Big Bare Essential - Foam Build

[GPW]

Excellent HW bow !!! ... We cut all our foam from those big EPS blocks for the FS … Made me wish I had an 11’ gravity cutter ... Good Luck , don’t breathe the fumes !!!

[LostCajun]

Excellent HW bow !!! ... We cut all our foam from those big EPS blocks for the FS … Made me wish I had an 11’ gravity cutter ... Good Luck , don’t breathe the fumes !!!

I have a idea, might work on it tonight, but tomorrow for sure....rain was supposed to be over....and we just had a big shower a little while ago.....

I am going to make a jig with two alum angles of 8 ft length aligned vertically that will clamp a sheet a sheet of foam, then, I will rig the bow I just made to be gravity fed to cut off either a 4 foot lengthwise or 8 foot lengthwise of foam.....making it a foam cut off saw....chop saw....hopefully nice straight cuts....no dust....plenty of fumes.....will high altitude deep red wine suffice for the I assume that is to wash out the residue from the fumes?

Craig

[GPW]

Just sayin , gravity cutting always produced the straightest cuts in foam … hand pulling always produced little ripples in the surface , easily sanded away ...

[LostCajun]

Reality post....

Reality sets in....

My plan....was to have a box to spend the night in by this time.....

While 'work'....isn't the culprit, as it would have been in a past life....life is more of the culprit, as the ability to be a full-time participant is usually always at hand.....that and the limitations of living in the small confines of a RV and a couple of outbuildings, where all 'work' must be done outside, under improvised cover at best...and while I have more goodies (old junk tools) than a lot of RV full timers....until now it has been spread out in multiple places, and finding and staging a work space usually takes many times the actual time to do anything.....

That said, I have a few hundred hours into this project and quite a few things that are ready to be acted upon with the knowledge and experience of others all jumbled in a semi organized pile to pull from....and most of everything....materials and tools....all lined up....like soldiers in formation....most within arms reach....ready to pounce on....ready with multiple methods for most assemblies....and willing to jump from one to the other....

My big work thrust has been to cope with the season change...from too hot for me individually to work just a few weeks ago....to now....cold and wet...so, while its now cool enough for me to work a few hours a day, how do I work? how do I get glue and paint to dry? So, I am getting new tarp covers and walls, and moving all shop equipment in place (close space to the work, under cover, and securing and weatherizing lockable covers for big shop pieces....) (and most importantly...everything in a place where each days setup is minimum....instead of it being the extent of time my current abilities allow me on a given day....frustrating at best...) at the pace I am going....I will be ready to get to work on the camper....by mid summer 2019....

Actually...working with super strut and other cool things is just about over....then I will be trying to figure out how to use my 40k BTU propane construction heater and backup big buddy.....

If I finish hanging tarps later today, we are supposed to have a few more sunny days, so I will probably try dry fitting more things, finalizing more of the design (if there is such a thing) and maybe even some assembly....I believe I have finally overcome just about every hangup to just building....so I am looking to getting it together...

Craig

[LostCajun]

I have been playing with dolls...and models of foamy campers...



Checking out the essentials...



Sizing up the bed....



Stretched out for the night...



Got the tri-fold bed up in the sofa position, and eyeing up whether to put up a little dinette? Plenty enough room...



making sure on the room....



might be time for a snooze on the sofa...have to curl up those legs...won't happen on a leg cramping day....



making up the bed....



time to get to building...

Still have some more modeling to do....everything is pretty close to scale, except for the wheels....and tongue....wheels are left over from a pinewood derby, and the axle is the floorboard....

I might try to trim 3 to 4 inches off the top in the back....I built the model as a simple box to max dimensions to start with....haven't included any radius to edges or smoothing....or anything fancy....not yet.....I also went up to maximum height all around....now its decision time....

I am thinking about playing around with the idea of dropping a few inches from the top and then rounding off the front and top by extending the front with a streamlined cap.....then in the rear....maybe extend a back porch roof....plenty of ideas....and the foam for modeling is cheap enough to make a few goes at it....

I may even try some build up compound curves....just for fun....

At least with the model, and the doll (thats me)....I can see where I am willing to compromise on height

Interested in your ideas....

Craig

[GPW]

Nice model , great for spacial visualization ... Is it “scale" … ?

[LostCajun]

Nice model , great for spacial visualization ... Is it “scale" … ?

It is....really close...

The doll is shoulder width accurate and height accurate....the bed is accurate for a tri-fold bed found on amazon....it folds out to short queen size, each 'cushion' is 26" wide....I am looking at the six inch thick model...

The potty is width and depth accurate....

The front upper deck is the width of a 4x8 sheet of 3/4"...

