Wyoming Woody Teardrop Build (Completed: 6/22/2013)

[WhitneyK]

Wow, you're just continuing to be Awesome!!!

[KCStudly]

Looking really good! Keep it up!

[mezmo]

Great Progress !

Luv that birch interior too ! It's hard to beat a
natural finished birch interior.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[casadelamour]

Wow! I'm loving the cabinetry so far! Looks great!

[Woodbutcher]

Looking great! You are in the home stretch now, soon you will be sitting around a fire admiring your work.

[_Ryan_]

I was able to get quite a bit more work done on the teardrop this weekend. This project is getting a bit more exciting if that's even possible now that the trailer is coming together!

First off I had to do some fine tuning to the cabinetry to make everything flush in preparation for the installation of the headliner.


I installed the hinges and worked to square more of the cabinets. Since I went without full face frames this process was probably a bit harder than it should have been but I am happy with the results so far. Here you can see the door that leads to the hidden electrical compartment.



Fitting the headliner for the first time and making sure all the joints are as flush as possible. It was amazing the way the headliner just slides into position between both shoulders on the sidewalls.


Before I could go further I had to rip all the spars from some 4/4 poplar boards. I guess I could have bought the 1x2 spars pre-cut but it was fun to use a jointer and drum sander to plane the boards. It also was much cheaper and resulted in some very straight spars which should pay off down the road!



I used the tablesaw to cut the insulation to the correct height and width, then my dad helped me trim and fit the pieces to the rounded the corners and install them in the sidewalls. I'm using the white styrofoam insulation with the radiant barrier facing inwards. I believe this is the best way to install them but I might be wrong.


Finally I picked up a couple stabilizer jacks for the rear galley corners. I'm not quite sure which direction I will mount them.


Up next: Install the headliner and roof spars!

Thanks for watching!

[AlgoDan]

Wow some beautiful work going on here, looking sweet.

[KCStudly]

I'm not quite sure which direction I will mount them.

Someone here (maybe Absolutsnwbrdr Zach) made a good argument for putting them on opposing diagonals for stability. They would be less likely to collapse side-to-side or front-to-back that way because they would be in two separate planes. Then again, if they are built adequately for the intended load(s), they should be okay in any orientation.

I have the same style as you and put mine side-to-side across the back because I was able to tuck them up neatly, they will be easy to reach, and it kept the mounting provision on the trailer frame very simple.

Flat head screws welded into corner gusset plates. Corner plate welded flush to top of frame doubles as one of the cabin mounting points (shown here looking at the underside).


Completed frame with legs deployed. All but the tip of the foot plate is hidden behind the frame tube when folded up.


If I had read the diagonal argument prior, I might have done them differently, but I'm more concerned with bashing them on a big ledge when underway than I am with them failing when in use.

[_Ryan_]

The time is fast approaching to think about final finishes. Over the past few weeks I did some tests for both the inside and outside finishes and decided to write a couple posts showing my results. Hopefully this will show others what to expect if they plan on using any of these specific finishes or techniques.

Minwax Helmsman test panels
Aniline dye and epoxy test panels

[_Ryan_]

Nice setup KC!

As far as orientation goes, diagonal is cool but due to my trailer I only have side-to-side or front to back options. I am thinking front to back at the moment but I need to make sure they don't interfere with the outer skin or look too obvious underneath the trailer. I specifically designed the walls overhang the frame in order to hide it, oh well.

One concern is the length of the stabilizer fully extended is 18-1/2" and the underside of my trailer frame is 17-1/2" so I will only get 1" of extension. I guess I will carry so plywood blocks if the ground is really uneven.

[_Ryan_]

Last weekend we got the headliner on!!

Leading up to this there were a few small details to take care of. I had to finish the inside of the lower front compartments as they will only be accessible through the swinging hatch doors after the headliner is installed. 3 coats of satin Helmsman spar urethane.


