Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

What did you use for spars on your tear drop?

Hey Derek, I used 1x2 Poplar, you can use Pine if it suits you. Some have used Oak. Poplar is said to be more stable than pine(less warping) . You can pretty much use what ever you want. A lot depends on how thick you want your roof to be.I know that as costs go , Pine is the cheapest , then Poplar then Oak is usually the most expensive of those 3. Just my 2 sense worth.
Got any pics? Good luck with your build.

Can you get Pine and or Poplar at a Home Depot store? How much does Poplar go for?

This is my profile. I am going to work on some sort of detachable galley, and I am thinking of a canvas roof. I am pulling with a car so less weight is a good thing.

I prefer pine. It's light weight... it's affordable... and it's easy to put a screw into...

I have been known to use poplar and oak on the spar that supports the hatch!

Mike...

Derek , yes you should be able to get all 3 species there. Poplar is just pennies more than Pine as you won't need a truck load of them. I bought all mine as 8 footers , then cut them in half & I think I had a total of 9 spars & I used a Pine 2x4 for the hatch hinge mount. I agree with Mike tho , Pine works just fine as long as you pre drill each screw hole as in any small size lumber.

Has anyone seen a canvas roof on a tear? I could just roll up the canvas to get the bikes out and to use a stove in the galley(if I even manage to get one in there).
It would make the tear much more light weight and it would save me a lot of frustration because I wouldn't have to build the hatch.

Derek - 1" square steel tubing. But I call them ribs. Spars belong up in the rigging of a boat. Fred Still freezing, but warmed up 85*

Derek I used 2x2 pine for spars and for studs no real problems. However if the are cut out of a 2x6 or 2x4 like mine were, don't leave them lying around on a concrete floor for very long. Or they will warp and look more like rocking chair bottoms.
Fred, 85* what did you do put the thermometer in the oven!

Steven - Nope, that would be cheating!

Fred, o.k. then let me see here..... -60 to plus 25 .. Yep that would be 85* ..

Yup - Springtime's comin' your way. Gaining 7 minutes of daylight per day too!

alaska teardrop wrote:Derek - 1" square steel tubing. But I call them ribs. Spars belong up in the rigging of a boat. Fred Still freezing, but warmed up 85*

Almost time for shorts and a tank top huh?

alaska teardrop wrote:Yup - Springtime's comin' your way. Gaining 7 minutes of daylight per day too!

...get out the shorts and the sunscreen...it's time to catch some rays .....................................

Pine, Poplar, and Oak are all good, though "Pine" in general conversation can mean any of a number of species, depending what part of the country you're from.

The best "Pine" I've come across is Southern yellow Pine.
It is used extensively for roof trusses, headers, and other weight bearing applications in home and industrial building...because of its strength.

It is heavier than your standard variety of Pine, but usually several times stronger.
Choose a piece(s) with perfectly straight grain, and rip out the ribs needed.

Poplar is slightly stronger than "Pine" generally more stable, and takes paint very well, though is difficult to use on a project that will be stained because of its wild variety of colors, the most prominant of which is green.

Oak is rather heavy, but also very strong.
Good use for Oak is the ribs that hold your hatch hinge.
As has been mentioned, some of these woods are very expensive, especially the ones that are sold as individual pieces wrapped in plastic.
They are obviously designed for the weekend project where the builder would rather pay for convenience...

Menards is a good example, you can buy the very expensive prewrapped pieces, or you can choose from their bin of rough edged, and odd length Oak boards...at a 75% savings.
All you have to do is cut them to size...

Though generally known in the building world, a couple things new builders might not...

Always pre drill!!
And when choosing/using lumber, leave the pieces with knots at the store.
It costs more for premium lumber that doesn't have knots, but a structural rib with a decent sized knot will snap like a match stick with only minor pressure applied.

Obviously not everyone can afford premium lumber, but if you're building a trailer, cutting large pieces of wood into smaller pieces of wood is part of the build, and a good way to get good lumber for a fair price.

Rob

I used 1X2 poplar for the ribs not only because it is very stable but it glues and holds screws very well. Also, living in termite country it is very insect and dry-rot resistant.

Denny