Starting The Squidget Soon (I hope)

[cracker39]

If you didn't see this info in other posts recently, I am planning on starting work on the Squidget by early October at the latest. Despite what I said earlier about not beginning until next year, several things have caused me to realign my priorities. I may still build a new utility shed before beginning my trailer, as I want to make sure Hurricane season is behind me and I need more materials storage space. The workshop will just have to wait and I'll just use my sun porch as my workshop for now.

I've already located sources for nearly all of my parts (some online, but most locally or within 100 miles of my home). I still have to decide on which torsion axle I'll buy. Hopefully, I can complete it in 4-5 months. I'd like to have made a trip or two locally and try to get to the Edisto Beach outing in April. I still plan on visiting you at Anastasia in Oct to see some of your TDs and talk shop.

I've already started making detailed notes on construction steps, drawings, etc., which I'll update as I build. I'll keep a digital photographic record as well to post on the forum gallery or in a Yahoo album. I plan to eventually create detailed plans to sell on my website and Ebay. My website will also have updated drawings (on the link below) that should suffice for any of you to use if you want to (either as if or to modify).

Wish me luck!!!

[cracker39]

No comments huh?

I know you think because I have waited so long, I ain't gonna get started. I did start on my other project, replacing my utility shed. I dug all all the edge of the slab to put in a footer. The guy who owned this house before me didn't pour a footer and the code police say I gotta have one. They also say that I have to prove that my shed will withstand 110 MPH winds. No, I'm not kidding. You'd think I was gonna live in it. I have to embed hurricane straps in the footer and fasten them to the bottom sill plate of the walls. I hope to have the shed done by the end of Sept. and start on the chassis. My son-in-law still has a welder I bought for him and never got paid back. Welding my chassis will be interest on that loan. I'll get him to teach me how to weld while we're doing it.

I've been writing and revising my building instructions and diagrams. I want them complete when I start, so I can check them and revise again if necessary as I do want to sell them from a web site. I created a plans page and put in meta tags for keywords, but from what I have read, they don't do a lot of good. I read that Google picks up keywords from your page title, so I made it detailed enough that if Google does pick them up, the page should get hits from searches. I received an email about submitting to other search tools for a fee and that can get expensive. But, I guess that's the cost of doing business. There's no free lunch.

[mikeschn]

I'd like to see your plans...

including:
- Materials/parts list
- Detailed Building instructions
- Illustrated diagrams
- Photos of all construction steps
- Building notes and other information

You mean you don't have it done yet?

Mike...

[cracker39]

Mike, I'm trying. Of course, there're no photos yet. I am doing a detailed set of instructions. So far, I have about 10 pages and that will probably go to 18-20 pages. That's just the written steps, not including diagrams or photos. They are nowhere near complete. I am inventing diagrams as I write and plan to draw them later to match the instructions. I hope to eventually ingegrate some of the photos and/or diagrams in with the text so the builder doesn't have to keep looking at other pages of pictures. That could double the number of instruction pages.

I found that some of my ideas involved pretty elaborate cutting, and I want to keep this as easy to build as possible, and I can't do it my way and have photos of the simpler way. So, I have cut out some of those elaborate steps. One was the idea of having all of the edges inserted into rabbit cuts in the spars. I now just have joined edges and will depend on good sealing to protect them. I decided to do this after I had a page and a half of instructions that I threw out and have to rewrite for the way it will actually be constructed. It's a compromise. I make out by having a simpler construction and the buyer makes out as well for the same reason.

I also dropped the wood add-on side extension that widens the cabin to 62 1/2". I'll just make the frame that width. Dexter will make an axle of any width up to 96" for the same price according to the Tampa dealer I spoke to. Again, a simpler plan. I don't have to worry about a cutout for the torsion arm clearance.

I saw that Kuffel sells their plans for about $60 bucks. I was thinking of half of that or less. I won't have a full size side template, but will have really good instructions on how to draw it accurately. Getting the curve is easy once you put in bend points of finishing nails and use a limber strip of flat molding bent around those nails to use to trace the curve.

Are you serious about wanting to see them? I'll send you some of the instruction steps to see what I am doing if you want. They are in Word 2000. I need to get some of the rewriting done first.

I have more info about the plans on another page. I think I am too wordy on the web page and may have to do some condensing. I also set up a dedicated email for people interested in the plans. I keep waiting to see if Google picks up the keywords and shows my site as a search hit, but so far it hasn't. I did pull up Tom Swenson's site and the keywords on the search matched his page title. So, I am hopeful. I also need to check out how to sell on EBAY. I am under the impression that it is all bidding, but I see people selling products there that I know are not s single item.

[Flonker]

I am SO interested in seeing these plans.

I've been a fan of teardrops for ages (I remember seeing a few in my mispent youth in the 50's & 60's), and now that I'm older (and in a lot worse shape, unfortunately), the thought of a small camper trailer makes a ton of sense.

[cracker39]

Hi Flonker and welcome to this group of adventurous, friendly, band of road gypsies. You'll find answers to all of your questions (Maybe too many of them) and a lot of different designs of TDs and a few TTT designs like mine on this site. I presume that you read about the Squidget on my web site. Like you, due to our ages, I'm 66 and my wife 56, and my wife's claustrophobia, we decided to go with something a little larger than the TD, yet keep it light enough to pull with my truck's limited abilities. I looked at other designs, and ended up creating the Squidget. I tried to get a retro look in the design. I've kept the interior simple, but it could have a countertop gas/propane cooking unit and sink installed for more convenience.

I'm encouraged by finding forum members are interested in my plans. I hope to start building in early December and to have the plans completed by sometime in the Spring of 2006. If my website doesn't start showing up in Google by then, I'll sell them on EBAY, or direct to people who know about my site. Please send an email to [email protected] if you haven't already, and I'll put you on my progress status email list.

