Tall Tails - an adventure into Teardropdom with an NT 5x8

[KTM_Guy]

I was reading a blog from a couple that would put a RTT (Foot Top Tent) on their tear for the grandkids. Might be an option.


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[Scotter]

man oh man i am waaaay behind on updates. been a busy 2018 in a lot of ways and although i haven't gotten as far as i wanted with the build so far this year, progress is still progress. anyway...

made a bunch of sawdust in December:

i was happy with my sidewall profile from the prior weekend, so i put the remaining spliced 4x9 plywood sheet on top of the profiled one, steadied it solid with a bunch of clamps (you can NEVER have enough clamps, this is a natural law), and was able to exactly copy it with a simple flush trim bit run all the way around with my router.


then i went back to the first profiled wall.  i wanted to finish this one completely so that meant step 1 was to route out the 4-3/4" skirt that will cover the side of the floor and side of the trailer frame.  1/4" deep with a straight bit, going back and forth about a half inch at a time until i made it to the straight-edge fence.


next up was to follow around the front and top edge with a 1-5/8" route, using the same bit, to give the roof stringers a ledge to mount on.  the trick was i needed a flexible fence to help guide the router.  we don't do cable TV anymore so i found some old coax that was stiff but flexible enough to bend the radius.  then i Griswalded it into place.



worked awesome.  cleaned up any small irregularities by freehand routing it very carefully in tiny sections where needed.


i hired a day laborer for jobsite cleanup.  payout in animal crackers.


then i held my breath and started cutting out the cavities for insulation as well as the side door with my jigsaw.  the door will be 26W x 36H.  incredible how much lighter this makes the walls.


hit my dinnertime cutoff so had to lay everything back up on the trailer, but it was so cool to see the 2 identical wall profiles and 1 essentially done.


the next day, i finished cutting the other wall, and piled a yard sale up on mah pretty birch! adhesive used was Titebond III spread nice and even across the ply and left to cure over 12 hours. it was awkward to line up and get the seam where i wanted, but we made it happen.


interior walls skins glued up great and got trimmed flush with a laminate router bit.

[Scotter]

had ourselves a barn raising.  psychologically i can't describe how it feels going from a flat trailer with a nice floor to "holy crap this is what my brain was trying to picture the last 2 years".



marking out dimensions to ensure i can carry my precious, cold beer cargo


felt like Christmas again when this box showed up.  almost all the electrical system goodies....at the time i was still missing an outlet, the battery, and the solar panel.  but i'd been geeking out and refining the wiring schematic.  


we have no plans to run any serious electrical loads in the camper like a microwave or A/C - just little stuff like lights, fan, charging ports and a 2-speaker stereo. for that reason we took inspiration from the infamous "super simple wiring setup" but added a small solar panel as well for boondocking here and there. the main bits so far:

• Renogy 100W rigid panel (still working on a way to mount it)
• 10ft of MC4 cable extension
• VmaxTanks 125ah AGM battery
• BlueSolar 75/10 MPPT solar charge controller
• BlueSea Systems 6-circuit fuse block
• 30amp breaker between battery/solar controller

here's the wiring diagram.  i forgot to add that the charger has its own 10A fuse on the positive line as well. 

"overhead lights" is basically the galley lighting, "porch lights" are the outdoor lights over the doors, and "stereo" will basically just consist of a cheap headunit and 2 6-in speakers mounted in the galley hatch.

put it all together and first test of the battery system worked!  the solar panel isn't wired in yet (just 2 wires) and no formal wiring runs to the interior lights, but i was able to confirm that:
• the main fuse panel is getting power
• the kill switch works
• the solar charge controller is seeing power and sending it to the fuse panel
• and the battery charger is doing its job.

here's a Contigo Jr Pro Tuff Bin, 35x15-1/2x13 turned into a tongue box.  i fitted 1x1 aluminum square tubing to the bottom front/back to support the bin across the frame.  it'll need it - the battery alone is 75lbs.  the tubing is attached at each corner with grade8 bolts and nylock nuts.


