The Coddiwompler

[eLink]

Wow your build is really coming along. It’s a beautiful design and I agree with the previous poster about the quality cabinet work. I know how house projects can take precedence and delay a trailer build! Keep on keeping on!

Thank you!
It's gonna get tougher in the next few months too. We decided to put our house on the market and I have to finish the landscaping!
Finally finished this fence...

[eLink]

This is a bit of a milestone: got the headliner for the storage box installed.
I figured I would start here to get the hang of it, before moving on to the main roof.
It wasn't too difficult to bend the 1/8" ply to this 12" radius. But I imagine that it will be much more difficult to do the 6" radius bends at the bottom!
I might try soaking those before attempting the bend.

[erfnie]

I was originally going to use a Cook Partner stove, but was having a hard time deciding how to fit it in. Instead, I opted for a drop-in cooktop from Dometic. It's less expensive and allows a more custom look.
163237
I came up with this funky tab on the back side of the drawer box. One latch to keep it closed and one to hold it open while in use. Am I over-thinking this? Is there another way to do this?
163238

How are you supplying the gas? That might be a factor in how you latch it. A regular cabinet latch seems to hold it shut pretty well, but I also found these that we might try instead.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R7891C8/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_image_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Our drawer stays open pretty well by itself because the quick connect gas line goes in the back.

You have a very nice build going. Love the craftsmanship!

[eLink]

How are you supplying the gas? That might be a factor in how you latch it. A regular cabinet latch seems to hold it shut pretty well, but I also found these that we might try instead.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R7891C8/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_image_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Our drawer stays open pretty well by itself because the quick connect gas line goes in the back.

You have a very nice build going. Love the craftsmanship!

Thanks for the compliments!
For a more "built-in" concept, the gas line will be hard-plumbed with a flexible hose and a hoop for slack.
But it looks like I have another challenge: the PD4045 sticks out more than I thought. The stove drawer will have to be open at the back to fit around it. But I think I have found a way to make the bolt latches work.
Another alternative I found was a drawer slide with a lock-in/lock-out feature. Expensive though.

[eLink]

Got the headliner in today. But there were lots of lessons learned.
It was supposed to be easy... front edge fits into slot, add a bead of glue to the wall ledge and staple from front to rear. The rear edge then gets glued and stapled to ledger.

I think my biggest mistake was not having a helper. Once the glue was on I switched into panic mode and several things happened:
Missed on my first staple.

Forgot to check the staple depth setting. I think many of them went right through!

Had a really hard time getting the rear edge to stay down. Got a few more shiners in the process (thankfully this area will get hidden though).

The ceiling kept popping off the ledge, probably allowing the glue to prematurely set up before I could staple it down. Hence the gap. Not the tight joint I was hoping for! Guess I will be caulking that joint after all.

Splintering from the staples popping and being pushed back in.

Big sigh.

[tony.latham]

Guess I will be caulking that joint after all.

Nothing like a rodeo when you're not expecting it. Been there.

I think a little PL3 in that crack and you'll be good to go.

Tony

[eLink]

Nothing like a rodeo when you're not expecting it. Been there.

Yee haw! Seems to be a regular occurrence for me.

I think a little PL3 in that crack and you'll be good to go.

Thanks Tony, will try that.

I'm my own worst critic. But I must say that it is pretty satisfying to finally reach this milestone!

[tony.latham]

Nothing like a rodeo when you're not expecting it. Been there.

Yee haw! Seems to be a regular occurrence for me.

I think a little PL3 in that crack and you'll be good to go.

Thanks Tony, will try that.

I'm my own worst critic. But I must say that it is pretty satisfying to finally reach this milestone!

You might throw a pad in there and take a nap.

I think it’s looking great.

Tony

[KCStudly]

by MickinOz » Mon Sep 21, 2020 4:01 pm
"Mate - that's some seriously beautiful cabinet making."

I concur. You are doing great work.

"The sign of a true craftsman is how well he hides his mistakes." Don't sweat the little stuff. Those are easy to hide.

Those of us who have tried for perfection recognize good work when we see it!

[erfnie]

I'm my own worst critic. But I must say that it is pretty satisfying to finally reach this milestone!

You might throw a pad in there and take a nap.

And what a view! Looks like a beautiful blue night sky
Congrats on this milestone. It looks so professional and no one but YOU will notice those...um "mistakes."

[Bezoar]

I've enjoyed following your build - great work! I look forward to seeing updates when you get the chance.

[noseoil]

I made some 1/8" X 3/4" molding to cover gaps in my canvas headliner (5' was actually 58"?) at the walls. Worked out fine & closes the gap where the canvas was short along the edges. PL would be fine, or a similar trim to match the walls, even a different wood for accent would be good as well. It's not a problem, it's an opportunity!

[eLink]

Thank you all for the compliments and encouragement!
I took Tony's advice and did my best to squeeze some PL Premium into the gap. It definitely mitigated the squishy joint!
I will go back over all the joints with some wood colored caulk. If that doesn't look right, I'll go with thin wood trim as Noseoil suggested.
Meanwhile, I have begun laying out roof spars. But having trouble making time for it with yard construction going on, and then it gets too dark to work at 4:30 with stupid daylight savings!


More pics to come soon.

[lfhoward]

The Coddiwampler’s ceiling really looks great! Congratulations on getting it to this stage.

[eLink]

The Coddiwampler’s ceiling really looks great! Congratulations on getting it to this stage.

Thanks!

Update: I got the roof framing just about completed this weekend.
I see why a lot of people go on to build more than one camper. That way they can apply everything they learned from the first one!
The skylight framing turned out ok, but I found that gluing the pieces "in-place" did not go so smooth. I couldn't seem to clamp things right, so there was a little bit of shifting and misalignment.


So then I decided to build the vent frame assembly separately. This worked out so much better! Everything nice and square!


Blocking along the sidewalls seemed to be sitting proud of the roof profile. Probably because of the staples and glue along the wall ledge. At first I just figured I would just have to follow up with a belt sander. But then I realized that all I need to do is give the blocking and spars a slight bevel along the bottom edge. Makes it fit tight to the wall and flush to the roof line!


I wasn't feeling comfortable with crown staples for the headliner, so I opted to use 1" Kreg screws to join it with the spars. I will remove them once the glue has cured. Screws alone will dimple the plywood, as I had discovered for the first few spars. Even with the drill set to the lowest torque setting. So I used little pieces of 1/8" ply to prevent that.


Here is my other moment of panic. See what I had to do there?


Lastly, I won't use single 1x spars again. I used "select" pine, but the few that I used still sagged and warped. The doubled-up spars stayed straight and worked well.