[Flonker]

Hi Flonker and welcome to this group of adventurous, friendly, band of road gypsies. You'll find answers to all of your questions (Maybe too many of them) and a lot of different designs of TDs and a few TTT designs like mine on this site. I presume that you read about the Squidget on my web site. Like you, due to our ages, I'm 66 and my wife 56, and my wife's claustrophobia, we decided to go with something a little larger than the TD, yet keep it light enough to pull with my truck's limited abilities. I looked at other designs, and ended up creating the Squidget. I tried to get a retro look in the design. I've kept the interior simple, but it could have a countertop gas/propane cooking unit and sink installed for more convenience.

Thanxx.

I'm encouraged by finding forum members are interested in my plans. I hope to start building in early December and to have the plans completed by sometime in the Spring of 2006. If my website doesn't start showing up in Google by then, I'll sell them on EBAY, or direct to people who know about my site. Please send an email to [email protected] if you haven't already, and I'll put you on my progress status email list.

Put me on there, jamstar52 at yahoo.com.

[mikeschn]

Hey Dale,

I think I mentioned this before... but I'll repeat it just for good measure. The squidget design is similar in many ways to the Tab. And if you are in a area that is subject to fluctuations in weather, the tab beats a teardrop design, hands down.

In addition to our teardrop we also have a tab. We like it because it's warm in the winter, cool in the summer, we can cook inside if we need to, but we typically cook outside. At first we just backed into our campsite, leveled the trailer, and called it home for the weekend. What we found was that a screenhouse made the camping experience more enjoyable. Well heck, you can set up a screenhouse with a teardrop too... But there are still advantages to a tab or a squidget. If it's really cold outside, retreat to the warmth of your squidget. If it's raining cats and dogs, again, retreat inside.

I've heard on the tab group that you can live in the tab for months at a time, and I know a couple that does that. But I find the TAB severly limited when it comes to storage.

I certainly don't know what the answer is, but I hope to try out some ideas in the future to expand the storage capacity of the tab/midget/squidget.

But of course, I've gotten sidetracked again.

We were talking about your plans... The sneak preview you gave me of your plans was very interesting. Good level of detail and thought went into it. And the illustrations were very good too. When you get a set of plans together, I have no doubt you will be very successful.

Mike...

Hi Flonker and welcome to this group of adventurous, friendly, band of road gypsies. You'll find answers to all of your questions (Maybe too many of them) and a lot of different designs of TDs and a few TTT designs like mine on this site. I presume that you read about the Squidget on my web site. Like you, due to our ages, I'm 66 and my wife 56, and my wife's claustrophobia, we decided to go with something a little larger than the TD, yet keep it light enough to pull with my truck's limited abilities. I looked at other designs, and ended up creating the Squidget. I tried to get a retro look in the design. I've kept the interior simple, but it could have a countertop gas/propane cooking unit and sink installed for more convenience.

I'm encouraged by finding forum members are interested in my plans. I hope to start building in early December and to have the plans completed by sometime in the Spring of 2006. If my website doesn't start showing up in Google by then, I'll sell them on EBAY, or direct to people who know about my site. Please send an email to [email protected] if you haven't already, and I'll put you on my progress status email list.

[cracker39]

Mike, that's the first time I have seen "Tab" mentioned. Is it a type of design? Do you have pictures of it?

[mikeschn]

Oh Dale,

I thought you knew all about Tabs... I'm sorry... Here's a picture of our tab...



In the background you can just make out the Baja Benroy.... that has been replaced by the Lil Diner.

But back to the tab... it's wonderful for off season camping, or getting caught in the rain. Here's a website that has more photos...

http://www.tab-rv.com/

Mike...

P.S. If there is anything else you want to know, or need photos of, let me know...

Mike, that's the first time I have seen "Tab" mentioned. Is it a type of design? Do you have pictures of it?

[cracker39]

Thanks, Mike. No, I hadn't seen this one yet, and don't know why. It's really nice. People might think I'd used it for my basic design.

[toypusher]

That's not a tab - it's a t@b!

[beverlyt]

Dale,
Our "bigger" trailer is a 63 Shasta Compact. Bob needed something a little larger than a 4' x 8' teardrop to bring along a hunting companion!
Hunting weather is normally VERY cold here too, so we have purchased a Mr. Heater for the trailer. (Can you say, "Lake Effect Snow?

I also wanted something a bit larger for all the reasons Mike has mentioned. (After all, we live in the same State!)
Though I, like you, really wanted to build something (Widget), we just couldn't pass up the deal on this trailer. With the tractor paint, etc.. we have about $500.00 into it. We got lucky on the price and also Bob had the skills to make repairs, etc.. from his teardrop building experience!

The cabin area is about 6'7" x 10'. The floorplans are almost a dead-on ringer for what Andrew had come up with for me!




Bev

[Flonker]

Oh Dale,

But back to the tab... it's wonderful for off season camping, or getting caught in the rain. Here's a website that has more photos...

http://www.tab-rv.com/

Mike...

P.S. If there is anything else you want to know, or need photos of, let me know...

Some nifty ideas in the videos they have for downloading. Nice kitchen, looks somewhat like what I'd pictured my interior to look like, tho I DON'T think I'd like the porta-potty right by the sink!!!.

Question is, tho, where would you stash it?

[mikeschn]

It's no worse than where they stored the portapotty in the midget... right under the corner of the bed...



I don't have a porta potty in the Tab.... in fact, I don't have a porta potty at all. But if we would ever get one, we'd certainly want to keep it at least an arms length from the bed and the kitchen!

Mike...