"Phoenix" 5'x11' Build

[cjlangellier]

2021-05-20

With the rain finally out of the forecast I was able to make some progress again. I drilled my anchor holes through the floor and trailer frame. I then epoxied the bottom of the floor with clear penetrating epoxy sealer. With the floor drying I turned to laying out my wall template. I got the rough shape cut out this evening and could not resist a quick sneak peak of the profile. Long way to go, but man does seeing the profile really turn up the motivation.

The profile still needs some refinement but you get the idea.

[cjlangellier]

Had to get one daylight picture of the mock-up. Will be epoxying the galley floor tonight and using recessing anchor bolt holes with the forstner bit.

[Bezoar]

I like the profile - long and low!

[cjlangellier]

I like the profile - long and low!

Thanks! We took a lot of our inspiration for the profile from the Timberleaf Classic Teardrop.

[cjlangellier]

2021-05-25

Well, I had my first small setback this week. I was attempting to stretch my skeleton plywood using a plate joiner and biscuits. The first problem I ran into was the quality of the plywood. I found large voids in the layers and the plywood had a little twist to it. I thought I might be able to straighten it out so I went ahead and attempted to join the sheets anyways. Ultimately, I was very dissatisfied with the results. I decided to return the remaining plywood I had bought and go with a higher grade plywood. I also scratched the biscuit joining method. Tonight I used the spline joint method as described in Tony’s book. Though I’m not strictly following Tony’s design, I have picked up a number of great ideas for joining and building components of our trailer. It’s a great resource.

[swoody126]

Cody, you have just validated my experiences w/ lesser priced plywood

some folks don't understand butt your description nailed it

glad you opted to upgrade and showed the/a solution w/ close up pics

keep on keepin on

sw

[cjlangellier]

Cody, you have just validated my experiences w/ lesser priced plywood

some folks don't understand butt your description nailed it

glad you opted to upgrade and showed the/a solution w/ close up pics

keep on keepin on

sw

Thanks! I'll have to look back through the scraps I have in my garage and see if I can find a piece of the lower grade 3/4" ply. If I have one, I'll post pictures of what I'm talking about. After cutting one of the sheets in half, it became readily apparent to me that the interior ply pieces were heavily knotted. There was an 8" section missing of one of the interior ply sheets where I had clearly cut through a knot in that layer. This void would have made just about any joining method difficult as it was not the center ply sheet. A spline or a biscuit would have been loose in that area. I definitely recommend spending a little more to get quality lumber.

[swoody126]

Cody, epoxy is your friend when you encounter voids that aren't too extensive or poorer carpentry joints

when thickened w/ wood FLOUR(not saw dust) it can thicken the pox to a peanut butter consistency and the result will stand up to those gaps i saw in the above pics

if the voids n gaps aren't too extensive you could consider using P Premium 3x because of it swells a bit in nature

clean n dry are required for epoxy butt clean n dampish aids PL's curing time

just food for thought

sw

[cjlangellier]

2021-05-27

I lost a few days of build time due to the issues I encountered stretching the wall plywood, but I’m getting back on track this week. I’ve sanded and polyurethaned the interior cabin lol floor of the deck. I was also able to refine and complete the wall template. Tonight I cut out my first skeleton and used a jig and router to cut bulkhead dadoes. Tomorrow I’m hoping to get the second skeleton and the interior and exterior panels cut so I can get a glue up on the walls done this weekend. I’m going to use the first skeleton as a guide with a flush trim router bit to cut the exterior profile sheets. Then I’ll have to trim the roof spar area out of the skeleton with the router and a guide. Finally I’ll use the trimmed skeleton as a guide for the interior birch panels.





I would say the router has proven to be the most valuable tool so far. That thing has saved me a ton of time and headaches. A close second would be the tool organizer I built a few months before starting my build. This thing has kept my tiny shop so much more organized.

[cjlangellier]

2021-05-31

Well I had hoped to get more accomplished over the long weekend but seemed like one of those weekends where everything takes longer than you expect. I don’t even have a ton of progress photos to present. Friday evening I put some of the finishing touches on the skeletons and insulated them both with 3/4” XPS foam board. I only had a half day to work Saturday. I was able to get the exterior skins cut and for both walls. I used the skeleton as a template for the exterior skins. Once the skins were cut, I used the router and a guide to remove the spar rail. Sunday I glued up the exterior skins and skeleton. I must say, this was a stressful process trying to beat out the open time of the glue. Once I had a system down it wasn’t so bad but I was sweating through the first few pieces. Today I was able to glue up the interior skins. The 1/8” birch was much easier to work with than the 1/4” exterior ply. I only had enough clamps and heavy items for one wall at a time. While I was waiting for glue to set up I was able to wrap up some odds and ends on the trailer. I cut a crossmember for the Timbren suspension, wired the brakes up and bolted the floor down. I only snapped one post worthy photo and it was of my “assembly line”. The pop up tent sure helped to keep the sun off me and the glue as I was spreading it out.



Tomorrow I’ll be trimming the interior skins down and chiseling all the excess glue left behind before flush trimming the profile and dado slots. With a little luck from the weather, I’m hoping to be putting walls up by next weekend.

[cjlangellier]

2021-06-01

I spent most of the night chiseling excess glue off of the walls. When I assembled the interior paneling I left a good amount of overhang to be trimmed with a flush trim bit. This created a number of tight spaces where I was unable to wipe away the squeeze out. If I am ever to build a second teardrop, I’ll trim the paneling just proud of the skeleton prior to glue up to avoid this. Chiseling glue was a tedious task that I would try to avoid in the future. I must say the wall glue up was by far the most stressful part of the build to date. I did not enjoy running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to beat the open time of the glue. Once I had a system down it was much better but still stressful. That said, I really love the look of the completed walls. Tonight I’ll start drilling the mounting holes then it’s on to sanding and sealing.

[swoody126]

SADLY all too many of us have had to learn the bit about glue squeeze out clean up THE HARD WAY

i tried to "splain" it to a friend who was building a boat and he poo-poo'd me saying he'd just cean it up w/ his Dremmel tool

he ended up wrecking all his work and throwing it all in the dumpster

you were lucky to get the clean up dunn as easily as you did

sw

[cjlangellier]

SADLY all too many of us have had to learn the bit about glue squeeze out clean up THE HARD WAY

i tried to "splain" it to a friend who was building a boat and he poo-poo'd me saying he'd just cean it up w/ his Dremmel tool

he ended up wrecking all his work and throwing it all in the dumpster

you were lucky to get the clean up dunn as easily as you did

sw

A good sharp chisel, a whole lot a patience, and a couple of ibuprofen for the wrists in the morning were the answer lol.

I don't have much experiences in the ways of fine woodworking. Most of my carpentry skills come from remodeling my last two homes. I'm definitely picking up a whole lot of knowledge and a bag of new tricks for future projects.

[western traveler]

SADLY all too many of us have had to learn the bit about glue squeeze out clean up THE HARD WAY

i tried to "splain" it to a friend who was building a boat and he poo-poo'd me saying he'd just cean it up w/ his Dremmel tool

he ended up wrecking all his work and throwing it all in the dumpster

you were lucky to get the clean up dunn as easily as you did

sw

How’d I miss you splainin dat swoody.

Cody I guess we both missed it.
Your build is coming right along...

[cjlangellier]

Thanks are finally starting to take shape! This is just the first dry fitting to check for floor gaps and make sure my bulkhead and headboard fit appropriately. Today I sanded and sealed the the headboard and bulkhead. Tomorrow will be the real deal assembly!