Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Have you folks checked out Mike’s Nano Cub ??? (General section) Specifically the CNC side frame he made... Very Cool!!! ... Thinking a frame like that cut out of 1/4” plywood , 2" of foam over it and some canvas and call it a day ... Something like that (hybrid) would make most everyone Happy ...

I'm still toying around with ideas how to put the CNC machine to work on a teardrop sized foamie.

I'd like a hatch, of course, and I don't want exposed wood that could be damaged from water. All the stuff that we talked about in the big thread. And I'd like a nice finish on the outside.

But of course there is plenty of time to figure that all out. I am still working out the bugs in the CNC machine.

Let's use this thread to talk about wood and foam teardrops...

First question, if I have a wooden bulkhead under the hurricane hinge, and it leaks, then what?

Mike...

My hatch is actually designed for leaks. If water should get past the gasket it will drip onto the sub-roof which has a gutter built into it to carry the water to the sub-sides of the galley and then out the bottom.

Just for fun, I drew up a foamie body based on a larger Nano Cub



But that's as far as I got... I need to think about this some more! But I don't see any wood, so I think it's waterproof!

But I need a material that's waterproof, that I can drive screws into, for spars, and other supports... any ideas?

Mike...

ghcoe wrote:My hatch is actually designed for leaks. If water should get past the gasket it will drip onto the sub-roof which has a gutter built into it to carry the water to the sub-sides of the galley and then out the bottom.

Nice gutter! Good plan!

Mike...

I have been using roof flashing for hard points. Home Depot sells it in a few different sizes. I have used the 2"x3" and 1"x2" for door thresholds, shelf edges/support and bottom edge protection. I am planning on using it for other hard points, such as clearance and porch lights. My plan is to cut darts on one leg of the angle and just push it into the foam until the other angled leg is flush with the body.







It is galvanized so it should not rot too easily.......

I also used metal (galvanized) drywall beading for some edge armor.

mikeschn wrote:Just for fun, I drew up a foamie body based on a larger Nano Cub



Mike...

Lots of kerfing for those roof bends. There has been talk of heat bending, but that seems too hard to do evenly.

..."But I need a material that's waterproof, that I can drive screws into, for spars, and other supports... any ideas? “ ... square PVC tubing ... something we’ve yet to delve into , but seems very workable ...

That’s such a CUTE Foamie’ Teardrop !!! ... George's drip channel idea is brilliant .... the water IS going to get in .. and it just needs a quick path to get Out ...
Another idea might be to slightly angle the Galley floor (work area) rearward so that it serves to drain the water back and out of the trailer , but not so much your Tabasco bottle rolls off ... From our humbling experiences with our first wooden TD , water tended to collect in the Galley inside corners and stay there unless we tilted the trailer back a little , then it just quickly ran out ...

Heat bending of the 2” foam material doesn’t seem to be practical for building a one off trailer ... the best bending requires a “form" of some sort and an even heat source ... a large, even heat source... We investigated Heat blankets , but those are Expensive ... Industrial stuff ...
However the thinner foam sheets ...< 1” thick do seem to bend well with just a good heat gun , and then can be laminated together ... That does seem doable by a home builder ... and as far as kerfing , George’s hot wire kerfing “sled” just seems like the best idea ... We tried the router/jigsaw bit and it was MESSY .. The little foam bits just starting to disappear in the yard ... And with the Math in the kerfing thread , it’s entirely possible to get the kerfs perfectly placed and sized to close completely on the inside curve , making a Nice finished look ... Lots of Prior Planning ...

As KC stated , the simplest things can involve a great deal of effort to achieve Simply ... So True !!!

Sorry , just another thought .... What about just leaving the hatch off entirely and making a snap on cover... like the old stage coaches...

mikeschn wrote:Just for fun, I drew up a foamie body based on a larger Nano Cub.

But I need a material that's waterproof, that I can drive screws into, for spars, and other supports... any ideas?

Mike...

Mike,

A material that has interested me is PVC sheets and trim. A common brand is Azek. I have seen it a HD and it is a waterproof material. It is not a lightweight material though. Apparently it accepts fasteners like wood and can be cut with woodworking tools. I don't know about its structural properties though.

Take care,
Tom

Tom given reasonable dimensions, I wouldn’t worry about the structural aspect .... We’ve been making Bows (archery) out of PVC plumbing pipe for almost a year now ... It works Super for that , and is easily shaped and cut ... Tough Stuff ... The only thing as I understand it is , for maximum durability in the sunlight, it should be painted...

When using a new material , possibly heavier , it might be best to find out the density/specific gravity of the material to better determine how to downsize the part to a more reasonable weight ( so you don’t “over build” ) . Generally a denser material is “stronger” ... compare PVC to foam ... huge difference , yet the foam works ... as we already know .

Taking this far out in left field ... thinking a Vacuum formed PVC whole Galley “liner” would be a Good Thing !!! Like the inside of an ice chest or a pickup truck bed liner, just a whole Galley part/unit to glue directly to the foam ... Could even build in little drain channels just in case ... not rot , no worries ...

Now if you could find a nice pickup truck bed liner , at a reasonable cost , it might be possible to cut that down to a TD Galley shaped liner and design the TD to fit the liner... sorta’ like buying the bird before you build the nest ....

We had gotten enough 1/4" PVC sheets to build a 8x10 Storage barn. Going from memory, the sheets seemed about the same weight as plywood, but more flexible. We predrilled holes for metal screws to mount them to the metal studs we used for support. We didn't paint it, and it got very brittle after about 7-8 years.

BTW those construction 2x3 metal studs are galvanized and low weight... might make a nice support structure for TD's...

Mike8, yes, that’s the problem ... most plastics seem to get brittle in sunlight over time , and a lot of other things too ... a little paint helps that ... and if PVC is used inside or for covered framing , then no worries eh ? ...

This looks like an interesting material ... http://www.homedepot.com/p/Veranda-3-4- ... l_39DD8-QI