Easiest For A Couple With Virtually No Skills?

[Cathy P.]

We are finally going to do this after years of thinking about it. The trailers on the market are just worse every year and the concept of quality control seems to have been lost over time. We have virtually no skills although we are familiar with repairs, too many, on manufactured units, have tools since we have fixed up more than one old house and work on small crafts following patterns. We have the plans from Glen-L, the Sequoia: http://www.glen-l.com/campers/sequoia.html, we have a tiny Vardo plan: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/product ... ad-image-0 and we have: http://www.compactcampingconcepts.com/ and, we are looking at the new plan in the Design Resources for The Wanderer and at the Squidget plans although he says you really need "intermediate" skills. When I do crochet patterns, I found that if I take my time and concentrate, go slowly, that I can do more advanced patterns with ease though but I don't know if that works with woodworking. I taught myself to crochet from a book years ago. One of each would be nice but we would still have to start somewhere. Also considered the kit: http://www.theteardroppers.com/ I do best when there is no choice. They all have good points. Life is too short! Thanks for any input and wisdom that you can pass on to us.

[webbaldo]

If you buy premade doors, keep the hatch simple and use an existing trailer, it can be really as simple as drilling holes and cutting wood/aluminium with a jigsaw.

Time, Money, Patience - Not usually in that order lol.

I didn't follow any plans but I did spend hours and hours looking at build pictures and picked the parts I liked most from each.

Daft things like drawing a template 10 times on a wall or taping your garage floor and lying on it for bed sizes etc all help.

Just be realistic. If you want a lovely TD, even for little money don't set a completion date, as that's what can pressure you and it sometimes makes you lose faith in the project. (did for me at times anyway)

That aside, building one can be great fun and looking at other gives you brilliant ideas, plus you can add your own custom stuff unlike off the shelf kit.

You don't need posh tools as well, all mine are cheap brand ones. If you read the tool thread itll help a lot. I found most used tools were tablesaw (circular saw is fine instead), router (cheap one), small angle grinder and cordless drill.

Im glad I made mine and im nearly finished!

[steve cowan]

Occasionally a quality built trailer comes up for sale that a builder only wants to recoup their investment for materials.This saves a lot of time you could be enjoying using it.This is only a thought ,not a suggestion.
As for designs a weekender should be relatively easy to build.

Steve.

[webbaldo]

Occasionally a quality built trailer comes up for sale that a builder only wants to recoup their investment for materials.This saves a lot of time you could be enjoying using it.This is only a thought ,not a suggestion.
As for designs a weekender should be relatively easy to build.

Steve.

actually what he said!, but be careful as well, here in the UK I regularly search ebay for teardrops for ideas/see whats out there.

They can be some really goods ones and also some very shockingly poor ones! Luckily most are easy to spot!

[S. Heisley]

If you have fixed up old houses, you can build a trailer. Fixing up old houses was my background and I built my trailer with simple hand tools...not even a table saw. In fact, I used a simple sewer's seam gauge to measure where to cut some of my wood. Take your time and expect a few do-overs; but, build what you want. Yes, you can do it.

[Oldragbaggers]

Hello Cathy. Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your decision to embark on this adventure. You will no doubt end up with a camper that is built better than anything you can buy, and you will learn new skills and make new friends along the way.

I started out much the same place as you. I have been a crafter since childhood, and there aren't too many things I haven't tried over my considerable years of "making things," but my building experience was limited to repairs around the house, a treehouse for my grandkids and the renovation of several old sailboats. Working with boats gave me some good experience with fiberglass, and since it was something I knew it played heavily into my build. I have also used boat hardware for some applications in my build because it was what I was familiar with and it works. You will find that skills that you may not even think relevant now (even if it is just the ability to read, understand, and follow directions) will contribute to your confidence and benefit you along the way. The beauty of these little creations is that there is no set in stone formula and each one is unique according to the skill set, imagination and experience each builder brings to the process.

When I first decided I just HAD TO HAVE one of these cool little trailers I was hesitant and nervous also. I mean....honestly, could a woman really do this?? (My husband wasn't all that interested in it in the beginning, although he definitely came around along the way.) Then I came across a build journal written by a young girl named Lydia McElroy who had built a teardrop as her senior project in high school. She used to have a build thread/blog out on the web. I cannot no longer locate that but here is a thread about her on Teardrop Talk.

http://www.forum.teardrops.net/simpleforum_pro.cgi?fid=01&topic_id=1159600751

She did this pretty much on her own with some help from her dad. She kept the build basic, her journal was very straightforward and she presented it in such a way that it made me think that anyone could do it. And I think anyone can with just a couple of caveats.

I think you need to have a very basic knowledge of some simple power tools, namely the circular saw, jig saw, router, drill and sander (belt and palm). There are a few others that come in real handy (I learned to use a Kreg jig for my build and can't say enough good about it, and I have resorted to my Dremel a couple of times when nothing else seemed to serve the purpose), but you can get it done with those.

