Mounting floor to trailer.....

[Guest]

It's been a long day... and I'm only hitting on about seven right now...
I've never seen plans for the kuffle creek deal, but it just mistifies me right now that you guys already have a frame... it's red, why not just attach the deck plywood to that?
Is there underfloor storage stuff happening or something?...
Because I'm seeing a frame on a frame there in that avatar...
Time to hit the hay...

[The R/C Man]

Well first it is easier to attach the sides to the wood as it is to the metal frame. Plus the idea is to have someplace for the insulation to be encapsulated. If you have just a flat piece of plywood attached to the frame you will also have to work around protruding bolts when attaching the walls.... Any thoughts?

[Kevin A]

I mounted my 3/4" plywood deck directly to the steel frame using this type of screw http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1340626 It worked out really well, just use a powered driver to run the screws in. They drill, ream & tap their way through the plywood & steel frame rail. Here's the frame with the plywood installed.


This view shows how I have the walls fastened to the floor. only the plywood wall is hanging outside the floor, the wall framing is supported on top of the floor.

[The R/C Man]

Those screws are pricey..... Looks good though. Did you put some kind of sealer on the bottom to protect it from the elements?

Insulation.... It might not be as cold in CA but it gets pretty cold here in WA at night. Since we like to camp most of the year we need the insulation. I guess you could always put the insulation in between the frame rails. But in my case I need to be able to remove the whole camper shell therefore an additional frame of some kind is required. I guess I could go thinner with framing. Of course that would mean thinner insulation and less R value.... Hmmmm.....

For your wall framing, how did you bend the wood? I thought about soaking it in water for a day or two. My plan was to put the wood inside a piece of PVC fill it with water and cap the ends...... This should work right?

[mikeschn]

Kevin,

How many pieces of wood did you end up using to make your perimeter wall framing? Do you have a good side view photo of the wall framing?

Mike...

[Kevin A]

:o Those screws are pricey..... Looks good though. Did you put some kind of sealer on the bottom to protect it from the elements?

Insulation.... It might not be as cold in CA but it gets pretty cold here in WA at night. Since we like to camp most of the year we need the insulation. I guess you could always put the insulation in between the frame rails. But in my case I need to be able to remove the whole camper shell therefore an additional frame of some kind is required. I guess I could go thinner with framing. Of course that would mean thinner insulation and less R value.... Hmmmm.....

For your wall framing, how did you bend the wood? I thought about soaking it in water for a day or two. My plan was to put the wood inside a piece of PVC fill it with water and cap the ends...... This should work right?

R/C,

I didn't bend the wood for the perimeter framing of the walls, I used 11 seperate pieces of 3/4" x 1 1/2" of varying lengths per wall. Each of these were cut on the end at an angle that matched the previous piece and also followed the contour of the wall's profile, once I had them all cut and clamped to the wall I marked each piece following the curve of the profile, next all the pieces were removed and I cut the excess off with my band saw, next step was to lay them all out on the wall again and glue & screw each piece to the wall. Once I had both walls to this point I clamped the two walls in a vertical fixture and used a belt sander to match the contour of both walls. It was lots of work to do it this way and I'm sure steam bending the oak is likely a better method, but I have no experience with steam bending wood. I used my table saw, band saw & lots of patience


Mike,

Here's one side view of a wall, I posted a few more in my album.

[Guest]

Kevin,
Steam bending is fun and easy,but you gotta be setup for it (Which is pretty easy for shorter lentghs), work fast with your clamps and be careful. (Steam burns are severe) It is a bit time consuming, because you have to clamp the wood into place and let it dry for a period of time, then glue your laminations and clamp them in place a second time. I don't think you would need to even steam bend most profiles if you're laminating strips together, well...maybe only the rear bottom radius on a Modernistic from what I've seen. (I'm basing that guestimation from comparing the radius of steam bent canoe stems to the radius of trailer profiles)
Oh... you would also need a profile of your trailer with several larger holes near and around the perimeter to have something to clamp to.

Hey... do you remember when you were showing me parts of your old hatch from the original Thims and we were looking at the ribs that were previously cut from a piece of lumber? Remember how that one rib just fell apart and split with the grain? I'd strongly recommend using plywood on those ribs for your hatch instead of pieced together lumber...

