Finally Started- 6x10 conversion (Ready for first trip)

[pmowers]

Michael,

Yep, that's the one. I was not able to maneuver the 4x8 sheets of plywood onto a table saw (too much stuff in garage), so I saw that this had just come out and decided to give it a shot. When trying to cut the 19 1/2 inch wide sides for the cabinets, I wound up with the blades binding and wandering. I have used other guides before and never had the problems that I had with this. I thought, well even if it is designed to go 24 inches, maybe the distance is too much-nope, not much happier with the 4 inch strips that I used to make drawer sides out of. If I had not lost the receipt, I would have taken it back. I tried it with a Craftsman 7.5 circular and a Kawasaki 5 inch cordless. It may just be me, but I even followed the directions, which is rare, realigned the blade and guide several times, Slowed down how I moved the saw, tried to gently move the edge snug to the board, but at the same rate as the saw, still looked like a drunken stroll. Kreg had just came out with this product and I had not been able to find any reviews when I got it in Apri, I now see 2 on their site, one of which involved modifing the saw mount. ymmv

[Verna]

My favorite circular saw guide is home-made.

Lay a known "square" 1x4 on a piece of Masonite (hardboard). Glue it to the hardboard, and screw it from the bottom through the hardboard. After it dries, carefully cut the Masonite using the 1x4 as a left guide for the circular saw. After you're done, you have a custom fit guide to lay on top of your plywood (or whatever kind of wood you're cutting) to use as a guide. I have both an 8' and a 4' version. My circular saw cuts are very straight now.

[michaelwpayton]

Thanks for your review. My decision comes down to the Rip-Cut or a http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2006178/34155/Festool-TS-75-EQ-PlungeCut-Saw-with-TLoc-plus-MFT3-MultiFunction-Table.aspx... decisions, decisions...

Sorry to have hijacked this thread.

[roadinspector]

I've always used the shadetree method. Know you blade offset from the edge of saw. Mark your cut then mark your offset. Clamp a 2x4 down on your offset marks and get to cutting. Simple ways, simple folk.

Earnest

[michaelwpayton]

Thanks Verna and Earnest... I'll try those methods.

I was, of course, kidding about the festool setup... but, at around $30 I figured the Rip-Cut jig would be worth it if it worked.

[pmowers]

Verna- I normally use a drywall square for up to 4 ft, and in combination with an aluminum straight edge for longer work. I was just hoping that the Kreg setup would work for quick cuts, not requiring me to clamp the straight edge to the board.

Michael- I would have to say, I like your style, but the spousal unit has already been asking if I am going to live in this thing. In women-speak, I think that this is getting close to, "It better be good enough to live in, because you will be"

[d30gaijin]

Verna- I normally use a drywall square for up to 4 ft, and in combination with an aluminum straight edge for longer work. I was just hoping that the Kreg setup would work for quick cuts, not requiring me to clamp the straight edge to the board.

Michael- I would have to say, I like your style, but the spousal unit has already been asking if I am going to live in this thing. In women-speak, I think that this is getting close to, "It better be good enough to live in, because you will be"

Pat,

I've never heard of the guide you refer to but now I have. I could have used such knowledge while trying to cut 4'x8' sheets of plywood by myself on my hokey little table saw (bought used from Craigslist for $60 and once I got it figured I was now a "Big Times" carpenter guy considering I never had such a thing before). I tell you it was one heck of a balancing act trying to get a 4x8 sheet cut by myself. Now that I know better (thanks to your message and the subsequent replies), I'll try some of the other recommended methods before doing weird gyrations with my table saw and scaring the poop out of myself as I near the end of the cut wondering what piece is going where and are my hands and limbs clear?

Don

[pmowers]

Don, I hear you. My first "table saw" was actually a stand that had a plate where you mounted your circular saw upside down. Scared the crap out of me more than once. It might have been safer to duct tape the saw to a TV tray

Check out the aisle at Lowes or HD where they keep the levels. The drywall square and a speed-square are two of my best freinds.

