Couple of questions

[jamie296]

Ok, so I've read a little bit on the site and then joined and read some more. I started reading the 699 pages of thrifty alternatives but I haven't completely found my answer, it seems that is more geared toward foamies. I'm hoping that in the next year or so, maybe a little longer, i can start building one for my wife and i to travel a little.
I am a novice wood worker, I've built and sold a few pieces of furniture and have quite a few pieces in my house now. My wife and i both love the vintage pieces from the 40s and 50s. I am wanting to build one with wood sides and maybe do some sort of protective varnish or something to protect the wood. I am thinking of making ribs out of 3/4 birch sandwiched together to make an inch and half ribs about ine and a half to two inches and about 12" apart across the top all the way down to the hatch and then filling in the open spaces with foam. Then I will cover the top with a canvas using the the titebond method and then possibly painting the top. The hatch and all will be done this way, making the hatch lighter and ultimately making the tear drop lighter. I will build my own windows and doors. I do plan to create those same ribs for the inside walls as well. Does this sound like a good start? I am looking create a cost effective way to build a tear drop and i would like to also keep a somewhat vintage look to my tear drop as well.
I did plan on maybe using a harbor freight trailer or a trailer I can find locally or on Craigslist. 1/2 flooring would be used and then I will find some hardwood flooring to put down as my finished floor. This is the beginning of my plan. I haven't thought through the inside yet but if this sounds feasible then this is where I would like to start and then I will start planning my electrical.
Thanks for any help on this
Jamie

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[SSTear]

Just about every possible construction design you can think of has been tried. Main things to remember. Keep it light. Keep it water tight. Keep it simple. You seem to have the woodworking background so you should be good there. Design to your strengths and get pro help with what you aren't familiar with. Welding was an issue for me so I did a lot of drilling and bolting in the framework instead. Electrical and sheet metal work is a strength for me so I designed a RV style electrical system and used alum skin on the outside of my build. I used off the shelf wood from Lowes and Home Depot. 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 60" hardwood for the ribs. 3/4 marine ply for lower sides and 3/4 birch ply for the upper sides. I routed the top of each side to the galley hatch 1 13/16" by 3/8" deep for the ribs and interior paneling and pressed them all down into the routed sides as I mounted the ribs with countersunk screws through the sides into the end of the ribs. I filled the voids with foam panels. Spray foamed the areas I couldn't put foam panels in. Use Stainless steel screws everywhere to avoid any rusting. I bought side doors. You may want to build them yourself. Seal all wood and prime all the steel everywhere. Remember cut ends and drilled holes need to be sealed or primed before installing or mtg.

Good luck. Everyone here has their own style. Looking forward to seeing yours.

[tony.latham]

Jamie:

Your wheels are cranking.

The best thing that happened on my teardrop building trail was finding Steve Fredrick's Teardrop Builder's Shop Manual. (and no, I'm not associated with him.)

http://www.campingclassics.com/shopman05.html

If I recall, it's 450 pages. Even on my third teardrop, I was referring to it.

You can see our third build here: .

I deviate from Steve's methodology a bit now and use 3/4" AC plywood for the wall cores instead of 1x4s. Much less labor.



Tony

[jamie296]

Thank you guys. It's nice to know I'm in the right direction. I want to do alot of wood like they did back in the days.
Thank you for the manual link @tony.latham

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