Jeaninne's 2006 Sprinter Conversion
- Thread starter PaulJensen
- Start date
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
07
(above) With the prototype of the folding bed sort of making sense, the wood was acquired, then the rough cuts were made on the tablesaw...Next, everything went through the surfacing planer until it all looked fresh...The wood is mostly clear pine furring from one of the big box stores...I like the big box stores because they have a lot of wood to choose from and they don't mind if I go through a whole unit to find what I need...The prices are very good when you consider what clear wood usually costs...
(above) The framework of the bed platform...First, all the board edges get a shallow rounding-over with a router...Next, the vertical pieces are dadoed into the wall rail then screwed together with 3.5" screws...The hinges for the fold-over are 5/16" carriage bolt with a fender washer between...
(above) The slats also get a full rounding-over of the edges and ends...Here they are roughly placed over the framework...
(above) Another view of how it will look... The fir piece at the bottom represents the wall cap that will run the length of the walls...I'm still thinking about how to fasten the slats to the frame...I really like the look of no fasteners...
BTW: I'm calling this The Pallet Bed...Kind of fitting since the van is used to move pallets of fruit...
(above) With the prototype of the folding bed sort of making sense, the wood was acquired, then the rough cuts were made on the tablesaw...Next, everything went through the surfacing planer until it all looked fresh...The wood is mostly clear pine furring from one of the big box stores...I like the big box stores because they have a lot of wood to choose from and they don't mind if I go through a whole unit to find what I need...The prices are very good when you consider what clear wood usually costs...
(above) The framework of the bed platform...First, all the board edges get a shallow rounding-over with a router...Next, the vertical pieces are dadoed into the wall rail then screwed together with 3.5" screws...The hinges for the fold-over are 5/16" carriage bolt with a fender washer between...
(above) The slats also get a full rounding-over of the edges and ends...Here they are roughly placed over the framework...
(above) Another view of how it will look... The fir piece at the bottom represents the wall cap that will run the length of the walls...I'm still thinking about how to fasten the slats to the frame...I really like the look of no fasteners...
BTW: I'm calling this The Pallet Bed...Kind of fitting since the van is used to move pallets of fruit...
Mountainman75
New member
Looking great Paul.
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
08
(above) Halfway through the upper wall wood prep...
(above) More organized walnut, cedar,and pine...Everything an equal thickness...
(above) Should be enough to do the upper walls, maybe not the doors...
(above) Halfway through the upper wall wood prep...
(above) More organized walnut, cedar,and pine...Everything an equal thickness...
(above) Should be enough to do the upper walls, maybe not the doors...
Rbertalotto
Explorer
Hope you don't mind, but I'm going to copy your "Pallet Bed" for my motorcycle trailer. Great idea!
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
09
(above) Jeaninne returned the Sprinter to me after it being needed for fruit transport for a few days...First thing to do before installing the bed that was built in it's absence, was to paint the wall the color Jeaninne wanted...Frank Blue is what it said on the can...
(above) The upper zone of the wood walls were fastened to the frame underneath with self tapping screws through wood blocks...
(above) The wall cap serves as a structural support for the bed...All the parts were milled, pre-drilled and already dry fit at least once...Now they are ready for glue and a quick install...
(above) With the screws pre-set and the glue spread, it was almost mindless to install...
(above) Concealed fasteners were a priority to me, and here is how it was accomplished...
(above) A fast fine sanding then this was brushed on...
(above) Sealed against stains and water damage, it penetrates and supposedly moves with the wood without separation... This past summer I did my hot tub enclosure and the sealing of the re-siding of my yard shed with it and I am pretty impressed with it...
(above) Driver side wall...
(above) The bed support slats are laid onto the wood wall cap ledge...
(above) The "pallet bed" is screwed through the piano hinge to the ledge...
(above) Looking up... Jeaninne wants to sleep width wise in the van, but the bed could be made to fit lengthwise as well...
