Pikes Peak Woody Build

[badschnauzer]

Hello! I started my TD build a few days ago and will document it here. After spending this past summer lurking on these boards and planning the build, it's time to put hammer to nail. Shoutout to Noiseoil and his Tucson Tortoise build thread and KCStudlyfor his epic Poet's Creek Express build thread. Both of these threads gave me inspiration and plenty of design ideas. Here's the basics:

Trailer: 5' X 8' Northern Tool
Style: Benroy Woody
Construction: Light weight overall. Plywood sandwich floor, plywood sandwich walls, canvas top, simple kitchen. I'm 6'5" so I will steal some legroom from under the kitchen. I will probably be using local beetle kill blue pine on the interior. I'm leaning toward purchasing a driver/passenger door instead of fabricating. LED lights throughout, sound system, fan, and 12V/120V outlets.
Schedule: Heading to Moab, UT in early May so that's my target. I'm retired so I can devote a fair amount of time to this project.

I'll keep my camera handy so expect lots of pictures.

I have no issues with constructive criticism. If I'm off course, please feel free to vector me appropriately.

Here we go...


My Northern Tool 5 X 8 trailer arrived in good order. The Certificate of Origin was missing but a quick call to NT confirmed that they had pulled it and were sending it to me via USPS.


Completed trailer. Measured it was square and bolted it tight.


First load of sheet goods for the floor. I've owned my HF trailer for 6 years and it has proved worth it's weight in gold. Indispensable for hauling stuff.


Floor construction. I'm adding a 52" X 15" X 10" storage space under the floor. Good for carrying the lesser used items out of the way. Bottom of locker sits a couple inches above the axle.


From here, I'll pull the floor off the trailer, treat the bottom side with tar, replace, insulate, and install top skin. Looks like tomorrow will be a warm enough day to apply tar.

[Alan_H]

Looking good already. Are you installing any insulation in the floor, or just having the air-gap for insulation?

[badschnauzer]

The floor, walls and ceiling will have foil-backed EPS in all the cavities. I'll probably do some mountain camping during the shoulder seasons. Insulation will keep me comfy.

[KCStudly]

Thanks for the nod. Looks like you are off to a great start.

[badschnauzer]

My intention was to tar the undersides yesterday. A cloudy, cold day put the kibosh on that plan. So I diverted to installing my RV jacks and laying out the profile.

Jack installation went well. I was planning on welding them in place, but the thought of sanding paint, welding, cleaning the metal, and repainting drove me to just bolt them on. It was quick and easy. I can better spend my time elsewhere.



I spent more time laying out the cabin interior and the profile. The profile is typical Benroy with the exception of the shortened hatch. I extended my sleeping space to underneath the kitchen. I will be using a queen-size mattress and that requires 60" X 80" of floor space. That leaves me with 9" deep of storage space below the kitchen counter top. Instead of pullout drawers, I've decided to have a space to reach down into. It will have flip-top access and I'm thinking of installing my electrical panel in this space. The remaining interior is fairly standard. To save weight and construction time, storage will be more open using wicker baskets. I'm mildly concerned about that large, unsupported horizontal span extending over the footbox. It will be a 4 X 5 foot sheet of 3/4 ply attached to the interior sides with glue and pocket screws (sides will be 1/4 ply, 1X3, 1X4 ply sandwich). It will also be face framed with 1 X 2 inch hardwood. The cubbies above it will be made using 1/2 inch plywood to save weight and also attached to the sides with glue/pocket screws. Anyone see any issues?



Today was a beautiful day to slop tar on the underside of floor. Messy job, but a no-brainer. I was surprised at how quick it dried. The directions infer that it will take 12 hours to dry. My first coat was dry with an hour which allowed me to brush the second coat on, dry that, and bring it back into the garage for top sheeting.

Warming in the Sun.


First coat on and drying.


Undercoats complete, back in garage, insulation installed.


Top sheet of 1/4" sanded ply glued-up and weighted down. Tomorrow glue the front half, flush trim the ply, install, and give it a first coat of poly.

[Vedette]

You need to simulate the thickness of your mattress and lay your 6' 5" frame c/w pillow down on the floor beside your side profile mock up.......and make sure your knees (and shins) clear that inner cabinet before you start cutting plywood.
Just saying......as mine is close and I am not 6' 5".
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[badschnauzer]

Thank you Vedette. Excellent suggestion on checking for knee clearance in the cabin. If I had left the interior cabinets as originally planned, I would surely have had difficulty getting in and rotating around. I may still have to adjust some as I begin building my interior.

Here's me stretched out. I'm glad I'm building in extra leg room.


Here's me with my knees bent. I still need to adjust for the mattress height at some point. That means I should decide on a mattress sooner rather than later. It's going to be cozy.


I completed the floor today. 4 coats polyurathane, sanded between coats. Hatch cover for underneath storage completed and also coated with poly. Good, tight fit.


I received my PD4045KV today and I have a question. Where is the 120V section? Am I missing something here? The manual clearly show additional electronics where I have only an empty cavity. Did I purchase the wrong one?


The last event of the day was to cut my template. Easily done and I turned out well. Next few days I will build the interior cabinets.

[noseoil]

You'll need to buy circuit breakers for the 110 volt side, since they aren't included with the basic panel. I put the 1st breaker on the left (from the shore power inlet on mine). The "main" breaker powers the buss bar behind it & the other breakers are fed from the main breaker from the strip behind it. I used the right hand breaker to power the 110 volt strip, which feeds to panel's 12 volt side & battery charger (the one on the right with the black wire attached to it in your box). I used the other two breakers for circuits in the galley & up front for air conditioning. Here's a picture showing what I did on mine.

[badschnauzer]

Thanks, Noseoil for the pic and info. Helps to know I received the correct device. I'm a few weeks away from starting my electrical so I may have more questions when that time comes.

It was a good day to build today. Temps approaching 60 and sun was shining. The garage door was open and the tunes were playing. Here's some updates:

I cut my sheet plywood profiles. I was a little nervous with the jigsaw at first; I've made some bad cuts on past projects. I spent some time tuning the saw and using the correct, new, sharp blade. Worked like a charm. Slow and steady and I never wandered off the line. I did cut two sheets at once figuring that if I did wander at least they'd be symmetrically wrong. The two sides of the pine plywood are radically different. I had a brief notion to use the "wrong" side because of the wild variations in color. Alas, there were too many voids and knotholes for me to go in that direction.



I've started testing various stains on my scrap wood. My first staining project will be the cabinets. I'm still at least a week away from starting to stain so I can ruminate on my color choices for awhile. Ace Hardware carries little trial packs of stain for $.49. Awesome!


Cabinet construction is going well. My interior sleep compartment is pretty well set. Location of the storage, speakers, radio, and TV are determined. The kitchen is less set in concrete. I've created a layout with craft paper and it seems to work logistically. There's just a few construction options I need to determine and drawer sizes aren't set.


PRO TIP: build your cabinets BEFORE installing the sides. I know I'm not the first to recommend this, but I'll second their opinion. I can't imagine crawling in/out of the TD to install the interior. Crazy talk.

[Gunguy05]

Looks like you are on a roll!

Great work and keep us posted!

[rebapuck]

Things seem to be going smoothly. Lucky you. Keep it up.

[badschnauzer]

A good day in the workshop. Nothing spectacular, just some forward motion.

The cabinets are coming along nicely. Installed a few shelves and created cutouts for the kitchen drawers. The entire structure is currently screwed together. Once the rough build is complete, I'll take it all apart, stain, poly and reassemble.



The Kreg jig has been invaluable. I'm still getting used to what it can do, but I like the tight joints it creates. I was considering gluing the joints in addition to screwing, but I may just leave it at screws. It's solid enough.



While I was waiting for some glue to set, I started making the interior switch plates. The African Mahogany will provide a bit of contrast to the pine.



Looks like a snow day tomorrow. Good day to be in the workshop.

[badschnauzer]

Roughed in the 12V TV and speaker/stereo panel. The TV went back to Amazon after I noticed a few dead pixels on the screen; the bright one in the screen's center was a deal breaker. I'll try a different brand next time. I need to decide on the stereo. I'm overwhelmed by choices every time I start looking. Most of the choices have too many lights and flashy bits. I'd like something more sedate for the sleeping area in the TD.

I'm using baskets for storage. I'm checking the fit and all seems to work well.

[noseoil]

Good job on the mill work so far. I like seeing it take shape when it's open like this. All the little details & problems can be dealt with now & worked out before the sides get fastened up for good. Once the finishing is is done, you'll be ready for assembly! Dry runs are the way to go for this stuff, since the details can be resolved easily at this stage and any changes are simple instead of complicated.

I ended up with a Pioneer DEH-X2700UI for a stereo deck. Still need to hook it up & finish all the wiring, but it's fairly basic in today's world. Will take a smart phone, MP3, USB, CD & other stuff I won't likely use. I just wanted something simple & I have a friend with a stereo shop who recommended it as a solid unit for what I'm doing. If I ever get it hooked up & actually working, I'll report on how it sounds.....

[badschnauzer]

I'm back working on the teardrop. Spent the last 2 weeks in Europe touring Christmas Markets. Love to visit this time of year.

I have three pull out drawers in the kitchen. The right 2 drawers will contain the usual kitchen implements; the left most drawer is larger and will hold a Coleman stove. I wont lie, installing the drawers was a PITA. I screwed myself when I didn't leave enough room for the drawer slides and had to rebuild the face fronts. Ultimately, it got it together and I'm happy with the results.



I took advantage of the warm weather here in Colorado. I disassembled the rear cabinets, sanded with 220 grit paper, stained, and applied 2-3 coats of semi-gloss polyurethane. Once I got started, the process moved right along. Used a foam roller to apply the poly and then light strokes with a good paintbrush. I moved all the panels to the garage to finish drying.



Built a tray for the PD4045 and am starting to plan my power distribution. All 12V, trailer lighting, and 120V wiring will originate in the reach-in locker near the rear of the TD. I'll run most of the 12V wires through the walls and the 120V wires up and into the kitchen. I do wish the 4045 had longer wire leads. I can make it work but it will be tighter than I'd like.