Cubby Builders: Sides Cut, Kuffel's Wrong, Wanna Learn?

[IraRat]

What a day. Not a BAD day. A pretty GOOD day. But it could have been even better.

So if anyone is using the Cubby plans who is NOT a master builder (like myself), listen and learn. Photos will be in my gallery tomorrow. (Right now, I'm typing THIS instead, while the ribs cook.)

1) My side walls/profiles came out great, because the plywood God who I worshship, Mabutoo, lent a helping hand. (Jesus was busy with other things.)

2) I've read the Cubby plans a gazillion tiimes, and I kid you not when I say that not until this morning, while sitting on the TOILET reading a Bob & Ray book, that I had a vision and FINALLY understood the damn dowel concept to trace the profile. (Mabutoo doesn't care if I say damn, so please don't be offended.) I thought that somehow, you used a flexible dowel like you would a COMPASS, nail on one end, pencil tip on the other, to draw your radiuses from point to point.

Gee, what a dummy I must have been prior to this to NOT be able to read Kevin's (Kuffel's) mind), and to ultimately realize that instead, I should tap nails/brads onto the X/Y coordinates, bend the dowel AROUND these nails, and make my outline.

I guess it would have cost Kuffel an extra penny and 5 minutes to actually INCLUDE an illustration of this in the plans! But for 65 bucks and 3 seconds of download time off their server, what can I expect? (Boo, Kuffel.)

3) Their plans say use a 48" dowel for this, to trace the profile, but guess what? When you BEND a 48" dowel, it doesn't cover 48" any longer. So, you have to REALLY take your time doing this and improvise, because unless you have like a 54" dowel, you can't simply shift the 48" one and trace it in the two stages necessary to trace each half of the profile.

The bends that results, the radiuses, are totally DIFFERENT!

To clarify, just think of one sheet of ply, one side. The front half requires two stages, it needs a shift of the dowel, and the back half requires the same. This results in a totally different outline than using just one really long dowel, because each little tension, nail point, radically affects the curvature of that dowel.

So, because I only had a 48" dowel (and I assume that's all that's available anyway), I had to shift my "P" point like an inch on the X (left/right) axis. Not doing so resulted in a VERY ugly profile. (And God bless Tom for telling me to take my time with this!) It made a WORLD of difference modifying the position of that one point just one inch, and I would have hated myself later if I hadn't done it.

4) Thank you Kevin/Kuffel, for telling us on like page 6, 7, whatever...to create a right angle jig to support the side walls so they're perpendicular while attaching. The actual words were something like, "There are a few things you have to do NOW before you get started!"

Well, thank God (Mabutoo) that I didn't listen to him, and that after cutting the first wall, I looked at the waste pieces and thought, "Gee! Each of these "waste" pieces has two straight, clean, factory edges at a 90 degree angle! I can use THESE and attach 2 X 2's to make my right angle jigs!" (Boo again, Kuffel. Is this a TEST?)

5) Anyway, 6 hours later, I have my sides and door cutouts all cut and sanded, in addition to my exterior side skins. (I used the walls as templates.) Did I screw up at all?

Yes:

I was very excited to have decided on my final door dimensions a while ago, and that the bottom of the openings would "start" two inches up, to accommodate a 4-inch or so mattress. (I actually got sexually excited thinking about this cut last Tuesday.) So I have the first door outline all marked and traced, which is a vertical rectangle with a small half-moon circle at the very TOP.

I decided to go 29 wide by 35 high, because both my wife and I are really small and short, though not technically midgets. (We have those munchkins beat by at least 5, 6 inches.)

And as I'm cutitng the first side of that first door, getting aroused as I approach that bottom 2-inch mark, I realize, "SHMUCK! That's 2 inches PLUS 2 inches, to accommodate the 2 inches that gets attached to the 2 by 2 frame!!!

And I only overshot it by an inch and a half.

So, out came the wood filler, plus Elmer's Polyurethane Ultimate Glue, and I made the repair. Structurally, totally insignificant, but man, was I pissed. (Can I say "pissed," Mike?) After the repair, I retraced/marked the sides and top radius to now CORRECTLY follow my original plans.
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Anyway, that's it, and during this whole ordeal, my wife wasn't in the greatest of moods....but who cares? My sides and side skins are cut!

Sorry if this was a little long-winded, but I sincerely hope this info helps some other first-time builders.

[toypusher]

You know what, Kevin at Kuffel Creek has a moneyback guarantee. You seem to have more negative to say about the Cubby plans than positive. Some of it seems to me ( Iam building the Cubby) that maybe you just need to read the plans a little better. Also, Kevin says that you need to have some BASIC skills to use his plans. So, maybe you should just try to understand that maybe you don't have those BASIC skills and need to get help every step of the way.

Kevin's plans are great and lots of folks have used them with GREAT success.

"If you can't say something nice, DON'T say anything" In My Opinion!

[TomS]

I have encountered errors and omissions in the Kuffel Creek Cubby plans that have left me scratching my head or in one case, rebuilding an entire face frame. Most of these problems have been discused on this board. With help with help form the nice folks on this board, I always seem to figure out what to do. I think everyone agrees that the K.C. plans are the best, most comprehensive commercially available tear drop trailer plans available.

Kevin Hauser (dba Kuffel Creek) visits this board from time to time and seems to genuinely welcome feedback from his customers.

Ira and I have been working many of the same steps at about the same time. We've been communicating on this board and in private emails. At times I feel he's over-critical of K.C. On many occasions, the information Ira feels is missing from the K.C. plans is really there. Or as Ira freely admits, he misinterperated it. However, that's Ira's opinion. He's entitled to it.

I really enjoy Ira's irreverant sense of humor. "Mabutoo" the plywood God. Ira, where do come up with this stuff.

