Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[mezmo]

Yes, Mary, just canvas over foam for a floor surface
would most likely dent with higher pressure loads -
like all your weight being on one knee. You can still
use the 1/4in ply on bottom, then the foam, them another
1/4in ply on top. Just do the perimeter in a 1x3 ripped
down to 2in [since that's what your foam thickness is.]
Then do the canvas and glue on top of that for a water
proofing on the floor.

To make it even stiffer emulate this:

http://www.superhoneycomb.com/
http://singcore.com/
http://singcore.com/tiny_index.html

Just rip some 1/4in ply into 2in strips and insert a
grid of them within the foam, and glue up that
sandwich. Another Foamling on here, built his
entry door this way, and was pleased with his results -
light and stiff.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[GPW]

KC , I read it twice , and still think the floor idea is problematic ... Maybe more so , depending how much help (assistance ) Mary has with the build ... What may sound easy for a young Studley’ to construct , may be difficult for an "older" (with respect) person ... Besides , I still see no technical advantage to a built up floor , the weight savings over a single plate floor are really negligible ... and there may be more difficulties with the attachment to the trailer frame ...

[eaglesdare]

i can't remember what my floor was except that it was birch. i suppose i could go reread my own build thread.

[GPW]

Eagle , that was “some time ago” ... Just saying , I still think the floor is one of the most important parts of the structure , since everything else (the cabin) is attached to it ..Logically , that is one of the points of highest stress... needing a very secure attachment to the trailer and the cabin shell ... (hence, my insistence for the extra “reinforcing strips" in that area ) ... The ubiquitous 3/4” plywood floor has become a “standard” around here and is well proven by many others ... probably the Easiest to do too ... JMHO

[Dirke]

GPW: "I’ve always thought of a patchwork sorta’ quilt looking covering ... All the multiple overlapping edges would only make the whole thing Stronger ... doubling of the fabric and all ... there’s always lots of cool fabric on SALE ... all left to your imagination how you use it ... "

Our local Salvation Army Store gives away garbage bags full of old t-shirts for rags. you could probably use those and pick and choose your colors and make a pretty cool design. Perfect for a quilter. Could make a quilt to match for the bed.

[Dirke]

Has anyone thought of using the wood from pallets? I thought I might be able to make my spars from the larger pieces. Might have to glue a few together to make it my planned 5' width. Lots of time and no money?

[GPW]

Wood from pallets is usually pretty heavy , so you’d only need some thin pieces like 1X2 for most anything structural ... Love that T shirt idea ...

[Dirke]

That's where a table saw would come in handy to trim them down to a more reasonable size.

[KCStudly]

GPW, yeah I agree, and I think we are just looking at it from two different angles: Simply plywood floor is easiest, quickest and probably thriftiest, or if MaryC chooses to do a built up insulated floor, then a top ply is a good idea. Different page, same book.

Dirke, T-shirts sound like a thrifty alternative, but perhaps more labor intensive. I was able to buy an arm full of used king size bed sheets at a yard sale for dirt cheap and have been using them as dust covers for my building materials in the meantime. While I will probably use duck canvas (or epoxy/glass) for my outer skin, I may use the bed sheets for things like lining the inside of my tongue box, or making some lantern travel cases.

I have access to lots of cast off pallets and considered using them for building materials, but the problem is they are rough. I mean, if they are not busted and full of nail holes, they are cracked, various species (sometimes within the same pallet) and mostly short lengths... and they are rough. I tried to get some oak stringers from an oversized pallet back at the beginning of my build, and just busting out the slats and pulling the nails about killed me on a hot day. Once I had them in my hands I asked myself why I had bothered; wasn't worth the effort for twisted, split, rough, nail hole riddled wood, and the middle stringer wasn't even oak. Mind those nails, too. Half of them will break off instead of pulling, and now you have your saw blades and planer knives to worry about. There are easier sources of scrap or surplus thrift wood.

Cut some pallets up and bring them camping as fire wood is about all they are good for in my opinion, unless of course you have access to premium grade pallets. $.02

[GPW]

There’s a lot of shipping going on here , from Everywhere else , and we’ve seen pallets that were made out of some very Nice wood , and some with oak (?) so hard you couldn’t drive a nail in it ... If there’s an area around you that does a lot of shipping or Industrial work , that maybe a source... They just have better stuff in their dumpsters ... But it’s true !!!
Bed sheets are pretty strong and used with some heavier weight material for reinforcing strips (in the more critical areas) should be OK... You could always use multiple layers of them (sheets), as the seams would be almost invisible ... T shirts would require a bit more planning , cutting the pieces the right size etc. , but if they’re Free and you have the time ....

[GPW]

Something I just keep thinking of over and over ...is the use of fiberglass drywall tape ... It’s Light, strong , thin , and CHEAP ... Certainly a ’Thrifty Alternative” !!! We got a roll for working on the paddle boards , nothing new on that yet . Just thinking an application of this under the skin would help “harden” a higher stress area , without much expense, trouble , or weight gain ... around doors and window frames , over seams , the floor to wall junction, in the interior for foam shelves ... all would seemingly benefit with a little extra reinforcement eh ?
Ans speaking of shelves ... There seem to be a lot of ideas about how a foamie should be built , but when it comes to the interior , we always resort to 2X4s and thick plywood for the shelves ... Consider this , how about a 2” thick foam shelf, FDT (fiberglass drywall tape ) run full spam on top and bottom , then skinned and painted ... Very Light and you could probably dance on it ...

I think somebody said : “ The economy being what it is, forces me to think more "Thrifty" about TD construction “ ...

[Dirke]

[quote="GPW"]There seem to be a lot of ideas about how a foamie should be built , but when it comes to the interior , we always resort to 2X4s and thick plywood for the shelves ... Consider this , how about a 2” thick foam shelf, FDT (fiberglass drywall tape ) run full spam on top and bottom , then skinned and painted ... Very Light and you could probably dance on it ...

I was thinking of doing that for my kitchen. My plan would be to put a couple of supports underneath, like spars. Perhaps overkill as what you are describing sounds strong enough.

[ghcoe]

Consider this , how about a 2” thick foam shelf,

That is how I was planing to do mine. I was thinking of just cutting a piece of tile board to go over the top. The two together should be plenty strong.

Going to experiment with the FDT and TB II and see how strong it will be for window and door thresholds. I am trying to stay away from framing in the windows and doors with wood.

[Dirke]

I am trying to stay away from framing in the windows and doors with wood.

I feel like a lot of old camper windows had two sides and the wall was just sandwiched in between. That style wouldn't need a wood frame around it.

[GPW]

The window we made for my Foamie had a frame around it to open and close , and I just glued that in the hole ... trim pieces on the inside ... pretty simple really ...
Framing around doors doesn’t have to be framed , but must be reinforced in some way , especially to mount the hinges and door handle. (hard points) More “reinforcing strips" would be good for around the rest of the door frame opening ... Actually in a Foamie , the Less wood , the better .... less to Rot ... "the plague of other wooden trailers" ..