(above) Driver side section folded for storage against the wall...
(above) One option with the bed, is to add 2x2 support posts to turn a wall section into a table like thing...
(above) It's nice to have options... I see using this design in the future...It offers great flexibility with the floor plan and a built-in bed is something most folks like... I could argue for and against it all day...
(above) Jeaninne returned the Sprinter to me after it being needed for fruit transport for a few days...First thing to do before installing the bed that was built in it's absence, was to paint the wall the color Jeaninne wanted...Frank Blue is what it said on the can...
(above) The upper zone of the wood walls were fastened to the frame underneath with self tapping screws through wood blocks...
(above) The wall cap serves as a structural support for the bed...All the parts were milled, pre-drilled and already dry fit at least once...Now they are ready for glue and a quick install...
(above) With the screws pre-set and the glue spread, it was almost mindless to install...
(above) Concealed fasteners were a priority to me, and here is how it was accomplished...
(above) A fast fine sanding then this was brushed on...
(above) Sealed against stains and water damage, it penetrates and supposedly moves with the wood without separation... This past summer I did my hot tub enclosure and the sealing of the re-siding of my yard shed with it and I am pretty impressed with it...
(above) Driver side wall...
(above) The bed support slats are laid onto the wood wall cap ledge...
(above) The "pallet bed" is screwed through the piano hinge to the ledge...
(above) Looking up... Jeaninne wants to sleep width wise in the van, but the bed could be made to fit lengthwise as well...
(above) Driver side section folded for storage against the wall...
(above) One option with the bed, is to add 2x2 support posts to turn a wall section into a table like thing...
(above) It's nice to have options... I see using this design in the future...It offers great flexibility with the floor plan and a built-in bed is something most folks like... I could argue for and against it all day...
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Rbertalotto
Explorer
Will she need to put those 2X4s into plce every time she wants to use the bed?
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
Yes... She has a queen size mattress and it sounds like it's going to stay in, more than its out...
One other thing I was thinking about, it would be simple to build a drop-in sofa or some kind of seating that would be supported by that wood wall cap... Something modular, something that could fold up with the potential for adaptability...
_hein_
Observer
Awesome design and workmanship again!
There is some concern about using fiberglass insulation in vehicles. Pressure waves from closing doors, vibration and air movement in the walls from driving will dislodge fibers and possibly circulate them into the living/driving space. These fibers are considered carcinogens by some.
I carefully removed some fiberglass insulation that had been installed by the previous owner and had been in my van for a number of years. The stuff had broken down and small fibers were flying everywhere. There was also some evidence of it getting wet but thankfully no mold.
There is some concern about using fiberglass insulation in vehicles. Pressure waves from closing doors, vibration and air movement in the walls from driving will dislodge fibers and possibly circulate them into the living/driving space. These fibers are considered carcinogens by some.
I carefully removed some fiberglass insulation that had been installed by the previous owner and had been in my van for a number of years. The stuff had broken down and small fibers were flying everywhere. There was also some evidence of it getting wet but thankfully no mold.
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
Hi again _hein_ ...
This came up in previous build and with what was discussed there, this insulation job addresses those concerns which I feel are total bull****.. Just being honest...
In the grand scheme of things even if a bit of airborne fiberglass were present, and if that minuscule amount was inhaled, the likelyhood of that messing up your life is so very small compared to just about everything else that surrounds us if we are in a vehicle... Not to mention modern life... In my world the sky is not falling...
Maybe I'm lucky, but I've been doing dusty, hazardous work for close to forty years, nonstop, and that includes a significant amount of time doing a lot of fiberglass surfboard sanding, most of the time without a mast... Imagine a dust cloud surrounding me for years... Decades... Early in my career, at a lumber yard, we cut sheet asbestos board with a tablesaw and no masks... Then there are all the residential and commercial remodels that involved more demolition of nasty stuff for again! Decades...I've also done dozens of acoustic ceiling scrapes jobs and no mask... Back then it wasn't a concern... Then there is the day after day, decade after decade, carpentry, which is basically a constant dust producing activity...
