3 (various) Questions

[Capebuild]

Hello. Getting very close to starting my build and have 3 (unrelated) questions.

1). I've never used a Kreg jig before. I see there's various models. So I don't purchase one with features I'll never use, can members suggest a good model to get that is basic yet will do what it needs to do.

2). I notice cabins are built on the chassis frame and others are built separate from the frame and then, when complete, added onto the chassis frame. Are there benefits one way over the other.

3). Do teardrops need back up lights?

Thanks very much for the help.

On another note, I'm coming to realize the planning for this trailer takes much time.... and so does the prep. Gathering necessary tools, preparing the work space.... etc. I had seen other members have a large table to work on
so the last few days I spent building a torsion box table, 4' x 8'. Came out nice and flat. Glad I took the time to do this.

Thanks again for any help with the 3 questions.

John

[MickinOz]

'Struth. Don't put that much framing in your teardrop mate, you'll never lift it.

[bobhenry]

#1 I purchased the harbor freight version of the kreg jig and am very happy with it.

#2 I have built 5 tiny campers and have done both off and on chassis builds there is little difference just be sure you provide good attachment to your frame. Here is one up on blocks waiting for the frame to be slid under and lowered onto the trailer



#3 Back up lights ??? NO ! But rear illumination while backing into a tight camping spot after a late ( after dark) arrival is a wonderful thing !

[Tom&Shelly]

Hello. Getting very close to starting my build and have 3 (unrelated) questions.

1). I've never used a Kreg jig before. I see there's various models. So I don't purchase one with features I'll never use, can members suggest a good model to get that is basic yet will do what it needs to do.

2). I notice cabins are built on the chassis frame and others are built separate from the frame and then, when complete, added onto the chassis frame. Are there benefits one way over the other.

3). Do teardrops need back up lights?

Thanks very much for the help.

On another note, I'm coming to realize the planning for this trailer takes much time.... and so does the prep. Gathering necessary tools, preparing the work space.... etc. I had seen other members have a large table to work on
so the last few days I spent building a torsion box table, 4' x 8'. Came out nice and flat. Glad I took the time to do this.

Thanks again for any help with the 3 questions.

John

Hi John,

I tried the Harbor Fright jig, but didn't like the way it tore out wood around the hole. The way it's made, it doesn't have the piece up against the wood around the hole to prevent that.





So I bought the most basic Kreg jig, and found it was much better, but still tore out some wood around the hole. These were to hold the walls to the floor and the tear-out was from Baltic birch with the grain running horizontally. It's less of a problem if the wood grain happens to run with the long end of the pocket hole, and also less of a problem with some other woods. In fact, it really didn't matter since all of the pocket holes are hidden in my build, by the cabinetry in the galley and the mattress in the cabin. But I'm a bit anal sometimes, and found some plastic caps that covered the holes and have lips that mostly hide the tearout.

The basic Kreg jig was fine for this job. If you are building a wall core out of pine strips joined by pocket holes, you won't care about tearout, of course, and you may want the jig that allows you to cut two holes side-by-side without repositioning. (The HF version also does this.)

About building on or off the trailer, Tony Latham, on this forum, always builds off and puts it on later. That looked like a difficult task for us (I'm weak and Shelly has a bad back ), so we built ours on. Allegedly, building off the trailer avoids the wheels and tires getting in the way, but we never had a problem. I did take the fenders off so we could work around that area.

Trailers do not need backup lights, but with a 7 pin plug (necessary for the trailer brakes) you get the backup light wire, so we decided to use it.



We haven't had it camping yet, so I can't tell you how useful it is for us, but I believe Bob Henry.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

Nice table! Ours was a lot more basic (3/4" plywood on a 2-by frame)



But, now that our build is finished will be a center-piece in our shop.

Tom

[noseoil]

1 - I don't own a Kreg jig, I'm too old school so I just use a regular doweling jig (self-centering type for 3/8" dowels) for face frames & other applications. I also still have my doweling machine for face frames. a 1/4 hp motor with a chuck & sliding table for face frames.



2 - I built our cabin off the frame, mostly, but I did lay the floor in place first to locate & drill the mounting holes. That way I had the holes ready once the teardrop was completed & it could then be bolted down for the final assembly. One reason for this was the tongue box, it was welded to the frame first, so I couldn't wrap the build with plywood or aluminum with the cabin bolted to the frame. Note to self, don't weld the tongue box first, do it last! I ended up pushing the build front, back & side to side when I needed to do finish stuff like trim, moldings, aluminum, it's good exercise...



3 - Our build has back-up lights, but it's only because I wanted them. In some places in Europe, a trailer needs the same lighting setup as the tow vehicle, not so in America. I just wanted them on our build.

[eLink]

I have the Kreg K4 and it has worked well. It is now discontinued but the new designs look much easier to use. I would go for the new 720 model because it comes with a vacuum attachment.

