Cross Bow / trolley / renamed little blue trolley

[Ron Dickey]

I have been working on a shelf unit that goes above out head for a spare blanket and such. It is also there to support the reading lights I will put in after I Paint.

I was about to attach the out sides and start working on the Galley hatch.... When wham Robert S. hit me with you should seal the walls with Boat epoxy ...... Really where do you find that
He said he uses System 2 and I can get it on the internet.
I do not shop on the internet I may one day but not now. Soooooo I researched it and found on the forum that several folks us!

"75% Mineral Spirits - 25% Cheap Polyurethane varnish... Well proven , Thrifty Waterproofing mixture"
viewtopic.php?f=55&t=48548
one guy said he does it 50/50

I makes sense to seal sides and joints alike. They say I could do several layers. On the box Kite I used primer and outdoor house paint. It did not leak at the Flood gathering at Lake Shasta in 2009, got 8 " of rain. However, we did have to put the set stuff inside the trailer to get it home and the cooler lost it's plug and even the bed was soaked, but the paint did keep the rain from coming in

what are your thoughts on this.

Later I will put in photo's of my saddle drawings and try and get some shots of the shelf.
Ron

[RandyG]

I have scratched my head over some sort of waterproofing and I think paint will do just fine. Thin coat of primer, then a thick coat of primer, followed by a thin top coat and thicker top coat.
A tip given to me by an aircraft paint guru for painting wood, let the primer completely dry before applying another coat but don't wait more than 12 hours. He explained how the primer soaks in and seals the wood for the next coat. If you wait too long after, you have to reactivate the primer by scuff sanding and wiping down. Also the type of roller you use has a major effect on the outcome, short mat for smooth coats, long mat for texture.

[Ron Dickey]

Even if I will not put the Saddle on right away, and I have stopped once again to figure out what what to do with the wall surfaces. I continue to work on drawings and new ideas.

Here are my drawings of the Saddle framing.

..........

and what to do with the battery above the tire.


this shows a block of wood above the battery I could put a plate of sheet metal between the wood and battery. The holes along the edge of the fender skirt where I might attach wood to attach the sides of the saddle on.


Here location of stop and clearance lights, I may move the third light down to the top of the Hatch.

I am going to soon get the wood to make the hatch, and the wood for the galley ribs. Put the sides up with clamps so I know where what is and work on where the inside walls will fall.

I may just keep with the old way of painting the walls, I remember back when I put tar on the boxkite and it took weeks for it to dry, no one seemed to know why.

The box Kite, although many have said I should sell it, is planned to become a reading /gardening room in the back yard. I may make the back into a place where I can pot plants and design a garden around. The front where I can rest and have little furry friends come to be petted.

But if I sell it I could make back what I put into this one.

[Ron Dickey]

I pulled out my sides and put them inside and outside to see how well I cut them. Not well.
If you are cutting yours do several dry runs. Mine is correctable but will set me back a little. Almost cut off the back half and recut it. But I just went back and rechecked it. It is correctable with out a total recut or the rear.

I will start putting in rear galley wall studs tomorrow.

took some shots but have not down loaded them yet. Then I can start on building my hatch.

I am still confused as to how I will do the walls, people keep coming up with ideas.

All I can do now is keep plugging along on other parts until I get this resolved!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Nice job so far Ron! Love the trolley top!

[Ron Dickey]

I am working on making the inside walls fit. There is advantage to using someone else's plans.

I Rather think we should have a section called Jig Saw Puzzles or maybe that is what I really should have called the trailer

Each morning as I wake I think about my next move. This time I am remembering back and realizing that I had planned for the wall to come up to a certain point on the wall but I forgot it is longer then 8 feet. So I will cut off the back end of the galley
right where the last bar is standing in this shot.

I will add a new inside back wall there and actually create a hair more room in the galley area then what I will have in the cabin. so some times jig saw puzzles let you do things that in plans you can not.

Well back to the grind of the build.

Ron

[Ron Dickey]

whow there are so many builds at the same time as mine! Good job to you all.

I am working on wiring right now and realized I needed a voltmeter and some clamps, so off to HF I went to some inexpensive things. 2 large C Clamps on sale 5.99 each, A digital volt meter 5.49, a thermal lazar reader ( for dutch oven cooking) mini size 11.99, and some other things I needed around the house. I should have gotten more it is about is about a 70 mile round trip, next county down.

The cabin sides are about done just need to cut out the door.
The out side walls are done, excluding cuts for the wires and batteries and the doors. And there are some goofs where the hatch will goes. So patchwork is needed.

The wires that will go to the roof are ready but holes need to be drilled in the roof.

The cabin roof will be cut out soon I will need to check my numbers but that should be cut and the wood for the trolley roof will come from that same board.
I am finding lumber for the hatch and planning out the doors and what wood will be needed. Doors will need windows ordered and door locks. (wife did not like my triangle window idea) she likes Grants work better.

once the outsides are attached I can attach the clearance lights, attach the board that goes above the saddle and attache the back lights to those.

I am getting ready to run the wires for the trailer lights. they will run in conduit and have joints where I can test wires.
Water and animal proof on the under side.

The cabinet above our heads is coming along, about to cut out the walls and make the door.

[Ron Dickey]

I have been working on the front cabinet, laid the riders side outside wall up on the side and drew out where the door goes realizing a small mistake when I drew out the door for the drivers side.

I worked on some of the wiring for the lights below the front cabinet and realized the side cabinet will need to be shorter. Because I was going to make just one door in the middle but that will not open, instead it will have a left and right opening giving me more room for stuff. and when these door open they would hit the side cabinet. Now the doors can open wider and not hit the side cabinets.

I did some corrections on where the outside hatch area was cut to much away and had to replace it and will later fill in and sand down the correction.