i wanted the charger and a 3-way extension cord splitter to live onboard in the bin at all times, so i needed a way to get AC power through the side in a weatherproof way.  this Marinco 15A charger inlet did the trick and will keep water out as its intended as a hookup for boats and has nice rubber gasketing.  on the other side of the inlet, i chopped the plug off the splitter and the wires plug easily into ports on the back side of the inlet.


the guts.  from right to left - power comes through the inlet to the yellow outdoor rated GFCI 3-way splitter.  from there i have the CTEK charger/tender plugged in to charge/manage the battery whenever we have shore power to hook up to.  the 6-circuit fuse panel, solar controller, and kill switch live on a piece of scrap 1x4 bolted to the back of the bin because i'm fancy.  the kill switch leads to a 10A fuse and finally the battery itself.  the battery is then grounded to the frame.  i used 10AWG wire throughout for a good safety margin, says its good up to 30 amps, which is waaaay more than i should ever be pulling from my gaggle of LED lights, a fan, and a little stereo at most.  i'm in the process of adding some 1.5" round mini vents along the back at the top, and more will go at the bottom to allow air circulation for the electronics, and being on the back they'll be protected from rain spray during transit.  ignore the crappy weather stripping around the edge, i'm working on it.


lights are on! nothing's on fire yet! woohoo!


lastly, had to see if the fuse panel was live and ready to send power.  we got some juice flowing!


did i do anything stupid? please let me know!

[Scotter]

and just like that, we have a ceiling



the gaps between the wall and ceiling, and wall and floor are ugly but we'll get those covered up. 


minor seam joint will be covered by a run of cubbie storage nooks so no big deal.


my son trying out his future bunk space


we'll run these cedar closet planks up the front wall for a couple feet, as a "headboard"

[Scotter]

nothing like the aroma of a hamster cage to start off your day in the wilderness    this is about half of the finished height as our "headboard". this is just good old cedar shiplap closet liner, secured with Loctite PL3000 construction adhesive.


got the cooler slideout done.  the slides are rated for 500lbs, which is hilariously overkill but i had to get that rating because there was nothing else in a 22 inch throw that had enough capacity to comfortably hold a full 75 gallon cooler.  




the slideout is constructed of 1x2's that are both glued/screwed and coated with spar urethane for water/condensation resistance.  i built 4 "landing pads" for where the cooler feet will sit, and we'll store some counter extensions behind it since the cooler sits more to the front.  the frame LOOKS flimsy, but i pulled it the entire way out, put the cooler on, and then LAID on top of the cooler with my feet completely off the ground and aside from a little suspension sag, not a single creak.  i'm 170lbs, and i doubt the cooler will ever be over 150...we simply can't fit more than 50lbs. of ice, at the most, and still have room for the amount of food we usually take.



again, keeping with the teardrop motto so many have said here: "build it like a plane, not a tank".  i guess i'll find out soon if i'll need to add reinforcements.

[Scotter]

got a bit more done yesterday.  

fitted the insulation panels to the passenger side voids.  this job SUCKS.  i'm still picking styrofoam bits out of my hair and clothes....and i still haven't finished the other side.


got the first interior light installed and working.  its a dual-mode LED unit, we can pick either natural light or bright white....i think we'll pick this natural light 99% of the time.  i ran out of adhesive to mount the remaining runs of cedar plank, so back to home depot....again....


cut down some salvaged/scrap lumber to make the wall between the cabin and galley.  this was all leftover/junk wood originally...the Poplar on the top/bottom is our old bed frame rails, the Walnut trim is scrap i salvaged from my granddad's shop (seen elsewhere in the cabin too) and the cedar was cut down from a leftover 4x4 post from my wife's potting bench build.  clamped/glued overnight and not quite high enough, but i'll put a filler plank on the bottom to take up the room and you'll never see it anyway since my son's foam mattress will be laying in front of it.  same with the sides...had to leave a gap because the walls aren't 100% square and i'll fill that in with matching birch scrap when its finalized.


showing the profile.  the trim stands a bit proud and the cedar is mean to look inlaid.


view from the back, this will be mostly covered by cabinets.  starting to put in the cabinet structure next to the cooler.

[Scotter]

i've done a terrible job of keeping this build journal updated! i should point out that the camper took its maiden voyage in October 2019 and it went great. but that's getting ahead of things. i'll keep sharing the build up to that point so you can see what worked and what gave me trouble.