Read, research, and ask questions. There is a lot of information out there, and there are a lot of experienced, skillful and very helpful builders here, and on other sites, who are more than willing to assist you with your build. Draw on their knowledge. There are build journals out on the web that will take you step by step through the process. If you read enough of them, and see many variations you will learn enough to have options, and it will inspire you to have your own ideas. Don't be afraid to ask questions. We've all been there and most people actually enjoy sharing what they have learned with others. Here are a just a few good sites I found helpful. There are also many youtube videos to watch.

http://www.webring.org/hub/teardropper?w=960;rh=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asolidfoundation.com%2Fdd_shell_1.shtml;rd=1

http://www.outbackteardrop.com/

http://www.buchfink.com/

Patience is a virtue you can't have enough of here. I spent far more time thinking about how I was going to accomplish every task than I did actually doing it. (There are probably a few people who will disagree with this and tell you to just jump in and git er done instead of taking forever like I did.) What I lacked in actual training and experience I made up for by thinking it to death and coming up with my own way (based on the reading and research mentioned above).

Don't let the mistakes and set-backs (and you will surely have some) put a damper on your enthusiasm. Get yourself a moaning chair. A place to sit down, have a cold one, stare at the teardrop and regroup. Unless you literally drop a wrecking ball on it, there probably isn't anything you can do that isn't fixable somehow.

You have one thing to bring to your build that no one else can. It will be yours so you will care about it like no one else. How it is put together will matter to you. Having it be safe behind YOUR car will matter to you. And it will reflect your taste and personality.

There are lots of great designs in the design resources section at the top of this page. Be sure you download the Generic Benroy plans. Even if you are not necessarily interested in the Benroy design, this little guide is invaluable as it gives you the basic 1-2-3 of how things go together and the order of the steps to get it done. Once you understand the concept and the methods, you can apply them to any design you want to build

If I sound like a true believer, I am. This has been such a rewarding experience. The things I have learned, the friends I have made, and now the camper I have to enjoy.....jump on in, the water is FINE.

[Woodbutcher]

How about a cargo conversion? There are some really nice ones done by many on this board. Maybe check out the build journals.

[pchast]

I don't know where you live in your state. Here it paid to have a relationship with the local
lumber yard and hardware store. Through them I found a local woodworking club and people
to call and get answers. You don't need power tools but they do make some things easier.
It can be easier to make mistakes with them too.

I guess the most important thing to say is that you CAN do it. Anyone can. Just take your time.
Approach things carefully. Always work in a clean area and don't leave things all over to trip on.
( please, don't ask how I learned that.)

[Oldragbaggers]

Always work in a clean area and don't leave things all over to trip on.
( please, don't ask how I learned that.)

Oooh......oooh.....oooh.....



I know how.....I know how.....

[mezmo]

Hi Cathy P,

Welcome to the forum !

I'm sure you have more skills than you give yourself credit for.
From what you said about making repairs over the years, you have
plenty of transferable skills to apply towards a build.

Becky's post was full of good info. In addition, taking your time when working is
well worth it. Being safety conscious with the tools [especialy power
tools] too. Nothing is worth a serious injury due to inattention or
improper technique. And techniques can be deduced using common sense
and research and reading. Ask any question you need to ask here.
Members are very happy to help you out. The one proviso is to try
and be specific or descriptive of your needs or problems in the questions.
That saves time and can get you the info you need the fastest way.

That TD Kit that you posted the link for seems to be a reasonable
approach as it does a lot of the "harder" work for you. If that is the
type of TD construction - single thickness plywood wall - you want and
you like the profile it could be a valid way to go. [No experience with
them but when I looked at their website a while ago it seemed to be
a reasonable price for what you got, in general.]

Good luck, and happy planning and building.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[jeff0520]

Hello,
I'm building from the Squidget plans...or at least I started with them. I rarely look at the plan any more. For my two cents worth, I have done a lot of things on the Command Post that I had no idea how to do when I started. My method is to read a little online, then watch a lot of online videos about the skill set I'm trying to aquire. For example, the day I started applying fiberglass to the exterior was the first time I ever worked with fiberglass.
You'll find that there are a lot of people who have made a lot of videos about how to do anything you can imagine. You'll find that there are good ones and bad ones, but if you look around you can find ones that are both technically correct, and entertaining. To help out, I'm going to share my favorite woodworking video guy with you. I'd suggest you go back to his oldest videos and work forward. You'll learn a lot, and I think you'll agree, this guy is a hoot to watch
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/

[Cathy P.]

Thank you all for the suggestions, encouragement, tips, links, etc. At one time, I did consider a cargo trailer conversion combined with the floorplan of something like the Jim Dandy vintage plans. It seemed that the cargo trailer was heavy though. We live in a town of about 25,000 people so there isn't much here since we are about an hour from Topeka and even Topeka isn't all that much when it comes to finding things one needs. We have a 2011 Coachmen pop-up that has to go in for repair because the door/step is bubbling and peeling off (it is a 6 hour round trip to the dealer and they want us to drop it off and return for it!!!), and we have learned since we have gotten older that the pop-ups are a hassle to put up for only a night or two and, of course, there is the rain and the hail. Thanks again. Cathy

[jeff0520]

Here's a great example of why I like this guy's videos
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/a-lumbering-feeling/

[jstrubberg]

Always work in a clean area and don't leave things all over to trip on.
( please, don't ask how I learned that.)

Oooh......oooh.....oooh.....



I know how.....I know how.....

Ok, you dated yourself with that one, Becky!