Beginning the meatloaf build.

[dales133]

My galley spent 3 weeks clamped to the kitchen bench and the dining room tables been a carpeting/electrical shop for about the same...she hasn't grizzled much I think she can see what it's going to look like now and realized she likes it, she did think I was mad!
Nice job and keep the pictures coming

[Dalorin]

My galley spent 3 weeks clamped to the kitchen bench and the dining room tables been a carpeting/electrical shop for about the same...she hasn't grizzled much I think she can see what it's going to look like now and realized she likes it, she did think I was mad!
Nice job and keep the pictures coming

Thank you Sir! I will indeed keep them coming.

[noseoil]

Looking good! I have to agree, a router is an incredible tool to use. There are so many different ways of using it that there's really no limit. It's like having a portable milling machine at your disposal.

[S. Heisley]

You're doing a good job and doing it quick, too!

[Dalorin]

Thanks Sharon!

Cut out the exterior skins for the camper. I used 1/4 veneer core birch plywood. One of the things that bothers me is that all domestic 1/4 ply is mdf. The foreign veneer core ply has really thin exterior veneer. Still, I'm not going to use mdf core for my exterior skins. Make the best with what I can get my grubby little hands on.

[Dalorin]

Cut the first of my galley dado templates. The idea here is that I'm going to cut identical dados on the insides of both of the walls. The galley cabinets will slip into these dados during glue up. That way the galley adds to the overall strength of the camper.

I have a set of short profile template guides for my router that will allow me to use 1/4 ply as a template. I will cut the dados with a 3/4" straight bit.

I would have had both of my templates done tonight but I made a mistake when measuring twice and cutting once. I forgot to measure the second time.

[noseoil]

Have to agree with veneer core plywood in general. The MDF core just isn't as good structurally & weighs more. If it added weight & strength, that would be a different situation, but it doesn't. The import veneer core is a better product in general, with more going for it in this application. Nice work with the router on your panels, they look great.

I'm using 1/4" BB plywood as a combined bulkhead & structural (shear) panel between the galley & cabin. The walls, floor & top rib (the hatch rib in this case) all make up the framework with dados & the panel is the reinforcement in the middle. Cabinets attach to the front & back of the bulkhead (a common backing for both sets of cabinets). It adds to the structural strength (twisting) and saves some weight.

[Dalorin]

Have to agree with veneer core plywood in general. The MDF core just isn't as good structurally & weighs more. If it added weight & strength, that would be a different situation, but it doesn't. The import veneer core is a better product in general, with more going for it in this application. Nice work with the router on your panels, they look great.

I'm using 1/4" BB plywood as a combined bulkhead & structural (shear) panel between the galley & cabin. The walls, floor & top rib (the hatch rib in this case) all make up the framework with dados & the panel is the reinforcement in the middle. Cabinets attach to the front & back of the bulkhead (a common backing for both sets of cabinets). It adds to the structural strength (twisting) and saves some weight.

Nose,
Sounds like you and I have similar plans. My galley bulkheads are going to be a combination of 1x4 frame and 3/4 cabinet faces cut from ply. 3/4 ply is very heavy but most of it will be cut away for the cabinet doors and drawer faces. I will join these different frame types together using tongue and goove joints. The reason that I'm using 3/4 ply for the cabinet faces is that the doors and drawer faces will set flush into the facing and have rounded corners with a large radius. It's very important to me to have an art deco style in the galley. I want this camper to be my home away from home and I want it to have all that that entails. The cabinet doors themselves can just be 1/4 ply with a 3/4 frame around the edges to lower weight.

[Dalorin]

I have both dado templates cut out and I cut out the template for the Fredrick's hatch.

[Dalorin]

Now that the dado and hatch templates are created I can cut the blocking away from the wall frames. I will be honest, this is a procedure that I'm dreading. Most people use a template to do this but I'm going to venture down a different path and use an edge guide on my router. I'm delaying cutting the blocking away until the weather clears up. It took a while to get the tool setup and calibrated and I'm really not comfortable using my router in this fashion yet. I want to get some practice first on some scrap wood.

[Dalorin]

This has absolutely nothing to do with the build. However, it is a fantastic way to start the day.

Cheers Mate!

[KCStudly]

The thing I have found about using the router is that it really pays to do a dry run. Just going thru the motions with the router off can reveal things like cord management, and awkward transitions that would otherwise be a problem during the actual cut.

That said, I have had a few oops'. The thing is It might not end up perfect, and you might have a false cut or two, but you can usually fix it with a little filler or a dutchman.

[kayakdlk]

You build looks great, lots of good progress.
Dan

[Dalorin]

Yesterday I used the router guide, jigsaw, and chop saw to free the blocking from the wall frames. I was dreading this so I was really pleased that it came out as well as it did.

Tonight I'm going to pick up the retro style Wilsonart laminate that I special ordered. It has the boomerang pattern in a mint, cream, and beige palette.

Next step is gluing the outer skins to the wall frames. Back to the kitchen!

[Dalorin]

I realized that I had one more step before I could glue the outer skins to the wall frame. If you are familiar with the fredricks hatch then you know that it uses a 1/2" lip that goes up into the lid and makes a seal from the elements. I need this 1/2" piece to rest perfectly against the galley bulkheads. Earlier in this thread you saw where I created dado templates for the bulkheads. So, I took the 1/2" ply (for the lip) and flush cut it to the wall frame, then used the same dado setup that I will use when cutting the bulkhead dados in the walls. Once this was complete, I used a jigsaw to cut on the edge of the dado. Then all I had to do was clone it using the flush cut bit on my router.

The build feels slow going at this point. My mother used to say, 'You know how you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.' So that's what I'm doing. Each night I'm trying to get something done no matter how minuscule it seems.