FoamStream...

[aggie79]

GPW,

How about a progress report? The anticipation of seeign your build come together is killing me.

Tom

[GPW]

Tom , still have to finish prepping the trailer (a little spray paint) , get the new wheels/tires (old ones are “beyond” help), Then bolt the floor cross members in , lay the flooring down (which I have yet to get ) and secure to the cross members . Getting the 1X2 X 10’ stringers custom ripped , because I couldn’t find anything decent , and nothing in 10’ .. (weird?) The skeleton will be assembled in the Studio , carried out and mounted to the completed floor ... Then we add the foam ... the first two 10' horizontal strips shouldn’t be a problem , but I have to do some kerfing to make it bend to the 3’ radius on the top (making a hot wire kerfing”plane” for that... another story ) The nose will be blocked in and shaped as we go ...Once the foam is on , then canvas, paint and trim , the usual ... a couple small windows (store bought) and an AC install ... After that it’s just piddling around inside making room for every thing and adding some Comfortable places the rest , sleep, recline , whatever... nothing fancy at first , figuring it will evolve over time , once we see what we really Need ... another ongoing project .... That’s the Plan anyway .... Thanks for asking !!!

[GPW]

Did the calculating for the FS kerfing ... Finalized the dimensions of my kerf tool ... (10) 10’ long kerf cuts on each side ... May have to glue the 24” wide sheets together then do the kerfs , the top bend is 61” continuous ... Thinking of attaching the canvas first on the outside of the bend , then kerf and bend ... the canvas will keep it all together , and prevent any cracking ... probably easier to install one big piece ... all the messy work , pre done flat ...

[KCStudly]

If you canvas them first, I think you might have more trouble bending the panel(s) than you think. I guess a test would be appropriate before committing so much time and material.

My thinking is that if you limit the depth of the kerfs and leave some thickness the panels will hold together, handle and form fine (... but then again, maybe not with beaded foam?). If in doubt some packing or blue tape applied around the circumference of the arc in a few locations would be reasonably thrifty (come in handy for many build chores, too) and easily removed after forming. After forming (but before covering) any adjustments to fair would be far easier without the canvas in the way. Also, the joints where your back wall and front dome meet the semicircle will be much easier to fit, fair and reinforce with the main canvas out of the way.

$.02

[GPW]

KC , you’re right !!! Will re-consider the method ... Hmmm? Blue or Pink foam would have been easier , just difficult to find around here and pricy !!! ~ 45USD/sheet of 2” @ a local insulation supplier ... HD or L doesn’t carry it here ... and I can’t think why not ?
This beadboard will work fine , being the same density as the Blu... there’s just a LOT of kerfing to do ... Being 3.5” thick , the kerfs will run deep or ~ 75% of the depth ... The bent area of the foam is 61” on each side (bent to 36” radius ) ... from the floor edge around the rib to the top center comes out to exactly 8’ ... which was not a coincidence ... It was planned all along to use the XPS 2” foam , that just didn’t happen ($) ... I really could use the 1” Blu foam over the wooden skeleton (no kerfing , just simple heat bending , and locally available ) and it would be good enough , just not offer the Insulation qualities we “need” here (HOT) ... The inner wooden ribs and stringers add quite a bit of strength to the structure , and in reality IS the structure , so this is a Hybrid foamie anyway... The foam adding a smaller percentage of strength to the overall structure than a “Pure" foamie ... Technically I could just cover the skeleton with the canvas and paint it like an old airplane fuselage , but then we’d have NO insulation , just a rolling tent ... Of course, that would never fly with “her worship” who is always too Hot or Too cold ...


Schmaybe’we could get Eagle’s kerfing team to visit for a day or so ... a “Gathering” ...


Ps. Packing tape ... what a GREAT idea KC , I will use that !!!

[KCStudly]

Yeah, I think if you can get that hot wire rig set up your kerfing will go pretty easy. Make a fence with an indexing feature that drops down into one of the previous grooves and then just drop the fence into the next kerf, clamp and zip by pushing the cutter along the fence; reposition, clamp, and zip. You'll be done before you know it.

The hardest part is getting started. My friend Dale used to jump into a project and do a thing three times before he got it to where he was happy with it, but he still got done before I finished "planning".

[GPW]

You’ll see in the drawing ^ the kerfing tool has a fence on the port side that rides in the previous groove ...

[KCStudly]

Oops, I hadn't scrolled the drawing down. I see it now. That's a pretty good distance between kerfs; nice gentle curve.

[GPW]

KC , I hope so !!! Otherwise it will be a curve and a flat spot , repeating .... for that Zeppelin look ... which wouldn’t be so bad ...

[GPW]

Regrettably , this “floor” business still has me boggled .. I was even thinking of an OSB floor , well soaked with “the mixture” ... would be Easy ! Thrifty too ... All would be supported by 2X4 crossmembers ... a bit heavy , but not overly so ... Gotta’ get this project off the ground .... Materials crowding my Studio ... June 1 deadline ...

[eaglesdare]

one couple that was here helping with the kerfing has since moved down your ways, baton rouge area? so actually you could/might get a gathering going down there just for that! as long as you supply the 500lbs of beer.

[droid_ca]

Regrettably , this “floor” business still has me boggled .. I was even thinking of an OSB floor , well soaked with “the mixture” ... would be Easy ! Thrifty too ... All would be supported by 2X4 crossmembers ... a bit heavy , but not overly so ... Gotta’ get this project off the ground .... Materials crowding my Studio ... June 1 deadline ...

GPW this might help viewtopic.php?f=29&t=54377&p=989860#p989860

[GPW]

Good One Droid !!! Penny for your thoughts ...

[droid_ca]

Good One Droid !!! Penny for your thoughts ...

make it a dime and it's a deal...no I saw that and thought how cool would that be stain some plywood and cover it in penny's or you could use grout I guess I'm wondering how good it would be for placing a hot pot on top of it

[GPW]

We have a friend who had a whole Bunch of scrap 2X8s , to short to do anything with .. So he cut them all up 1” thick and used the blocks as flooring ... Looked great after he was done ...