Will this be strong enough?

[kitecop]

I have my walls almost complete. I ended up using 1/8 exterior skin rather than 1/4 and now I'm wondering where I'm going to find strength in the floor to wall joint. I have drawn up a sketch of how i plan to make the connection. Im wondering if it will be strong enough and also wondering if i should just trim the exterior 1/8 skin flush with the interior skin and plywood core. I plan on using the aluminum piece for strength rather than putting a 2x2 on the interior corner.

Also wondering about the same issue on the wall to roof joint. Since my 2x2 roof supports will be sitting on top of the 3/4" plywood and the exterior skin coming up and covering the ends of the 2x2s the only way to really fasten them down is to screw through the 1/8ply... by the time its counter sunk its really not gonna be much of any support.

this is going to be skinned with filon.

On an unrelated note... anyone use that loctite PL adhesive? I've been using and at its total junk and doesn't adhere anything worth a crap.

[dales133]

Alot seem to use loctite Pl but I don't think it's avaliable here.
If i were you I'd do a couple of things.
I'd use short screws and glue the end and underside of the roof spars and screw through the 1/8 with short screws to locate and countersink and screw down through the spar into the wall top.
I'd also trim out between each spar with timber and glue and preferably kreg screw it into spars.
Will give you about as strong a connection you could get in those circumstances.
You could remove the short screws through the 1/8 or leave them in

[bobhenry]

You have created a hinge point just below the first side screw.

If you were to make the connection into a slip joint as shown the inside skin will add a great deal of strength and eliminate the hinge point.

It could be done by cutting a wide kerf in the bottom plate or make it 2 pieces and allow the wall to straddle the 2x2 ?? wall plate



flooding the kerf with a good wood glue would make it bullet proof.

[tony.latham]

On an unrelated note... anyone use that loctite PL adhesive? I've been using and at its total junk and doesn't adhere anything worth a crap.

I've used many-many of tubes of PL Premium polyurethane adhesive on three teardrop builds. Bare, clean wood to wood. I swear by it for anything that doesn't lend itself to TB2. I've never had a joint fail. And I've never found a way to clean it off my shoes... I've also used it to glue plastic RV levels to painted metal with no failure after three years of exposure to a harsh climate.

What surfaces/joinery are you having trouble with?

Tony

[kitecop]

Alot seem to use loctite Pl but I don't think it's avaliable here.
If i were you I'd do a couple of things.
I'd use short screws and glue the end and underside of the roof spars and screw through the 1/8 with short screws to locate and countersink and screw down through the spar into the wall top.
I'd also trim out between each spar with timber and glue and preferably kreg screw it into spars.
Will give you about as strong a connection you could get in those circumstances.
You could remove the short screws through the 1/8 or leave them in

yes i will be putting lumber between the spars.

[kitecop]

You have created a hinge point just below the first side screw.

If you were to make the connection into a slip joint as shown the inside skin will add a great deal of strength and eliminate the hinge point.

It could be done by cutting a wide kerf in the bottom plate or make it 2 pieces and allow the wall to straddle the 2x2 ?? wall plate



flooding the kerf with a good wood glue would make it bullet proof.

Cutting down the plywood of the floor really isn't an option right now plus the plywood is really what is helping keep the trailer stay all aligned since i didn't weld it.

What do you mean by bottom plate and straddling the 2x2? remember that edge of the floor is where it bolt to the trailer .

[kitecop]

On an unrelated note... anyone use that loctite PL adhesive? I've been using and at its total junk and doesn't adhere anything worth a crap.

I've used many-many of tubes of PL Premium polyurethane adhesive on three teardrop builds. Bare, clean wood to wood. I swear by it for anything that doesn't lend itself to TB2. I've never had a joint fail. And I've never found a way to clean it off my shoes... I've also used it to glue plastic RV levels to painted metal with no failure after three years of exposure to a harsh climate.

What surfaces/joinery are you having trouble with?

Tony

I used it to glue my 1/8 skins to the 3/4 plywood. in several spots it has come apart just by moving the wall around in the garage. I would have had better results with white glue from a dollar store. I ended up injecting wood glue into those areas to fix it but what junk, i will never use it again. I had over 400lbs of weight sitting on the wall while it set up.

[tony.latham]

On an unrelated note... anyone use that loctite PL adhesive? I've been using and at its total junk and doesn't adhere anything worth a crap.

I've used many-many of tubes of PL Premium polyurethane adhesive on three teardrop builds. Bare, clean wood to wood. I swear by it for anything that doesn't lend itself to TB2. I've never had a joint fail. And I've never found a way to clean it off my shoes... I've also used it to glue plastic RV levels to painted metal with no failure after three years of exposure to a harsh climate.