RC,
That's what I use to steam my wood... A six foot long piece of PVC pipe.
I just made a hose to go from a kitchen tea kettle and set the kettle on my crab cooker, works great. Oak is not a very good to bend and laminate together from what I've been told, I'd recommend going with ash instead if you want a hardwood.

[Kevin A]

Kevin,
Steam bending is fun and easy,but you gotta be setup for it (Which is pretty easy for shorter lentghs), work fast with your clamps and be careful. (Steam burns are severe) It is a bit time consuming, because you have to clamp the wood into place and let it dry for a period of time, then glue your laminations and clamp them in place a second time. I don't think you would need to even steam bend most profiles if you're laminating strips together, well...maybe only the rear bottom radius on a Modernistic from what I've seen. (I'm basing that guestimation from comparing the radius of steam bent canoe stems to the radius of a trailer profile)

Hey... do you remember when you were showing me parts of your old hatch from the original Thims and we were looking at the ribs that were previously cut from a piece of lumber? Remember how that one rib just fell apart and split with the grain? I'd strongly recommend using plywood on those ribs for your hatch instead of pieced together lumber...

Dean,

Yep I remember that, I took your advice and cut those ribs out of plywood. so far that's all I have finished for the hatch. I've given up on the plan to tow the trailer to the dam gathering, looks like it's the back of the truck or a tent for me this year. pushing hard to finish in time for Minden now.

[Guest]

Hey you could always lash a tarp over the roof when you got there...
I saw pictures of one guy that towed his frame to a gathering, then made a cardboard body for it when he got there.
I sat down with my kids tonight and went through the custody schedule with them for this summer and they are rarrin' to go camping, I've got them on both Memorial and Labor day weekends this year, but you know what?... I'm just not looking forward to using a damned tent anymore.
Well... with my work schedule I should definately have this thing done before next summer, so I guess this summer will be my farwell to tent camping tour.

BTW- My kids and I will only be at the Dam gathering on Saturday just for the day, but I'm looking forward to seeing and meeting a lot of people that's for sure...

[The R/C Man]

Thanks Kevin!

From the previous picture it looked like you had bent it.... I am planning to use a 2x8 and rip it down to 1" wide strips. That wood is pretty soft so I may be able to bend it without water or steam at least for the larger bends. If not I will do it your way by piecing it together. For the trimming process my router with a flush trim bit should do the job nicely... I believe that is how I am going to match the sides as well. Rough cut the first one and sand it to size. Then clamp the other side to that one and run the router down it.

Well today will be my first trip to Lowes (finally) for some of the materials to get me started. I plan to get enough supplies to complete the floor and one side. I figure the side will take some work to get done. Next week I will buy the air conditioner. I found a 5000BTU for $79. I can't pass that up... Plus I need it for the mesurements....

[IraRat]

:o

Insulation.... It might not be as cold in CA but it gets pretty cold here in WA at night.

The insulation is more for moisture control. When you sleep, your body gives off moisture, and the interior starts to get mildew-infected, and smelly.

Ever smell a tent after a day or two of use?

Supposedly, this also causes damage to the TD over time.

As far as attaching the plywood directly to the trailer, as you can see, a lot of people do this. A frame is necesssary for a drop-hatch (which I don't have anyway), although I'm sure someone here has done it without one. (I don't care about those extra cubic inches of storage space.)

Finally, I like the idea of the frame because as said, it not only gives you something to attach the sides to (easier than drilling into steel!), but I can also envision doing something cool with baseboard trim around the entire perimeter. Plus, if you're running wiring, I imagine it's easier to attach your conduit to the frame than working around the steel of the trailer.

Also, as far as that Lowes AC goes, GET ONE WITH A REMOTE CONTROL! You're not going to want to keep getting up and moving around to adjust it. And why do you think you have to buy that now? Where are you going to mount it? I'm mounting mine in the lower galley (near my fuse box), to vent out the side, and I don't see any reason to need the measurements until I totally plan and START configuring the galley, which I see a lot of people do toward the very end.

