Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

mikeschn wrote:Okay, now I am pretty much caught up on the mock-up page... It's got almost 2 dozen photos... many of which you guys have never seen before!!!

http://www.mikenchell.com/weekender/mockup.html

Mike...

Nice Job~

I am planning on going with this design with slight design changes. My floor is done and is 4x9 rather than 4x8. I like the simplicity and looks of this design. I want to make the "box" in the same way. I will need to pic some brains. Where would be the best place to ask questions. I will be ready to start soon. Financially I have been ready. I almost bought a few sheets of .75" birch today but I see that .5 and .25 will be a better choice. I cant wait to get started.

This is as good a place as any to ask questions...

Mike...

OK. Bare with me. I ask a ton of questions.
Les has a nice build thread I looked at too. So I have two brains to pick.
What ply wood sheeting should I get for the "box". Keep in mind I will have to graft wood together to get a larger than 8 foot sheet. I do have a biscut joiner
Also, whats the best glue to use. I was going to go with "liquid nails" but I see alot of people using simple wood glue. I know wood glue wont hold up to moisture

Epoxy is your best choice followed by titebond 2 & 3. The laminating glue in the ply will probably fail before your construction glue fails. I would never use liquid nails for a construction joint.

tonyj wrote:Epoxy is your best choice followed by titebond 2 & 3. The laminating glue in the ply will probably fail before your construction glue fails. I would never use liquid nails for a construction joint.

I've used Liquid Nails on many minor repair jobs around the house. I even used it to glue a couple of fuel cells into racecars (to supplement the hold-downs). It has proven durable and waterproof. The only failure I have had using it, was when I glued cheap wood parquet floor tiles to a fiberboard sub-floor. It came loose in months. So, when I undertook the trailer build, I used Loctite PL Premium Adhesive to glue every joint and seam (in addition to bolts, screws and metal structural joiners. I didn't want vibratory failure and separation, so I took no chances. The polyurethane component of this adhesive is in sync with the phenolic resin in my plywood, and the many coats of polyurethane I used to cover all. I did use Titebond 2 to glue 1/4" luan (water resistant) over the 1/2" birch plywood I used as my floor (I used it to cover the heads of the carriage bolts I used to secure the floor to the frame cross members). I am pretty certain that the wood will split elsewhere than on any glued surface on my trailer. I used 6 or 7 tubes of the PL, and a half-gallon of TB2.

do either of you have a part number for these glues. I dont know about an epoxy due to the normal 2 component and typical short working time. If the tightbond comes in calking tubes Id think that would be a good option

kd5edj63 wrote:do either of you have a part number for these glues. I dont know about an epoxy due to the normal 2 component and typical short working time. If the tightbond comes in calking tubes Id think that would be a good option

I got mine from Home Depot Loctite PL Premium 10 fl. oz. Polyurethane Construction Adhesive Model # 1390595 Store SKU # 223222 $4.67 each. I also bought the Titebond 2 there Titebond II Premium Wood Glue Gal. Model # 5006 Store SKU # 107243. Not sold in tubes, it is listed at $17.67 now; I couldn't find TB3 at that time anywhere, but I read where it is better.

Thank you sir. Can I assume TB 3 is an improved version of TB 2.
I found both on the depot website. Both have great reviews. How will I know when to use what glue for what.

Tite-bond 3 not an improved version, but it is formulated for exterior use. However, i have found that TB2 works just fine outdoors and exposed to moisture.

Thanks Tony. If I find TB3 I will pick it up. Otherwise I will settle for 2. I'm going to buy the bulk of the wood tomorrow morning. I need tips on what to get

TB3 is labelled as "water proof", while TB2 is marketed as being high on the "water resistant" scale of commercial standards.

From what I have read of other peoples experience, TB2 will bond to its cured self more readily than TB3, so many people prefer it for that reason.

I chose to follow suit, using the TB2, and have had no complaints so far (tho, still under construction). I have gotten drips of water on cured TB2 and it did go a bit opaque (like a coffee table ring under an icy drinking glass with no coaster), but it came right back to normal after wiping dry and did not seem to have been adversely affected in the grand scheme of things.

Every floor, wall and roof panel on my teardrop is made with 5'x5' 1/8" Baltic Birch. I had to join 3 pieces to make my side skins 4'x11', ceiling and roof panels 5' x12'. I butt jointed the three panels on a flat bench. Then cut a 4-6" strip of fiberglass cloth and used Raka slow epoxy (40+ minutes working time) over each joint. I used wax paper under the joint and the epoxy will seep into the joint and the cloth will hold it together. Once dry the wax paper peels right off. I then laminated my side panel skins over 1x3 pine frame with foam insulation in the voids. The small strip of cloth and epoxy was plenty to hold the panels together during assembly. For my roof which was three panels 5'x 12' we were able to pick it up and move it and then lay it over the roof as one panel. The only time the joint moved was when I peeled back the front end to apply glue to the roof. The joint split between the wood but the cloth held all of the pieces together. I also made sure most of my joints were over a 1x3 for additional support.

Dan

where can i get a full set of plans for the weekender
including all dimensions???

http://www.mikenchell.com/weekender
This is the link for the weekender page, the link for the plans is on that page.