the structural integrity of my frame. I have seen that you can buy angle trailer frames, which is what I have, but I did have to cut off side rails. I plan on looking it up, but since someone just brought it to my attention and you are online, I thought you might want to give me your opinion. Whenever you have time! Thanks

[KCStudly]

Think of it this way, box tubing stiffens itself both ways in both directions (up and down, and side to side), as well as in a twist. This is because it is a closed shape and it has the fibers that do the work all out at the perimeter, increasing the relative moment of inertia (resistance to bending) for its weight.

Angle, on the other hand, is not a closed shape. Relative to the center of gravity of its cross section, it only has the bulk of its outer fibers on two sides so it is stronger in only one way in those same two directions. Relative to similar size tubing it will splay out the legs and fold under much lower loads, and it's not anywhere near as strong in twist.

The typical landscape trailer needs to have sides on it to keep those lawnmowers and leaf blowers from falling off, so because of this need they have an opportunity to build the ladder (or truss) style of side rails, and can get away with using the lighter and less expensive angle. The unity of the structure makes up for the angle's profile downfalls by really separating the outer fibers of the upper and lower rails, thus the combined moment of inertia of the double rail side frame is greatly increased over that of the single box tube design. The top rail helps keep the bottom rail from bending in its weak direction, and the bottom rail helps keep the top rail from bending in its weak direction.

By cutting off the top rail you are back to the weakness of a single small piece of angle.

However, the side walls on your cabin will make this all back up and then some, because, even tho they will be wood, they are very deep (tall) in section giving them an even greater moment of inertia, and more than making up for the difference between the strength of the wood fibers versus steel.

Take a piece of paper box (cracker box, chip board, index card, etc.), lay it flat on a table, hold the top down with one hand and pick the bottom up with the other. In this direction, the outer fibers between the front and back of the card are very close together so the card can not resist bending in this direction well at all.

Now do the same thing, card flat on the table, hold the top two corners down firmly with thumb and index, place the thumb and index of your other hand on the bottom two corners. While keeping the fingers of each hand the same distance apart from each other (don't pinch) try to bend the card around to either side so that your thumbs or index fingers come together (while keeping everything flat on the table). Can't do it without buckling the paper. Same paper, but now the fibers that you are trying to yield are the ones on the left and right sides of the card, and they are much farther apart. The fibers each have the same strength on a microscopic level, it is the geometry of the shape and the direction that the load is applied that makes the difference.

Your walls will stiffen and strengthen your trailer frame (not necessarily the other way around); and your bulkhead, front wall and cabinets will keep your walls from buckling in the flat direction (just like the flat surface did for the card trick).

This is why it is important to attach your cabin to the trailer well using several smaller fasteners along the length of the wall/floor, rather than using just a few larger fasteners only at the ends. Also, fit your wood joints well and use glue (in addition to screws) at assembly.

Hope that explains it well enough.

[Gpike]

Lauren, regarding the 60" width you would like to keep, have you checked out the wall attachment thread here:

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=19442

I think the Dado option might work well for your needs.

[lfrazer98]

Lauren, regarding the 60" width you would like to keep, have you checked out the wall attachment thread here:

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=19442

I think the Dado option might work well for your needs.

Yep! That is one of the first places I started because I wanted to figure out what size frame I needed if I wanted a queen mattress inside. Then, I finally found a 5 x 10. I can't remember what the Dado option is, so I will have to look it up again. If I remember correctly, it would put the wall on the outside edge of the floor rather than on top of the floor. Thanks though!

[lfrazer98]

Thanks KC. Good explanation! I figured the walls and all the cabinetry, etc. would tighten everything up. I also knew that my father would say it would be fine, but then I would question him incessantly, just to make sure he knew what he was talking about. You just saved him a little exasperation from me testing his engineering/physics knowledge.

Dad cleaned off the wheels today and we will have pretty white ones when he is done! We also did a quick walk through in Lowe's and I was in my happy place because I wanted to start buying LOTS of things like drawer pulls, counter top, flooring, etc., which I am totally not ready for.
Next purchase- primer and paint for the trailer and stabilizer jacks.

[Esteban]

Lauren,

Rust Bullet's Black Shell, an epoxy paint that encapsulates and stops rust, is what I used to paint my trailer frame. rustbullet.com It is pricy. Worth it in my opinion for long term protection. I used small cans because it dries/hardens quickly if left open very long to moisture in the air. It worked very well and looks great.

Rust Bullet's Six Shooter is a handy kit half filled with cans of gray paint and half with black. I used gray for two primer coats and black for the finish coats. That made it easy to see how well it went on to get everything very well protected/covered. It smooths out nicely and after curing it looks similar to powder coating. It is a UV stable paint.

Tip: if you decide to use Rust Bullet be sure to wear gloves or you will "wear" cured paint for a week or more until your skin sloughs it off. It is very very sticky.

[lfrazer98]

We got the trailer flipped over so Jim could sand the underside of the trailer. BOY, that was heavy!

Then we decided to re-purpose some of the angle iron from the side rails to add some supports for a small tongue rack. It is a short tongue, so we are using what space we can. We still need to figure out a spot for a spare tire (we were thinking about mounting it under the tongue and a little under the trailer) and how to attach a tongue jack (space limitations).

Doing some more work tomorrow, but then I am off to Florida on the 24th for the holidays. More pictures to come before I leave.

[lfrazer98]

Well, we have made a little progress since I got back from vacation. Dad got the tires back on the wheel and mounted on the trailer.

We bought the sealant for the floor bottom and applied it to the cut panels. Boy, that was hard to spread!

Then while I was at work, my Dad got the floor boards bolted to the frame and the supports in.

We had to build within the frame since we didn't remove all the metal from where the floor boards were on the original trailer. Because of this we had to slide the ends under a piece of metal and assemble the floor in the frame. We used larger pieces of wood along the exterior because we are screwing our side walls into the wood, as well as, over the joints of the floor.
Went out for insulation today and did a little window shopping for various things. Bought a couple different types of wood and three different stains so I can make some informed decisions.
We don't have too much time to work before the parents head down to Florida, but hope to get as much done as possible and to reach a good breaking point.

[Esteban]

Good progress.

When I was going to stain birch plywood a helpful man at the paint store asked me why? He said sometimes varnish is all you need to seal wood and make it beautiful.

Earlier I tried to varnish wood I'd stained. A water based "varnish" peeled off from wood stained with an oil based stain. I did not catch on that the stain was oil based till we read the small print on the can in the paint store that said to clean it up with mineral spirits. Oooopsie. For me building a teardrop included multiple ooopsies. A great way to learn and retain the lesson.

[capnTelescope]

Here's what Minwax Natural #209 + wipe-on Polyurethane looks like on red oak veneer, vs. no finish at all:

The Natural is a very light stain that looks about the same as what varnish alone will do. It should do the same on birch. It won't do much at all on pine. I didn't want dark walls and ceiling. I like it! But that's just me.