Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

A piece of hard but flexiable plastic like a credit card but a little larger for pushing flat the canvas on the foam, scraping the bubbles and wrinkles out. I used a jig saw mostly. Several pairs of plastic, rubber gloves,

Mary C

Thanks Mary and JD ! Added that.

OK, we now have 14. items on the list that many would consider as Minimum Foamie tool kit . The addition of larger tools , usually found around the wood-shop obviously make the cutting and routing more precise , angles more accurate ... You can extend this to those that have a CNC machine , they could cut multiples of the exact same part , accurately enough for the pieces to just snap together ... With hand tools (the list ^) it might be necessary to take rasp in hand and “Fit” the mating surfaces together .

And then it was said ... (somewhere? ) “ Power tools allow you to make mistakes Faster! “ ... measure twice ... blah blah blah ...

The Truth is .... If you don’t have a wood-shop or fancy tool collection , you STILL can build a Foamie with just hand tools ...

We Could always have the “ Build a Foamie' with only a serrated steak knife Challenge “ ... a Contest ... Fatuous , but you get the idea eh !!!

GPW wrote:We Could always have the “ Build a Foamie' with only a serrated steak knife Challenge “ ... a Contest

Sounds like something for the ambitious to do at a gathering. I'll be sitting back in my camp chair, sipping on ballast and enjoying the show!

KC, Get 8 People together and let them get together for one hour on Thursday then have two built trailers and wood base built. I would be in a dry climate, they could build two teardrops, a basic shape like Bonnies, in two and a half days. With Wiley Windows and Regular door knobs. Sunday nite the paint would be wet but the building would be done. It would be interesting. The only problem I don't think that any park wood allow us to leave all the pink sanding dust, and all the extra cloth and paint all over the place.

Mary C.

When I wrote the instructable for sawfish I found the list of tools longer than I expected. However, none of them are expensive.
Here is the list for a foamie kayak
tools:
-safety glasses
-dust mask
-werner 250 wallpaper removal tool (Amazon.com has them for about $30)
-hand drywall saw (I get mine at Harbor freight for cheap)
-stanley sureform (looks like a cheese grater) harbor freight has a great knock off with a better handle (I have three types, they all come in handy, but the large one from HF would do the whole job just fine) http://www.harborfreight.com/10-inch-tw ... 66620.html with the handle up it works great inside the cockpit and cargo tanks, down it is easier to shape the outside of the hull
-flush cut pliers (another deal from Harbor Freight with a lifetime warranty)
-bricks, paint cans, old free weights, or a bunch of 5 pound rocks, ( I call them gravity clamps)
-paint roller handle, tray and rollers
-sand paper and a power sander (I have a nice orbital and some 60 grit paper)
-tape measure
-10 foot long 3/4" pvc pipe
-carpenters pencil
-meter or yard stick, I use a 4' measuring stick
-chalk line (not needed but makes the job easier)
-bondo palate or scrap wood,
-bondo spreader (plastic)
-aluminum ice cream scoop (for carving those inside corners, a large metal spoon would also work)
-caulking gun
-scissors (another harbor fright deal, I get a few cheap ones when ever they are on sale for a dollar or two)
-razor knife
-ink pen
-1/2" wood file/chisel
-1/2" spade or drill bit
-power drill

The ice cream scoop, 3/4" PVC pipe, wood file and spade bit are not needed for a camper, however a router, jigsaw, pull saw, I could not build a tear without.

That’s a good list Row !!! Lots of little goodies we’ve come to expect, but don’t often remember .... like safety glasses and masks ..

Oh yes, don't forget that mask!

Mary C wrote:KC, Get 8 People together and let them get together for one hour on Thursday then have two built trailers and wood base built. I would be in a dry climate, they could build two teardrops, a basic shape like Bonnies, in two and a half days. With Wiley Windows and Regular door knobs. Sunday nite the paint would be wet but the building would be done. It would be interesting. The only problem I don't think that any park wood allow us to leave all the pink sanding dust, and all the extra cloth and paint all over the place.

Mary C.

I'll see if I can find a location, if one of two ends up being mine when we're done.

GPW wrote:The Truth is .... If you don’t have a wood-shop or fancy tool collection , you STILL can build a Foamie with just hand tools ...

We Could always have the “ Build a Foamie' with only a serrated steak knife Challenge “ ... a Contest ... Fatuous , but you get the idea eh !!!

This is so possible! However, you will need a drill, and glue. And if wood is used, you will probably need a saw of some type. But yes a foamie can be build with just theses basic tools.

After this thread I would love to see one entitled something like

"What We've Learned Since 2010" or "If I Started a New Foamie Now I Would..." or "The Best Cheap Yet Long Lasting Foamie Build".

I swear I have no ulterior motives.

Tim , we’ll just put you in charge of reporting all that ....
There sure is a way to build a Foamie with limited tools . ( we did it) The problem is most folks want MORE than just a simple Foamie ... or think they do ...

There are blades for that http://www.amazon.com/Bullet-Tools-CenterFire-Poly-ISO-insulation/dp/B00KM0RLUU and dust free!

I used a 2nd hand circular saw, jig saw and drill to make my teardrop
I also used a $26 NZ ($15 US) 2nd hand welder to make my trailer from scratch

It was easier than I thought

Having just built most of my first foamie this past spring, I found most of my list above was needed at one point or another, most tools like the drywall saw, straight edge, and tape measure were in constant use. I would also add a power planer to the list, I bought one on clearance years ago, and then never used it. However I found it very usefull for trueing up the edges and seams. Since my foamie is huge 12'x6'+ and has more interior walls than a normal tear (two rooms downstairs, plus a galley) and the roof is plywood to support a second story, not every joint and corner was straight.
The power planer took all the bulges and lips off the outside of the foamie, thanks to the 2" foam walls removing 1/4" or more to smooth things out was no big deal.