Building our box out of wood?
- Thread starter MTVR
- Start date
IdaSHO
IDACAMPER
PL Premium is downright impressive.
Most tests prove it to be better than 75% of the strength of a good marine epoxy.
Where most people find trouble is assuming it will gap fill like epoxy.
It is USELESS as a filler of any sort. Adhesive it is. Glue it, clamp it (or fasten it well) and walk away for 24 hours.
Once cured it is as close to a permanent joint as you will find out of a single component caulk tube.
The entire skin->framing construction of my camper is PL Premium and stainless brads.
For the framing itself however, I used PL premium and pocket hole screws.
This eliminated the need for clamps, as well as the down time (for cure) between sections.
Worked a treat.
Most tests prove it to be better than 75% of the strength of a good marine epoxy.
Where most people find trouble is assuming it will gap fill like epoxy.
It is USELESS as a filler of any sort. Adhesive it is. Glue it, clamp it (or fasten it well) and walk away for 24 hours.
Once cured it is as close to a permanent joint as you will find out of a single component caulk tube.
The entire skin->framing construction of my camper is PL Premium and stainless brads.
For the framing itself however, I used PL premium and pocket hole screws.
This eliminated the need for clamps, as well as the down time (for cure) between sections.
Worked a treat.
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
Yes, they make bits for that. Its pretty easy to do...just make sure you figure out where you want the tongue vs. groove between the various sheets.
s.e.charles
Well-known member
consider a lap join if you have structural support for it. less finicky & more surface area for adhesive or sealant. if you want the heartache, make a scarfing jig and do it like a craftsman.
Scarf vs Half lap joint
www.lumberjocks.com
another suggestion as you become more serious & focused on the project, is to join a woodworking forum. research from one source seldom nets a complete solution.
ITTOG
Well-known member
I have never heard of that stuff. Thanks for the education. Well I guess most of the education was from the technical data sheet. So thanks for making me aware of this information.PL Premium is downright impressive.
Most tests prove it to be better than 75% of the strength of a good marine epoxy.
Where most people find trouble is assuming it will gap fill like epoxy.
It is USELESS as a filler of any sort. Adhesive it is. Glue it, clamp it (or fasten it well) and walk away for 24 hours.
Once cured it is as close to a permanent joint as you will find out of a single component caulk tube.
The entire skin->framing construction of my camper is PL Premium and stainless brads.
For the framing itself however, I used PL premium and pocket hole screws.
This eliminated the need for clamps, as well as the down time (for cure) between sections.
Worked a treat.
I'm pretty serious- we're putting together a materials list and calculating the weight of the wood- I'm coming up with about 2,150 pounds, which is a LOT lighter than the container we were originally considering.
We would first build the floor section upside-down on the flat bed of the truck, and then flip it over once the bottom is finished. By my calculations, the floor section will weigh about 325 pounds before we flip it, and will probably be the most awkward thing that we have to manhandle. Once we mount it to the flat bed, install the floor insulation, and lay down the 3/4" plywood to close it up, it will give us a flat 16'x8' working area to build the other five panels.
The ceiling framing will have to be built next- if we build the walls first and put them up, then there won't be room on the floor to build the ceiling. The ceiling framing will probably be the second most awkward thing to manhandle into place, but it will be lighter than the floor, because it won't have any plywood on it when we lift it into place, and unlike the floor, it's studs will be on 24" centers.
We would first build the floor section upside-down on the flat bed of the truck, and then flip it over once the bottom is finished. By my calculations, the floor section will weigh about 325 pounds before we flip it, and will probably be the most awkward thing that we have to manhandle. Once we mount it to the flat bed, install the floor insulation, and lay down the 3/4" plywood to close it up, it will give us a flat 16'x8' working area to build the other five panels.
The ceiling framing will have to be built next- if we build the walls first and put them up, then there won't be room on the floor to build the ceiling. The ceiling framing will probably be the second most awkward thing to manhandle into place, but it will be lighter than the floor, because it won't have any plywood on it when we lift it into place, and unlike the floor, it's studs will be on 24" centers.
The Artisan
Adventurer
Make 1/4" plywood sips and use 2" hd xps as I stated before, screw it all together. Fiberglass all the edges like my exo cage, paint it and it would last forever. I had to use a cage on mine as I did not have structural supports to screw to. Glued with sika
Kevin
Kevin
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Good point...
s.e.charles
Well-known member
s I g h . . . . . why do I even try . . . ?
The Artisan
Adventurer
I hear ya can only put in so many 2 cents ?
Kevin
billiebob
Well-known member
We always try to reinvent the box. The fact is the commercial truck body industry has the fastest, cheapest, most durable, easiest to repair construction method going. And on an assembly line they pound out commercial van and truck bodies hundreds at a time. AND they last 20, 30 years in an abusive commercial industry often being driven a million miles in the process. Forget tooling up for a one off body, look at what has been proven.
Unless the goal is to do your own thing.... which can often be incredibly rewarding. But if the goal is cost effective reliable durable even fast construction to just get out there and explore, don't reinvent the box.
With commercial body building suppliers, they are not interested in talking to a guy building 1 RV. You will need to research on line, know exactly what you want, order, pay and get out. Ive been there on both ends, building my Square Box and selling to contractors. I think I spent less than an hour in the warehouse. I had a material list, I paid the bill, loaded and left.
You might get the guy who wants to know all about your goal of driving to Tiera del Fuego but he will have a boss..... no doubt shops selling West Marine Epoxies will be more supportive but they will also be selling at retail prices. If you want great pricing, have a plan before you arrive. If you want advice and service and support, the pricing will take that into account.
I built my business serving both, the contractor giving us a material list paid 20% less than the guy we had to make the list for. And the guy without a clue paid at least 50% more. All 3 were valuable customers. All 3 got what they needed. Sometimes the guys needing their hand held built the coolest things. I love camping next to those guys.
Unless the goal is to do your own thing.... which can often be incredibly rewarding. But if the goal is cost effective reliable durable even fast construction to just get out there and explore, don't reinvent the box.
With commercial body building suppliers, they are not interested in talking to a guy building 1 RV. You will need to research on line, know exactly what you want, order, pay and get out. Ive been there on both ends, building my Square Box and selling to contractors. I think I spent less than an hour in the warehouse. I had a material list, I paid the bill, loaded and left.
You might get the guy who wants to know all about your goal of driving to Tiera del Fuego but he will have a boss..... no doubt shops selling West Marine Epoxies will be more supportive but they will also be selling at retail prices. If you want great pricing, have a plan before you arrive. If you want advice and service and support, the pricing will take that into account.
I built my business serving both, the contractor giving us a material list paid 20% less than the guy we had to make the list for. And the guy without a clue paid at least 50% more. All 3 were valuable customers. All 3 got what they needed. Sometimes the guys needing their hand held built the coolest things. I love camping next to those guys.
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