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October 25th 2003 - Sides are 3/4 birch plywood. Made a quarter inch hard board template of the profile and then used a router with a 1/4 carbide bit and 7/16 collar to cut the shape. Made a couple passes on each side and they are virtual clones of one another. Note: The template was made 3/32 smaller than the finished wall size to account for half the difference between the collar & cutter size. Doors on each side of the cabin work great for two people and making the bed is much easier.
November 1st 2003 - Extra wood around where the vent will be so as to have some material to attach the vent with screws.
November 1st 2003 - Ribs are 1 X 2 clear poplar. This wood is very stable and strong. It also glues, holds screws well and is very resistant to dry rot and termite damage. They are held by two screws on each end and Tite-Bond cement.
November 1st 2003 - Headliner is 1/8 birch and crossed my fingers when bending the radius. Addendum: On the next tear I will first glue the ribs to the headliner before and then install them as one unit which should make the bending easier and safer.
Wiring for remote vent with fan and halo light. November 3rd 2003
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  headliner  
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Drilled small holes in the ribs for wiring and wrote down distances from the side so when installing the Masonite I could avoid shooting brads into the wires. Instead of notching, I drilled in the middle of the rib so as not to compromise it's strength.
November 3rd 2003 - Just another view getting ready to install 1/8 top Masonite.
November 2nd 2003 - I was able to put in three layers of half inch polystyrene insulation which bends easily. Addendum: After camping in 100 plus degree heat there was no heat buildup on the headliner. Don't omit the insulation which is only a few bucks per 4 X 8 sheet.
November 5th 2003 - These inexpensive straps were a great help since I did the complete build with no help. Hardboard is 1/8 tempered Masonite and follows the conture easily. The lines are just a reference to the center line of the ribs for driving brads.
November 5th 2003 - The 2 X 3 oak hinge rib gives a sturdy place for attaching temporary clamps and will provide a strong member to attach the galley hinge later on.
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November 5th 2003 - Holding hard board in place while glueing. Also used lots of 3/4 brads then filled the holes. Chalk lines were snapped over ribs as a guide for shooting brads. Reminder - don't shoot brads into your electrical wires.
November 5th 2003 - The hinge rib is 2 X 3 oak with four 2-1/2 screws on each side. Rumor is this rib was the weakest part of the original Kit trailer but on this tear it should be one of the strongest.
November 5th 2003 - Using straps to hold down hard board until adhesive cures. Of course another short piece will be added but the seam will be invisible once it is covered with the aluminum.
November 5th 2003 - Just resting and doing some daydreaming of adventures to come. Long way to go yet. Rule #1: Have all your hardware on hand to avoid any unpleasant surprises. I learned my lesson with the galley hurricane hinge when the manufacturer changed the design to zero offset.
November 14th 2003 - Three more coats of spar varnish outside which should seal out moisture.
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November 5th 2003 - The wall skins were roughed out and sandwiched between finished wall & Masonite. Of course I could only route a short distance and then would have to re-arange the clamps. Both aluminum sides were in the sandwich so were cut at the same time.
November 14th 2003 - Both pieces of rough cut aluminum are sandwiched between finished side and the Masonite template. Then the router with flush cutting carbide cutter was used to finish cut the aluminum. I used a variable voltage supply to the router and cut it to 40 volts to slow the cutter. Any faster and the tool would overheat and melt/ball up the aluminum.
November 16th 2003 - Straps holding aluminum skin in place while routing the top vent hole with a router flush cutting bit. The top vent will then be drilled and screwed into place which will hold the skin tight. A good idea is to glue something soft to the 2 X 4 blocks to prevent scratching the surface.
November 16th 2003 - Holding top aluminum in place prior to cutting the top vent opening. Because the sides were clones and the floor was absolutly level when the bulkhead was installed the hard board and aluminum skins then fit pefectly with no trimming.
(INSET) Threaded inserts were installed with allen wrench into the sides for studs to mount fenders. First the blind holes were drilled 5/8 deep and just shy of going through. This leaves a smooth surface on the inside. Inserts (inset) were then screwed in. They were also used to mount the hatch props in the galley.
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