ultra compact slide in / sleeper

[Gunner207]

Finally cutting and bonding. Busy work day so I could only steal a couple hours but I got the floor panel cut and assembled. The fore and aft dadoed were cut with a router and create a press fit for the intersecting panel. The dado is 7/16" deep or about half way through the core. If you ease the edges of the panel to be inserted it is not to difficult to drive it in.

The first picture is the finished piece, the second is the edges to be joined filled with epoxy (West Systems 610), and the third pic shows the pieces in place and the temporary key holding them together.

 

[Gunner207]

Today's work

 

[Gunner207]

 

[MagicMtnDan]

When I look at this great build it makes me think how great it would be if someone made one or more basic extruded aluminum components to make "plugging" these panels into them forming ultra strong and lightweight corner joints.

Extrusion dies aren't terribly expensive and a small extrusion company might be interested in extruding corners and other extrusions in smaller quantities (smaller than the many, many feet of aluminum extrusions the bigger companies make).

Here's an example of one such profile made for glass:

Here's an example of a rounded/radiused corner profile:

By the way, "wall panel" construction has been done for many years to produce custom and standard guard sheds, in-plant offices, etc. The companies that make these use panels and aluminum extrusions to join the panels. Here's an example:

http://www.fsindustries.com/more_in...ully_assembled_modular_building_systems.shtml

Perhaps companies like this can provide some services and/or components for similar type of builds?

 

[Gunner207]

 

[Gunner207]

I'll post some drawings tomorrow morning of the spline connectors I have been contimplating. Made by wetting out fiberglass tape then pressing between simple male/female mold. Once cured removed from the mold and the panels get an edge slot in each of the joining faces and the spline gets epoxied into the core. For extra strength the outside seams can get reinforced with either fiberglass tape or aluminum and 5200.

 

[1 Bored Clerk]

View attachment 383986

You have some panels finished with fiberglass skins and some with luan? The Fiberglass skins have a gel coat finish, correct? Will you have to sand that rough in all areas where you are glassing over for seams?


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[rruff]

The Fiberglass skins have a gel coat finish, correct? Will you have to sand that rough in all areas where you are glassing over for seams?

http://www.carbon-core.com/store/product/laminated-panels-sheets/

"SANDED: ADD $ 0.15 per square foot per side
GELCOAT: Fiberglass panels have a T102 pigment mixed in the skins. For regular Gelcoat add $.43 per SqFt. per side,"

Standard is white pigmented resin and 18oz cloth (~1mm, .040"), smooth finish. Anyplace you plan to add resin you will want a sanded finish.

 

[rruff]

When I look at this great build it makes me think how great it would be if someone made one or more basic extruded aluminum components to make "plugging" these panels into them forming ultra strong and lightweight corner joints.

http://www.extrude-a-trim.com/aluminum-extrusions/corner-moulding/18

 

[Gunner207]

This morning 's progress. More details to follow.

 

[1 Bored Clerk]

Moving right along!


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[1 Bored Clerk]

http://www.carbon-core.com/store/product/laminated-panels-sheets/

"SANDED: ADD $ 0.15 per square foot per side
GELCOAT: Fiberglass panels have a T102 pigment mixed in the skins. For regular Gelcoat add $.43 per SqFt. per side,"

Standard is white pigmented resin and 18oz cloth (~1mm, .040"), smooth finish. Anyplace you plan to add resin you will want a sanded finish.

Thanks! That's not much of an upcharge for sanding considering how much it would suck to do by hand. $4.80 per side for a 4' x 8' sheet. I'm excited now!


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[rruff]

That's not much of an upcharge for sanding considering how much it would suck to do by hand. $4.80 per side for a 4' x 8' sheet.

I agree. Even if you were painting the exterior I guess you'd need to sand first.

Finally got a call from Tommy at Carbon Core today. He did not give me a warm feeling about the plywood panels. Said they don't keep it in stock or sell much and he wasn't sure about the glue used or wood species. For exterior use he thought the fiberglass faces would be a much better choice. Since my sample was poorly glued, and CoyoteThistle noticed some unglued sections on his panels, I'm going to pass on the plywood panels.

I've been doing some informal "hole poke resistance" tests with a screwdriver. Been playing with PMF (canvas and Titebond composite) and 2.7mm luan both with a 15psi XPS core, vs the CC fiberglass and plywood panels. They are all ~1 lb/sq ft. There's no comparison. The CC fiberglass is way tougher. Luan is next with PMF and the plywood panel not too far behind.

 

[CoyoteThistle]

rruff, if you have the inclination and the supplies handy, I'd be curious to see how a luan panel with a single layer of fiberglass (6 oz cloth say) would fair against the full fiberglass panel in screwdriver test.

Nice progress Gunner - dang that was quick work!

 

[Gunner207]

all panels interlock wish causes the structure to be virtually self jigging