---------------------------

as the galley sits right now.  framed out the lower cabinetry on the left and brought out some more of the counter from the bulkhead by using some scrap leftover plywood (you can see the seams, its a bit piecemeal) - it will serve as the base of the "pantry" cabinets up on the counter so i wasn't concerned about the wood quality there.  the part of the counter you will see is going to be a custom hardwood design that is in progress off to the side.

our 2 burner Coleman will snug into the bottom left cabinet as  you can see, and there will be a door on that opening to match the drawer.  the dark brown rails where the counter will mount to are cuts off of our old bedframe!  use what you have.


made a drawer.  this is where our cutlery and BBQ tools will live.  this was HARD.  i can tell you now i have so much more respect for, and understand why cabinet makers are their own subset of craftsmen.  it doesn't take much to throw stuff way off.  pictures may not show it, but i've made mistakes all over.  minor, but clear to a close inspection.  that's how the learning process goes though, and i can fix most of it with some elbow grease.  most importantly, its all more or less square for the counter to mount up snugly.


the drawer face is leftover cedar shiplap from the interior, trimmed with walnut that is also being used on the interior.  the drawer sides are scrap 2x4 that i cut and planed down to ~1x4, and the bottom is leftover baltic birch from the interior wall skin.  you can see the theme here of using up leftovers and trying not to waste material.  i really like that it also ties the interior and the galley together with a color/materials theme.  


the handle was cut off of this pattern of maple and purple heart that i manufactured, originally intended for cutting boards.  it has been great having access so so many scraps as a result of the other woodworking i'm doing on the side.


got my water containers in and they were critical to figuring out the cabinet dimensions.  each holds 5 gallons.  we found on our last camping trip that over a 2 night stay, we used (wastefully, i might add) about 7 gallons for hand-washing and dish cleaning.  i think this capacity will give us enough use before refilling with wise usage and at about 80lbs. together, will ballast out the rear nicely along with the cooler to help take weight off the tongue.  my eye twitches every time i see how the front container sticks out a bit past the cabinets, but that's just the best i could do with available container sizes and how far i could push the counter out.  they'll be secured with a zig-zag bungee cord across the opening.


more dumb luck - this is my clearance - about 1/8" - when i tip the containers out so they can lay on their side.  that's how we're going to have access to the spigot.  in transit they will stay upright to reduce leaks.


the cooler slideout got 2 slide bolt locks to keep it secured tight in transit.  the lock pins drop into holes in the floor.


i stole this trick from another build i saw on this forum.  remember those nasty gaps between the wall and ceiling?  they'll be covered by super thin dowel rod.  it bends beautifully and has enough girth to clean up those junctions nicely.  super clean and easy.


look at this freakin mess.  i'll have to take a full day just to get everything back where it belongs.  this is what happens when you're fueled by coffee and manic excitement and chaos starts to creep in.  its dangerous and a good way to get cut or worse.  but something something make hay while the saw spins something something.

[Scotter]

next item in question is a "power panel" i'm putting in the cabin, which will live above our heads on a little stow-away shelf.  i have a voltmeter, USB port, and Cig lighter port, along with switches to turn any of them off to prevent battery draw when not in use.  i'll be able to glance at our juice level as well as plug in stuff like our phones, weather radio, LED lantern, or even a travel hairdryer.  first step is creating the panel itself.  i grabbed an ordinary old 4x4 cedar post that was left over from making my wife a potting bench years ago and was destined for the trash.  i was pretty happy to come across it though, because the cedar would match the accent on the bulkhead wall.  i ripped it down on the table saw and planed it to thickness.  in doing so i found out that it had wonderful grain structure and color hiding inside.  a quick spray of Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane and the color really jumped out, as you can see compared to the uncoated piece to the right.


the unfortunate thing about planing softwoods like cedar is that they tend to chip/tear-out easily, no matter how little material you try to take off. you can see the chip marks in the lighting. not the end of the world, just a shame on an otherwise beautiful piece of wood.

