another foamie build thread

[scuba1978]

Gpw, that is a good suggestion, but I did an unfortunate job of cutting the second set of kerfs, and there is a noticeable difference in stiffness where the kerfs are not filled. I plan to cover them with masking tape, and poke the nozzle from a can of great stuff into the slots and fill them that way. It shouldn't take an hour to do, and I can shape the old girl's rear-end while it dries.

[mezmo]

Just wanted to mention again RE: Kerfs; that they can either
be placed so that they face inward or outward on the curves.
It can devolve into personal preference, but if the kerfs are
facing outward they are much easier to fill, which I think is a
good idea. And they give a continuous smooth interior surface
that way. If it is important for the exterior to be totally smooth
then have the kerfs face inward, but the exterior smoothness
can also be achieved by applying a thinner foam layer of top of the
outward facing kerfs to provide that smoothness. Another
approach would be to use two foam layers, e.g.3/4inch, whose
smooth sides face inward and outward with the kerfed sides
facing each other in the middle. In the final view, i guess, there
are multiple approaches, all with their pros and cons. Use what
fits your situation best.

[GPW]

Many ways of "skinning the cat" ... Choose what way You like !!!

[rowerwet]

kerfs on the inside allow you to preskin the outside, that way the tension stress is carried by the fabric skin, instead of the brittle foam

[GPW]

Row, that makes sense!!! And you know (or may not know as yet) , if you do "the Math" , you can cut the kerfs where there are virtually No gaps to fill, and theoretically , all you have to do is slobber some glue inside the kerfs and the whole thing will dry solid once bent ...

And although we’ve heard some groaning and whining about installing fabric overhead , it’s actually just Not that hard to do ... The whole trick is to apply (in my case) the TB2 straight from the jug, then WAIT a little while till it starts to "tack up” (get really sticky)... Then , you can press the fabric up to the ceiling , maybe stick in a couple pushpins to hold pesky corners , and then just smooth and press it into the surface...and do keep checking on it , because as much as we press , there will always be some little spot that comes loose ... and just a little more smoothing usually does it for that.
It’s not like we can toss in the glue , shake the box and out pops a Foamie .... There IS some work involved, and some things we just have to learn how to do , by Doing it ...Then you can work out Your Way of doing it , whatever is easier for you ...
Bottom line is, the better you PLAN your build beforehand , the easier it will go later.... Much like doing the proper (mathematical) kerfing' and not having gaps to fill at all ...
Ps. We found the thin chipboard stuck like Crazy to Foam with TB2 used as described above... came out Nice and smooth despite my Awful kerfing (Non Math ) Real easy to do , and then it takes paint like drywall.

[GPW]

And more ... Being a Foamie , if you do the assembly of the walls , ceiling etc. WITHOUT attaching it to the floor (just a shell) you can Easily flip the whole thing over to make the ceiling /overhead work , now flat and gravity on your side ... I actually flipped my #1 Foamie (with the floor on) on it’s side to finish the bottom and add the black nasty stuff... (a luxury I did not have with the Large FoamStream ) ...

[kudzu]

It’s not like we can toss in the glue , shake the box and out pops a Foamie .... There IS some work involved,

Noooooo!!!!

[GPW]

Thankfully it’s Not as much work as with “wooden “ trailers ...

[scuba1978]

Thanks for all the input guys and gals. I thought about kerfing the outside curve too, but in the end, it just didn't seem to matter much. I preferred the idea of a smoother exterior for drag, and to make it easier to wash it. 6 to one 1/2 dozen to the other. Ultimately (wisdom for the masses that I knew and ignored to my chagrin) I should have taken the time to build a hot knife cutter that worked well, and I would have saved hours. It's just a darn good thing I had a fridge full of ballast...err, beer nearby during these troubling times!

[GPW]

Having the correct tool makes ALL the difference ... I tried kerfing with a small router (FoamStream) , and made a total MESS in my yard that took months to get washed away and buried... Plus we had some gaps in the parallel kerfs (not V’s as recommended) ... Covering the inside with chipboard solved all those problems and served as an inner skin, but had the kerfs been cut accurately , none of that would have been needed, a simple fabric skin sufficing... To me that gravity feed hot wire “sled" is still the Best idea so far .. With the V’s shaped to give the correct sized slots so the inner surface all comes together as one when curved... The Math ...the Tool ..

[atahoekid]

As Mezmo mentioned, you can create 2 layers and place the kerfed sides facing each other in the center. That's what I did and I skinned the exterior in fiberglass and the inside with canvas. I didn't fill the kerfs but I did glue the two panels together with GG to fill some of the gaps. Nice solid skin. Nice exterior face. Made sense to me at the time and was the easiest way to do it and do it "right". "Right" IMO, that is...

[scuba1978]

I'm still having some android issues with pictures, but I will eventually figure it out. Regardless, I shaped the rear of the camper, filled the kerfs on the rear radius, framed and glued in the framing for the fan, glued up door #1, framed in door #2, installed the deadbolt that will lock storage door #1, and bondo'd some areas that needed a little fill and smoothing. After door #2 is built, and cargo door #2 has foam glued to it, I will be ready to canvas! To date, I have used 2 qts of gorilla glue, 3 cans of great stuff, a little over a qt of tb2, and 3/4 gallon of mineral spirits mixed with poly varnish. My total expenses to date are roughly $1600, and the only things left to purchase are a battery, a fuse box, and a 12V outlet (maybe $150). Oh, and the wife is going to find some sheets to donate to covering the.interior, or I may have to buy some.

[atahoekid]

AWESOME!!! Under 2 grand for a home of your own on the road! My wife and I will head out in a couple weeks for our third season with the Road Foamie and we LOVE it. If you enjoy yours half as much as we enjoy ours you'll be ecstatic..

[scuba1978]

I bought a battery, fuse box, fuses, and other electrical tid bits! Built door #2, and installed window in door #1. Put 1/2 of the trim for door #1's door stop, built screen for door #1. Tomorrow, I need to build window #2 and glue it into door #2, hang door #2 , and work on the mount for the fan cover. If I get that done, I am ready to canvas!

[scuba1978]

Story of my life...I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. But I did waterproof the inside, finished the door stop trim on door #1, built and glued in window #2, and did some cleanup of some over glue in the radius on the rear of the camper. Then my buddy called and asked me to sand and texture the drywall for the room we built in his house. In 3 months, I have built this camper, built a room, and helped another friend lay laminate flooring all over his house...when this is all done, there won't be any "ballast" left to hold the camper down on the highway!