Step 4: Cut out the walls

Here is a generic building plan for a teardrop designed by the members of T&TTT.

Step 4: Cut out the walls

Postby mikeschn » Tue Apr 26, 2005 12:46 pm

Step 4: Cut out the walls
(Revised 10-May-2005 to allow for sidewalls to cover trailer frame)
(Revised 13-Sep-2005 to cut walls separately)

The walls are 4’x8’x ¾” Birch plywood. The good surface will be the inside of the teardrop.
Layout the position of the bulkheads and cabinets on both inside walls, using a 4’ t-square. Refer to the drawing below…

Image

Next, layout the positions of the joists.

Image

Then place the first sheet of plywood, good side down, and layout the Benroy profile using 2 homemade beam compasses. A beam compass is just a length of wood with a nail in one end, and a hole for a pencil in the other end. The short compass will have a 19” radius, and the long compass will have a 48” radius. At this time you’ll also want to layout the door, and the window.

Image

Using a Jigsaw, cut out the profile and the doors Use a belt sander to sand the profile and the door openings smooth.

Now let’s layout the other wall. Remove the first wall. Set the second piece of plywood good face down on the saw bench. Layout the door and window. Now place the first wall on top of the plywood, good side up. Using this as a template to trace the wall profile on the plywood. Remove the template and cut the profile and the door opening. Use a belt sander to sand the profile and door openings smooth

Tip: Initially the plan was to cut both pieces of plywood at the same time. But when I tried that using ¾” plywood, the blade angled, making the underneath piece quite a bit smaller than the top piece. So even though it sounds like more work, you’ll end up with a better quality teardrop if you cut each piece separately!

Drill and countersink holes xxx” from the bottom edge of the wall, every 8”. (The countersink should be on the outside of the wall.) The xxx” should be equal to the height of the trailer side rail, plus 3/8”.

Drill and countersink a hole at one of the spar locations towards the center of the wall.. Drill and countersink a hole at the final spar location where the hatch will start. These will be used for temporary spars in the next step.
Last edited by mikeschn on Sun Oct 09, 2005 5:43 am, edited 4 times in total.
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI

Postby type82e » Tue Apr 26, 2005 7:55 pm

great info! photos would be even better
what is the front radius?
marcel
type82e
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 80
Images: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:08 am
Location: australia

Postby mikeschn » Tue Apr 26, 2005 8:20 pm

I'll definitely have a drawing for this post... The front radius will be equal to the back radius... it appears to be about 16", but I'll confirm that for you once I start modeling it.

Here's a rough sketch of a Benroy profile... I'll be doing a simplified version of that for the generic plans.

Image

It'll end up looking very similar to this...

Image


Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Postby SteveH » Tue Apr 26, 2005 8:55 pm

Mike,

You just MUST keep the back end eliptical. It just won't look right if it's a simple radius. It won't be a Benroy then, it would be a Rimple.

Just my "opinion" of course.
SteveH
Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant"is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist ".
User avatar
SteveH
2000 Club
2000 Club
 
Posts: 2101
Images: 42
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:28 am
Location: Bexar Co, TX
Top

Postby mikeschn » Tue Apr 26, 2005 9:01 pm

We could always call it the simplified Benroy... or is that rimplified Benroy? Andrew, what do you think? Should it be ellipitical or what?

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Postby Chip » Wed Apr 27, 2005 4:45 am

Heck since its a variation of the original,, Go for the glory and call it a Mike-L-Roy ! Sort of has a nice ring to it too,, dont ya think,,

chip
Living large,,,travling small !!!
54"x9'4" tear
4'x8' tear
Serro Scotty rebuild(in progress)
User avatar
Chip
2000 Club
2000 Club
 
Posts: 2534
Images: 49
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2004 7:33 pm
Location: Greenville, S.C.
Top

Postby angib » Wed Apr 27, 2005 5:59 am

mikeschn wrote:Andrew, what do you think? Should it be ellipitical or what?

I'd say steer clear of ellipses - I like the look but they do seem to scare people off and this is meant to be an easy trailer.

Andrew
User avatar
angib
5000 Club
5000 Club
 
Posts: 5783
Images: 231
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 2:04 pm
Location: (Olde) England
Top

Postby SteveH » Wed Apr 27, 2005 7:20 am

angib wrote:
mikeschn wrote:Andrew, what do you think? Should it be ellipitical or what?

I'd say steer clear of ellipses - I like the look but they do seem to scare people off and this is meant to be an easy trailer.

Andrew


Andrew,

Using your string and pencil method, drawing the elipse when I built my trailer was the easiest thing I did!
SteveH
Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant"is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist ".
User avatar
SteveH
2000 Club
2000 Club
 
Posts: 2101
Images: 42
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:28 am
Location: Bexar Co, TX
Top

Postby JunkMan » Wed Apr 27, 2005 9:03 am

SteveH wrote: Andrew,

Using your string and pencil method, drawing the elipse when I built my trailer was the easiest thing I did!


Steve I agree, but I did have a little trouble figuring out where to put the loci (locuses?). I really think the ellipse adds to the look, and if the loci are given, it shouldn't be too hard for a beginner to do.
Jeff & Odie
Black Hills of South Dakota
User avatar
JunkMan
500 Club
 
Posts: 974
Images: 50
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 6:21 pm
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Top

Postby mikeschn » Tue Sep 13, 2005 11:35 am

Step 4 revised 13-Sep-2005 to cut walls separately.

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Postby mikeschn » Sun Oct 09, 2005 5:45 am

type82e wrote:great info! photos would be even better
what is the front radius?
marcel


If anyone is still looking for drawings for this step... I've posted 3!

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Postby dacrazyrn » Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:18 pm

User avatar
dacrazyrn
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 284
Images: 74
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:35 am
Location: Greeley, CO
Top


Return to Generic Building Plans

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests