Monday, December 8, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 18

This is not a new picture, but to our surprise others have been following our construction blog. It was nice that "Camping Earth" did a blog piece and encouraged others to check in on our progress. We gained most of our knowledge about these trailers from others on line and are more than willing to assist those who have questions. Mostly we wanted to answer a few questions that we didn't know had been asked.

First to "Cen". We cut our plywood panels with a jig saw. We cut the first side and then used it as the pattern for the second side. We then lined them up and screwed them together so that we could use a belt sander to even them up. We were very careful to cut slowly and stay on the outside of our line. This allowed us to sand to the line making two perfectly matched sides. It isn't rocket science though. If you make a mistake just take a little more off the pattern. No one will ever know.

To "Tim Outdoors" Thanks for the inquiry about our completion date. Thanksgiving through Christmas is our busy time. We don't really have time to work on our own stuff until the holidays are over. We are going to get it licensed before the first of the year. We have a short list of things we still want to do but none of them would keep us from using the trailer. We will put up pictures and dialog about the trip. Again thanks for your interest.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 17

We didn't work on the trailer much today because of other committments but we did get the hinge and straps on the front trunk
This completes the outside of the box and really everything that goes on the outside of the trailer. We have a few things underneath the trailer that need to be completed.

This is a close up of the buckles we made from belts. I've looked at this trunk a number of times while putting it together, but looking at the picture I realized I left out a screw.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Goodwin Mill and Cabinets

We built this game table to show in "The What Women Want" convention. It was a real hit. A guy in Vegas wants one only larger. It looks like the person who gets this one lives in St. George. It is made of mahogany with maple squares in the surface.
A close up of the table and Chess pieces. We turned the chess pieces on our lathe.

You might remember the table we had like this in our show room. We sold it and have now built us a new table. We sell it in the colors we show on the chairs in addition to a dark green and a mahogany color like the seats. W e had a lady in the other day that liked the table but she wanted the stools to be all different in color.

We have this kitchen island for sale. We built it for the convention also but didn't sell it. It comes in all the table colors as well. We have a guy in Los Vegas that wants a larger one. Grampa is trying to figure out how to remodel his house so he can have it.



Monday, November 10, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 16

WE DID IT? We covered the top with Durabak truck liner. It was messy and we didn't do the most professional job but it looks pretty nice. We also dicovered it is pretty forgiving. We were able to cut off some bad spots and touch it up. Over all we are pretty happy with the results. We are going to hinge the front trunk next and weather strip it and put buckles to keep it closed. This will allow us to mount the battery permantly and hook it up.
Side view gives you a pretty good idea of how the trailer looks. Sorry about the mess at the shop. We had a storm that blew sawdust out of the bins and then rained on it.

Rear view shows the rear trunk all completed. We let the durabak dry over the weekend and then weather stripped the inside. We have a short list of things to complete but are close enough to get it licensed.
We pulled it the other day and it tracks very nicely. We are getting excited to go on a trip. Our timing is off though. Winter camping is not our best thing.


Teardrop trailer construction 16

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 15

We did get a few more things done this week. We completed the trim on the other side of the trailer and put the finish Automotive lacquer on the two sides. It is a relief to have the trim done as it took a while to do. We only have small things to do now until we get ready to spray the roof.
This is a view of the back and the trim that covers the trailer frame. It cleaned up the look of the back pretty well.
The Matress fits into the sleeping compartment perfectly. Fern made a cover for the matress so it would remain clean. It is really going to be comfortable.


Folding the matress back exposes the carpet we layed. It really gave the compartment a finished look. We still have some tacking to but it is in and looks good.



Saturday, September 27, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 14

We have one side of the trailer all trimmed out and locked up. The Automotive finish has not been applied yet so you can see spots on the finish where we have been sanding and doing touch up. They will disappear when the final coat is applied.
This view shows the storage box on the front of the trailer where we will store the battery, ice box, and other stuff. Kent curved the lid. As you can see the vents have been installed and the patching of screw holes has begun.

Another view of the front box. We have been trying to find a place we can use this plastic hinge we purchased but it just doesn't work.


Here is a view of the inside lock after it was installed. We have both doors on and trimmed. We can lock up the trailer now.



Here is a close up of the door lock. you can see the rope molding detail on the side of the trailer.




Monday, September 1, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 13

Labor day provided an extra day to work on the trailer and we got quite a bit done. As you can see we got started on the box for the front of the trailer. it will be covered with Rhino liner to blend in with the top.
This is a front view of the box. The battery will go in the right section. There is enough room to stack two batteries if we decide to get another one. The center section will get the ice coolers for the air conditioning, and the left section will hold a propane bottle or other stuff we need to haul.

We cut in the stove and that required cutting into the sleeping compartment by about a quarter inch. This picture shows the removable cover.

This is how the oven and cooktop look set into the counter. It will be attached to sliders so you can pull it out for cooking.

