Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

Probond , like Gorilla Glue ... I'll be using it to join the foam to foam and foam to plywood areas ... A little spritz of water on the joining areas , stick them together , wait a while ..Done ... TB2 won't work for that .. it'd never dry .. well maybe on the foam to ply ... since the ply will absorb the water in the glue ...

[eaglesdare]

another question:

should we joing the 2 2" foam boards together? if yes, are we spritzing one or both pieces of foam and the smearing gorilla glue on and stick them together?

so when we join any of the foam to some other piece we are spritzing and them gorilla glueing?

the only time we are using t2 is when putting the "fabric" on?

i am trying to make sure i have this all straight in my head.

i am hoping to start some wood shopping this weekend.

[GPW]

Yes , that's it , but you only have to moisten one side , the other side gets the glue... when they come together , the moisture activates the glue ... you'll see foaming ... T2 is for the fabric and can be thinned out for more coverage ...

[eaglesdare]

i need help. can anyone find a good link to floor building? i would like to see some joining of floor boards to each other. i need to get images in my head as to how to do this. also how to take care of the seams.

thanks for any help on this.

[GPW]

Eagle , you just build a simple wooden frame to match your trailers cross members , then add new ones where your splices end up , simple as that ...

[eaglesdare]

Eagle , you just build a simple wooden frame to match your trailers cross members , then add new ones where your splices end up , simple as that ...

simple as that huh

so i build a frame, on top of the cross members of the trailer? and then put the floor down on that frame?

i suppose i was thinking i could just put the ply right on the trailer, with no frame.

so is a frame a neccessity? like i said i wasn't leaning towards a frame, just to put they ply down on the trailer.

[CliffinGA]

I found this one on ebay, he says he made it out of foam board with oak framing. He has an aluminum skin on it.

Cliff

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Teardrop ... 4aa8bcd8ba

[eaglesdare]

going to go to our dmv this morning, to see what i have to do to make the trailer street legal. then going to the auto shop to see about getting the 2" ball hitch attached to car. then to the lumber shop to check out the wood there. i would like to get a feel of what type of stuff i have in this area.

[GPW]

Cliff , Nice one !!! Aluminum skin would be a possibility with some type of profile framing for attachment ... Hmmm???

Eagle , you could attach the ply directly to the trailer frame , just depends on the size of the floor eh? ... and how the ply falls out ... What's your final dimension for the floor , I'll try to make a drawing for you...
I will be using a common 4'X8' ply (actually OSB, cause' I have it) floor just to keep things simple ... so my inside will only be 44" wide , the same as my Micro cargo trailer... If this works out as good as I think it will work , then I may attempt a sorta' Standy/Widey' built in this manner ... or at least something BIGGER ... My first TD , the 6'X 12" was an ideal size for my needs ... I miss it !

[eaglesdare]

i was trying to make my tear so that the inside size is a true 5'x8'
so i need to add framing to the outside of the frame to work this part out. plus i am building up and over the tire.

so my thinking was to get some wood and make the frame 3" all the way around [except for the tire area, where the wheel box will go]. then just lay the floor down on that. of course bolt it down.

i think i will need 3 pieces of fly for the floor. i am going with laying those side to side. the scraps for those can go towards anything i need to add wood frame to, so i don't expect much waste in that. and if there is, hubby will put it to use for other projects.

[GPW]

Eagle, this was an idea , but you'd have to add the thickness of the sides to get a true 5' inside ... just make each half 32" wide ...

You can see how well supported it is by the metal trailers cross members.. bolted directly ..

[eaglesdare]

so the battens will go under the floor, but inbetween the cross members? am i reading that right? the ply is bolted "directly" to the cross members and sides, then then battens are attached under?

i found 3 lumber places here. one is lowes and i don't like any of their plys. the second one is a lumber yard [i think] but i called them and they have 3/4 4x8 sheets of birch for $40.50 a sheet. the third places does not have any birch.

so is this the ply i should get 3/4 4x8 birch ply for $40.50? is this good?

i got the trailer tagged with a perm plate this morning.

[eaglesdare]

sorry i forgot my manners: thank you for the drawing! visuals are a good thing for me.

[GPW]

Eagle , the plywood discussion has been going on for a while now .... Which is the best ??? I dunno' , but it sure ain't the Chinese stuff .... best check see where it's made before you buy ... usually written on the plywood end...

Yes , battens under the floor between the cross members , just a little added security ...

[eaglesdare]

yes i have read lots on the topic of ply. just wondering if my price was a good one. but really since its about all i am going to get in this area, i suppose that will be what i use.