Plan, measure, wire, start cutting.

[The R/C Man]

IraRat,

I am not adding a galley to my TD.

I am however going to mount the AC so it vents out the rear. I was considering a pre-made vent of some kind. Another idea was to vent it towards the ground out through the bottom. The unit will be mounted 6" above the floor (to clear the matress) on the back right sideof the TD. Oh, the AC for $79 does have a remote, not that reaching down to my feet to change the settings would be a big deal. If I wait to buy it there may not be any more in a month or so when I need it.

I agree about the framing which is why I am using it....

I am wondering about the mildew thing though. Isn't insulation used as a heat barrier? Being mounted in the wall sandwiched between the wood how would that prevent mildew?

Here is a quick drawing of my design and aprox. location of the AC...

[IraRat]

That AC looks cool to me!

I don't think you should vent it to the bottom, because that hot air is going to rise back into the trailer anyway. Additionally, as long as you leave your hatch open a little, you should be fine, especially since it's facing the open hatch. The only issue, for both of us, is that water drip.

What are you going to do with your galley area anyway?

I really want as elaborate a galley as my skills will allow, so I don't want to take up space there with my AC. Additionally, I don't want to worry about venting, so I'm considering mounting it on the side, supported by additional framing on the plywood wall and possibly brackets that are bolted on the outside into the steel chasis itself.

[The R/C Man]

Good point on venting out the bottom.

The idea is to have a metal mesh screen on the back hatch directly behind the AC with a seal around the opening. When the hatch is closed the seal touches the AC frame keeping rain out of the rear compartment. What do you think?

The Galley space will used for the AC, a small refrigerator (1.7cf) and two batteries for stand alone power and a converter/charger. The 6-8" space under that will be used to store the exstension cord, folding chairs and table. On the inside, the cabnets will be deeper than most to accommadate our clothes for an extended trip. That panel face will also be shaped for a car stereo/dvd player with with a 7" monitor.

On the drawing I have some shelving on the front but I probably won't install any because that seems like a nice place to lean up against while watching a movie.....

What plans do you have for your galley?

Oh, I made my trip to Lowes today and picked up enough supplies to build the floor and frame the sides. Working night shift is tuff but I hope to get the floor done this weekend. I don't want to wake the neighbors cuuting wood at 3am...

[IraRat]

HAH!

Cutting wood at 3AM is nothing--wait till you start drilling those HOLES in the steel trailer! They take forever, and the cheap Black and Decker bit works better than the titanium one. (There's a drilling oil/liquid you can use to speed it up, but I never tried it.)

I'm sure you'll be fine with the AC as far as water coming into the cabin...I was referring to water drop that comes FROM the AC, from condesnation. I don't know when you last used a window unit (they're pretty extinct here in South Florida), but they can really drip a lot water--so you want to make sure it isn't dripping onto your beautiful construction and under your mattress!

If you check out the instructions for the AC, I'm sure it's mentioned there. I think it's a simple matter of installing it at a slight pitch, gravity pulling it away from the trailer, and using a small plastic hose/tube or something to carry it away, or straight down below your floor.

I'm going with straight 120 volts AC throughout, no DC, so I'm going to design the galley with that in mind. (Anywhere I go will have power.) I'm installing a low profile (short) water tank on the top shelf, to gravity feed the faucet and sink. Putting in a microwave and regular refrigerator, with possibly a small fan to cool the fridge. (Don't know if it will be necessary.) And finally, a dual burner camping stove.

Plus storage, of course.

The trick is doing all of this so it looks nice. I've seen a lot of sloppy galleys, but of course, maybe those are the most practical anyway! I just figure the galley is 90% of the purpose of this for me and the family--wife and two boys. (Me? I'll be sleeping in the truck bed with a tent topper!)

I just want to make it easy to hitch it up and head out for a night at the spur of the moment. The beers and drinks can go in a cooler, but packing eggs, steaks, etc. in a cooler can be real pain--so into the fridge for that. Pots, pans and cutlery can go into my box in the truckbed, where I currently store NOTHING, so that will be a big plus for me.

And THIS is why I just bought my 4th truck.