[roadinspector]

I forgot to mention on 4x8 sheets besides using a 2x4 guide, the 4x8 is on the ground supported with a 2x4 on each side of my proposed cut to keep my saw out of the dirt. Crude system but it works for my tight @**, that's what my wife says but I prefer "thrifty".

Earnest

[pmowers]

Got home from work last night and started finishing up connecting the power converter and wiring. I had thought that I was going to use a 20A GCFI breaker as the main breaker for the trailer and have everything protected. Well, wired the breaker in, plugged the extension cord into the shore power inlet- so far, so good. I was using a standard sized (1 inch) main and the rest of the breakers are 15A tandem- makes for a real tight working environment with 14/2 romex.

Clicked the main breaker on, no bright flashes, no electroshock therapy treatments, no unexpected noises or smells, so I think to my self, now we're cooking, that was sort of a prophetic thought there.

My next step is to test the GCFI breaker by pushing that little yellow button-bad idea. As soon as I press the button, a loud buzzing starts from the breaker, and the magic smoke starts to escape. I stare at it for a second in disbelief, then snap the breaker to the off position, go out and pull the cord out of the shore power inlet. Where the heck did I put the fire extinguisher?

Pull out the GFCI breaker and return it to the store and pick up a plain-jane 20A breaker. Installed it this morning. Connected the rest of the AC lines and breakers. I tied the negative DC lines to a grounding bar and then to the frame. Crimped the ends of the positive DC lines and plugged them into the 12V side of the system. Because I tend to overbuild, I used 12 ga. stranded for the DC, although I am fusing all of the connections at 10A. This meant bigger female spade connectors to handle the wire. How much bigger, I had not realized. When I went to put the front panel back on, the connectors are too tall to allow the panel back on. So I had to replace all of the connectors with slightly shorter ones and give them a slight bend to fit.

Note to self- get ahold of some side-crimp female spade connectors to make things much easier in the future.

Hooked up the shore power, and turned the new main breaker on, then stepped through the rest of the breakers, using the little circuit tester-all good. Converter fan starts, then goes off, all the 12V outlets come live, the microwave wakes up and asks, "What time is it?", and the refrigerator kicks on when I set the thermostat. Hooray! And I didn't even need the fire extinguisher or to call 911.

The outlet count so far is:

120 VAC, 15A (still have room for 3 more breakers)
2 outside near the shore power inlet
3 near countertop
2 in top center cabinet (microwave using 1)
2 in right cabinet (refrigerator using 1)
I plan on running several additional outlets toward the rear of the trailer.

12 VDC 10A (although they can be fused for up to 20A per circuit (45A overall)
2 external near the shore power inlet- these outlets use a 1/4" phone plug/jack set to provide power- I am making 2 adaptors out of a 12V splitter. I will post pictures when I get them done.
1 ceiling and porch lights
1 cigarette type outlet over counter
I also plan on adding several additional 12V outlets around the trailer in the next phase of building.

Additionally I have 2 USB outlets near the countertop on the side of the cabinet.

I also mounted the indoor/outdoor thermometer on the wall. When I was an inspector for physician offices, I found a lot of them did not have a way to monitor the temperature of the refrigerators where they kept medications. My recommendation to them was to purchase an indoor/outdoor thermometer and put the outdoor sensor inside of the refrigerator. All they needed to do in the morning and after a weekend, was check the current, max and min temps on the thermometer. Now I can monitor the refrigerator temp without letting all of the cold out. The larger sized Fuji water bottles fit perfectly in the freezer compartment and will help keep things cold when I do not have power.

Also now mounted is the fire extinguisher and the first-aid kit. When I was at IKEA, I found these little hooks that fold out of the way. I think that they are going to come in pretty handy.

The next item is either the a/c conversion and mounting, the center cabinet, or the pull-out pantry on the left side along with shelves on the right. I am still having problems getting the dimensions right in my mind for the center unit.

[bigbendhiker]

Got home from work last night and started finishing up connecting the power converter and wiring. I had thought that I was going to use a 20A GCFI breaker as the main breaker for the trailer and have everything protected. Well, wired the breaker in, plugged the extension cord into the shore power inlet- so far, so good. I was using a standard sized (1 inch) main and the rest of the breakers are 15A tandem- makes for a real tight working environment with 14/2 romex.

