After getting all the ribs cut on the ban saw for the front and rear tight curve areas, I decided to make sure all the ribs were uniform so I clamped them all together in the jaws of my Black and Decker work mate bench vise. Just big enough to handle all 7 ribs for each end. The ribs have yet to be cut to length, but the profiles were lined up perfectly in the cure and flat section so I could take the belt sander and level everything out.
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| Back side of ribs ready for belt sanding |
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| Back side after sanding |
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| Inside of ribs after belt sanding |
I placed match marks on the ribs after sanding so I had a consistent area to measure from when cutting the ribs to the proper length.
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| match-marks on ribs |
I decide to make the spars for the rest of the trailer out of plywood. Most people were cutting the cross spars out of 2x2 fir wood and others were making them out of hardwoods. The gentleman over at Vintage Technologies where I purchased my doors stated, he was not proud of the fact he rolled one of his teardrop trailers, but he had used plywood spars. He said he had damage to the skin and fenders, but the roof was in tact and the plywood spars kept the cab from collapsing. So with that testament, I'm making mine out of plywood. In addition, plywood spars take little time to make and cost a lot less than buying 2x2 hardwood spars.
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| 3/4 inch plywood ripped into 1-1/2" widths and glued together |
I also got after some of the cabinet work this week. Behind the headboard and below the openings I wanted a shelf; but below the shelf was a 9"x 9" dead space I thought I would make use of. I made a small frame and purchased a 48" long piano (continuous) hinge so I could fold up the shelf and access the small amount of storage below. Picture is not great and I will show more later when I install the front ribs,
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| Piano Hinge and Hatch Access Door to Storage Compartment Below |
I did a similar thing at the back bulkhead at the foot end of the cabin just under the galley work surface. I am installing a 22 gallon water tank under the galley and will not have access to the tank in case of a leak or maintenance is need. The tank is 12" x 12" x 30 " long. This door fold into the cabin area so I can take the tank out if necessary
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| Interior Cabin View of Tank Access Door |
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| Galley View or Tank Access Door |
The galley cabinets have been somewhat of a slow process as I am using the side panels of the trailer as one of the cabinet sides so the drawer glides and drawer size is critical for getting this to work properly. I built the drawers first off of the instructions for Blum Cabinet slides below. Space in the galley is at a premium so following these box specifications to a tee is important.
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| Drawer Specifications and Tolerances |
Once the drawers were built, I could cut the interior side panels of the cabinets. Left cabinet houses the 3 burner stove, center drawer carries the cooler and the right cabinet is for pots, pans and plates.
Everything is just set into place as I am waiting on my drawer slide for the cooler drawer and the water tank. I will pull all this out to install the water tank before I permanently attach the galley counter top and cabinets.
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| Galley Cabinets initial set to check for fit-up |
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| Interior Cabin Cabinet Sidewalls Initial Set |
I temporarily clamped a hatch rib into position to check for clearance with the cabinet. There will be just enough space once the drawer front is installed.
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| Galley Hatch Rib Set to Check Cabinet Clearance |
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| Clearance from inside hatch to cabinet face is good |
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| Things clear on the passenger side also |
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| Picture of Hatch Rib Adjacent to Hinge Area and Hatch Seal Recess |
I'm waiting for more parts and pieces to arrive, water tank, water pump, sink, drawer slides, etc. Once this stuff arrives I can start putting the galley together and get ribs installed and the interior skin installed.
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