At 58 I feel (and my physician says) that I'm doing just fine... To say that we lead an active life would be accurate, and that is what I think is the primary reason for good health, and genetics... Eat well too...Should I have been better protected all those decades from EVERY potential hazard, sure... Would I feel any better, I don't think so, and I can't change the past...
That said, on this build, a thermal and acoustic foam went against the steel... Over that went the loose fiberglass... Over that, and contact cemented to the steel to prevent any friable fiberglass from becoming airborne, is the double foil faced bubble wrap insulation...
I am paying attention to what's being said here and if I can address those issues even if I don't subscribe to them I will, if it is simple and cost effective, to do it... On the last Sprtiner van I did, the fiberglass insulation was covered with taped on polyethylene (that sounds dangerous) sheeting to mitigate the potential airborne fiberglass...
If you check out the pictures of the builds since airborne fiberglass became a topic, the only openings are where the electrical cover-plates will be... I'd say it's pretty close to being airtight... Enough not to worry about an imaginary life threatening exposure...
I hope that helps to show I care... 
southpier
Expedition Leader
hi again Paul,
I deleted my above comments since you and a pm from one of the followers indicated they had become a disruption to your build.
A:to answer your question "why are you here?" - again - which I deleted: to learn. sometimes by imitation, and more often not.
building something for yourself offers free reign, but as I mentioned in the previous builds,(which irked you also), when $$$ is added into the mix there is a whole different set of rules.
I think the above response to the insulation question speaks fathoms. we know much more about the effects of exposure to things than past generations. I know I tend to stay on the "safe-side" in my Nerf World, but if that's a result of heeding obvious warnings I'm okay. "cutting edge" is not listed on my resume.
Q: with a sealed cavity, what consideration has been given to condensation?
I believe the Left Coast pioneers developments in the safety of building materials and then screws things up for the rest of the country.
Q: does the finish used on the wood paneling contain a significant amount of VOC off-gassing that sleeping in a heated contained space will cause any concern*?
*obviously not for me, but for someone who would duplicate this step.
thanks
I deleted my above comments since you and a pm from one of the followers indicated they had become a disruption to your build.
A:to answer your question "why are you here?" - again - which I deleted: to learn. sometimes by imitation, and more often not.
building something for yourself offers free reign, but as I mentioned in the previous builds,(which irked you also), when $$$ is added into the mix there is a whole different set of rules.
I think the above response to the insulation question speaks fathoms. we know much more about the effects of exposure to things than past generations. I know I tend to stay on the "safe-side" in my Nerf World, but if that's a result of heeding obvious warnings I'm okay. "cutting edge" is not listed on my resume.
Q: with a sealed cavity, what consideration has been given to condensation?
I believe the Left Coast pioneers developments in the safety of building materials and then screws things up for the rest of the country.
Q: does the finish used on the wood paneling contain a significant amount of VOC off-gassing that sleeping in a heated contained space will cause any concern*?
*obviously not for me, but for someone who would duplicate this step.
thanks
boardrider247
Weekend warrior anarchist
Haha! I like your attitude Paul!
I feel the same way about some of the stuff brought up in these forums.
When I started out in the construction industry I was told in 5 years it would be proven that fiberglass was as dangerous as asbestos. Now 16 years later we still treat it the same way.
I'm sure it's bad for you on some level, be realistically the amount the average person would be exposed to in their vehicle is less then 1% of what I inhale being on a job site.
I feel the same way about some of the stuff brought up in these forums.
When I started out in the construction industry I was told in 5 years it would be proven that fiberglass was as dangerous as asbestos. Now 16 years later we still treat it the same way.
I'm sure it's bad for you on some level, be realistically the amount the average person would be exposed to in their vehicle is less then 1% of what I inhale being on a job site.