Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

Ned , isn’t that always the way eh ...

[GPW]

And speaking of chipboard ... another possible source . http://www.rpconline.com/Chipboard-Pad-_p_7956.html

[Mary C]

I took a shower and all the while I was trying to come up with wording for this so I hope I can say it and get the question down. which is better for a seam, fill an area 12 ft long x 6 ft high, a rectangle, Would you put 3 4 x8 sheets up and down or piece them longwise? Would you put the seams twoards the top or at the bottom.

Mary C.

[KCStudly]

I would buy 72 inch wide canvas from Big Duck and try to avoid any seams, even if it meant wrapping the corners with separate "boarder" pieces. That's just an appearance thing for me.

If you would prefer to have seams for one reason or another, I would say figure out your paint scheme first, and if possible, orient the seams so that they can be hidden or lessened by the paint scheme; or at least not have them fighting each other visually.

[GPW]

And then , seams aren’t really important as long as you make them correctly and aren’t worried about “appearances” ... We make ours all overlapping with the higher lap always on top the lower (Foamie #1 was covered with salvaged canvas only 4 ft. wide ) ... Seams are just a natural occurrence on SIMPLE foamies ... just the nature of the beast ... If you’re making it “pretty” then do as KC says ...

[GPW]

Please excuse my rather lax attitude of Beauty, but for our purposes , (EVAC), it’s all about just having a place to stay ... The #1 reason we built a trailer to begin with ...Independent SHELTER... away from the “distressed” crowd ...

[Mary C]

Ok since I didn't make my self clear but you did ans the next part, now what about the foam? How would you lay out the foam to make one piece to cover the sides?

Mary C.

[GPW]

You know Mary, that’s the beauty of foam ..... it has no grain , so you can add and take away , arrange it as you like .... remember the glue is always stronger than the foam , so any seam orientation makes no real difference .... For me , it’a always getting about as much real estate as possible out of each piece of foam ( no waste ) ... Joining scrap bits to make a bigger part ... It’s the skin that is the strength , that in combination with the foam ... By themselves , not so much ...

[GPW]

Ps. I got my Green Hornet replica finished , ready now to camp.... and Fish ...

[Ned B]

Ps. I got my Green Hornet replica finished , ready now to camp.... and Fish ...

I thought for a moment you were holding out a stealth trailer build ala starleen's green Lantern trailer build...

[GPW]

Naaa !!! just a little something for FUN ...

[Ned B]

Paging GPW, paging GPW.... Would mr GPW please pick up the House phone ...


Question:
I'm slaving away in sketchup on my Nano Foamie. I can get the majority of each side wall out of a 4x8 sheet of foam. I'm working up the framing for my doors and exhaust fan... And I'm debating. Should I build the door frame assembly into the walls like this:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1456419522.671364.jpg (26.99 KiB) Viewed 1864 times

or...

[Ned B]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1456419672.336674.jpg (24.89 KiB) Viewed 1859 times

Should I face mount the frame other than the door reinforcements?

Ie is the full sheet stronger or will gluing up the frame into the sheet be just as strong? The frame would be 1x3 pine pocket screwed & glued together. I could easily piece the front and rear pieces onto the frame filling in the gaps top and bottom before I put the canvas on.

Thanks!

[GPW]

Make note to self .... Must resist urge to build it like a Sherman Tank ... What started as a simple sleeper has now grown to full TD status ... with electrical system ...
On the other hand you could make the framework with a stained Americana look for a Timber-frame appeal ... End the "timbers" in a design, like a bald eagle head or something appropriately artistic ... plenty of attachment points for the lamps and the computer, stereo , X box , and the big flat screen TV ....

[KCStudly]

It looks like your fan framing extends too far forward out above the sloped part of the forward roof. Is this intentional? Do you plan on Building this area up with a blister/bump up?

A full on side view might clarify.

As far as the door frame is concerned, I can't tell you how well doors will seal without wooden jambs, or with less wood. I used a full 2x2 cedar surround with traditional inner seal flange, and am glassing them in as part of my outer skin application; my doors are made very traditionally, built up with cedar framework and foam cores, but with outer FG skin instead of aluminum; and yes, it will all be very rock solid and durable, yet relatively light compared to some other options. Hopefully it will keep water out reliably for a long time.

There are all different levels of need and want.

Gluing wood between ends of foam (butt joints) or as a stud between two foam panels is not a problem at all. If you are concerned with fit and finish (some people are, some aren't) it can be a little extra effort to keep things fair, flush and straight, but with a little work on clamp setup and some sanding after the fact, it can be done.

GPW's idea of exposed wood outside of or between wrapped panels, ala Swiss chalet, might offer a certain desirable look, but I would recommend that the structural stuff be built in and sealed under the skin wrap, and any decorative elements be applied on the surface after the fact; sacrificing them to the weather w/o compromising the structure.

To me your sketch looks very reasonable, a good compromise between light weight, stability for the door seals, and simplicity. In a small narrow foamie you could probably eliminate everything except the perimeter of either opening.