[Ross Wade]

I agree 100% with toypusher.
I believe that Kevin's plans are well written out for the basic woodworker. I built my first teardrop with the help of others from this and another site, using the 1947 Mechanics Illustrated magazine plans. I have a set of Kevins' plans that I am using as a reference guide while I am building my second teardrop. I got tired of all of the negitivity I was reading. I still highly recommend his plans for the beginner, but you do have to have a basic understanding of shop tools and shop math.
If you have any questions or totally don't understand something, call or email him. Kevin will walk you through it step by step until you fully understand it.

Bottom line is........lose the negitivity.

Ross

[Guest]

Ira,
Someday soon, you will probably be attending gatherings with folks on this board...
If you don't like someone else's plans, artwork or whatever...
Grab your mouse and show us something better instead of downing other people... people you may be attending gatherings with someday.

[Woody]

I can't quite figured it out, I cut this board 3 times and it is still to short What am I doing wrong?

[DestinDave]

Woody, were you facing East or North when you made the cuts? That can make a real difference. Otherwise the only option now is to locate a board stretcher attachment for the saw and re-cut. Home Depot can special-order one for $239.99 plus S&H. Usually takes about 6-8 weeks to come in but it's well worth the wait. Meantime, have another beer and watch the race.

[asianflava]

In addition to reading the plans, you can check some build pages. I'm not using cubby plans but I've seen how how other folks have done it. The plans are not written in stone, you can get to the same destination by taking a different route. You don't have to use the dowel, I used a yard stick.

I'll go thru all the entries in the hall of fame. Check out how others have done the radius.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dovetail28643/detail?.dir=7851&.dnm=2f69.jpg&.src=ph

http://www.ifindu.com/teardrop/walls/

http://richarjl.itgo.com/tdpoto011.htm

http://www.bobsteardrop.com/ConstructionGallery/pages/template.htm

[Geron]

I'm building a Chubby for my first one. Ordered the Kuffel Creek plans. I'm happy. Would recommend them to anyone. His basic knowledge is essential to the first time builder and I've found so far that the occasional and unavoidable SNAFU's (Situation Normal, All Fouled Up) have on the most part been a misreading on my part.

I've done a lot of "sittin' and thinkin'" on this one and have altered Kevin's procedures on a few things. Not that his were "wrong" or mine were "better" --Just different.

Geron

The Pessimist's Credo:

"More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly." -- Woody Allen

The Optimist's Credo:

"Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there's something in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger." -- Christian D. Larsen, Creed for Optimists

[IraRat]

Well, it's the morning after--and I'm a little more relaxed now. You have to realize I posted that AFTER yesterday's experiences.

If this forum is to be a place to learn, well, how the heck can people do that unless we point out the obvious MISTAKES in the plans? It's not about being critical--it's about saving someone else a lot of aggravation and not taking a, "Well, I could do it attitude so there must be something wrong with YOU if you have problems."

Like what constitutes "basic" skills anyway? Holding a jigsaw steady? This isn't rocket science, so we should go easy on the self-praise.

Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have said, Boo, Kuffel, but what can I tell you? I bought the plans, I'm using them to the best of my non-master abilities (very low blow there), so I'm gonna pay.

[toypusher]

IraRat,

I was not trying to be nasty in any way. And yes I have found things that I thought should be a little different too. Contact Kevin at Kuffel Creek and see if he will make the changes and/or give you some advice on how to proceed. He has always responded to any questions that I have had.

Yes, I can relate to the frustration too!

Kerry

[Guest]

When fairing out a curve or an ellipse, I use a fairing batten.
A fairing batten is nothing more than a small flexible straight edge, usually just a strip of wood.
I make mine out of 1/8" polycarbonate, 1/8" x 3/8" x 8'.
I flip it up on one of the long edges and use small brads to hold it in position when placing it down over my rough drawn layout.
The fairing batten gives you a nice hard even surface to draw a nice crisp "final" line prior to putting a saw to the material...

[Steve Frederick]

When fairing out a curve or an ellipse, I use a fairing batten.
A fairing batten is nothing more than a small flexible straight edge, usually just a strip of wood.
I make mine out of 1/8" polycarbonate, 1/8" x 3/8" x 8'.
I flip it up on one of the long edges and use small brads to hold it in position when placing it down over my rough drawn layout.
The fairing batten gives you a nice hard even surface to draw a nice crisp "final" line prior to putting a saw to the material...

Here's a fairing batten like Dean mentioned.
This one is a 1/4" by 1/4" strip left over from a boat project. I built the Comet, and found out that the mistakes made in layout were my inaccuate measurements. If I was off in a point, I just let the batten float by it. You want a fair curve, not dead precision.
If you purchased Kevins plans, he includes a link to an updates page where you can find changes/corrections.

[The R/C Man]

Hey Guys!

Seems that some of the best ideas come from sitting on the pot.

In my case I got lucky. I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like and then just sketched it out on the ply and went at it with the jig saw. No it wasn't perfect so I trimmed a little more. Whala! Next was belt sanding out the dips and valleys. Ok good to go... Then traced it onto the other side, rough cut it, and attached the two sides together with clamos and screws and used a flush trim bit to match them up.... All done.... Went fairly well. I have started the framing.... This seems like some work cutting pieces out to fit the curves. But a forward I will go...

[IraRat]

Now I know to avoid the 48" dowel and go for the batten. And another Cubby question:

The shop drawings call for 47 and 1/4" long bulkhead walls. These get attached after the sides are up.

What's with the extra 3/4? From wall to wall, it's still going to be 48" because the sides are attached to the outside of the frame. And the bulkhead walls are installed before any interior skin anyway.

What am I missing here?