Escape Pod (2x2) (updated 4/15/12)

[ews2112]

I thought it might be worthwhile to post the changes that have been made to the design since the build started. I mentioned before that I created a slope to the rear of the roofline due to the necessity of this needing to get into the garage combined with our desire for everyone (except me) to be able to stand in the main cabin area. In addition, I've added the cabinets we are using and fabric for the cushions so we can get a better idea of how it will look when done.











I'm driving back to Ohio in about an hour so I'll (hopefully) have some time to work on it more this evening.

[ews2112]

Visible updates these past two weekends are mostly cosmetic. Last weekend was spent sanding, sealing and priming interior joints, walls and cabinets. This weekend almost all interior painting was done.

I posted earlier that we were going for some cheery, bright colors...









I am fortunate to have some nice people at the shop (I work for a manufacturing company) who were able to make me a counter surface out of 18 gauge stainless...



The cabinets have been recoated with a better color...something to look good with the stainless and also allow me to keep my 'man-card'



Here's the layout of the galley now...complete with pass-through to the cabin (which will have a door). The cabinet sitting on the counter on the right will be mounted level with the top of the cabinet on the left.



Finally, I painted some of the trim on Sunday...I personally think it adds a nice touch to the interior.





That's all for now...I've got to get busy this week as I really want to have this on the road before Labor Day!!!

[aggie79]

Very nice Elliot! I guess I'll need to turn my man card in because I like the colors. Don't let my wife see how fast your are building your camper because your pace makes me look like I'm in reverse.

Tom

[Ageless]

Man card? I happen to like the green.

Macho? That's a knee-jerk reaction to finding that you are DNA-wise 99% feminine; That magnificant Y chromosone is 1/3 the size of Y and it's 85% inert


Ya need some paisley!

[ews2112]

Tom - Thanks for the kudos. I've been admiring your work for some time...I don't think you can compare my assembly of parts to your craftsmanship. Don't get me wrong, I like mine and it will serve its purpose (hopefully), but you have something I don't...skill.

As for the man-card comment, I like the green, too. I was refering to the pink cabinets...we had originally wanted something closer to red, but as anyone who's had paint mixed knows, sometimes it just looks different than the swatch.

[ews2112]

I haven't been able to work on it this week, but last night we took the fabric for the cushions out and laid it in to get an idea of how accurate my 3D model is...(3D software is cool):

[aggie79]

Tom - Thanks for the kudos. I've been admiring your work for some time...I don't think you can compare my assembly of parts to your craftsmanship. Don't get me wrong, I like mine and it will serve its purpose (hopefully), but you have something I don't...skill.

Elliot - I think I'm going to have to disagree here. Besides looking cool, your build is very high quality. With each "layer" of my build, I'm covering up a lot of gaps and mistakes. Plus I'm real selective about what pictures I show.

As for the man-card comment, I like the green, too. I was refering to the pink cabinets...we had originally wanted something closer to red, but as anyone who's had paint mixed knows, sometimes it just looks different than the swatch.

Okay, I'm with you on the pink. The current color is more manly.

As an aside, I downloaded SketchUp last night and started playing around it. I'm not sure you can teach an old guy how to use 3D software, but I'm giving it a go.

Looking forward to your next post,
Tom

[ews2112]

Weekend is here (at 5:00) and I have a ton of work to do...supposed to be FANTASTIC weather here in Cinci...highs in the low 80s during the day and lows in the 50s at night!.

Last night, my youngest helped me mount some of the seat doors on hinges...



...and test out the capacity of one of the seats (you could actually get two of her in there pretty easily)

I downloaded SketchUp last night and started playing around it. I'm not sure you can teach an old guy how to use 3D software, but I'm giving it a go.

Tom - That's fantastic that you've 'taken the plunge' and I think you'll have no trouble with the basics of Sketchup...that's all I use and it really helps to visualize concepts. Do a Google search for Sketchup tutorials and you'll come accross a bunch of great video stuff on YouTube that is easy to follow.

[lamacose]

I think it is great that your kids are helping so much. This is something they will remember for a long time not to mention the art of doing something well and taking pride in their accomplishments.

[ews2112]

lamacose - I agree wholeheartedly...that's why I always ask them if they want to help.


Friday after work, I pulled the trailer from the garage for the first time in about 4 weeks…looked good to see it in the sunshine.



I was able to prep for bending the major curve on my roof by attaching my spars and planning how I was going to pull the wood into the curve. I have a 1 foot radius curve in the front that I planned to bend ¼ inch ply around.





On Saturday morning, my brother-in-law helped me begin the bending process…we used the ‘misting’ setting on my garden hose to wet the wood which let us put the water where we wanted it without getting everything else wet.



We had to leave at 3:00 and the bending wasn’t done before that time…patience is king when bending wood (I found out)!





Sunday morning I picked up where we left off and continued the bend all day long…





While wetting and bending (using ratchet tie-downs) I began work on the galley hatch. I cut one curved slat and then used it as a template. Then I screwed all of the pieces together to sand and cut them to match…that ended up being a big time-saver.





At the end of the day my wife and I were getting ready to loosen up the straps and glue and nail the spars. My father stopped by and it turned out to be a good thing…three pairs of hands where needed for the final process.









I should be able to take all those straps off tonight and get some more spars installed to continue the roof...the hard part is out of the way with that bend complete!

[Billy K]

Sweet deal, on the trailer and on this 1 foot bend.
It gives me hope, that I can pull it off.
Bob Henry keeps telling me; 'it'll work' but, seeing it is great!

[ews2112]

I haven't posted in over two weeks but I haven't been idle.

This thing is really taking shape...unfortunately, it's not perfectly square! Because I'm making single sheet walls, and because it took longer than a few weeks to get some of the interior parts completed, there was some bowing that I *attempted* to straighten...but, like the rest of this project, it isn't perfect and I'm not really to concerned about it.

Anyway...Labor Day weekend, my other brother-in-law came over for two days to help me out and we accomplished a lot (not all of it visible in photos). I didn't take any pictures during that time, but I have what it looked like before I began this past weekend. All of the front panels were on and most of the roof was done:











This past weekend was our local church festival, so I (or should I say we)only spent a little time working on the trailer.

Here's my helper using a chisel to scrape the excess glue off of the shelf over the galley cabinets.



The top of the shelf she's working on will be used for spare blankets, pillows, etc...



I have the galley cabinets and counter completely installed...I really like the stainless counter...style and function!



I took the router cut-off bit and trimmed up the completed front and roof panels to get the proper look...it helped me feel like progress was being made





Finally, I have decided to 'thicken' the walls at the back of the galley to keep them from bowing and to provide a better sealing surface for the hatch.





I have to head to New York again next week, but I hope to get cracking on the hatch this weekend, before I go.

[David S]

Lookin good

[aggie79]

Elliot,

Your TTT is looking great! Nice job wrestling with bending the ply around the curves.

At this pace, you'll be camping before me and I started my build two years ago.

Tom

[zapj]

looking real good