Lady builder**building first tear

[MsDana]

Ok Michele..that sounds awsome.. lets stay in touch..Vogal is 30 min away. Thats really sweet ..thanks for the invite.

Mike..Im already havin fun. Scrapin rust an all. Ive got pictures but they are stuck in my phone till my daughter gets home with my micro chip. Gonna b tommorow. Just and ugly black trailer right now. Tomorrow it gets a new wiring harness and a deck. Right now Im watchin TV and figurin out where to put stuff. The trailer frame is 76"X94" so Im gonna over lap a lil to the front, that will set the wheels back more and give me some room for something special I hope

[MsDana]

Ok ...so ive settled on some stuff. Its gonna be a woody..I think im gonna do a faux silhouette on the side of something ...A Cub modified a little..Kitchen counter in the back..queen sized bed..vanity with sink..and a lil hinged table top. Ive got a few questions..Please
1. If I use 3/4 birch..can i varnish it inside and out and expect it to hold up..especially outside.
2. Would a sandwiched wall be lighter (this thing is gonna be 6' wide). Made with 1/4" outside and 1/8" inside. With 1X4 frame.
3. Ive seen some woodys with Plexiglas windows set in a rubber trim. Where do you get this and will it fit 3/4 inches.
4. I dont want to use the metal strip to seal the roof to the sides. When I make wood trim for that do yall router so it fits around the corner or just glue it up tight. Or do you use something underneath?

Thanks Guys

[Cliffmeister2000]

Ive got a few questions..Please
1. If I use 3/4 birch..can i varnish it inside and out and expect it to hold up..especially outside.
2. Would a sandwiched wall be lighter (this thing is gonna be 6' wide). Made with 1/4" outside and 1/8" inside. With 1X4 frame.
3. Ive seen some woodys with Plexiglas windows set in a rubber trim. Where do you get this and will it fit 3/4 inches.
4. I dont want to use the metal strip to seal the roof to the sides. When I make wood trim for that do yall router so it fits around the corner or just glue it up tight. Or do you use something underneath?

Thanks Guys

Good morning, MsDana

If you go with 3/4 birch ply, and lots of folks do, then you will need to seal the edges very carefully, or you will get de-lamination like I did
http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=24604

On my Weekender, I treated all wood surfaces, especially end grain edges, with CPES.
http://www.rotdoctor.com/products/cpes.html

Time will tell, but this stuff does a great job!

Note: Once CPES has been applied, the wood will not take stain, and I'm not sure if you can stain the wood first, but if you send the Rot Doctor an email, he is faithful to reply and will give you the scoop.
[email protected]

This is not the only way, just the method I used.

As far as whether you go ply or sandwich construction, there are pros and cons either way. I went sandwich because I wanted to insulate, and I believe sandwich walls are stronger. At least less prone to flex. I'm certain our fellow Forum members will chime in with their real life experiences and preferences. The most important thing is to make sure when you pick and choose methods, that the options you choose are compatible.

There are lots of TD out there with no edge moulding whatever. If properly sealed, they don't leak. If not, the moulding will not prevent a leak.

IMHO (probably due to my sad experience) water is the biggest concern.

[Esteban]

Michele, I'm in the midst of building my teardrop. My walls are sandwich construction. It has 1/4" plywood on the outside that I'm fiberglassing and will later paint, a middle with a 3/4" wood frame and 3/4" insulation, with 1/8" birch plywood for the inside cabin walls. 3/4" insulation often isn't a full 3/4" thick or varies in thickness. So the inside 1/8" plywood flexes a little more than I like between the solid framework. If I was to do it over I'd probably use 1/4" birch plywood on the inside of the cabin side walls so they'll be stiffer. It might add 15-20 pounds to do so. My hardwood supplier charges less for 1/4" birch (an Asian import) than for 1/8" birch (domestic) so there'd have been a small savings on the budget.

Good luck on your project.

[Rigsby]

MsDana, welcome, I hope you have as much fun with your build as i have with mine. I like your idea of no plans, thats how life should be, then when it goes titsup, no plans broken. My only plan is to have "All Things Bright And Beautifull" sung at my funeral, and if they dont sing it i haunt them, all

[MsDana]

MsDana, welcome, I hope you have as much fun with your build as i have with mine. I like your idea of no plans, thats how life should be, then when it goes titsup, no plans broken. My only plan is to have "All Things Bright And Beautifull" sung at my funeral, and if they dont sing it i haunt them, all

Rigsby...Thank You! Everytime I make plans the man upstairs laughs at me..so I make them anyway for plans to change my plans. Tis all good tho...Hey dont mean anything bad by it but you are sounding very Irish. I am an American melting pot...Scotch, Irish, Native American, and Swedish..HaHa. Nice to meet you by the way. Dana

