Building lil' Woody

[Tukanu]

The trim pieces for one of the sides are fitted.

Looking great. Did you mill ribs into the horizontal pieces?

Tony

No, I came across those pieces at our local specialty wood store. I went there to buy some plain 1x4's and found these nice pieces for less than the cost of the plain pieces....go figure.

[tony.latham]

[quote]...at our local specialty wood store..[/quote

It should make for a nice touch.

T

[Tukanu]

The side has been stained with red/brown aniline dye. The store where bought the dye suggested sealing the plywood with shellac before staining in order to avoid blotchiness. I contacted WEST epoxy to see if this was a good idea. They said CERTAINLY NOT ! The shellac will prevent the saturation coats of epoxy from sinking into the plywood and maple. Glad I called them first. The red color will deepen when the saturation coats of epoxy are applied. WEST also suggested a tinted spar varnish to give a vintage look.

In the photo you can see the maple has been masked off as the pieces are epoxied into place…I count 25 clamps in this photo!

[Tukanu]

All the maple has been epoxied into place. I’m waiting on the saturation epoxy. In the meantime I couldn’t resist a one sided mockup.

[Pmullen503]

Very Nice!

[tony.latham]

I couldn’t resist ...

She looks fast!



Tony

[Staryder61]

I couldn’t resist ...

She looks fast!



Tony

And very light..........

[Tukanu]

I couldn’t resist ...

She looks fast!



Tony

And very light..........

Aerodynamically speaking, she should be able to leave the ground at about 42 mph. I may need a rear stabilizer!
The side is coming in at 35 lbs. with the maple, so it will be around 50 lbs. with the door....might be on track for a 700 lbs. build???

[pchast]

looks good for staying light...

Like anything else it depends
on what sneaks inside....

[Tukanu]

The first side is now finished. Here are the steps:
My local specialty wood store has a nice selection of ½” maple S4S. I used 4” on the straight bottom pieces and 6” for the curves.

I shaped all the segments of the maple trim in successive order starting at the bottom and dry clamped them in place so that each fit perfectly to the next. I rounded over all for edges of the pieces so that the joints would be very visible. I did not try to hide the joints (see close-up photo).

Next, I stained the plywood with water based dye. I misted the ply first to raise the grain. Then I lightly sanded before staining. You need to work very carefully not to mess with the stained plywood because it is difficult to retouch.

I decided on WEST epoxy because I had used in the past. I like it because it cures with a slight bit of flexibility. I think that is important because a trailer is always flexing as it bounces down the road. I masked off the plywood and each piece to keep the messy epoxy under control. I made small batches of epoxy with a little bit of thickening. I glued the door trim first, then moved on to the top piece where the hatch will meet the top. This is the most crucial fit. I worked my way around the perimeter and finished with the decorative lateral pieces.

The whole exterior needs to be sealed with 2 coats of a penetrating epoxy. I used the Total Boat epoxy designed for deep penetration. It can be thinned with an equal amount of acetone for a deep penetration. I made small batches: two ounces of resin, one ounce of hardener, and two ounces of acetone.

I began by turning the panel upside-down so that I could get a good coat on the bottom edge of the plywood. Then I laid it flat on my sawhorses and finished all the exterior surfaces. After about four hours, when the first coat was still tacky, I applied the second coat of thinned epoxy. It was pretty well cured by the next morning. The epoxy deepened the red color to a deep burgundy, and the maple has a nice amber hue.

[Az Pete]

Looks great!

[Tukanu]

Episode 7: Installing the sidewalls:

The right side went a lot faster since I had the left side as a pattern for all the maple segments. The sides were attached with Heavy Duty Liquid Nails adhesive. I used a whole tube on the bottom 4” of the sides where they attach to the floor. I troweled the adhesive nice and thick for maximum coverage and squeeze out. 10 deck screws were counter sink along each side. The holes will be plugged with maple buttons and sealed with epoxy.

The bulkhead that separates the cabin from the galley was also installed at this time. It holds the sides perfectly vertical and provides most of the lateral stiffness. The inside was painted with a color that kind-of matches the varnished maple.

Next, I will be adding the foot board and galley counter top which will also add to the lateral stiffness.
The weather is turning cooler, so with the main structure pieces in place I will be able to work on some of the smaller components indoors this winter.

[Tukanu]

OPTICAL ILLUSION:

Photo taken at a 45 degree angle to the trailer with a circle superimposed.

[Tukanu]

Episode 8: The Bulkheads

The lateral stiffness comes from the three bulkheads: The main divider between the cabin and galley, the foot board, and the countertop. The first two were rather simple, but the countertop was a bit more challenging.

I decided to use laminate on the countertop. This was a pretty easy job. There are two cutouts for the under-counter storage. Plan “A” was to rout a simple oval with an 1/8th bit. A slip of the router, and it was necessary to go to plan”B”, which was for an oval metal trim. I couldn’t get any manufacturer to respond to my request for trim pieces, so it was on to plan”C”, which was some aluminum C=channel to dress the edges. The end of the countertop had to be cut at a 70degree angle to match the slope of the sides. Next project is the tailgate which will be made of up curved pieces of ply and maple.

[Tukanu]

New doors arrived this week. In for a trial fit: