Sawtooth XL Build
- Thread starter DanCooper
- Start date
Two weekends to report upon
The first weekend involved building this on the tow vehicle:
It turned out well, and will also carry some water jugs.
Then this immediate past weekend I went to the NWOR, which was a great time, and a chance to relax and be away from the build. Did I mention relax?
I returned today and finished off one door, cut out the other, and drilled the mounting holes in the floor of the trailer.
See the specks? The mice are back. They run on the overhead rafters and empty their little bowels all over my project. I don't like them.
View attachment 352425
Tracing the door framing onto the Birch door skin which will form the inner lining of the door.
View attachment 352424
Gluing the skin to the frame.
View attachment 352423
Finished door with porthole set in to assure it fits. The second door is cut out and laying on the work surface behind the finished door.
View attachment 352427
Floor clamped to the trailer frame for drilling of the mounting holes. The strongback has been moved outside for construction of the trailer body. Since I will be applying CPES, I would like to do that outside where the ventilation is optimum. Inside, where it is 80 degrees, the fumes would be a significant problem, even with a respirator.
View attachment 352426
Should see some progress on finishing the second door, getting the wiring into the two walls, and finishing the door jambs over the nex few days. The Fourth of July weekend will slow me down again for a party or two, but then I should have momentum again.
The first weekend involved building this on the tow vehicle:
It turned out well, and will also carry some water jugs.
Then this immediate past weekend I went to the NWOR, which was a great time, and a chance to relax and be away from the build. Did I mention relax?
I returned today and finished off one door, cut out the other, and drilled the mounting holes in the floor of the trailer.
See the specks? The mice are back. They run on the overhead rafters and empty their little bowels all over my project. I don't like them.
View attachment 352425
Tracing the door framing onto the Birch door skin which will form the inner lining of the door.
View attachment 352424
Gluing the skin to the frame.
View attachment 352423
Finished door with porthole set in to assure it fits. The second door is cut out and laying on the work surface behind the finished door.
View attachment 352427
Floor clamped to the trailer frame for drilling of the mounting holes. The strongback has been moved outside for construction of the trailer body. Since I will be applying CPES, I would like to do that outside where the ventilation is optimum. Inside, where it is 80 degrees, the fumes would be a significant problem, even with a respirator.
View attachment 352426
Should see some progress on finishing the second door, getting the wiring into the two walls, and finishing the door jambs over the nex few days. The Fourth of July weekend will slow me down again for a party or two, but then I should have momentum again.
I may not have a lot of experience with trailer or boat builds, but I can add something from the homebuilt aviation community. When doing fiberglass layups, filling the exterior fiberglass layer isn't just about epoxy. We add whats called micro-balloons to the epoxy to create a slurry mix. This works amazing for filling in the weave of the fiberglass and creates a glass-like smooth surface.
When I built my first plane, it was all composite construction (foam/wood/fiberglass), and the micro coats are extremely important for reducing parasitic drag by creating a smooth surface.
When I get to the final phases of my trailer build, thats my plan. I plan on using 2" BID tape on the joints (I may do a layer of glass on the rest as well) and then using micro to fill in the wood/glass and create a very smooth exterior surface.
Just my .02, but you should go out and look for some builder websites for any of the Long-EZ, Cozy, or other canard variants if you want to see what wonders can be done with micro.
EDIT: A friend of mine built a plane and he put a lot of pictures up of the finishing steps showing the micro coats. http://cozy.basol.net/chapter25.htm
When I built my first plane, it was all composite construction (foam/wood/fiberglass), and the micro coats are extremely important for reducing parasitic drag by creating a smooth surface.
When I get to the final phases of my trailer build, thats my plan. I plan on using 2" BID tape on the joints (I may do a layer of glass on the rest as well) and then using micro to fill in the wood/glass and create a very smooth exterior surface.
Just my .02, but you should go out and look for some builder websites for any of the Long-EZ, Cozy, or other canard variants if you want to see what wonders can be done with micro.
EDIT: A friend of mine built a plane and he put a lot of pictures up of the finishing steps showing the micro coats. http://cozy.basol.net/chapter25.htm
Last edited:
Mushin_Noshin
Adventurer
Really cool build, thanks for taking the time to share
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Thank you for writing, and I totally agree with what you are saying. However, my final finish coating will be Monstaliner, which is rough textured. I am going for tough waterproofing over sleek smoothness. For what it's worth, lately when I think of micro-balloons, I recall the cute animated movie "Up." How many micro-balloons does it take to get a lawn chair with an old fat man on it up into the air? But I digress.
Yesterday was not a day of great advancement. I cross threaded a stainless steel bolt into a tee-nut on the wall as I was test fitting a hinge. I have dedicated a few hours to removing it, and it is still there. I have a bad feeling this will involve a wood patch sometime soon. Bad Dan.
But I did lay some fiberglass cloth in the wheel wells to cover the sides. The steel fenders cover the front, back, and top great, but I thought I could add a little protection in there.
And the second door is mostly assembled, waiting for the inner skin to be applied this morning.
A word about the Sawtooth XL: These plans are very well thought out. Every time I think I would do something differently, when I sit and think about it, the designer has a very good reason for doing it the way it is drawn. For instance, why use tee-nuts, why not through-bolt the door hinges? Well, if you do so, the inner nuts will not allow the current design of the door jamb with bulb seal, that is why. Using through bolts will force a redesign of the entire door sealing system. That is a major thing.
Anyway, back at it this morning. With a freaking Sawzall. Or maybe a couple of bigger vice-grips.
Mushin_Noshin and Stomper XJ, thank you for your kind words. It is nice to know that the audience actually exists.
stomperxj
Explorer
Man that sucks Dan. I had some problems with the stainless hardware when I fastened down the floor to the frame on the original build. A few of them galled up and I had to cut them off. Maybe you can use a tiny drip of anti-seize on them?
Good luck with the removal-
Thanks for the compliments Dan
You are doing such a great job on this. It really looks awesome Back On Track
Some shots of the fiberglassed wheel wells:
The tool bag is from Adventure Tool Company (http://adventuretoolcompany.com) I like their stuff very much, as well as the fact that the company is basically a couple, and the service is very personalized. And I love the way it smells. Reminds me of camping in the old canvas blanket rolls (or the top of my Mark 82 radio jeep sitting in the sun in SE Asia).
Today I tool a real Craftsman visegrip to the shop, and I had the first bolt off in under three minutes.
I did a little damage to the side, but not too much.
Then I got to work on the second bolt. It was more difficult, as the jaws on the vise grip I was using were not parallel. This invited closer examination, whereupon I realized that the "visegrips" I brought with me were not the ones I intended, but a no-name knock off. Off to the Home Depot store I went to get an actual pair of Made-In-America visegrips. But even with two well made visegrips on the bolt and tee-nut, I lacked sufficeint grip and leverage. I wondered to myself whether I could cut the head off the staiess steel bolt with the Dremel Tool and a cut-off wheel. Tried that, and it worked, so I was able to start the repair work.
To start with, I need to add an additional block to support the tee-nuts on the door. I use this superglue product with the activator when the pieces are small and I don't want to wait thirty minutes for the Titebond III to dry.
I needed to find a template for the tee-nuts. A nickle works best.
Used a Dremel with a router bit and router base to cut the holes.
At the ten image limit, will continue below.
Some shots of the fiberglassed wheel wells:
The tool bag is from Adventure Tool Company (http://adventuretoolcompany.com) I like their stuff very much, as well as the fact that the company is basically a couple, and the service is very personalized. And I love the way it smells. Reminds me of camping in the old canvas blanket rolls (or the top of my Mark 82 radio jeep sitting in the sun in SE Asia).
Today I tool a real Craftsman visegrip to the shop, and I had the first bolt off in under three minutes.
I did a little damage to the side, but not too much.
Then I got to work on the second bolt. It was more difficult, as the jaws on the vise grip I was using were not parallel. This invited closer examination, whereupon I realized that the "visegrips" I brought with me were not the ones I intended, but a no-name knock off. Off to the Home Depot store I went to get an actual pair of Made-In-America visegrips. But even with two well made visegrips on the bolt and tee-nut, I lacked sufficeint grip and leverage. I wondered to myself whether I could cut the head off the staiess steel bolt with the Dremel Tool and a cut-off wheel. Tried that, and it worked, so I was able to start the repair work.
To start with, I need to add an additional block to support the tee-nuts on the door. I use this superglue product with the activator when the pieces are small and I don't want to wait thirty minutes for the Titebond III to dry.
I needed to find a template for the tee-nuts. A nickle works best.
Used a Dremel with a router bit and router base to cut the holes.
At the ten image limit, will continue below.
Progress Continued
So after routing with the Dremel, I was ready to set the tee-nuts and epoxy them in place.
I could not find any glue syringes to use with the epoxy I had on hand, but found this stuff and it has a mixing applicator tip. It worked great, and the tee-nuts are all in place and set in epoxy.
For the rest of the day, I finished the second door by skinning it and putting on the first coat of Min-Wax Poly Wipe On. It is the one on the left. The one on the right has three coats of the Poly Wipe On, and one coat of wax that needs buffing. These are the interior sides. I will finish the interior in the natural wood.
Then I laid the wire for the reading light and "porch" light in the channel I previously routed, holding it in place with some clear shipping tape.
I ended the day by gluing on the inner side panel, and fixing it in place. I used Titebond III and some strategically placed 18 gauge brads from a brad nailer to fix it, as well as clamps.
When I returned to my brother's place, the guy who made the fenders for me showed up. He will stop by over the next few days to see if we can fix the problem with the fenders. Once I get that done, I can paint them and the bottom of the floor with black Monstaliner, as well as the exposed portions of the frame, the tongue box, and a few other pieces.
So after routing with the Dremel, I was ready to set the tee-nuts and epoxy them in place.
I could not find any glue syringes to use with the epoxy I had on hand, but found this stuff and it has a mixing applicator tip. It worked great, and the tee-nuts are all in place and set in epoxy.
For the rest of the day, I finished the second door by skinning it and putting on the first coat of Min-Wax Poly Wipe On. It is the one on the left. The one on the right has three coats of the Poly Wipe On, and one coat of wax that needs buffing. These are the interior sides. I will finish the interior in the natural wood.
Then I laid the wire for the reading light and "porch" light in the channel I previously routed, holding it in place with some clear shipping tape.
I ended the day by gluing on the inner side panel, and fixing it in place. I used Titebond III and some strategically placed 18 gauge brads from a brad nailer to fix it, as well as clamps.
When I returned to my brother's place, the guy who made the fenders for me showed up. He will stop by over the next few days to see if we can fix the problem with the fenders. Once I get that done, I can paint them and the bottom of the floor with black Monstaliner, as well as the exposed portions of the frame, the tongue box, and a few other pieces.
Mushin_Noshin
Adventurer
Any progress is a move in the right direction, keep pushing forward!
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk