Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I realize that paneling the interior of the t/d (curved interior parts) should be done before the exterior.

I've gone to lowes and home depot and looked at their paneling and tried to bend it. I don't think I could get much radius at all before it breaks....

I'm either looking at the wrong product or it has to be wetted or ??

Since I'll be at that point in a couple of weeks, I'd like to know up front what product should be used..... thank you for any comments.

I'm also seeing a lot of advantages in building using only flat surfaces, but I just can't get those wonderful curves out of my brain...

1/8" plywood, Birch would be nice, but I've seen other flavors used.

And if you are building wider than 4' then you can turn the plywood 90* for that you can bend it with the grain, even easier that way.

Mike...

P.S. Here's our plywood bending installation on the Baja Benroy.
http://www.mikenchell.com/live/02_08_2004/index.html

You can also pre-bend the ply, by puting ropes, straps, or bungies around it before using it. put just enough tension on it to get it rounded a bit, and then leave it sit at least overnight, but a day or two would be better. That will make it easier to work with when you are ready to use it.

On the outside, I was thinking about doing that. Secure the bottom across with screws, then put ropes around it and pull it tight and let it sit....

The inside looks to be tougher.. maybe some kind of T-brace pushing in the middle and keep going till it fit...

Has anyone tried spraying with a spray bottle to soften the wood up?

The birch ply I looked at was very stiff and I am not at all sure if it is plywood or some kind of composite... at $23/sheet, am reluctant to do a lot of experimenting..... it was painted so could not see any plies on the edge...

Hey,,I dont think you are looking at the right ply,,is it pre finished with grooves already cut in,,if it is then it may be regular wall paneling and will break real easy,,on thing that has been used is to pre screw the roof ribs or rafters on the interior wood first,,let the glue dry and then attach the ribs as you go around the outside,,ya still would have to pre bend a bit if its real stiff but with patience it can work

chip

If you can, build the walls up first, finish the inside while on a bench. Make a "ledge" for the head liner to rest on. I installed the headliner before the roof spars, to avoid the chore of getting the ply in place from inside the cabin. I used 1/8" oak ply for the liner, just "fell" into place. I glued and nailed it with an electric stapler,

Put the roof spars in place after the headliner, glue to the ply and walls and screw to the walls. I also built all the inside cabinets in place, and stained them, before the headliner installation.
Confused yet??:?:I wouldn't blame ya!!:roll: Check out my build journal!

That sure looks easy... bet it added a lot of weight though!!! Did it?

Mike...

mikeschn wrote:That sure looks easy... bet it added a lot of weight though!!! Did it?

I was always going to insulate the walls. I just stopped the furring at the headliner. The thick ply that you see in the pic is just 1" wide by 3/4" to match the insulation,, cut to the required curve.
I'm very sure that all the weight is in the 3/4" thick ply used for the exterior walls. If I do another,Ron and Sarah are looking! I'll use 1/4" marine ply with the same wall system, but, built as a stress skin panel, all layers glued together as one unit.
Some day, just for information, I'll get the Tear weighed. I suspect it's around 1500#. If I only knew then....

Great ideas.... thank you... I'm going to rethink this, Now I'm thinking about a 1x1 on the inside wall/ceiling corner, made up of 1/4" strips, glued. That would make interior and exterior curves from the outside....

no, I don't have it all thought out, but this has given me some great insights...... I've been concerned about a gap at that point anyway, and this will solve a couple of problems....

Steve Frederick wrote:If you can, build the walls up first, finish the inside while on a bench. Make a "ledge" for the head liner to rest on. I installed the headliner before the roof spars, to avoid the chore of getting the ply in place from inside the cabin. I used 1/8" oak ply for the liner, just "fell" into place. I glued and nailed it with an electric stapler,

Put the roof spars in place after the headliner, glue to the ply and walls and screw to the walls. I also built all the inside cabinets in place, and stained them, before the headliner installation.
Confused yet??:?:I wouldn't blame ya!!:roll: Check out my build journal!

Thanks Steve,

Your method of installing the headliner will save me lots of work in a confined space. I know I'll be using that tip. I really apreciate that..!!

Rather than building a 'ledge', I ploughed a 3/8" x 1" rabbet into the edge of the 3/4" plywood walls. I opted not to insulate the sidewalls of my teardrop. I then installed the 1/4" ply headliner from the outside. Super easy. I installed a roof spar every 16", and staggered the seams between the headliner and outside ply.

shil wrote:Rather than building a 'ledge', I ploughed a 3/8" x 1" rabbet into the edge of the 3/4" plywood walls. I opted not to insulate the sidewalls of my teardrop. I then installed the 1/4" ply headliner from the outside. Super easy. I installed a roof spar every 16", and staggered the seams between the headliner and outside ply.

Great aproach to the task Shil, but living in Texas, insulation and air conditioning are are all but necessary. There are times in the summer when the temp and humidity very closely match the same very high number.....I'll probably go with 1/2" ply, 3/4" insulatinon and 1/8' panel. Makes the walls kinda thick but thinking of mounting with the outside ply covering the edge of the floor, while the framing/insulation and paneling are on top of the floor. Kind of a "built up" rabbit joint. Doe's that sound logical or am I on the wrong track...?

I thought that you Texans enjoyed a 'dry heat'.

I let the side wall overlap the frame as well. I built the floor 1/4" larger than the frame, and fit this ledge into a dado ploughed into the sidewall.

FWIW, sounds like you've got a good thing going.

Shil

shil wrote:I thought that you Texans enjoyed a 'dry heat'.


Shil

Texas covers a lot of teritory, I'm down south, in the sticks just north of Houston. The humidity here is always high. I've experienced the "dry heat" in Arizona. They are both HOT.....

Well, the deed is done. After weighing my utility trailer (425#) and looking at an aluminum utility trailer (210#, $1,100.00), I ordered the harbor freight 1,880 trailer (243 pounds, $349.00), spare tire and jack for rolling it around.

I'm also thinking about using coroplast for the interior ceiling (bends easily and cheap) and something better for the walls.

Have contacted Newfound woodworking in Bristol, NH for batans (1/4x3/4 inch) to build up an interior corner beam (kind of like a square cove molding where wall meets ceiling) so I can do interior ceiling panel from outside.....

Things are coming together...