Building a small camper trailer


jeff0520

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Hello all,

I originally joined the forum to try to learn more about cabinet making for the interior of the small camper I'm building. I've received several messages expressing interest in the project, and one person asked me to start a thread here on the build. I'll try to lay out the steps I'm using and provide pictures

I started out with a 2000 pound super heavy duty 4x8 trailer chassis from Harbor Freight. I could have built, or had built a custom chassis, but getting a title and registration is MUCH easier with a "certificate of factory origin" from the chassis manufacturer.

The GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of the chassis dictates that I have to build light to allow not only for the weight of the lumber, fiberglass, and appliances, but also leave capacity for all the camping gear that will be stowed in the cabinets. That dictates a very light structure. I started laying out my floor framing from premium grade southern yellow pine 2x4's.

I used 3 inch screws and titebond 3 glue at each joint. After the framework was built and squared up, I placed it on the chassis and began covering the frame with 1/2" plywood.

After putting down the floor, again with screws and titebond 3, I began applying fibered tar roof coating to the bottom to waterproof it.

After that first coat of undercoating was dry, I glued foam insulation in place and secured it with screws and fender washers. This was followed by a top coat of more roof coating. I didn't use treated wood because it's subject to a lot of shrinkage in the first year, which would lead to jammed doors and windows.

After the waterproofing was done, I permanently attached the floor to the chassis by bolting some flat mounting plates to the chassis, and driving screrws through the plates into the floor framing.

To improve towing behavior and allow more room for the power and battery box, I build a tongue extension.

Then I installed a swing back tongue jack.

Finally I laid out and sut my side profiles from 1/4" hardwood plywood.

http://www.woodtalkonline.com/gallery/image/4138-profilelayout3/

http://www.woodtalkonline.com/gallery/image/4139-profile1/

http://www.woodtalkonline.com/gallery/image/4140-profile2/

That's pretty much where the project stands right now. The next step will be to cut the roof support spars, then frame in the walls. The wall framing will be 1x6's, cut and joined together using pocket screws, and notched to accept the roof spars. Interior skin for the walls will be more 1/4 hardwood plywood finished in a a nice wiping varnish. The exterior plywood will be covered in fiberglass and painted gloss white. This will give me a wall thickness of slightly over 1 inch. Once the walls are framed out, I'll stand them up, screw and glue in place, and install the spars.

more pictures to come as the project progresses. We hope to have the camper done in time for our annual fall camping trip :)

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I spent today's build time drawing the shapes of the wall edge framing on the wall plywood. I also got the rest of my main roof spars cut today. I still have to make the multipiece ones for the corners and roof seam lap joints, but the easy ones are done. Finishing the spars will allow me to trace around the ends of the spars to mark the notches in the wall edge framing. Once all the spars are cut I'll be able to start cutting and laying out edge framing.

I still need to figure out exactly where I want the windows to sit on the sides, but I figure I'll unbox one of the windows and just lay it on the plywood profile and move it around till I find the best spot, then I'll trace around it and fill in the frame from there.

No pictures today, because a pile of roof spars laying on the floor just isn't that interesting. :)

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Made some progress today. I made two of the miltipiece spars. I used a protractor to measure the angle, then divided the angle in half. I set my table saw to cut the angle, and ripped two pieces and glued them together. The spars came out pretty good:

I still have 3 multipiece spars to do yet, but I pretty much have the hang of doing them now. Should be no big deal :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

Made a little progress today. I cut and glued the very first piece of wall framing today.

This piece runs from the nose of the trailer to the wheel well. It rests on the floor to position the wall, and provide a place to screw the wall to the floor, and the interior skin to the frame. I actually made 2 of these pieces exactly the same so I have an exact match for the other wall. The piece is attached to the exterior skin with titebond 3 for now, but countersunk screws will be added later.

I also started cutting the 2 pieces for the next frame posttion working counterclockwise around the edge framing. I have the two boards angle cut to fit in the location, and was just marking the locations to cut out for spars and drill locations for pocket holes when I noticed it was awfully hot. Breaktime!