What surfaces/joinery are you having trouble with?

Tony

I used it to glue my 1/8 skins to the 3/4 plywood. in several spots it has come apart just by moving the wall around in the garage. I would have had better results with white glue from a dollar store. I ended up injecting wood glue into those areas to fix it but what junk, i will never use it again. I had over 400lbs of weight sitting on the wall while it set up.

Did you "clamp" it with weights or some other method? It has to be mechanically supported for 24 hours.

T

[kitecop]

On an unrelated note... anyone use that loctite PL adhesive? I've been using and at its total junk and doesn't adhere anything worth a crap.

I've used many-many of tubes of PL Premium polyurethane adhesive on three teardrop builds. Bare, clean wood to wood. I swear by it for anything that doesn't lend itself to TB2. I've never had a joint fail. And I've never found a way to clean it off my shoes... I've also used it to glue plastic RV levels to painted metal with no failure after three years of exposure to a harsh climate.

What surfaces/joinery are you having trouble with?

Tony

I used it to glue my 1/8 skins to the 3/4 plywood. in several spots it has come apart just by moving the wall around in the garage. I would have had better results with white glue from a dollar store. I ended up injecting wood glue into those areas to fix it but what junk, i will never use it again. I had over 400lbs of weight sitting on the wall while it set up.

Did you "clamp" it with weights or some other method? It has to be mechanically supported for 24 hours.

T

it was laying flat on the floor w the weights sitting on top of it.

[daveesl77]

Something you can do is to run angle aluminum on the inside corner and throughbolt. You can do the same thing with a wood attachment piece. Thing I've realized with these is that we are creating sort-of monocoque products. The sum of the parts put together is what gives these their amazing strength. The walls may wobble when standing on their own, but when the roof and facing structures are applied the strength builds dramatically. Add in skins and it becomes very, very stable. That said, sheering forces are always a concern.

With my wall attachment, I had pretty much preplanned my weirdo approach. I also happened to have a whole bunch of aluminum to play with. My walls sit outside the floor, but sit inside angle aluminum, caught between the floor exterior and the aluminum interior. These aluminum angles are welded onto square aluminum tubes, which support them. The tubes are through bolted through the floor. The bolt on the exterior end is throughbolted through another piece of angle that sits at the junction of the wall and upper part of the floor system. The wall is then throughbolted into the aluminum angle (interior). Thus, my walls are held in kind of a 3 directional clamp and fully throughbolted. This used a ton of aluminum and if I did not already have it, then I would have done a floor mount.

dave

[rowerwet]

I would secure the joints with marine epoxy and fiberglass. In material that thin a nail or screw has very little to bite. A 6 or 8 inch fiberglass tape inside and out would make a watertight super strong joint.

[kitecop]

I would secure the joints with marine epoxy and fiberglass. In material that thin a nail or screw has very little to bite. A 6 or 8 inch fiberglass tape inside and out would make a watertight super strong joint.

Yes and that is the purpose of the aluminum... To didpurse the stress. Obviously a screw threw just the 1/8 ply would pull right through. The majority of the fastning strength would come from the aluminum plate and i will probably do as previously suggested and add an aluminum angle piece to the interior.

[rowerwet]

Fiberglass would be smoother under the filon, and remove any chance for water intrusion. There are no right or wrong answers, just what is best to you, good luck!
( my tear is ONLY held together with PLpremium, YMMV)

[kitecop]

Fiberglass would be smoother under the filon, and remove any chance for water intrusion. There are no right or wrong answers, just what is best to you, good luck!
( my tear is ONLY held together with PLpremium, YMMV)

Here is the right wall complete. As you can see i have not trimmed the exterior skin. I was planning on installing the roof and then trimming the exterior skin w a flush router bit. Im really avoidng fiberglass. Ive used it plenty of times and unless u have a way to vaccuum or press it it just always looks like crap. Not to mention its a mess and theres no do overs with it.

[rowerwet]

I avoid fiberglass when I can also. From my plywood boat building I've discovered the simple way to remove f/g and epoxy. The paint eater from Wagner, HF also sells a knock off that I haven't tried. The scotchbrite disc it uses will remove and paint and fiberglass, but won't harm the wood, even thin veneer layers on plywood. I'm always amazed to be able to read pencil marks from construction after the paint is removed.

PL makes a bunch of different adhesives, PLpremium is the only one worth building with, the numbered adhesives don't stick worth anything. Even on my boats I use it instead of thickened epoxy for stems and seams, epoxy sticks to it just fine.