now for wiring.... i haven't soldered up anything remotely complicated since high school.  quickly found out my old Weller 40W soldering iron was junk and grabbed a new 100W unit to get the job done (something something you should double your budget for stuff like this at the start blah blah blah).  money well spent.  

the switch on the right turns the voltmeter on/off, and the left one controls the 2 receptacles.  they'll definitely need to be shut off at night because they're brighter than you'd expect and would probably light up the whole cabin.  i may consider replacing the USB port at a later time with an unlit version so i can leave it on at night and not light the cabin up like a disco.

a quick jerry-rig up to the fuse panel and thar she blows...er, glows!  i'll attach this panel with screws so it can be removed as necessary to swap out or service the switch and/or receptacles.

[Scotter]

cabin's almost done.


kiddo's loft got an egg-crate mattress meant for a cot that i trimmed to fit, works awesome.  the roof net is meant for behind-seat storage on a boat.  

backing up a bit, here's what happened last week to get there....

installed my overhead shelf with "power panel" and reading lights i got off amazon.  the shelf is small but will work fine for tossing phones, keys, socks, voodoo talismans, chargers, etc.  the panel is just screwed into place so i can remove it to replace/service stuff.  the sides of the power panel were hand-formed to match the roof curvature which was a total pain, do not recommend, but once i got started i had to see it through before i realized it would take half the day.


they even have little blue night lights you can turn on.  neat.


then i punched a hole through the ceiling


and i fitted the trim for the vent fan


but it stood too tall so lots of trimming with the dremel.  everything smelled like burning.  i don't think i was supposed to breathe that.


then i made these wee bezels for the light switches that will turn on the exterior "porch lights" above the doors.  scrap purple heart wood, and yeah i drilled it off center, whoopsie daisy.


they aren't just for looks, i need these to space the switches out from the wall enough that they'll fit within the wall depth.  


had to test the fan, this is what the wire-running process is starting to look like as i test each component.  looking forward to graduating from "wire pile" to "rat's nest" soon!


currently gluing up the galley counter and building the galley pantry, then on to the galley hatch which is already making me get cold sweats.  would love to see this wrapped up by end of May!

[Scotter]

working on the galley "pantry."  i didn't want standard swing-out doors because they'd interfere with our stove/cooking equipment sitting on the counter every time we wanted access.  so the decision was made to do basic sliding panels.  they're dead simple and as a bonus are unlikely to open up in transit because there's enough friction that they don't slide on their own, and obviously can't be popped open by pantry items falling into them from accelerating/braking.

the "tracks" they slide in were made by doing nothing more than passing the wood strips over the table saw blade set to a super shallow 1/4" cut. i was also able to make good use of leftover 1/8" birch paneling that was cut out of the cabin door area, to use for the pantry doors. so no wasted material there.







still rough and in the early stages of finish.  the doors will each get a hole for a finger-grab and the tracks need a good sanding in the grooves to take out any remaining binding.  they'll never be silky smooth and that's OK - but they need to be a little looser.

[Scotter]

rough-fit teaser of part of the galley counter, not properly trimmed or anything yet.  upper "pantry" cabinets are almost done, still need to put a door on the bottom left cabinet and put finger holes in the sliding panels.  mobil1 doing a great job holding glued trim in place to dry.

the poplar wood (green hue to it) came from an old bed rail. the other woods are walnut and hickory. thought it made a nice image of the blue ridge mountains...where i hope to spend a lot of time.


tested the "porch" lights with a quick wiring mockup.  these replaced some rinky-dink lights that i originally, mistakenly had in place that were really only bright enough to light up a licence plate.  these are waaaay better and the photo doesn't show how bright they are.  nice and low profile and canted about 45 degrees down for a good field of light on the ground to see what you're doing at night.

