Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[mikeschn]

I experimenting right now with different things...

The first thing I wondered is, if I use a really big washer, can I drive a screw thru the foam into wood, say the subfloor for example. So I tried a little test piece.



I think this picture says my washer is not big enough.

Mike...

[GPW]

NICE stuff !!! Drool !!!

[mikeschn]

The next thing I thought I'd try is to make a barrel nut.

I tried drilling a 7/8" hole using a 7/8" drill, but the hole ended up being about an inch in diameter. So next I tried drilling a hole using a 3/4" drill. That ended up relatively close to 7/8" So with some expanding gorilla glue that should end up being a decent fit.



Then I cut off a piece of 7/8" dowel and stuffed it in the hole. So far so good.

Next I used a pilot drill and drilled thru the plywood, thru the foam, and only part way thru the dowel. That's not ideal. You want the pilot hole to go all the way thru the dowel so it won't split. Since I didn't have a longer drill I decided to see what would happen.


Yep, it split.

But okay, just one screw, let's see what it takes to break it... Wow, that's holding pretty good. SNAP. Opps, there it goes. It actually took a lot of force to break that.



Mike...

[mikeschn]

Okay, I retried both experiments...

First, on the barrel nut, I made sure to drill all the way thru. Yep, that seems to work just fine!


Hmmmm... lets see... we need more surface area for the washer. Okay, lets grab the hole saw and make a 2" washer out of some scrap plywood. Draw it down as tight as the drillmotor can... Hey, look at that. We have some breakthrough on one side but not the other. So now I'm thinking 2" is too big, if we want to fill the recess with something.



What do you guys recommend filling a foamie recess with?

Mike...

[GPW]

More foam eh ??? Mike are you searching for a mechanical attachment from floor to wall ??? I wracked my brain to come up with the glue and cloth business...

How about something like this , where plywood plates are recessed into the foam to spread the stress out over the surfaces... you get the basic idea ...

Although the cloth and glue works Fine for floor to wall attachment (worked for Eagle ) This may be OK for attaching things TO the walls , like a shelf or something that would support a little weight ...

[mikeschn]

More foam eh ??? Mike are you searching for a mechanical attachment from floor to wall ??? I wracked my brain to come up with the glue and cloth business...

How about something like this , where plywood plates are recessed into the foam to spread the stress out over the surfaces... you get the basic idea ...

Although the cloth and glue works Fine for floor to wall attachment (worked for Eagle ) This may be OK for attaching things TO the walls , like a shelf or something that would support a little weight ...

So how do you cut that recess in the foam?

I'm playing with gorilla glue right now. How long does that take to set up?

Mike...

[wagondude]

The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best FOAM materials...

You guys (and Ladies) are so LUCKY!!! ... None of the Home stores around here carry the 2" Foam ... That's just so WEIRD!!! Certainly NOT going to order a pallet... Unless we build a LOT of Foamies ...
Hmmm??? Now I wonder .... how many Foamies could we build with a pallet ... ( I must be Crazy to even consider it !!! )

When we got siding for our house, they gave our contractor a 10% discount for ordering a full pallet. The unused siding was just returned for a refund after the job was done. Or maybe you could talk your friend into sharing the cost. That foamie business would have a jump start then.

[GPW]

A router and a template make quick work of cutting the recess ... Just foam , but a little messy , as with any router job ... In a pinch you can just cut around the outline and dig out the inside to 1/4" deep with a knife ... not entirely accurate but the gorilla glue fills in any gaps ...
Gorilla Glue usually sets up pretty quick ... best gauge is when the protruding glue foams up and becomes hard ... Moisture cures the glue , o if you sprayed one side with water , it should be fairly quick ...

I see now you used the dowel AS the barrel nut ...

[mikeschn]

Okay, I played with a small piece of foam and some gorilla glue.

I let it set for about 1/2 hour... It's done. I can't even break it by hand...



Mike...

[GPW]

W Dude ... It would be entirely possible to start a TD Foamie business around here , especially with hurricane season fast approaching ...
Many people remarked they would like to have a small trailer for just these occasions ... My Pal G has folks waiting for one ( I did not endorse that idea ) ... And although I don't want to start a business, he Might ... He's young , I'm retired , and would only be good for consulting ... He's a full time mechanic anyway and could take care of all the mechanical bits too ...

As we found out , being on evac at your friends house outta' town for 6 weeks can be a real test of friendship ... However sitting in your trailer in their driveway is a totally different matter .... out of sight out of mind ... Much less STRESS on both parties ... We tried Both methods ...

EVAC is the sole reason I've put so much work into these small trailers ... Our "camping" is because you Have to ... I used to camp for Fun in the old days ... in a Van ... a small light Foamie would be nice to go fishing , or up to the hunting camp , or visit friends with small houses...

[GPW]

Looks Dry to me Mike ... One trick for keeping the ooze contained is to put a piece of package sealing tape over the joint before it dries ... helps cleanup later , that "foam" in the glue dries pretty hard..
As far as strong, The GG is stronger than the foam ...foam fails before the glue does .. that's all you need ... and it fills in all the little imperfections too ... You can imagine how strong that is gluing 2" foam to a plywood floor ...GG is probably stronger than the plywood too .. All that cloth reinforcing business just makes it STRONGER !!!!
It would be possible to just use the foam glued to the plywood ... that's all Not as attractive as a skinned foam , not as Strong , but still usable if the construction was done correctly ... especially with the optional wood spars ... a real "Cheap and Dirty" foamie trailer ... not recommended except for in an emergency ...

[GPW]

Here's my second mock up .... just checking fits ... held together with darts from my blow gun ... works !!! Inside's pretty much done except for the inner reinforcing strips and paint , all done after assembly ... ready to stick it to a ply floor now ...

[68galaxie]

I was hoping to see a nice rounded Foamstream standie

[Ratkity]

:cry: I was hoping to see a nice rounded Foamstream standie

Mike is doing the standy!!

Waiting with anticipation,
Ratkity

[GPW]

Tough crowd !!!