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I'm on jury duty this week, so I'll be home evenings. I'm trying to get a little done each night as long as I'm home :)

Today I continued working around the wall edge framing counter clockwise. I used the stub ends I cut off the spars as templates to draw spar notches in the frame members, and to dry fit for testing.

When I'm finished framing the walls, the spars should match up and tap into place nice and snug. With a little titebond 3 in there and a few screws, they should be solid as a rock :)

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This week of jury duty is really translating into a lot getting done on the camper. I have a couple hours to spend every evening. Today so far, I have cut 2 more edge frame pieces, and their duplicates for the opposite wall. I got them glued in place as well.

I also started cutting the first of the curved framing pieces. I just cut the angles to join with the other frame, then clamped the straight board to the profile. I used a flush trim bit in the router, set up to use the edge of the profile as a template and zipped the curved frame right out. :)

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Hello everybody.

Jury duty is over, and my truck will be out of the shop tomorrow, so I guess I'll have to go back to earning a living instead of building every day. econ_thumbsdown.gif

I did get quite a bit done though. I have all the edge framing done for the left wall, and all the frame pieces cut for the right wall. Framing the right wall will go a lot quicker since the frame pieces are precut. I also started laying out door and window locations. econ_goldtooth.gif

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  • 2 months later...

The camper project is moving along well now. I fully finished the left wall profile today. The window opening is cut out, and I dry fit the window. I still have some sanding to do on the window opening, as it's still REALLY tight. I have to leave some room for expansion and contraction with the weather, or I'll have seal problems on that window at best, and maybe broken glass at worst.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I started applying the skine for the front wall, roof, and rear wall today. I started on the nose of the camper. I cut the pieces a little oversize, then attached them with titebond 3 and a whole bunch of screws. Then I used my belt sander and an 80 grit belt to sand them down to size.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Not much new to report. Fill and sand, sand and fill. A friend of mine
has a 10 year old daughter named Samantha. She has a very sharp interest
in any sort of construction and building project. The messier and more
complicated, the more she is interested. The kid is born to be an
engineer I think.
Well, There was a lot of filler to put in seams
and screw holes in the roof, and she is a tiny thing, less than 50
pounds, so...  

 
She had a blast up there    :D
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I finally got a day to work on the camper again. Another day of filling and sanding. I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel on stage 1 sanding. A little more to do, then I can go back and fill the tiny voids and cracks that appeared as I sanded. then a light sanding, and it'll be fiberglass time !

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  • 3 weeks later...

Looks great!  I see you are going to paint the outside.  I was wondering have you thought about using a deco metal lamiante.  It is just like HPL but just thin metal.  You could apply it to the out side with contact cement.  then wrap the corners with angle iron. 

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Thank you very much :)

  I had seriously considered mill finish aluminum for that 1960's airstream look, but I decided against using metal of any sort for weight considerations. The chassis under there is a 2000 lb GVWR single axle. I'm estimating that once all the utilities, furniture, and cabinetry is installed, I'm going to be up close to 1400 lbs using a lightweight fiberglass and paint skin. That leaves me only 600 lbs for food and gear. At this point the couple hundred pounds of weight I save by not going with a metal skin are meaningful.  I've begun to look for places where I can cut weight on the furniture and cabinetry inside out of worries of getting too close to GVWR.

  Before I alter my plans too much I think I'm going to get paint, doors, windoes, roof vent, and trailer lights done, then take it to the feed mill for a weight check and see where I've landed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I shot two coats of primer today.

 
I am SO happy that I don't have to worry about UV light degrading the epoxy skin any more. The planned maiden voyage is 8 days from now. I plan to shoot two coats of white enamel tomorrow. Once those are dry, I'll be able to work on installing my door, windows, and roof vent. I have SO much to do. It looks like the first camping trip will see the camper as more of a "hard sided tent" as I am sure I'll have no time to even start on the interior electrical system. If I am lucky I'll have time to get the skeleton of the bed frame done so we don't have to sleep on an air mattress on the floor :lol:
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