Name of construction method

[springdew]

I have no idea which sub forum to ask this question in. It doesn't seem to fit the categories.

I haven't been able to find out the name of the construction method I've seen used with some vardos and I think I've seen it elsewhere too but can't remember where. The Wandering Book Artists used the method here - http://www.baymoon.com/~ukulelebooks/Gy ... uction.htm

They framed it out with 2x2s then laid tongue and groove on the inside of the frame. Then foam board insulation and then boards on the inside. So the framing remains on the exterior. I've seen other people doing it this way too but never a reference to the name of the method so I can research it more.

I'd like to know about proper uses and limits with this method. Do you happen to know what it's called?

[noseoil]

If it was a house, I'd call it conventional "stick framing" like you would use in regular home building. For a vardo, remember that the walls meet at the shelf on the outside corner. There needs to be something to keep the walls from pushing down on the lower sides & breaking at the shelf (a weak point unless it's reinforced form the outside).

The one I saw here recently (sorry, don't remember which thread it was in) had some nice corbels added to the outside, to support the walls at the shelf (angle braces). It stiffens up the weak point, adds structural strength & looked nice too.

If you have a hardwood supply in your area somewhere, you could get some 4/4 poplar & make 1x2's (3/4" x 1 1/2" sticks) for the framework. This would be plenty strong & keep things light as well. Unless you need the look of T&G inside, some 1/8" baltic birch plywood would be much lighter, plenty strong & could be trimmed out to look nice. Birch can take a stain in almost any color you can think of and finishes nice & smooth with a minimum amount of work. With just a little trim & molding detail work, you can make it look like frame & panel construction without the weight. It would also provide an air-tight interior against bugs, cold & water. Just something to think about. Don't rule out anything if you're just in the planning stages. Keep it all on the table until it's time to build, then discard what you don't like & keep what you do.

With 1 1/2" foam insulation, you could use some T&G outside, but I would have it planed down to 1/2" to save weight if possible. No reason you can't build light & strong at the same time. Just my $0.02 worth. tim

[bobhenry]

Tongue and grove siding was the preferred sheathing method up until the introduction of plywood.



The framing method (the bones) remain unchanged. You will need to hold onto your wallet when you purchase t&g now days
It has become a rather expensive option.

Here is what wikipedia had to say .................

A strong joint, the tongue and groove joint is widely used for re-entrant angles. The effect of wood shrinkage is concealed when the joint is beaded or otherwise moulded.[1] In expensive cabinet work, glued dovetail and multiple tongue and groove are used.

Tongue and groove is a method of fitting similar objects together, edge to edge, used mainly with wood, in flooring, parquetry, panelling, and similar constructions. Tongue and groove joints allow two flat pieces to be joined strongly together to make a single flat surface. Before plywood became common, tongue and groove boards were also used for sheathing buildings and to construct concrete formwork.

Each piece has a slot (the groove) cut all along one edge, and a thin, deep ridge (the tongue) on the opposite edge. The tongue projects a little less than the depth of the groove. Two or more pieces thus fit together closely. The joint is not normally glued, as shrinkage would then pull the tongue off.

In another assembly method, the pieces are end-matched. This method eliminates the need for mitre joints, face nailing, and the use of joints on 16-inch (410 mm) or 24-inch (610 mm) centres of conventional framing.

For many uses, tongue and groove boards have been rendered obsolete by the introduction of plywood and later composite wood boards, but the method is still used in higher-quality flooring. Plywood may also be tongued all round to fit it flush into a framed structure, and plywood for sub-floors used in platform framing is often supplied with tongue and groove edges

[Tomterrific]

The sideing is called board and batten, if I understood you correctly. The boards are put up and the gap between is covered with a small board, the batten. This could be both the sideing and the frameing on a small shed. Or a camping trailer.

I posted a concept recently about using old cedar fence boards for the sides and corregated metal roofing for the roof. A very rustic teardrop where lack of craftsmanship is a plus.

Edit: I looked at the pictures. I think the outside is just beadboard which is thin 4x8 panels with the pattern embossed on it. This could be built on the 2x2 framing then erected or the framing built first and the beadboard added later. Either way, it's a great look. The interior tongue and groove boards are added later for more strength.

Tom

[bobhenry]

Board and batten runs vertically .

It is clear in the vardo build pictures the tongue and grove siding is running horizontally. What may be confusing the issue is they have chosen to leave the exoskeleton framing exposed on the outside to make it look more like a wagon and less like a house.

[mezmo]

I'd call it "an exposed frame" variation on the Reading style of Vardo. That style has the
slanted straight sidewalls - my favorite style of Vardo, BTW. They did some nice modern adaptations
by incorporating the low steel sidewalls of the base trailer and sandwiching the foam insulation
between the tongue and groove wall covering layers.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[M C Toyer]

It is certainly an innovative and attractive build.

Question for those more knowledgeable: I can't tell if the arched roof spars are sawn, laminated, or steam bent but in any case would they be sufficiently strong to keep the upper walls from spreading and the roof sagging without some horizontal bracing like collar ties? Other than the front wall there does not appear to be any.

I recognize the copper roof is not that heavy but I can't tell is there is solid decking underneath - was thinking the stress might come from the weight of the outward leaning walls and vibration when in transit.

M C

[bobhenry]

On of the pictures is captioned " laminated pine beams" so I am guessing several thin plys added layer by layer and glued and then placed in a form to make the arch.

?????????????

[springdew]

Yup the rafters are laminated sugar pine.

[aggie79]

Actually horizontal or vertical orientation has nothing to do with siding type/construction.

Board and batten construction consist of parallel "boards", usually butt-jointed together, with "battens" nailed/affixed over the butt joints. Tongue and groove is just board to board with no batten. Either can be horizontal, vertical, or angled.

And then there is lap siding, shiplap siding and other variations of the theme.

[azgreg]

Actually horizontal or vertical orientation has nothing to do with siding type/construction.

Board and batten construction consist of parallel "boards", usually butt-jointed together, with "battens" nailed/affixed over the butt joints. Tongue and groove is just board to board with no batten. Either can be horizontal, vertical, or angled.

And then there is lap siding, shiplap siding and other variations of the theme.

Now you're just showing off.

[springdew]

My understanding of battens is that their sole function is to cover seams, and that the framing of a board and batten wall is still interior studs. In the depicted construction, the exterior members are framing studs (just small ones), and don't run the length of seams. Otherwise I would agree about the label. But it could be that the definition of battens is broader than I'm aware of.

[aggie79]

My understanding of battens is that their sole function is to cover seams, and that the framing of a board and batten wall is still interior studs. In the depicted construction, the exterior members are framing studs (just small ones), and don't run the length of seams. Otherwise I would agree about the label. But it could be that the definition of battens is broader than I'm aware of.

Board and batten is typically installed over a framed wall. If the board and batten is to be installed vertically (or any other siding for that matter) and the framing is vertical, then either the framing is sheathed in plywood or 1x3 or 1x4 strapping is nailed horizontally to the framing to provide a surface for nailing the siding.

Battens are not intended to be structural but they do contribute the strength of the wall panel assembly. Often the primary reason to use battens is mostly aesthetic to provide shadow lines to break up a large expanse of a flat panel.