The side walls are accurate for a 4x8 sheet, and a 1 foot high strip above it....I did keep all cuts to scale....so I can layout my cut sheets....I did not allow for thickness of foam used in the model....not for the first model....

I believe I am some inaccurate in lower box height when taken in with upper deck thickness.....I need to recheck this, as I want to lower overall height to head scraping tall only in rear of cabin....as essential....

Then I can start shaping the exterior....seeing where I can trim away from the box....and add to it....

I am leaning to building a box...and then just add foam....'caps' to create shaping......

The main reason to build the model was to visualize how the bed choice was going to work, and where to place the windows, since putting the door in the rear....opens up more choices for side window placement.

Craig

[GPW]

“ I am leaning to building a box...and then just add foam....'caps' to create shaping…… There , that’s the ticket … to make pretty Boxes !

The scale model is a Great idea … Aside from determining if it has the room you need , once you build the model , you have a great idea how the big one goes together… like building it Twice, and we all know how it always comes out Better the second time around ( mini-practice )

[LostCajun]

“ I am leaning to building a box...and then just add foam....'caps' to create shaping…… There , that’s the ticket … to make pretty Boxes !

The scale model is a Great idea … Aside from determining if it has the room you need , once you build the model , you have a great idea how the big one goes together… like building it Twice, and we all know how it always comes out Better the second time around ( mini-practice )

I believe next I will scale up a Tow Vehicle, with tire height, hitch height, wheelbase, and back of vehicle flat area to be accurate....so I can see how the extended tongue and any 'strap ons' 'front caps' might work out....

The creative 'copying' juices are flowing....looking for ideas to copy....from truck 'strap ons' to that super duper tow vehicle and car that I know I have seen pictures floating around on this website.....where the end of the car and the beginning of the trailer are hardly distinguishable where they meet....

I am thinking....build a squared up box.....with attachment points.....one could add a front cap....a roof of ones choice....a rear treatment....even fenders ( go for some 1950's styling).....but, most definitely thinking about transisitioning the car to trailer air flow in 'area' and in 'proximity'......I might even get me a fan and some smoke and do a wind test.....

Building for me....whatever it is....has always been most of the fun....especially if someone says ....I can't....

Besides....Winter isn't coming.....Winter is HERE....looks like I am more likely to see the end of Game of Thrones before I am able to glue up and paint the real trailer....

I did get my 4x8......squared up and level 'SOLID' building table done yesterday.....outside....it got up to 70 degrees.....but.....we are looking for 32 for low tomorrow morning and similar as far as the calendar goes out....If I would have only got a few weeks of yesterdays weather.....but, it seems we only got 3 or 4 days like that this fall....it has been wet and cold....

I am also working to get my outside covered work area 'winter' workable to some extent...time will tell

[rjgimp]

Well, here I am late to the party yet again. All dressed up and arrive at the dance hall and everyone is gone, the lights turned off, and streamers dangling in the breeze. I have been really looking forward to seeing how this project was going to turn out. I hope Lost Cajun is ok. He hasn't visited the site at all in nearly a year.


The scale model with the doll was brilliant! Many have modeled their builds in the planning stages, but I don't think I have seen anyone use a scaled humanoid figure.

[LostCajun]

Well, here I am late to the party yet again. All dressed up and arrive at the dance hall and everyone is gone, the lights turned off, and streamers dangling in the breeze. I have been really looking forward to seeing how this project was going to turn out. I hope Lost Cajun is ok. He hasn't visited the site at all in nearly a year.


The scale model with the doll was brilliant! Many have modeled their builds in the planning stages, but I don't think I have seen anyone use a scaled humanoid figure.

Wow! how time flies...and mostly where I don't want to go...at least for some time....

I wasn't going to be 'that' dreamer....not on this forum....not since I made double ding dang sure that i had all the pieces laying around....had a good idea of what i wanted to do....(something that someone had already figured out all the hard stuff)....I just had to gitrdone....

Well.....my body had other ideas and definite plans.....it took a while to ride that out and turn most of it around....at least what can be turned around.....might have to build a crane, hoist, gantry....or other such stuff....before I build anything on the trailer....

But......I have gotten on a strange kick lately.....move once....and nail it down.....or toss it out and go get some other junk to take its place.....

So, as I was looking at the flooring pieces yesterday.....all cut out....and all the hardware....just sitting there....and then I looked outside and saw the empty trailer.....its a no-brainer.....its trailer time!

I can't carry anything anymore....so first I have to build to myself a lumber cart, I am going to fashion a plywood and scraps lumber station on two 18" x30" furniture dollys......I am only ever lifting those plywood sheets one time again.....

So, let the journey begin.....again....

[rjgimp]

I'll have to make triple ding dang sure I continue following along!