First time builders - building a "woodie"

[nicoleandkyle]

Hi everyone,

So far we have a 5x8 northern tool trailer which we assembled and painted with truck bed liner.

We've been drawing and redrawing our designs, but I think we're pretty close on how we want the floor and walls at this point. I'll post my drawings later here, as I'm at work right now and don't have access to them.

Currently for our walls we're going to use 3/4" foam, and then we are using pine boards on the inside. We've also decided to use pine boards on the outside. Because of this, I'm starting to think that maybe we don't even need any plywood on the walls at all, and it would just weigh the trailer down more than needed. We plan to fiberglass the entire outside, so will the frame + pine boards + fiberglass be enough for the outside? This is what I'm contemplating today, and any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Nicole

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[FM82]

Hey, Nicole! I'm confused on how the walls will be constructed. When you say pine boards, are you meaning tongue and groove pine for the inside and outside? What will the wall framing that you mentioned be constructed with? Right now, I'm picturing your foam insulation sandwiched in-between tongue and groove (interior and exterior). Am I way off?

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[nicoleandkyle]

Hey, Nicole! I'm confused on how the walls will be constructed. When you say pine boards, are you meaning tongue and groove pine for the inside and outside? What will the wall framing that you mentioned be constructed with? Right now, I'm picturing your foam insulation sandwiched in-between tongue and groove (interior and exterior). Am I way off?

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You're correct. There will be a frame built of 1x4s, 1x3s, and 1x2s with 3/4" foam inserts. And yes tongue and groove pine inside and out.

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[nicoleandkyle]

Hey, Nicole! I'm confused on how the walls will be constructed. When you say pine boards, are you meaning tongue and groove pine for the inside and outside? What will the wall framing that you mentioned be constructed with? Right now, I'm picturing your foam insulation sandwiched in-between tongue and groove (interior and exterior). Am I way off?

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You're correct. There will be a frame built of 1x4s, 1x3s, and 1x2s with 3/4" foam inserts. And yes tongue and groove pine inside and out.

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We're not actually set on the dimensions of the boards to use yet, but I'd like to nail that down tonight if possible.

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[FM82]

I see! Yeah, I agree. I don't see any purpose in adding in a sheet of plywood.

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[Atomic77]

I get the concept, but I feel like pine boards inside and out would make the camper unnecessarily heavy. I mean, that's a lot of wood. I do think someone on here, maybe the conch fritter, did something similar but after a season of use he is already disassembling it for whatever reason. Hopefully others will chime in on this.

[Sparksalot]

I agree with the others on weight concerns. For Rose, I used 3/4" ply for the walls, because 1/4" was the only other option I had for 4x10 oak veneer. Now, 10+ years on, and having built a kayak using 3mm wood (1/8"), I realize that Rose is heavier than needed. The 1/4" would have been fine.

In the end, do what YOU find pleasing to the eye, and go from there.

[steve cowan]

This was built with 1x6 pine tongue and groove sides.No framing or insulation.The individual boards were glued and clamped to make the sidewall panels.








it's garaged when not using.Too much work to leave outside.

[nicoleandkyle]

I see! Yeah, I agree. I don't see any purpose in adding in a sheet of plywood.

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Awesome thank you

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[nicoleandkyle]

This was built with 1x6 pine tongue and groove sides.No framing or insulation.The individual boards were glued and clamped to make the sidewall panels.








it's garaged when not using.Too much work to leave outside.

Oh thanks so much for sharing the pictures too!! We're going to do some colder weather camping so insulation is pretty important to us though. Definitely love hearing that your walls are pine boards and everything is holding up good though!

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[Pmullen503]

Since you plan to fiberglass, I would suggest you use 1/4" wood over a 1.5" foam core. It would be significantly lighter and plenty strong. Just glue the boards to the foam. I would frame around doors, windows and hatches with solid wood so you have something solid to screw into.

My foamie is covered with just canvas over the foam so even 1/4" wood is more than enough.

On cold weather camping; since you have to have ventilation there is a limit to how warm the air can get, even with heat. But it's very comfortable with the right bedding.

[FM82]

I get the concept, but I feel like pine boards inside and out would make the camper unnecessarily heavy. I mean, that's a lot of wood. I do think someone on here, maybe the conch fritter, did something similar but after a season of use he is already disassembling it for whatever reason. Hopefully others will chime in on this.

I do agree with this. Weight may not be a concern for you, but if you do reconsider the design, you may be able to retain a fairly similar look, while saving weight. V-groove beadboard paneling may be something you might be interested in looking into. Only for the interior of course. Original tongue and groove on the exterior. The paneling is much much lighter, and you can find the single groove style that has a very similar appearance as tongue and groove. Minus the knotty pine look, unfortunately. Just an idea. In the end, it's your project to have fun with and learn from.

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[nicoleandkyle]

Thanks for all the input everyone! Here is the thing: my dad owns a lumber yard and has been in the lumber business since he was in high school. I just got off the phone with him and he's thinking we should be using 3/4" cedar on the outside instead, and just use a good deck varnish or something similar. And if we use the PMF method on the top, we could completely cut out the fiberglass/epoxy materials that I originally thought we should use. My problem is also that my dad is a house builder, and he can't get past the idea that our exterior wall would be so thin. He's worried it would be flimsy or as he so eloquently put it "rickety".

I'm totally into the idea that we can scrap our fiberglass plan, but the only cedar he has on hand is 3/4" thick. That seems way too thick imo.. but he says that the 5/16" pine just seems way too flimsy for an outside wall. Any thoughts?

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[Atomic77]

Here's a suggestion... Before you make a decision on the wall materials, dig into the build journals and look at some of the construction methods used there. I in no way want to disrespect your Dad because I'm sure he is a wealth of knowledge as far as wood is concerned. With that said, I do suggest some research into construction methods and materials. For example, campers like Scotty's, Shasta's and the like were constructed with 1/8" plywood interior walls, 1/2"x2 "studs", fiberglass insulation and sheet metal exterior. That's it! Campers are designed to be light and somewhat flexible. I know that seems foreign to a person trained in home building or other "permanent" structures. It is the sum of the parts that create the strength of the camper, not the materials themselves. Here's another example. Our build is 1/4" plywood interior walls, 1/2"x2" studs, 1/2" foam insulation and 1/4" plywood exterior covered in fiberglass. Basically our walls are 1" thick. One Inch. That's it. Also, keep in mind that doors, windows, etc. are designed for this thickness. More than that and you'll run into a bunch of problems with those items, unless of course you use something other than camper windows and doors. The roof is the exception, as they are typically 2x2" spars making the roof a little over 2" thick.

Check out our build journal and see how the walls are built. Also, Check out Dave77 and his Cedar plank Conch Fritter. I did a search and quickly found him and his build. There are many other similar builds in the build journals. Here are some of the ones I personally learned from:

viewtopic.php?t=62386
viewtopic.php?t=60248
viewtopic.php?t=58223
viewtopic.php?t=48630


Hope this helps!


Airplane, not House.

[swoody126]

common(not premium) cedar privacy fencing slats/pickets are only 5/8" thick to start with

you mentioned potentially having lumber yard access

does it have a thickness planer?

you could remove the rough sawn surface and thin the slats at the same time

¿ down to 3/8" or maybe 1/2" ?

if so ponder gathering used cedar fence panels from the CraigsList FREE section and processing the recycled slats thinner and doing your edge treatment(tongue n V-groove) w/ either a shaper or router

our big box stores allow me to pick their stacks as long as i restore the lumber to a neat pile before leaving

speaking of cedar fencing... that process also uses a nice 1x3x8' for horizontal stability which could possibly be used for your ceiling/roof spars reducing weight even a bit more than if using pine

i realize many on this forum and other forums devoted to tears and tiny travel trailers are consumed w/ making the lightest unit possible and that is not wrong when towing w/ undersized TV's or having the desire/need to be able to man handle the trailer solo and to some it is simply a challenge

cedar weighs less than pine

interior/composite painted bead board(i realize Plan A is T&V-groove) paneling can be had in 3/16"x 48"x96" panels from big box stores

https://www.homedepot.com/p/EUCATILE-32 ... /205669196

tongue & V-groove router bit sets can be had thru good tool sources and even Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/MLCS-Tongue-Groo ... 3474&psc=1

kneadless to say i will be folowing your build...

and rememberize

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