Bob Henry's 4x7

[WhitneyK]

Looks good Bob!

I really like the FRP. If I could bend a 45 degree angle with it, I'd seriously consider it for mine ....... maybe the next one will be more rounded / traditional style.
I highly recommend to any of our food service folks doing remodeling / new construction to use FRP. Did I mention I really like the stuff?

Since this one's about done, what's next? (buildin' is like a drug, the more you "do", the more hooked you get. Gotta have a bigger "hit" next time)

[campmaster-k]

Looks very cool Bob. Well done.

[aggie79]

Very nice Bob!

I like the FRP too, and used on the inside surface of my hatch. One question, though - how did you get it to bend around the bottom curve of the back end of RVW? I had no where near that tight a curve and actually snapped an expensive piece of FRP trying to make the bend.

Your side tables look nice to. I may borrow some details from ya.

Take care,
Tom

[bobhenry]

Tom :

A heat gun is the secret. I was praying all the while. I just knew 10 - 12 hours of work was about to go down the drain as I curved the FRP. It is a great material as it warms you can actually feel it relax. The amount of pressure you need to exert on it to bend it deminishes as it warms and you can actually tell by touch when it is ready to bend.

Here is the link to my side table thread if it will help explain anything !

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=43504&highlight=tables

[bobhenry]

Another monday update......

Dodged raindrops all weekend but did get a bit more done.

sure would be nice to have a garage

Safety chains are now installed
driver side FRP seams are all caulked
designed and cut some scrap iron into a rear cargo platform
Sanded and refinished an old 40's style cooler for a small tongue box

a $15.00 yard sale find

(still working on a mount for it )

Installed the quad electrical box in the rear cabinet and decided an outside duplex would be handy over the driver side outboard prep table
so I cut in for a box and added an exterior duplex tagging it into the quad box.

Since I had a welder coming over I took the time to cut some 2x2 angle pieces to use as a tongue jack mount for the barn trailer. I used the angle that was left over from the side rail cut offs of the 5x8 trailer that is the barn trailers frame.

My little $14.00 Harbor Freight 4" angle grinder is the best money I have ever spent on tools.

I cut two 8" pieces of the 2x2 angle iron , one to weld on top and one to weld on the bottom of the tongue. I am tired of having the jack roll around the 2x2 tongue and will drill and bolt the jack face plate to the angles and ceremoniously toss the mickey mouse mounting hardware as far as I can throw it!

Since it was drizzeling rain the welder buddy was a no show. Oh well it will keep.

I did decide to put in some bedding and plug in my ceramic heater and crawled inside about 4:30 for a 2 hour power nap.

I know I know pictures. The significant other was at a grandkids birthday party with the camera.

[WhitneyK]

Good morning Sunshine!

I did decide to put in some bedding and plug in my ceramic heater and crawled inside about 4:30 for a 2 hour power nap.

I know I know pictures. The significant other was at a grandkids birthday party with the camera.

DIDN'T GO TO A GRANDKIDS BIRTHDAY PARTY ..... MAN, R U INSANE!!! (I pretty well had the answer to that question before I typed it )
You probably will be spending a few more nights in the RVW for missin' the party.

sure would be nice to have a garage

Maybe your next build could be a HUGE td, maybe 24' x 40', and forget to put a trailer frame under it.

Nice find on the old cooler looks like it would make a great tongue box. Weld you up an angle iron frame for it to set in, maybe strap it in place? Like the old trunks.

I'd comment on your progress, but, uh, since there's no pictures to show for it, well, you know.....

Oh ya, and by the way Bob, I took off work today gonna try to get my skin cut, at least for one side. 5x10 sheets of aluminum are fun when working by yourself.

[bobhenry]

Holy Strombolli !


Maybe I should just sell my little $15.00 cooler........

http://compare.ebay.com/like/350492349869?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y

[GuyllFyre]

Holy Strombolli !
Maybe I should just sell my little $15.00 cooler........
http://compare.ebay.com/like/350492349869?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y

Wow!
That would certainly make me think about selling it if I could.
eBay is getting tough for sellers to make money though, so many fees on everything...

[S. Heisley]

sure would be nice to have a garage

Hey, Bob! Aren't you the guy that builds storage buildings for other people?!

[bobhenry]

OUCH !

Yes Sharon you are correct and my 12 x 20 is full my 12 x 16 is full and my little 5 sided 8x8 has just enough room to get the door open.

Where do you think I hide all the good JUNQUE that I use in these builds?

[bobhenry]

Well the weekend update has no new construction as we drove 400 miles to visit Mom.

HOWEVER.........

While we were there we went junking ! Goodwill ,grannie's attic ,flea markets , elvis's junk shop and even a few yard sales.

I have been toying with putting a material covering over blue foam inserts on each wall as a wall finish. Kinda a poor mans hull liner

Well a lucky $2.00 find at one of the yard sales and I have 3 bolts of real nice embossed material to use as the material cover and the foam cutout here at work are free by the pickup load.

So it looks like this coming weekend will be a little cut and tape on foam and material. I will cut the foam to wedge it tight and then wrap and back tape the material to the back of the blue foam with some killer construction tape and jam fit it in place. With the walls in place I can then install the 15' white rope light that I will be using for interior lighting.

To cut the foam I am going to install a loop of 12 gage copper from a section of 12-2 w ground romax and see if I can install it on the nose of my weller soldering gun and get it to cut the foam. It's just an experiment if it doesnt work I will break out the handy knife and drywall saw. Or maybe a cut off wheel in the 4" grinder for the straighter cuts.

Note: If you have only one tool purchase this year make it a cheap little 4" grinder I have used mine for everything since I bought it.

On a surprise design flaw..... While measuring for the size foam I needed to cover the side walls I found out the rear shelf is installed about 5 degrees down hill running front to rear.



This will turn out to be a very happy accident ( kinda like my lantern hooks on the chuckwagon that just happens to hold the bin doors open)

Well it turns out that when ready to be towed (slightly nose down) The rear shelf actually is level so things will be less likely to walk out and the front cabinet shelf that is actually built level with the floor will run about 5 degrees down hill from rear to front of the trailer so things will stay in this cabinet as well.

GO FIGURE !

I'd rather be lucky than good !

[bobhenry]

Well the weekend update.

Some one wet the bed !

Yep opened the door Sat AM and had had a roof leak thanks to some torrential rains. With a little detective work with the garden hose I found that the cut in tail lights that I had forgotten to caulk and the license plate light had funnelled water into the foot of the bed. There was also a little water at the door where the casement style window had let water leak in. I had not finished building it and just had a piece of the FRP taped over it so I was not too surprised at this leak. I decided to simply make it a fixed window so I remover the tiny casement sashes and replaced with a 15 x 18 inch piece of lexan left over from Chubbys roof.Glued and pin nailed 1/4 round in behind and set the lexan in from the outside and used 4 tiny screws as glazing points to hold it in until I can pick up some more 100% silicone.

I mounted the newly repainted old style cooler on the tongue for a tongue box. made a rather clever mount out of 2 pieces of 15" 2x2 angle left over from the side rails cut off of the barn's frame rails. As with so many of these old style domed top coolers the top was cruched enough that The bail handle would not clamp the lid tightly so I went looking and found the hand grip cushion from the crutches I had use as table supports. I removed the bail and slid on the cushion. After building up the diameter of the bail with some ice dam tape I centered the cushion and it compresses just right and clamps the lid solid. Now you know why I never throw anything away !



I then decided to cut and fit 1" foam inside the trailer and wrapped with some nice soft cocoa and white striped material. This was a P.I.T.A. job. It took me 5 1/2 hours to cut and fit and recut and modify to finally get the foam to fit. Then remove and wrap and back tape. Looks real nice though. Kinda a poor mans hull liner. Picked up a whole bolt of material for $4.85 at Goodwill. I have enough left to make bed sacks for this builds foam mattress and to cover the 2 twin mattress in the barn. After the foam was installed I was instructed by the boss to trim out the curb side window so I went looking and found some plactic panduit. It is a little plastic chaseway that surface mounts to hide electric wires. studying this for a moment I decided it could be carefull split on the table saw and the plastic ell formed would trim the window most elegantly and that is what was done. It looks great and helps to hold the material covered foam solidly. Vic stopped at Goodwill on a whim Saturday and found a very nice dark chocolate brown comforter for $12.00 to complete the monochromatic look by tying in the bedding.

I next turned my attention to lighting and added rope lights across the front down the curb side and across the back to arrive at the quad electrical box. Rope is clipped to the bulkhead walls and each roof spar.
I even added a "Clapper" for remote switching.

Here is a rather poor night shot thru the door.

[bobhenry]

Here are the other pics


I was toying with a hme made rear rack....



When I found this for $10.00



Here s the trimmed out window described above



And my poor mans hull liner



I tradeded in the mini casement window
for a fixed lexan one



Here is the profile !

[aggie79]

Bob - I love the cooler tongue box and the interior foam panels. I thin the foam panels are a good way to retrofit insulation to uninsulated sidewalls.

Take care,
Tom

[WhitneyK]

Wow Bob, the cooler / tongue box turned out great, looks real nice.
That's a great idea wrapping the foam with cloth, not only adding R value, but should help with sound deadening (that way everybody camping around you won't hear you snore ) I really like the looks of it. Would also be a quick way to add extra insulation if needed for winter camping, could be removed for summer. (just a thought, didn't say it was a good one)
$10 for the rear rack? What a steal! Now that's what we're talkin' about, bargain boy! Somebody must have got tired of bustin' their shin on it.

Turned out great Bob!