Started my diet today, already lost 100 lbs!

[Ira]

This is without a doubt the coolest thing I've ever seen.

And you'll have no problem at all smuggling a good supply of narcotics between Mexico and the U.S.

[Rarin2go]

What you going to do with all those wood chips? Years ago Terri and I made fire starters with egg cartons, wood shavings and candle wax. This was way before recycling was the "in" thing to do. We were able to get a good fire going in no time at all, and no nasty smell.
Trixson and Terri in Tennessee.

[bdosborn]

Chris,
Wow that looks like a lot of work. Did you weigh your trailer first?
Bruce

[Gerdo]

The wood chips went out with the trash.

No I still havent weighed my TD. I guess I'm just bored and needed to something on the TD. No cost entertainment. It also gave me a good reason to completely clean it out.

[davefullmer]

Well Gerdo,

That answers my question in the other post about your receiver on the back of the Tear.

Dave

[Gerdo]

Dave
What question did you have about my rear receiver? I should have built it into the frame. It is a simple bolt on 2"id receiver tube with two peices of angle that bolt through two cross bars of the frame. I don't need it right now so off it came. It was built to hold a receiver bike rack that held my kids BMX bikes. I have a roof rack to hold the real bikes and I also have a rack that bolts inside the TD to hold bikes for long trips.

[davefullmer]

That question was in the thread about my question of I beam for the frame.

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... highlight=

You had posted a reply that included a picture of your benroy and then I did a search on your posts in ascending order looking for a build thread. I also looked all through your picture album. Several questions came up with the most of them answered in some of the posts I found on you.

I like your method of installing the AC and I liked the shocks installation.

You didn't have a build thread from start to finish, did you?

I am still wishy washy about the design I want. I especially like the profile of 46Rob's Cabin Car replica. I know I want to make an all woody and maybe I will do some CAD drawings to replicate Rob's Cabin Car. That design just looks elegant and I love the simplicity of the profile. It also would match the age, well of me. Wish I could get restored like my antique tractors.

Nice job on your Benroy, by the way. I really like it.

Dave

[brian_bp]

I don't get it. Your drilling holes in wood not metal and are compromising the integrity of each board. Would you use termite infested wood? It's better to use 1x material than hack at 2x4's. Just think of all those crawly things you just made a home for.

Drilling horizontal holes though the lightly-stressed centre area of a horizontal beam is essentially like making an I-beam. I think that it is vastly different from the random damage of termites.

A drilled 2x4, with the "4 inch" dimension vertical, would be much stronger than an intact 1x4.

I don't know how significant the increased exposed surface area would be. Termites are not a big problem here, but I can see how moisture might collect in the bottom of each hole is the area gets wet.

The vertical holes are another matter... what direction is the stress on those pieces?


By the way, 1.25" diameter holes at 2.5" on centre spacing in a 3-5/8" wide board would remove about 14% of the material (and thus 14% of the weight). I don't think it's going to add up to much weight savings in the end, but it sure is custom!

[Gerdo]

OK you caught me! I doubt that I lost 100# but it gave me something to do. Busy work.

[halfdome, Danny]

I don't get it. Your drilling holes in wood not metal and are compromising the integrity of each board. Would you use termite infested wood? It's better to use 1x material than hack at 2x4's. Just think of all those crawly things you just made a home for.

Drilling horizontal holes though the lightly-stressed centre area of a horizontal beam is essentially like making an I-beam. I think that it is vastly different from the random damage of termites.

A drilled 2x4, with the "4 inch" dimension vertical, would be much stronger than an intact 1x4.

I don't know how significant the increased exposed surface area would be. Termites are not a big problem here, but I can see how moisture might collect in the bottom of each hole is the area gets wet.

The vertical holes are another matter... what direction is the stress on those pieces?


By the way, 1.25" diameter holes at 2.5" on centre spacing in a 3-5/8" wide board would remove about 14% of the material (and thus 14% of the weight). I don't think it's going to add up to much weight savings in the end, but it sure is custom!

You must not get "This Old House" up there in your area. Norm & Tommy both say & I agree that drilling large holes in a timber essentially is like cutting that piece in two. The stress load is diminished greatly when drilling large holes in lumber, your removing it's integral strength. You essentially end up with a 2x2 or less and that's the same or less area than a 1x4. 2x2=4, 1x4=4, the 1x4 has more strength on it's edge than a 2x4 with big holes in the center like in this original post. .Danny

[Alphacarina]

I agree that drilling holes in the center web of an 'I' beam can greatly reduce weight without markedly reducing the strength of the 'I' beam . . . . but that sure doesn't translate into drilling a 2X4 full of holes

For starters, the 2X4 doesn't have a rib on the top and bottom to carry the load so the central portion of the board adds enornous strength to the load carrying capability and drilling the holes puts voids in the length of the fibers which make up the strength - Quite unlike the construction of a steel 'I' beam

That said, he's used 2X4's in many places where a 3/4 by 2 inch piece of wood would have sufficed nicely, so even though he's drilled them full of holes, there's little likelyhood of any failures. A 2X4 full of holes is still way heavier than a 1X3 so he's not affecting the weight of his finished trailer by enough to bother with - Weigh all the chips that came from the holes . . . . I'll bet he doesn't have 5 pounds

Probably 90 of the 100 pounds he 'lost' went away with the trailer hitch and it's supports - He can lighten everywhere he can find for the next several months and probably be hard pressed to take off another 100 pounds . . . . unless he starts throwing away contents . . . . or goes on a diet himself

Don

[Gerdo]

Are you calling me FAT? I'm the same weight that I was in High School, 155 lbs! Still gotta weigh my TD!