Offroad teardrop build
- Thread starter xtremexj
- Start date
So the last week has been spent on building all the cabinet doors and the drawer as well as prepping the interior and applying a couple coats of Minwax water-based satin finish. Definitely tedious work but it is really getting close to being done. I also installed an extra LED light and CO detector on the side of the upper cabinet. Started making the table and painting the entry door as well but haven't taken any pics of those yet. These will have to do for now. 8)
The Minwax gave a slight ambering of the wood but I think it looks pretty cool.
That is first class work! Very well done! All I can do is to attempt to reach your skill level on my build.
xtremexj
Adventurer
It's more of a "hunchy" than a "standy" but it is definitely nice to be able to sit out of the inclement weather if it pops up.
LOL! Thanks. It's funny that you think it's so well done and I think it's mediocre at best. If I actually had proper wood working tools I could have done better by my standards but it looks OK for an occasional wood worker.
Gregg Kurz
New member
Looks great. I would recommend you consider putting a radius on the outer corner of your table support brackets....they look like a nasty gash to the back of you leg just waiting to happen.
xtremexj
Adventurer
My wife and I were discussing that yesterday also. The is exactly what I plan on doing with them.
lacofdfireman
Adventurer
Like this build a lot. You did an excellent job. How is it off road? Also did you do anything to seal the exterior wood before you finished painting? And did you spray on the finish paint or roll it on?
IdaSHO
IDACAMPER
xtremexj,
the trailer looks great.
My kind of build :victory:
There is no reason to use glass if you are using a quality plywood.
With cheaper plywood (namely, FIR) the glass will prevent the surface from checking after painted.
better plywood does not have the checking problem.
Not sure what ply xtremexj used on the exterior, but as long as it is a marine rated ply, he is fine with just saturating the grain with epoxy and painting.
I did the same thing with my plywood skinned camper, using glass tape for just the joints.
A few years later and this is what the finish looks like... And mine is always rolled on. Much safer to apply, when using hardener.
the trailer looks great.
My kind of build :victory:
There is no reason to use glass if you are using a quality plywood.
With cheaper plywood (namely, FIR) the glass will prevent the surface from checking after painted.
better plywood does not have the checking problem.
Not sure what ply xtremexj used on the exterior, but as long as it is a marine rated ply, he is fine with just saturating the grain with epoxy and painting.
I did the same thing with my plywood skinned camper, using glass tape for just the joints.
A few years later and this is what the finish looks like... And mine is always rolled on. Much safer to apply, when using hardener.
xtremexj
Adventurer
Sorry for not getting back to your comments guys. I haven't had a lot of time to work on this the last few months due to the fact that my new job thinks it owns me and I have been working WAY more weekends than I agreed to so no time for a personal life.
Anyhow, it's not finished yet but it's very close and I do have some more done on the exterior but haven't been able to get it out of the garage long enough to take pics. I went with 2 coats of epoxy over baltic birch ply as that seems to be the most common method most people are using that build small teardrops. It also has 6 coasts of premium latex exterior paint so hopefully it will take the abuse. I originally wanted to an aluminum frame with dibond panel exterior but I was trying to save money by not having to buy any new equipment at the time. The next one will follow that model when the time comes.
I am hoping to have a towing/usage report after the first weekend of July when I am hoping to get it out for it's maiden voyage. That is assuming that my Jeep is back from the body shop by then. About a month ago I was on my way home when a nice young lady decided to make a left turn in front of me when I was about 20 feet from her while doing 65km/hr (40mph) so I had enough time to just touch the brakes before hitting her. Wrote of her car and my Jeep bent the front frame and buckled the hood and pass front door a bit too. I was fortunate that I'm built pretty stout so no damage to me personally.
Anyhow, it's not finished yet but it's very close and I do have some more done on the exterior but haven't been able to get it out of the garage long enough to take pics. I went with 2 coats of epoxy over baltic birch ply as that seems to be the most common method most people are using that build small teardrops. It also has 6 coasts of premium latex exterior paint so hopefully it will take the abuse. I originally wanted to an aluminum frame with dibond panel exterior but I was trying to save money by not having to buy any new equipment at the time. The next one will follow that model when the time comes.
I am hoping to have a towing/usage report after the first weekend of July when I am hoping to get it out for it's maiden voyage. That is assuming that my Jeep is back from the body shop by then. About a month ago I was on my way home when a nice young lady decided to make a left turn in front of me when I was about 20 feet from her while doing 65km/hr (40mph) so I had enough time to just touch the brakes before hitting her. Wrote of her car and my Jeep bent the front frame and buckled the hood and pass front door a bit too. I was fortunate that I'm built pretty stout so no damage to me personally.
truck mechanic
Adventurer
mite seem like a silly queston, but did you glass it, or just use the epoxy over the wood.
Finally have some new pics to share!!
The first one is from about a month ago when I just had to pull it out of the garage and put the 33s under it and see how it sits. I think the stance is about perfect!
These next two are after the application of the West System epoxy (two coats).
The exterior is painted now with Behr Marquee exterior latex paint. It is supposed to be their longest lasting, best UV protection paint so we'll see what happens. The color is called Tin Foil so it comes close to matching the silver of my Jeep. I just don't have any exterior pics with the paint yet. Maybe tomorrow as it's supposed to be fairly warm.
truck mechanic
Adventurer
Thank you sir!
xtremexj
Adventurer
Finally managed to get the trailer back outside today to take some pictures of the progress since the last update. I purchased some black trim with an insert molding for around the exterior edges and installed that a couple of months ago now. I figured out what I wanted to do with the checker plate aluminum and had my buddy cut some 0.062" for me and installed that. I have been trying to decide for months what to do to trim the top of the aluminum with and just couldn't justify the cost of more fancy aluminum extrusions so I just picked up some door edge trim from one of the local automotive shops and put that on. It's simple but I think it looks OK. A co-worker of mine suggested some steps for either side of the fenders so I drew up a picture of what I wanted and had my buddy bend those up for me too. It sure is nice to have friends in the right places. :thumbsup:
Unfortunately there's a storm moving in so I had to pack up early. I was trying to get all the marker lights finished and then get the Fantastic fan in so it could finally get out of the garage but apparently that's not going to happen now. I'll try again later in the week when I have a day off and see if I can get that looked after. The only other things to do are get the brakes installed and wire, get the Jeep tow wiring installed as well as the brake controller. Getting close!!
Unfortunately there's a storm moving in so I had to pack up early. I was trying to get all the marker lights finished and then get the Fantastic fan in so it could finally get out of the garage but apparently that's not going to happen now. I'll try again later in the week when I have a day off and see if I can get that looked after. The only other things to do are get the brakes installed and wire, get the Jeep tow wiring installed as well as the brake controller. Getting close!!