[Scotter]

finally get the counter done.  it was quite a bit more to deal with than i expected...about 3 inches too wide to run through my DeWalt planer so i had to flatten it out the old fashioned way, just an antique Stanley jack plane, a lot of sweat, and a sore arm followed by a long pass with a high grit belt on a borrowed belt sander.  its not 100% billiard flat, but its smooth and has plenty of made-by-hand charm.  yet another case of me having to remind myself i'm not building a freakin lunar rover, it just has to hold a stove and plates and keep my beer within easy reach.



the whole thing is a minagerie of cast-offs and reclaimed old junk sprinkled with some good stuff.  the "sky" is a poplar bed rail and the "ground" is oak bookshelves taken from furniture that was being junked from Jen's childhood room.  you can see the original veneer color on the counter edge. the "mountains" are hickory/walnut shorts from woodshop projects and i'm still getting mileage out of my stash of grandpa's walnut trim.  

it needs a little cleanup on the leading edge to cover some gaps at the side, and then a nice thick coat of poly and let 'er rip.

[tony.latham]

Scotter:

You're doing some amazing craftsmanship.

The one thing I noticed on your electrical schematic, is the battery master switch. I think if you turn that off while your solar panel is producing juice, it'll damage or kill your controller. I put a switch between the panel and my Renogy controller for this.

Just a thought.

Please keep the photos coming.

Tony

[Scotter]

Scotter:
The one thing I noticed on your electrical schematic, is the battery master switch. I think if you turn that off while your solar panel is producing juice, it'll damage or kill your controller. I put a switch between the panel and my Renogy controller for this.

no kidding? i'm glad you pointed that out, thank you. studying other wiring diagrams that use a similar Victron controller, i think i remember seeing people using a switch on the PV wiring but i must have just completely forgot when installing it.

good news for now, is it still works. i don't think i've exposed it to enough power with the battery cut off to hurt it for the time being...luckily. i'll remedy that immediately before we head out for the first time this year.

i appreciate you taking the time to correct me!

[Scotter]

so i sat on my butt for a while and felt guilty about not working on it, then i felt guilty for working on it instead of other projects.  it didn't leave the corner of the garage.  finally my wife slapped some action into me and basically ordered me to pull it into one of the bays because if i did that, then i'd HAVE to work on it.  and she was right, as usual.  funny how these mental games can get in the way of obvious courses of action.

turned my attention to the galley and essentially finished the "center stack".  it includes the stereo headunit, some control switches, and an A/C outlet (the wiring of that is a story for another day)


installed the stereo and tested it. works great with my 2 6" speakers. radio reception is poor because i don't have an antenna yet, will fix that later. not easy to use but its cheap and it works for CD's and USB drives which is the main need.


then put on my big boy pants and decided it was time to make one of the last big pushes.  i actually dreaded this for a while, because its a multi-part leg of the project.  in order to put the outside "skin" on it, all the wiring has to be sorted and ready to be sealed up for good.  so, i spent a week sending more wire over the roof to the galley to finish out the wiring for the stereo, pantry light and USB outlet.  i also had to finalize the wiring for the roof fan and side "porch" lights.  then everything needed to be fully test, run through new holes drilled in the roof spars, and bundled up into one big artery of wires to run to the tongue box.

with that out of the way, the first panel went on.  "how many clamps do you need for something like this?"  well...how many do you have?


after nearly a year of having open doors it was so strange to see it sealed up.


...but not for long.  the openings were routed out with a laminate bit.  the bit simply "rides" the contours of the opening that already exists, so all i have to do is push the router along and it comes out great.  added some additional wood glue where the edge wanted to pull away a bit from the adhesive not getting to every little spot.


i made use of every reasonable scrap of birch sheet so the tail end was fitted with smaller panels.  attachment was via Loctite PL Premium construction adhesive and PL300 Foamboard adhesive.  this stuff is not to be trifled with.  once its on something its IMPOSSIBLE to get off and it dries as strong as concrete.


after it dried, i routed the edge with the same laminate bit and then wood putty'd the gaps, coarse sanded flat with 80 grit, and did a little block planing to knock down any high spots along with a finish sanding of 220 grit for now.  you can notice a tiny notch cut down the tail end.  that's to make room for the rubber seal that will run down the length of the hatch.


then stood back and enjoyed a thing that was actually starting to look kinda close to finished for a change.


it wasn't total victory though.  in going through my birch sheets i realized i was 1 short.  i don't know how the hell i managed that, but i'm not driving out to Atlanta again to get a single sheet.  SO.  looks like the inside of the hatch is going to be a different material.  just gotta roll with the screwups....