jj's tiny build

[Kingston]

ready, steady, go.....
first clear yourself a space.
so the old project is on its way to its new home.

I am reusing a donation trailer for my first build.
the wheels are in the wrong place so first job is to strip it down and move the axel back 6 inches

so after some bolt wrestling, lots of measuring, drilling and new bolts

looks like I have done nothing, but drink tea and chat about the weather...

[aggie79]

That was quite a prior project!

Looks like you have a good foundation for your current build.

[Kingston]

cheers aggie, I have read your build, and loved every second.

well slow day today almost downed, by a little metal plate.

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the alko axel is a 1/2 tonne, the original plan called for 6mm ply inner skin, celotex insulation, 75mm spars and a aluminium outer, polycarbonate windows, and aluminium framed doors, with the weight of the chassis this would take us to 500kg still within our 750kg theoretical un-braked class maximum but now its easy to go over our axel weight, if we add say a mattress and spare wheel.

Tea time, today was gunpowder (a lose leaf green tea, as we all forgot to get milk) and a cheeky little ginger biscuit, then it started to snow to add to the misery.

After some discussion it was decided we need to lose the aluminium skin and possibly go from a roomy 8 ft long to a cosy 7 ft, lose pretty much all of the galley until lightweight options revealed themselves.

As we are standing clutching our rapidly cooling tea a biplane flies over, someone comments "we should build one of them instead." and out comes the paper and pencils, biplanes a light wood structure with a skin pulled over the frame and hardened with an epoxy, there is an air race each year that the contestants essentially need to build there aircraft using that exact method, so its strong or as strong as the materials
We also looked at boat-building for the lloyd's approved marine epoxies. and was quite taken with porcher surfboard cloth that when coated in clear epoxy becomes transparent allowing the woody beauty to come through.

So this is now the plan
traditional benroy shape
single outer skin 6mm ply incorporating one door each side with polycarbonate windows, woven glass reinforcement on all the seams.
construction method stitch and glue.
insulation 3-6mm close cell foam possibly fabric coated as an interior liner.

I am also quit taken with Biotex Fibres which would give a sneaky tiki look.

Biotex natural reinforcements provide the high performance and easy processing normally associated with glass fibre composites but with lower weight and environmental impact. They are suitable for semi-structural and decorative applications in sectors such as automotive, construction, marine, sports and consumer goods.

Biotex Flax uses a unique Twistless Technology to ensure a high degree of fibre alignment, impregnation and performance.

time to go do some costing and ordering.

[Kingston]

So we have 2 icy winter storms battling over the uk.
10 ft snow drifts, with the general winter chaos, as people get that, snow and summer tyres are not a good combination.
Break out the captain scotts expedition tea.
A tot of rum for the workers, a waggy finger for the shirkers.
Normal play will be resumed next week.

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All the time was mostly spent in planning and ordering.
First was the H13212TAE (Encore 30) Lloyds GP Resin 25kg a general purpose resin is used by professionals who require a top quality, pre-accelerated, thixotropic, orthophthalic resin suitable for a wide range of applications LLOYD’s Register of Shipping approved.
Manufactured by one of the worlds leading producers of resins, it is formulated to provide high quality mouldings whilst keeping styrene emissions low, allowing a better working environment.
Comes in a range of colours I ordered clear, I can add all sorts to it was contemplating a silver mica I will have to play with that.

Then the wood.
The Nose
1x Bendy Flexible Plywood Cross Grain 5mm x 1220 x 2440mm, Bendy plywood is constructed from several veneers all running the same direction which allows excellent flexibility either across or along the grain.
Often used where a curve surface is required.

The Floor
2 x 5mm x 1220 x 2440mm marine plywood
manufactured to BS1088: 2003 standard.
Marine plywood has no surface defects and is fully structural it is also designed to be used in high humidity, damp areas.
will be sandwiching a 75mm sheet of insulation between two boards.

The Walls
2 x 5mm x 1220 x 2440mm Softwood Plywood
EN636-2 & BS5268 (E1) graded ply can be used internally and externally.
A Structural plywood stable and workable making it the ideal choice for numerous building applications.

The Galley and Hatch
3 x 5mm x 1220 x 1830mm Softwood Plywood
EN636-2 & BS5268 (E1) same as above just smaller.

I have lots and lots of 25mm framing wood from pallet deliveries this will be used as strengthening throughout the build, but whilst planning my local wood merchant mentioned they do cnc flat sheet cutting so I have asked for a little cutting.

