Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm building a woody with non insulated walls. Now after cutting out the doors, I find that one has slightly cupped. I spoke to another local builder that has the same problem. It may be an issue of the ply not being as dry as it should have been. I am now going to have to jump through some hoops to flatten it out so that it will seal properly. Has anyone else had this issue and how did you solve it? I haven't installed the doors yet, so it isn't a problem with the weatherstripping, but I'm sure that will make it worse if I don't deal with it now. I did rip a bunch of kerfs across it, flattened it and filled the kerfs with epoxy and that helped but still not where it needs to be.. Thanks in advance. Doug Hodder

Doug,

Here's an old idea that has worked on my trailer for over 50 years so far.

Ken-Skill puts an oak brace on the inside to keep the door flat. It also acts as a handle to pull the door closed. The hinge keeps the other side of the door flat.



Nick.

Brace it with it weighted or clamped down.

Nick/Alan, that was one of my options that I was thinking about. I thought that I could use the top of the braces, I was going to do 2, to hold the curtain rod, and on the bottom portion, I was going to make a thin, magazine rack. My 49 Kit had an overhead magazine rack with the light in the middle. I sort of wish I didn't have to do anything, and things laid down flat, but that's the whole deal with projects like this. How to make the best of a bad situation, and make it look like you planned it. Thanks for the info. doug hodder

Unfortunately I've discovered 1/4 oak ply warps and bends alot with heat and humidity...even in my sandwich construction. The doors are the worst. I've got them clamped and bent the other way for about a week.

Might add a brace but don't want my knees banging into 'em at night. It's only a 4ft wide tear.

Before I framed and insulated my doors they were bowed significantly. Just framing them with 3/4 inch pine, glue, and clamps straightened them out. An exposed framework of nice wood might look "planned" and be effective.

I assume you are putting finish (poly) on the inside. You need to seal the entire piece of wood so that moisture will not cause it to swell. Finishing one side will guarantee a bowed door.

tim