Clicked the main breaker on, no bright flashes, no electroshock therapy treatments, no unexpected noises or smells, so I think to my self, now we're cooking, that was sort of a prophetic thought there.

My next step is to test the GCFI breaker by pushing that little yellow button-bad idea. As soon as I press the button, a loud buzzing starts from the breaker, and the magic smoke starts to escape. I stare at it for a second in disbelief, then snap the breaker to the off position, go out and pull the cord out of the shore power inlet. Where the heck did I put the fire extinguisher?

Pull out the GFCI breaker and return it to the store and pick up a plain-jane 20A breaker. Installed it this morning. Connected the rest of the AC lines and breakers. I tied the negative DC lines to a grounding bar and then to the frame. Crimped the ends of the positive DC lines and plugged them into the 12V side of the system. Because I tend to overbuild, I used 12 ga. stranded for the DC, although I am fusing all of the connections at 10A. This meant bigger female spade connectors to handle the wire. How much bigger, I had not realized. When I went to put the front panel back on, the connectors are too tall to allow the panel back on. So I had to replace all of the connectors with slightly shorter ones and give them a slight bend to fit.

Note to self- get ahold of some side-crimp female spade connectors to make things much easier in the future.

Hooked up the shore power, and turned the new main breaker on, then stepped through the rest of the breakers, using the little circuit tester-all good. Converter fan starts, then goes off, all the 12V outlets come live, the microwave wakes up and asks, "What time is it?", and the refrigerator kicks on when I set the thermostat. Hooray! And I didn't even need the fire extinguisher or to call 911.

The outlet count so far is:

120 VAC, 15A (still have room for 3 more breakers)
2 outside near the shore power inlet
3 near countertop
2 in top center cabinet (microwave using 1)
2 in right cabinet (refrigerator using 1)
I plan on running several additional outlets toward the rear of the trailer.

12 VDC 10A (although they can be fused for up to 20A per circuit (45A overall)
2 external near the shore power inlet- these outlets use a 1/4" phone plug/jack set to provide power- I am making 2 adaptors out of a 12V splitter. I will post pictures when I get them done.
1 ceiling and porch lights
1 cigarette type outlet over counter
I also plan on adding several additional 12V outlets around the trailer in the next phase of building.

Additionally I have 2 USB outlets near the countertop on the side of the cabinet.

Pat,

Glad to hear you got your power sorted out without any damage. I am fairly comfortable working with electricity, but it scares the you know what out of me when things like what you described happen.
Since you described yourself as an "overbuilder" I think I may be right there with you on the electrical. Here's mine as planned;

30amp main
15amp dedicated circuit for the a/c.
15amp circuit with four 2 gang outlets. Two will be on the interior of the trailer, one for the TV and one in the wall below it just for a spare. The other two on this circuit will be gfci outlets on the back side of the false wall that will house the a/c.
15amp circuit with one 2 gang outlet for the refrigerator.
15amp circuit with two 2 gang outlets, one will have the microwave plugged in along with an extra for other items.
15amp circuit with two 2 gang outlets, these will be above the front counter for a toaster oven and coffee maker.

The 30amp main and the 15amp for the a/c are full size breakers. The others are the half size combo breakers.

My converter also has twelve fused circuits for 12vdc. I think I have about 9 or 10 of those planned out for 12v outlets and lighting.

I have started running the rough wiring, but still have a lot of wire to run.

[d30gaijin]

Pat,

Smoke is always unnerving. Glad to hear there was no damage and that you got the electrical sorted out. Sounds like you have things well in hand, plenty of outlets, 120vac and 12v dc. Post more pics when you get the chance. BTW, thanks for the tip on the IKEA fold-a-way hooks. A few of those would be very handy in my CT. OOPS! No IKEA store in Boise but there is one in Sacramento, CA and we'll be heading that way in a few weeks.