I installed the cup pulls on the sliding cabinet doors.


I also made my first ever drawer box out of leftover 1/2" and 1/4" birch for the galley. I used tongue and groove for the joints and it fit together nicely, ready to be glued and installed.


After dry-fitting the headliner, I spliced it together with a 2" strip of the same 1/8" birch.


Last view of the headliner resting on the sidewall ledge mortise.


Another view of the outside of the front cabinets. This picture highlights the profile curve and the beveled cabinet edges where the headliner will lay. I wanted to make sure I had a picture of this before it was too late. It is likely one of those things that people won't ever notice, but one of the few things that I am the most proud of during this build process.


The gluing begins! I used PL Premium on all the cabinet edges and sidewall where it connects to the headliner. I then used 5/8" brad nails and straps to hold it while the glue dried.



Some pictures of the inside after the headliner was on. I was scraping the PL Premium squeeze out around the joints before it dried too hard and became difficult to remove. I made that mistake earlier with TIghtbond III on some of the cabinets and it took a lot longer to cleanup...

[Cummins01]

WOW you are a much better carpenter than I. I'm embarrassed to post pictures when I see the craftsmanship that others on this forum perform!
Awesome job!

[_Ryan_]

WOW you are a much better carpenter than I. I'm embarrassed to post pictures when I see the craftsmanship that others on this forum perform!
Awesome job!

Thanks for the kudos! I figure as long as your having a good time on your build others will see that and catch hold of that excitement as well.

You have a great build going on and have nothing to be be embarrassed of as far as I've seen! Keep it up and well all be camping in no time!

[_Ryan_]

Tons of work done this past weekend! So much in fact I am behind on posting updates!

I now have a hard completion date as we are going to a 4 day country music festival in Grand Junction, Colorado at the end of June!

[_Ryan_]

Here lately I have been spending a lot of time working on the trailer including most evenings and entire weekends. I feel that I am over the hump in the build and as I cruise down the other side and closer to completion, I am picking up considerable speed!

This past week has seen a lot of progress, and because of this the post will be longer than usual.

To start off I glued the drawer box and installed it with the sliders in the cabinet. I had to make 2 spacers in order to mount the sliders up past the lip and flush with the cabinet frame. These Accuride sliders need very precise spacing to operate correctly so I had to sand the sliders a bit to get it just right so it wouldn't stick. The sliders are self closing and provide some resistance to being opened which will hopefully work out great for the teardrop.



Next up I dry fit the spars. I wegged them in and used clamps to support them until I screwed them into place with 1-5/8" deck screws.



I framed the skylight and roof vent. This was a bit of a problem as the roof was slightly curved and both the vent and skylight were not. In my design I planned on installing them in the flattest part of the roof but there was still some curve to deal with, approximately 1/8" raised in both corners. I ended up framing flat across the roof and allowed the birch headliner to contour itself from the curved to the flat surface. From the inside there appears to be no odd bulges.



Gluing the spars with PL Premium.


Here are the inside supports which ensure the headliner mates well with the flat framing.


I then made some corner framing for the skylight using the trim ring as a template and a band saw.


I also cut the contoured roof blocking to match the spar spacing. I don't know if I will install them on the edges or somewhere in the middle. I don't have any plans on installing roof edge moulding and therefore don't need the extra material to hold screws. Any ideas????



Using a small router and a 1/2" flush trip bit I cut out the holes from the inside. Do yourself a favor and make sure you are wearing a dust mask and eye protection.




I finally took a break and dropped in the skylight and fan to see how they would look.




My concern at this point are the weep holes in the window. The window is apparently meant to be mounted lengthwise, as the single set of weep holes are oriented on the narrow length of the window. Unfortunately the window will be mounted sideways on my teardrop. It is a picture window so there will be few if any leaks and if there are it will be moisture which gets through the seal. One thing that is for sure is that I am going to have to plug those weep holes.