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2 of each from a 25mm sheet, the wheel covers door surround and a bracer / decoration for the front.
oh and getting sketchup to output a dwg file after your trial has expired...pain in the neck but i found a solution from NB70 on github sketchup-dxf-stl-exporter

to stick it all together
Aerodux 185 Resorcinol Wood Glue
Liquid phenol-resorcinol resin adhesive for wood. A two-part system which provides a waterproof, structural bond.
Aerodux 185 is a 2 Pack resorcinol resin adhesive. Totally waterproof, resorcinol resin is recommended for use not only in structural timber applications but also for demanding and critical applications such as fire doors. Used extensively for bonding difficult timbers and can also be used to bond materials such as expanded polystyrene, plastic laminates, natural rubbers and some sheet metals. Can be used if required in hot pressing applications.
Mixed by weight. Ratio of mix 5 parts resin to 1 part powder.
its mightily expensive but I have glued stuff with it before and it does everything it claims so its on the list.


After reading and reading other builds, there was one must have tool to start the game off.
round 1
the Impakt P1 Portable Pocket Hole Jig VS Kreg R3 Jr. Pocket Hole Jig
FIGHT!!!
They are both pretty similar, both included:
•Pocket Hole Jig • Standard 3/8 Pocket-hole bit with depth collar and Allen wrench • 6-inch #2 square drive bit • 50 screws • instruction manual
both have the same capability range.
the Impakt P1 has a magnetic clamp base and is cheaper...
the Kreg R3 has metal drill guides and a Lifetime warranty.
the deal maker for me, after a little chat the supplier was willing to throw in a screw kit with the kreg if I bought one with the clamp.
We have a winner!

[Kingston]

finally, chase off winter with an angry fist
also not been idle just a little occupied

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one of the lads is getting married so we are building a little wedding transport style surprise.

so on with my build stripped the trailer right down to discover its galvanised, whoo hoo lucky me.

the old chipboard base needed a little thumping to get it to release its slimy wet grip but it eventually let lose.

aaaaannnnnd onto a quick frame with the 75mm insulation sandwiched in the middle


still on the captain scotts but think its nice enough to swap to something fruity, like a licorice tea.

[willrothfuss]

I'll be following your build- it looks very light and well thought out. I wondered if anyone had considered using bendy ply (we call it wiggle ply over here.) I used it occasionally when I was a cabinetmaker.

Love your witty Brit writing style, too. This will be an entertaining build.

[Kingston]

cheers, I like a good read and one that brings a smile, so I try to do the same.

as you probably guessed I love my tea, and you will always find some tea related shenanigans in my posts.
today i received in a "you need to sign for this." package a packet of yellow sun tea
yellow tea is placed in huge baskets surrounded by stoves of smouldering coal and baked over the course of several days. The leaves are carefully turned at intervals, and the process can take up to a week to complete.
it did not go well with Mrs wrights fruit cake
think wet bonfire in a cup.

So as the British weather warm to a expectant 15 degrees C quenched by sudden patches of rain, I progress


discovered the aerodux glue is excellent at bonding the sides to the base, shirts to trousers and dirt to hands, there is no cleaning method. discovered this after master Wright spent 15 minutes trying to unglue his cup of wet smoked grass from his hand.

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Also discovered the merits of a square door, should have kept that simple.

[Kingston]

So I have decided "work" gets in the way of things we like to do, it also causes us to rush unnecessarily and generally mess things up.
it all starts with this

white base with a ghost carbon and a mica pearl top finish.
this sample generates a call to me, that eventually sees me hopping on a flight to Spain, the sky taxis have no concept or a good cup of tea, could be the altitude and boiling water, three hours of flying for a quick product meeting, its the mica pearl they are realy interested in.

3 days later we have this product, mainly because the rain followed me from the uk and it was nicer inside than out

mica pearl pigment in vinyl, white pearl, silver pearl, gold pearl, and a chocolate pearl.
one happy customer and I come home with a sample of my own

yes, I am over simplifying it but its not the main part of the build.

back to my build happy with the interior or maybe the exterior either way its a nice product, then as wifu and I are enjoying an evening of giggling over cat videos, we spot a local car show, one evening event with live band, but its a camp over...
if I

glass and resin the doors

fit hinges

fit the slam latched
fit the windows (if you look closely you can see where the workshop cat decided to walk across the wet door...twice)

and magic up some sort of mudguards and possibly mangineer a rear hatch (screw some ply on the hole)
it would do us for one night.
I have a little play with my vinyl then we are away for a camp out

we meet three other travel trailer owners and have a great time.
on the way back we notice the little trailer is bouncing a lot and get back to the workshop to find


part of the chassis rail has twisted
think its time to build a better chassis.