Don

[pmowers]

Don,
The nearest IKEA to me is about 250 miles away. I do most of my drooling online then plan a weekend run when the compulsion gets too strong. The have a really neat selection of LED lighting, some of which you can turn a dial and change colors ( I'm thinking red for the astronomy people, yellow to keep the bugs down at night). I am using their Antonius system for the shelving and storage. I have several 4 drawer wire basket carts that are going to hold my stuff. The cart frames are only about $10 and about $2.50 per wire basket. Casters are about $2.00/set of 4. You can either run a bungee down the front or drop clips into the small holes on each of the drawer rails to keep the drawers closed during travel. I got some plastic bins with lids that also fit. My thought is to use the plastic bins to hold food items. I would just put the lids on them, take them in the house and stack them in a corner. When I get ready to go camping, I just slide them into place and I am ready to go. I have about got a latching mechanism figured out to click the carts into place, but easily unlatch them to remove from the trailer. Once again, pictures to follow.

I have also found that they are a great place to get items like storage nets, drawer catches, cabinet latches (one of which is going on the refrig door for travel), as well as kitchen tools, etc.

Pat

[pmowers]

Not much has been getting done, it has been 100+ most of the week, heat index higher. It did cool down yesterday and today though, so back to work.

I installed the first set of full-extension drawer guides for the pull-out pantry cabinet. The pantry will have 2 pull out shelf units in the upper left cabinet. I plan on getting the plywood cut for the pantry backing and the center cabinet tomorrow while it is still cool.

Got the face frames painted, installed shelving strips and clips in the cabinet over the refrig. Also pulled the refrig out, painted the door with silver hammertone Rustoleum to hide some of the dings and scratches. I had some concern that there would not be enough air circulation to allow the refrigerator to be effective, but with the temperature in the trailer hitting 111, the refrigerator was holding 28 degrees with no problems. I also added a latch to keep the door closed when traveling. I thought that I had enough wiggle room to get the frame side mount attached to the side of the refrig, but there wasn't enough clearance so I had to go to plan B.

I pulled the covers off of my potential air conditioner to clean it and check things out. It is a GE 5K unit that a friend contributed to the cause. I pulled out the baffle around the blower and as I was putting it back in, I was suddenly struck by the way it was laid out internally. Several people have designed a box to adapt hoses to the front of the a/c unit. I decided, why bring it out front and split the box when there is about a 6 inch space on the case right over the outlet of the blower unit. All I had to do is block off the opening in the front of the baffle. Then use the Cake pan idea http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=38095&start=585on the front over over the inlet grill. I think that I can weatherproof the controls. Shadow Catcher recabled his controls into his trailer, but I think that if I use the sensor measuring the return air, the system can be controlled by the temperature of the return air, at least for awhile.

I am also wiring up my 12 V adapters that are in the external wall. I could not use the standard lighter outlets as there is only about 1 inch between the walls. I will try to post some pictures of everything tomorrow.

[pmowers]

The problem: Since I have a 45 A 12 VDC converter, it only made sense to have 12 V available to power things like a livewell and a Coleman Cooler, items we normally keep outside of the trailer. The problem is that there is only about 1 inch between the trailer skin and the inside wall, this distance is too short to hold a typical 12 V outlet. The shallow box has flanges which go on the outside of the trailer skin and the back of the box is flush with the back of the plywood interior.
The solution:
I took a 12V splitter, a pair of 1/4 inch mono plug and jack set. I separated the connectors and connected them to the plugs by wiring the tips as positive and the mounting flange and barrel of the connector as negative. . Originally, I was going to use a blank outlet cover and drill holes in it, but fitting the waterproof cover to the plate wouldn't allow for a good seal. Being an archivist (sounds much better than pack-rat), I scrounged up a old 5 1/4 floppy box. After tracing the cover and cutting out with a box cutter, I had a plate that would work, and was color coded!
I wired each jack individually, using 12 ga wire to the converter and fused for 10A, I know, kinda overkill, but if I need to, all I should have to do is change to a bigger fuse, to go up to 20 A.

I used standard weatherproof outlet covers, and a lot of silicone to install the outlets on the driver's side of the trailer near the 120 VAC outlets and shore inlet. So far, no leaks, no shorts, no problems.