[MsDana]

Michele, I'm in the midst of building my teardrop. My walls are sandwich construction. It has 1/4" plywood on the outside that I'm fiberglassing and will later paint, a middle with a 3/4" wood frame and 3/4" insulation, with 1/8" birch plywood for the inside cabin walls. 3/4" insulation often isn't a full 3/4" thick or varies in thickness. So the inside 1/8" plywood flexes a little more than I like between the solid framework. If I was to do it over I'd probably use 1/4" birch plywood on the inside of the cabin side walls so they'll be stiffer. It might add 15-20 pounds to do so. My hardwood supplier charges less for 1/4" birch (an Asian import) than for 1/8" birch (domestic) so there'd have been a small savings on the budget.

Good luck on your project.

Thanks Escaban! You have a nice start. My bed is on and I was gonna get lights and registration today but its raining. I am gonna go get my "sides" today. I wanna start with the artwork and get it cut out and routered. I will take me a week or more to get it prepared. Im gonna pre finish the inside and outside of the sides before installation. I dont have a garage right now and Im working outside so I need to have the wood protected before I leave it outside..even under a tarp. Thanks again. Dana

[MsDana]

[quote="Cliffmeister2000"][quote="MsDana"][b]
Good morning, MsDana

If you go with 3/4 birch ply, and lots of folks do, then you will need to seal the edges very carefully, or you will get de-lamination like I did
http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=24604

Hey Cliff. Thanks for all the help! Still Gotta figure out where to get the rubber window gasket...

ANYBODY OUT THERE KNOW? I followed the link but still cant find them.


And I know I still need pictures. But I cant get them outa my phone and into my comuter So Im gonna take some more! With a real camera.

[Walt M]

MsDana, I also went with the sandwich method I used 1/4" both inside and out. I used 1x5 #2 as my frame That I put together using pocket screws. (check out my album it might give you a good view as how it goes together) You might want to settle on the method your going to use for appling your walls to the deck/floor of your tear. in the index you'll see a few diff. methods.
Walt

[MsDana]

MsDana, I also went with the sandwich method I used 1/4" both inside and out. I used 1x5 #2 as my frame That I put together using pocket screws. (check out my album it might give you a good view as how it goes together) You might want to settle on the method your going to use for appling your walls to the deck/floor of your tear. in the index you'll see a few diff. methods.
Walt

Walt..Hello! Very nice tear! Thanks for your input. Ive looked at everything on this site Im worried about making my plex widows fit. I gotta find the rubber trim.
Dana

[Esteban]

MsDana,

I'm altering my advice. 1/8" plywood inside a sandwich wall can be good enough. It'll save weight compared to using 1/4" ply inside.

I epoxied (to both glue and moisture seal) 1/8" birch plywood to the inside of the sandwich frame a couple days ago. I filled in between the 3/4" wood frame with nominally 3/4" thick foam insulation. The insulation varied in thickness and was often a 1/16-1/8" thinner. I tried to fill in with foam that was closest to a full 3/4". I tend to over do things, so I used Liquid Nails wood & foam molding adhesive on both sides of the foam. I hoped it'd help strengthen the wall assembly and to fill in the gaps between the inside plywood and the foam. It's set up for several days now and, yeah, there is little or no flex in the inside 1/8" plywood. It worked as well as I hoped. I pass this on because I'm trying to build in ways that keep the weight down.

I used a combination of pocket screws and wood biscuits to join& glue together the sandwich wall framework. I used wood biscuits in places that will later be cut through like the galley lid and to make an upper wall ledge for the ceiling assembly - following Steve Fredericks' "inside out construction method." BTW, I highly recommend purchasing his building CD.

[MsDana]

I Think I Have Pictures!!

http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=47569

Lets see if this works....

http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=47571

http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=47570

[Geron]

:o I Think I Have Pictures!!

http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=47569

Lets see if this works....

http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=47571

http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=47570

You got pics. Way to go. I'll be watching your build. Been looking for a purple Tracker around BR but haven't spotted it yet - don't go to town 'cept when I Have To!

I have a trailer about that size and now that the "remodeling" is about done hope to get to work on a Standie and the Play Mor.

What do I need two more trailers for -- but that's not really the point, Is It?

Keep postin' the Pics.

[Cliffmeister2000]

Great job, MsDana! Now, just highlight each URL, and hit the Img button, and you will get this!

[MsDana]

Been looking for a purple Tracker around BR but haven't spotted it yet - don't go to town 'cept when I Have To!

[/quote]

Hey there is a really good lookin aqua tracker on hwy 5 on the left as you go toward mcaysville. It was there yesterday. You cant miss it. Im thinking it is around or just before mercers orchard. And thanks for your support...