A notch was cut into each face to allow the runner to pass through. These are then glued and screwed into place.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Step 7: runners
The runners were 2x2s that are 12' long. These were a challenge to find, coming from very straight and unknotty 12' 2x4s.
A notch was cut into each face to allow the runner to pass through. These are then glued and screwed into place.
A notch was cut into each face to allow the runner to pass through. These are then glued and screwed into place.
Step 6: benches at last!
The benches took a while because I wanted to make them from scraps of the 2x4s was splitting for the runners. This went poorly as most 2x4s had, at some point on their length, knots up to 2" in diameter, effectively compromising the strength of the runner. I started keeping an eye out for 'perfect' straight grained 2x4s from then on.
The benches tie the bed-frame and the front face together. Everything got very stiff after this, and this is before the runners and stringers are installed! It's not exactly weight bearing yet though.
The benches tie the bed-frame and the front face together. Everything got very stiff after this, and this is before the runners and stringers are installed! It's not exactly weight bearing yet though.
Step 5: internal framework
The front and back faces can stand on their own, but they are designed to be tied into the internal framework, to stiffen everything up.
So the next step was to build the bed frame and the bench frames, these are all connected and link the front and back faces stiffly together.
So the next step was to build the bed frame and the bench frames, these are all connected and link the front and back faces stiffly together.
Step 4: Those damn curves!
The next stumped me for a couple of days.
I needed to make the front and back faces of the caravan. These are round wooden walls, where the edge defines the overall curve required by the banding, as well as the height and width of the caravan.
I needed 6'6" of headroom, as well as peak width for 'headroom' in the bedroom. I also don't want to reach 80" wide (DoT rules change at 80" wide) and keep the whole thing within a somewhat arbitrary height limit.
I ended up with a total of 78" wide and exactly 8' high (including trailer height etc).
I should have sucked it up, spent some cash and made a large round table as a template for the faces. I didn't. Instead I made a temporary framework around which I could bend some wood strips and measured my curves from that, building the walls plank by painful plank.
I ended up avoiding making a bunch of waste wood my way but it's not worth it.
Here's some pics of that process:
I needed to make the front and back faces of the caravan. These are round wooden walls, where the edge defines the overall curve required by the banding, as well as the height and width of the caravan.
I needed 6'6" of headroom, as well as peak width for 'headroom' in the bedroom. I also don't want to reach 80" wide (DoT rules change at 80" wide) and keep the whole thing within a somewhat arbitrary height limit.
I ended up with a total of 78" wide and exactly 8' high (including trailer height etc).
I should have sucked it up, spent some cash and made a large round table as a template for the faces. I didn't. Instead I made a temporary framework around which I could bend some wood strips and measured my curves from that, building the walls plank by painful plank.
I ended up avoiding making a bunch of waste wood my way but it's not worth it.
Here's some pics of that process:
Step 3: a little diversion
Some crappy weather led to some indoor playtime, so I played around with some salvaged wood and glue. I had just received my new pony pipe clamps to, so what better than to bend some wood!
I had an idea that I could laminate all the curves in the caravan to make them stronger, and started building some wooden arches. These are laminated out of scrap pine, and some mahogany decking salvaged from an old boat project. They were milled down to about 1/8" of an inch and glued together in a (roughly cut) jig.
Finished product. Since the template jig was cut using a jigsaw the cut isn't quite vertical so the laminate is a bit twisted. Cutting on a band-saw would be better. I don't have one sadly :(
Step 2: The foundation
I had some kind of strange idea about the caravan itself being detachable from the trailer. It is, but it wouldn't really make sense to do so, unless maybe the trailer needed an upgrade or something.
Still the thing is designed to be self supporting, and just bolted down onto the trailer. It starts with a 4'x8' sheet of exterior grade plywood, painted with an exterior grade epoxy paint.
Painted, notched to accommodate the trailer bolts (I wouldn't do that again, I'd have the trailer welded together and leave the floor intact).
I made the runners out of 2x10s with braces to keep it square. These are glued as well as lag bolted together. They are 10' long, 2' longer than the trailer, and the extra two feet hangs out the back.
The runners are then thru-bolted through the floor and onto the trailer itself. I couldn't find bolts long enough so I used 3/8" stainless steel threaded rod (12" long) and bolted with lock washers on both sides.
Still the thing is designed to be self supporting, and just bolted down onto the trailer. It starts with a 4'x8' sheet of exterior grade plywood, painted with an exterior grade epoxy paint.
Painted, notched to accommodate the trailer bolts (I wouldn't do that again, I'd have the trailer welded together and leave the floor intact).
I made the runners out of 2x10s with braces to keep it square. These are glued as well as lag bolted together. They are 10' long, 2' longer than the trailer, and the extra two feet hangs out the back.
The runners are then thru-bolted through the floor and onto the trailer itself. I couldn't find bolts long enough so I used 3/8" stainless steel threaded rod (12" long) and bolted with lock washers on both sides.
Step 1: the trailer
This is a trailer from Harbor Freight Tools.
http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/trailer-accessories/1720-lb-capacity-super-duty-48-inch-x-96-inch-utility-trailer-with-12-inch-five-lug-wheels-and-tires-94564.html
Somewhat redundantly: it's worth reading the instructions fully, and making sure you clearly understand which bits are which - the side bars look very similar but need to be in the correct positions for everything to work properly. I built this trailer three times.
It's definitely a good idea to repack the bearings. These come only marginally greased. It's messy and fun:
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