Questions for you foamaholics

[JThompson]

the orange box store carrys 2 inch pink stuff. And they will order it if they dont have it in stock. runs $28 a sheet.. took me 3 sheets to build my sides - 11 feet - from point to point. ( doing a mini hopper style ) wood is planned just for around doors, around the back hatch, and possibly the galley counter - not sure yet- as well as a canvas back hatch instead of a solid one.. so many ideas.

my goal is to keep it light. Plywood is heavy stuff. a 1 inch sheet is 80 lbs.. so the walls and roof alone on what I am building is 400 lbs.. before the needed framing and any cabinets. meanwhile.. 2 inch thick sheet of foamular weighs 10 lbs, giving me a weight for the same area of 60lbs. A bit of additional research is what got me hooked on the foam idea. the pink stuff has a compression rating of 60 psi. which means if you apply 60 lbs to a inch square area. its compresses by 5%.. which is insanely small . a test of a gorilla glued joint sold my other half last weekend. I made up a test piece to do some work with. He Broke it just to see what happened. ( welders seem to need to break joints for some reason).. the foam gave before the joint did, which impressed him ( again its a welder thing and I'm not gonna try to understand).

[HMK]

That's pretty cool, Scott. I started on the Thrifty Thread. If I read it all, I'd be here for 6 months

[lthomas987]

That's pretty cool, Scott. I started on the Thrifty Thread. If I read it all, I'd be here for 6 months

No dobut. Well it actually took me about a month. I did learn a ton. Also there is an annotation thread telling you where things are in the big thread. I think they got through the first 200 pages or so.

[Shar]

I read it all in a month also. There is a lot of good information, and I also simply enjoyed the story of it all. It was like reading a novel with good character development.

[rowerwet]

the thread I did is mostly for when you go "now where did I see that idea about using ..." so you can find it in a few pages instead of hours of skimming. read the whole thing if you want to know about everbody's dogs, chickens, politics and employment... oh yeah, AND THE DANGERS OF FROZEN TURKEYS!!!

[GPW]

I hear HBO is going to make a mini-series out of the big thread .... called “ Game of Foams “ ...

[Shar]

[HMK]

I might have to get Siri to read it to me. I love to read, but here lately I fall asleep when I begin to read.

[Hartse25]

I am in the planning ing stages of my first build. I was just going to go with the benroy plans from the site, but the more I read, the more the image in my head changes. I have an 5x8 trailer that my dad is going to do some minor tweaks to, he says that is his only contribution to my build. I initially went with the 5x8 trailer so I could fit a full size bed in it. Then I found the thread for the big pink foamie and now I really like the idea of having a trailer that I can stand up in. I also found the thread of the guy who did a convertible. I'm just staring to wade into all the foamie threads. Is it similar to the plywood builds, you just use foam for the walls and roof? Do you still use 1x2s for the spars across the roof? Can I still build cabinets and a galley out of wood like a plywood tear? Also, I've seen some threads that mention building wider than their trailer. How does that work? Sorry, I know that's a lot of questions for one post. I think I might need to stop read so much, pick one thing and go with it. Thanks!

[pchast]

I used 1.5" in my build...
Added rafters about every 10" and around the doors and windows.

The other place to check is with Commercial Roofers. Its used under flat roofs final
layers...

[ghcoe]

I am in the planning ing stages of my first build. I was just going to go with the benroy plans from the site, but the more I read, the more the image in my head changes. I have an 5x8 trailer that my dad is going to do some minor tweaks to, he says that is his only contribution to my build. I initially went with the 5x8 trailer so I could fit a full size bed in it. Then I found the thread for the big pink foamie and now I really like the idea of having a trailer that I can stand up in. I also found the thread of the guy who did a convertible. I'm just staring to wade into all the foamie threads. Is it similar to the plywood builds, you just use foam for the walls and roof? Do you still use 1x2s for the spars across the roof? Can I still build cabinets and a galley out of wood like a plywood tear? Also, I've seen some threads that mention building wider than their trailer. How does that work? Sorry, I know that's a lot of questions for one post. I think I might need to stop read so much, pick one thing and go with it. Thanks!

Probably best to read up on a couple of build threads. Lots of the mechanics of building foamies there. Some are quite long though. Mine is only 20 pages so not too bad, although I am not nearly done yet, but close. Mine is similar to a Benroy and is built on a HF 4x8 trailer. The floor is 5x8 and has almost a full size queen size sleeping compartment. the link is in the signature below. Another good read at 180 pages and climbing is viewtopic.php?f=55&t=48630. It is a hybrid of wood and foam. Good luck and post your build here we love to see it.

[Olddog1]

HMK, I'm still in the planning stages also. My goal is to stop paying $1200.00+ in fuel cost just to get a 32' fifth wheel from Florida to Maine and back for our summers up there. Then there are the gouging that goes on with RVs and their repairs. A new RV AC before last summers trip north was another $1500.00. An RV AC would probably be too much. Remember you're looking at building a large foam cooler. At the time I was reading discussion on here of using a $125.00 window unit from Walmart. That was the final straw that started the planning.

My plans are for something a bit more ambitious, an 8' x 20' x 7' standie with room for the 2 of us to survive the 4 or 5 months in Maine without becoming claustrophobic or driving each other crazy. Might even skip a summer in Maine just to build it. Would save enough to get a good start with the savings in fuel cost.

The big read is a major accomplishment but worth it for the amount of information on foamies and the evolution of the process. Another good read is GPW's Foamstream thread. This was my inspiration.

[rowerwet]

Making a tear wider than your frame is no big deal. Mostly it will depend on your mental peace of mind.
The normal over hang is 6" on each side to make a five wide tear on a four wide frame. With a floor made of 3\4" plywood you could stand on the edge without that six inches breaking off. You the front wall of the tear and the wall at the foot of the bed should be fully glued to the floor, with the sidewalls of the tear also fully glued to the floor, the weight of the tear is carried by the floor and any weight on the outer edge of the ply is suspended by the sidewalls, which are glued to the front and foot wall.
If you must have the overhang supported from below, brackets can be added to the frame, or a subframe of 1x3s could be added, both are redundant and extra unneeded weight

[Hartse25]

Thanks for the link to your build, George. I was skimming some of the other build threads, but some of them get so long, it's intimidating to try to read them all. Yours was quite manageable and answered a lot of my questions. I think I am leaning more toward a foamie now. I had worried about how strong shelves made of foam would be, but it seems like they will be fine. I was also worried about trying to make my own doors, but buying them is so expensive. After reading your build, I think I could try my own now. Now I'm off to start making a model.

Erin

[ghcoe]

No problem. Glad it was able to help with some questions. Building a model definitely helps quite a bit. Good luck and see you on the forum.