I have the first pc of wood for building my rear hatch studs. it is an experiment before I buy a 2nd one. This is my first curved hatch and I need to do it slow.....

I plan to seal the floor soon the last rain I dragged some dirt in and realize that needs to be done.
I will put the outsides up cover the top with plastic and the hatch so dust and bugs do not collect on the floor.
Up till now I had it covered with plastic and old rugs. Which I pulled out when inserting the inside walls.

I will draw some picture later or photograph what I have so far.

[Ron Dickey]

I got sick last week but keep drawing and buying things and cutting insolation but could do little else.
This week I am better and will paint primer on the outside walls before cutting out the doors, However it is fog season so I have to wait for it to burn off in a couple of hours.
I also plan to seal the floor.
I have been putting wood putty in the cracks on the bow and will sand them down and attach a front board where they where the two sides meet. The board came from a neighbor who is redoing the insides of his house the base boards were oak. We trade wood he makes boxes of wood he sells and so my left overs go to him.
I have some oak from a guitar factory so as I have him cut them for my projects he keeps the left overs for his.

I have almost completed the cabinet above where our heads lay. Just need to do some cutting and glueing.
Just went to a local lumber store and bought Popular wood for the top and bottom of the hatch. I have one pc of wood for one of the arches as an experiment and if it works I will get more.

below photo's inside walls cut, and outside wall cut for for hatch works.





This jig saw puzzle is coming together.
I measured the top inside and realized that I can cut a 4x8 into pcs that will fit. it will be cut into 4 pcs. about 1/3 of the bottom part of the 8" part will be cut. then about 18" pcs will be cut from each side of the 4' side. Left and right for the roof and the left over middle for the roof of the trolley.
I still have a little work to do on the trolly before putting on the roof so I will have this cut at the store later.

still plotting along.
I like working on different things during a build so I can make sure that I am doing other part right and giving me a breather, sometime you work to fast and miss something or don't measure twice or stop and think about it and have to buy a all new pc of wood because of it.
I am going with primer and pain to save time and cost. The BoxKite was painted in 07 and show no sign of ware.
Ron

[Ron Dickey]

I have painted one wall and will put on 2nd layer today.

A. Wiring under trailer started most of the lights are bought, putting in units to run wires in slow do to some miss judgement.
B. Wires inside walls are all but done,wire for inside light.
1. Thinking of adding speaker wires and cable just so it is there. Realized today that speakers can be used with computer for music or movies (even slide shows)
2. need to run wires for hatch clearance and power in roof.
C. Starting to get wood for galley hatch, Cut out from outside skin becomes template for arch pc's. Have wood for top and bottom of hatch but need to cut them out of Popular wood board.
D. About to cut out door skins (outside one will be primed already) and order windows and door locks, Left over pc's from hatch for door, will use Popular wood like I did no the box kite.
E. Finishing touches on cabinet over our head, building doors and attaching front face.
F. Trolley top need to finish vent then I can install the roof for that.
G. Cabin roof wiring and insolation installed need to drill hole in roof for brake lights on roof. Need to run wires for galley hatch clearance lights and power light for hatch.
H. Arch beginning to get some paint, putting wood putty in cracks above and below.

Galley on hold as are the saddle bags until after it gets registered.
I will have a place for a counter and back wall for cabin will be installed.

sun is out time to go paint.

[Ron Dickey]

Primed the sides have one to do a 2nd coat. then I will cut the doors and attach the walls on the outside.

found the trolley front is very steep and I my have to learn to steam the wood to make it around. Other wise I could attach plexiglass on the font. giving more natural light into the trailer.

Put 2 coats of prim on the front but have parts to add so it will be completed as I get those parts put on. getting ready to attach the cabin roof, and the front cupboard is nearing completion.

I almost forgot to prim the outside hatch pc's.

I work hard in the morning, clean up and crash cat nap.... then start figuring what the next move is for the next day.

[RandyG]

There is a way to bend thicker Plexiglas by heating it, from what I have seen it can be tricky. Tutorials on YouTube.

[Junkboy999]

Keep it up Ron
I can’t wait to see it with an outer skin

[Ron Dickey]

bought 4x8 lauan had it cut
30 inches off the bottom of the 8 foot
then with what was left over
15 inches off on the 4 foot side times 2 and what was left over was about 18 inches.

the 2 15 inch units are for the roof of the cabin and the 18 for the roof of the trolley.

The angle of the front of the trolley is really stiff. So I started playing and realized if I backed off the wood roof to where the angle started and put a pc of plexiglass which I have lot's left over from the trolly windows and the trolley fan hatch.

The front plexiglass would look cool but I am not sure how much more time it will take for to mount that too.
cut the plixi, drill holes for screws, cut out pc's of wood for the top angle and bottom to hold the glass, plus I may have to take pc's and run them on the sides with a grove cut in to keep the wind from grabbing it.

ponder ponder, maybe the trolley roof will go on last until I get it thought our.

I am about to seal the floor
attach the roof of the cabin left and right of the trolley,
install the trailer traveling lights,
cut out the door sections from the inside and the outside walls
start building the doors,
cut the arches for the back hatch and cut out the support top and bottom boards that hold the arches in place.
attach the lights for travel
order windows and door locks for the doors,
finish off the hatch,
take it in for license
work on the saddle bags and hope I can get them on before we leave for IRG
Galley will be last, I hope to have a counter up or some thing that looks like a galley.
attach the Trolley top, and finish the Trolley vent before the roof is on.
How ya I have to paint it too.

ron ( all small letters I am feeling a little small right now )

[S. Heisley]

Keep a going, Ron. You're getting there.
After all, your build is not an easy one, with everything already figured out for you. Don't feel small. You're doing good.