Kent got one of the doors hung today. This is a view from the inside. We actually have the locking handle on the door but it was done after the picture shoot.

This is how the door looks from the outside. We haven't put the glass in the frame yet but will do that during the week.





Saturday, August 30, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 12

Here are some pictures of some of the things we did on the trailer today. First off we insulated the roof and completed the skin on the roof. We also fastened the roof fan in place after applying some water proof mastic.






You can see in the second picture the front of the trailer. You will notice the little black square and the white pipe. That is the fan and air inlet for our cooler. When we get the box on the front it will have a space for ice. The fan blows air into the ice chest and up through the pipe and into the trailer. it is supposed to cool the room up to 30 degrees.




Next is the DVD player. It is wired up and working now. It hangs in the little tray on the door and can be tilted to the proper viewing angle. You can see the 12 volt outlet in the ceiling. It can work off the trailer battery or the DVD battery.






The next picture shows the front of the cooling system. The large grill on the right is the outlet fan, and the grill on the left is the inlet. In the middle is the switch to turn it on or off.





The last picture shows the plumbing for the sink. The water drains out the bottom of the trailer to a bucket for disposal. We will be working on the trailer again on labor day which is monday. Kent will be working on the doors while I try to complete everything in the hatch.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 11

We had a lot of fun this weekend working on the trailer. (Friday and Saturday) It may not show but we got a lot done. Not as much as we hoped but good stuff. First of all we ran the wiring for the side markers, side lights, and tail lights. This then made it possible to glue on the veneer siding. It really went on well. With that in place we received the fenders last week so we painted and installed them. It really gives the trailer a solid look to have them in place. The color of the siding and the accents will be like the inside of the sleeping area. Cinnamon sugar paneling black burnout trim. You can see on this picture that we have installed the shore inlet so that we can have 110 volt power in the trailer. Over the next few weeks I believe we will make a good showing on the outside and it is going to be good.

Our main objective this weekend was to get the wiring done, and we did. It was hecktic and we had to do trial and error but we figured it out. It was fun when we plugged it in and all the lights came on. Even funner when the lights running off the battery came on. We installed the heater and hooked it up and also installed the outlet where our DVD player will fit. It feels so good to have this done. We can now get on with the wood stuff that we understand.

This next picture shows the power converter installed in the galley. We wanted it readily accessable and it needs ventilation.

The tail lights are working but we are not ready to install the hatch quite yet.



















Monday, August 11, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 10


Those of you who are following our trailer construction have most likely figured out that we
haven't had very much time to work on the trailer in the last few weeks.

We did install the jack stand for the front of the trailer. It will be nice not to have to drag a bucket arount to rest the tongue on. This is detachable because we are adding a storage box on the front that will prevent us from folding it up.



We also acquired the ceiling fan and
installed it. We are currently wiring all the electrical stuff so we needed it in place to wire. We painted the
frame black so it would match our other interior items and trim.




We also installed the sink faucet and water pump. The water inlet came today so we should be able to hook up the plumbing in the next available working days.


We are hoping to complete the wiring so we can put the side paneling on the outside of the trailer this next week. We think we will be better off once we get back to the wood things that we understand.





Monday, July 28, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 9

Our schedule this weekend did not include very much time to accomplish much, so we concentrated on the little things that needed to be completed. We built and installed the face and doors for the electrical chase. We also built the shelves for the cabinets and installed missing drawer hardware , handles, and roller catches so the doors would stay closed.

We also started installing the light fixtures. When we got the wire run to them we touched the wires to a 12 volt battery from a drill and lights came on. It was amazing that these little lights flooded this small room. We were happy to know that it was enough lighting to get the job done.




Kent purchased the oven and cook top we were planning on because we wanted to make sure it all fit. It does have a couple of problems but I think we will be able to adjust to make it work. These pictures show it with the top closed and with it up. It will sit on a rolling tray so it can be pulled out for use. We were hoping that the oven could be used right in place but the heat requirements mandate it to be pulled out.
Additionally we started the wiring of the power converter. It took a little while to figure it out but it is coming now. We appreciate all those who have placed information of their own experiences on the web. Without your help it would have been harder.




Saturday, July 19, 2008

Teardrop trailer construction 8

We glued and screwed the skin on the outside of the hatch. It went on pretty well and then we filled the screw holes and little cracks in the wood with bondo. When it is all sanded we will re-install it to make sure it all still fits.
We are going to cover the lid and roof with Rhino liner. It is rubbery so it will flex with the trailer as well as providing a completely waterproof roof.

This picture shows how the lid looks when we temporarily installed it to the trailer



This shows the back with the handle and tail lights temporarily
installed.




While I was working on the hatch Kent began the work on the round windows. You can see the frame he milled for the outside of the window in this picture.


We also screwed in the shelf in the sleeping compartment today. The lights fit in the little round disks on the bottom. This will be handy to put keys, wallets, and such on when retiring. The lights are swivel lights and may be installed later today.