Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

Not to be out done , Warner Bros . is the same way about the Cat and the Bird .... I almost got sued for making a Bass guitar with that image ... And their sneaky attorneys tried to act like customers ... asking me to make them one , no matter what the cost ... which I flatly refused... TG !!! Sneaky corporate A-hos thought they had a live one on the hook ...
Just because it appeared on the front page of the LA Times was no excuse to sue the old geezer...

The instrument in question ...

[Wolffarmer]

Neat looking axe. I hope someone was able to make good use of it.

Yeah, sometimes they need to take a chill pill.

Randy

[eaglesdare]

i love it!!!!!!!!!!!

[GPW]

It was made for a very old friend (Bass player) who is Looney Tunes about the cat and bird ... He played it at Jazz fest here , and the picture of the band showed up in the LA paper ... activating the greedy WB lawyers ... who probably spent a fortune to come down here and try and entrap me ... a Fools errand ... since I made only the one ... Don't they have anything better legal to do ... ???? Ended up their Greed just backfired on them .... Idiots !!!

... back to trailers , I was over at the guitar shop yesterday looking at the big CNC machine , thinking about a snap together TD made from foam panels , pre cut with slots and tabs that would just pop together , accurately and securely ... Light , parts/sections could be shipped flat , then just glued together on the spot ... everything locking tightly together ... Possible to even have a heavy canvas "sock" sewn up to stretch over the structure , a little glue/paint .... Bing Bang Boom ... Instant Foamie TD ... in a weekend ...
Just an idea !!

[Txbum]

Now you are thinking outside the box! Like a giant puzzle...well what ya waiting for ???? Get r dun!!! Or better yet make CNC plans with all the cut points and sell the plans ...what was ya thinking, come on let's get going... TxBum..Richard

[GPW]

Tx, just an idea , have to research it more before I'd invest ... Probably have to make a proof of concept model First to see if it actually works ... Many possibilities , including cutting out multiple snap together panels for larger sized trailers (standy) ... Could get expensive quick , just the Foam ... Let's see, how are my stock's doing ...? Oops !!! Not today Boss !!!

[Wobbly Wheels]

They do houses that way, so why not trailers ?
Another plus is the amount of gluing surface you'd get - maybe cut them with a 1/4" gap and fill it with an expanding adhesive during assembly...

You could market the same trailer all over the world - just like a Big Mac.

Just continuing the mental exercise here, but rather than using canvas, what about the shrink wrap used for winterizing boats ?
It wouldn't adhere to the foam, but it certainly would form a stressed skin around it.

Heating it to shrink it would be the tricky part, but as long as it was done gradually it wouldn't melt the foam - the process doesn't burn gelcoat or vinyl.

[GPW]

... just to continue with this further ... There's a good bit of time and energy agreeing on one design (to start? ) and then there's the modeling bit , the computer drawing and files , and the proofing of the design ...
I see the only way of something like this working would be to establish a CO-OP .. With a specific number of workers/investors ... each getting a piece of the pie ... and the bill ... only practical for multiples , cause I think I can make an individual Foamie now with a serrated steak knife, some GG, and some rolls of duct tape ...

[Txbum]

GPW, money ..check...designs..check...someone experienced with laser cnc machining..check out Hill Country Flyer tearddrop build..Chorizon aka Joshua has mucho experience using CNC Laser guided teadrop shaping machines. Now, can the Laser CNC also cut out the canvas..? Maybe even fuse the foam panels, cut the canvas and fuse the canvas to the foam shell...oh oh how about colored laser printing...can you imagine the graphics?! Pinch me I must be dreaming. TxBum

[eaglesdare]

you know there is already a guy out there that has this concept. he has snap together pices as kits. he has posted here on these boards.
i can find the link if you want. i thought about that site for a while, til gpw posted about the foamie.

[Txbum]

Eaglesdare, thanks , are you referring to the Teal modular units that fit onto a trailer provided by the customer? If so , I have e-mails updates sent to me by the owner of the company. It is an intriguing concept, yet I much prefer teardrop shaped designs followed by a grass hopper or benroy... I will be purchasing floor plywood and foam this weekend. Hope to bite the bullet and see which one wins, grasshopper or Alien E.T/ear....

[eaglesdare]

yes i think that is the one. i can't think of his user name, something with drake? i will find the link and post it here.

ok the user name is larry drake, here is the link:
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=35892

i like this idea a lot. but having a shape like a tear would be cool.

[GPW]

I think pre-fab modular assemblies are very COOL ... Only problem I see is they're not Thrifty ...

Strange analogy .. Much like a Fish ... you can walk to the waters , catch a fish , take it home , clean it and eat it ... Free !!! If you get a fish at the Grocery store , it's wrapped in plastic , ready to cook, and costs 9 bucks a pound ...

[eaglesdare]

the cost is what always stopped me from any manufacturer from any place. i just could not come up with that kind of money. especially after knnowing about these forums with home-mades for lots less than store bought.

i'm telling ya, this thread changed everything for me and i could not be more happy about it at all.

[Wolffarmer]

That Teal looks like a neat idea but will it sell?

Rant mode on

Seems we are becoming divided between the DIY'ers and the let somebody else do it all for me. Or Get the DIY people to do your dirty work as they make so much screwing us they don't have to dirty their hands.

I swear this country ( and probably others ) have forgotten the value of good old sweat and callouses.

Rant mode off, for now.

Randy