If I had adequate space and a couple of helpers I would have definitely preferred building my camper off-chassis, on a solid flat surface. There was a lot of flexing when building on the NT trailer frame.
How do you intend to use the torsion box table? It seems like that workbench alone is probably all you would need for this work.

[Sparksalot]

I built the cabin on the frame because I never imagined removing it.

As far as reverse light, I ended up with them by happy accident. It’s a little hard to see, but the “stripe” visible on the lowest piece of wood here is one of the LED tailgate tape lights for a pickup. I got it cheap, then forgot about it a few months. When I got ready to install it, I saw five wires. I hit each in turn with 12v to see what happened and bang, bright white.

I did the tape light to get mo brighter. People love to tailgate.

[TimC]

John, I have the basic Kreg jig and it is well made and works great. I went years using a basic bar clamp to clamp the work for drilling (Tom shows one in one of his photos). I finally broke down and bought a clamp like this...

https://www.amazon.com/Milescraft-40010003-FaceClamp-Woodworking-Welding/dp/B06XYGLPDV/ref=sr_1_41?dchild=1&keywords=milescraft&qid=1618413415&sr=8-41

Do yourself a favor and get one of those and you'll be happy. Kreg makes their own model but they are a bit pricier than the Milescraft. The Milescraft I have is well made and will stand up to years of use. They offer several sizes, I bought the 3" to do heavier material. The two inch is available in a kit with the pocket hole jig.

Here
https://www.amazon.com/Milescraft-PocketJig200XCJ-Pocket-Bundle-Clamp/dp/B084SW48T6/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=milescraft&qid=1618413758&sr=8-7

There are special clamps for clamping the final joints as they are screwed together. One end goes into a pocket hole and secures the joint while screwing into an adjacent hole. I've never used one and maybe others here can chime in whether they are worth buying.

Here
https://www.amazon.com/Milescraft-4004-PocketClamp-Pocket-Joinery/dp/B079W2K8XY/ref=sr_1_47?dchild=1&keywords=kreg+clamp&qid=1618414158&sr=8-47

[halfdome, Danny]

Nice mobile bench.
I build my teardrops on the chassis that is supported by and shimmed to level with 4 cement cinder blocks on end.
Like your mobile bench, I can move the work in progress simply by mounting the tires and wheels.
You may need a floor Jack to lift the work in progress when mounting the tires and wheels.
I have a canopy to store the teardrop in when necessary.

I have the original Kreg Jig and it has served me well as a cabinetmaker and a teardrop builder.
I would recommend buying an extra bit to have on hand as the tips can break rendering the tool useless until you get a new one.
Once I was under the gun sorta speaking on a job and the tip broke.
Had to drive 70 miles round trip to get a new one that day.
Danny

[QueticoBill]

Look at Woodbutcher's standdrop build. He put some temporary ply "wheels" on to stay lower and move around in shop iirc. Also kept wheels and tires out of his way while building. Then just jack up and change tires and add fenders. Seemed like a slick compromise.

[saywhatthat]

As you have wood working skills have you thought of one of these DIY Pocket Hole Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_UXPhLpo-A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sZad_eCOUU DIY Pocket Hole Machine

[Tom&Shelly]

John, I have the basic Kreg jig and it is well made and works great. I went years using a basic bar clamp to clamp the work for drilling (Tom shows one in one of his photos). I finally broke down and bought a clamp like this...

https://www.amazon.com/Milescraft-40010003-FaceClamp-Woodworking-Welding/dp/B06XYGLPDV/ref=sr_1_41?dchild=1&keywords=milescraft&qid=1618413415&sr=8-41

Do yourself a favor and get one of those and you'll be happy. Kreg makes their own model but they are a bit pricier than the Milescraft.

+1. I bought one of those later. It puts more pressure on the jig than a bar clamp. Be careful though, I looked at one at Home Depot that looked like the right thing (I don't remember the brand--probably not a Milescraft, and definitely not Kreg), but it simply didn't put any pressure on the "clamped" surface. A total useless piece of metal.

Tom

[Capebuild]

Thank you all for the comments.
I'm leaning towards building the cabin on the chassis. I look at it kind of like building a house, you build it on the foundation (unless it's a modular assembly kind of thing). But I like the idea of building it from the ground up. I did watch a video of Tony mounting his cabin on the frame he built... personal preference I suppose.

And thanks for the tips on the Kreg jig. Good tip on buying an extra bit, Danny. I wasn't aware of the Milescraft products so will look into them. I'm still unsure of which model to get, but will probably get just a basic unit.

Not sure about the back up lights, if not required. But I think the more lights the better for others to see you at night. And as Bob suggested, more light when backing up into a dark site.

Thank you again for sharing your comments.
John

[TimC]

John, did you add a third brake light in your design? Eventually I'll add one like my son's teardrop has.

And I was just working on the kid's galley and discovered the Milescraft's fat pad fits inro the Kreg nice and firm so aligning was much easier without having to place the clamp on the pad each time.