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jcferguson · 12-26-2005, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uwe

Carlos,

I too saw the RV type drawer slides. I actually went to an RV dealer to se how they "feel". To me, they felt notchy and awkward, so I decided against them immediately.
Instead, I am thinking of installing a travel lock type arrangement that locks all the drawers from inside the sink cabinet, then unlocks them at destination. All I have to do is open the sink cabinet and lift a lever, and it will ( hopefully) unlock all the drawes. Similar to the design in a pro tool box.
The pantry slider will lock with a pin from the inside, like str8strm's wine rack. I figure once I am stationary, nothing "should" open by itself.
I will be giving the drawers and the pantry slider a slight backwards angle, just to be safe. Actually the pantry sliders have a clip at the rear stop, to catch the assembly once it is put in all the way. There are 2 bearing slider rails on the bottom, and one in the center at the top. They extend all the way out, which I felt was important in such a small space.
Of course my angel of a wife now wants drawers not as tall, and more of them. So, back to the drawing board. The galley is hers..she'll get what she wants.

I had been thinking of a similar set-up - some kind of pin that could fall through a row of loops on each drawer and hook into a notch in the floor at the bottom. I thought about a long metal rod that could be fed through some kind of metal hole in the countertop (so it would be flush) and then use a heavy duty magnet to get it back up. This would be a "lock" too, unless someone happened to either have a magnet or turn the airstream upside down.

Anyway, I am interested in pics of your pin arrangement too - post em when you get em'.

Carlos

uwe · 12-26-2005, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcferguson

I had been thinking of a similar set-up - some kind of pin that could fall through a row of loops on each drawer and hook into a notch in the floor at the bottom. I thought about a long metal rod that could be fed through some kind of metal hole in the countertop (so it would be flush) and then use a heavy duty magnet to get it back up. This would be a "lock" too, unless someone happened to either have a magnet or turn the airstream upside down.

Anyway, I am interested in pics of your pin arrangement too - post em when you get em'.

Carlos

While perusing my ever growing stack of hardware catalogs, I came across these power door lock actuators. They cought my eye because they're quite powerful and not very expensive.
One of these actuators and a momentary on/off/on switch would lock everything at once, and unlock everything at once. There is plenty 12V under the galley cabinet already, so power supply is not a problem. I would need 6 of them, to lock 5 drawers and the pantry slide. Overkill?

uwe · 12-26-2005, 08:02 PM

..got done today. The doors are partially recessed, so only 3/8 of the 3/4 door frame shows when the door is closed. The frame is 3/4 maple, the insert is 1/4in maple plywood. The entire assembly is surprisingly light. I figured much more weight for doors like these.
The hinges follow the recess, 3/8" X 3/8" . I chose to go with the recess, despite the extra work. I prefer a door that somewhat resembles the original, not a heavy looking door. This way I have a sleek looking door that won't protrude more than 3/8, but the stability of a 3/4 in framed door.
The door pictured is a lower cabinet door. These will mount with the hinges at the bottom, so they will flip down when opened. The inside of the door will be lined with a tool pouch, holding a small assortment of tools that one might need while camping, such as pliers, screw drivers, some wrenches, a small flash light etc. I have 2 doors that will receive these tool pouches, as they are in front of the wheel well, and in front of the batteries. Maybe a small fluke meter will fit in there as well. The clearane is about 3in, a little less in some spots.

str8strm · 12-26-2005, 08:27 PM

Uwe I can do the picture but probably not til Thursday the wine rack is pretty neat looking!

uwe · 12-26-2005, 08:39 PM

Cool, no rush. I decided to build all the doors next, anyways. That way I can get back into staining the rest of the untreated interior all at once.

str8strm · 12-30-2005, 08:47 AM

Got the pictures trying to figure out how to get them from easyshare to here!![IMG]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Debbie/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/Kodak%20Pictures/2005-12-29/000_0269.jpg[/IMG]

3Ms75Argosy · 12-30-2005, 11:19 AM

Uwe - I'm in awe of your work! Those doors - they're art themselves! Did you Router the recesses/edges prior to assembly? Looks FAB!

Re: the power door latches. Are these the types used to actuate "shaved" door handles for custom cars / rods? If so - how about a remote unit that you have on the key fob for the outside lock. Can you imagine - walking up to your trailer, pressing a button, and everything unlocking?

I bet not even our own Bill Gates has an RV like this!
Marc

uwe · 12-30-2005, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

Did you Router the recesses/edges prior to assembly? Looks FAB!

Marc,
I measured, cut, routered (sp?) and then pre-assembeld everything for a test fit. I use a Kreg pocket hole tool and wood glue for the joinery. My preference is to blunt joints, as oposed to mitered joints, I prefer the simple, and clean look.

The hard part was ripping 1x8's into 1x2's with a so-so table saw. I could not find any nice maple anywhere in a 30 mile radius, and had ran out just before Christmas. Luckily I had some very nicely figured 1x8's that I had saved for the Airstream.
As of today, all the doors are assembled, and ready for sanding/finishing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

Re: the power door latches. Are these the types used to actuate "shaved" door handles for custom cars / rods? If so - how about a remote unit that you have on the key fob for the outside lock. Can you imagine - walking up to your trailer, pressing a button, and everything unlocking?

Tempting. I had thought of this scenario. I am a little bit worried about too much high tech gadgetry going haywire on the beach in Baja California, though.
But, i will consider the actuators for locking the drawers and the slide out pantry. I figure that one can always reach around and unlock them manually if the system goes kaputt.

The actuators are similar to the ones found in many Domestic car doors, btw.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

I bet not even our own Bill Gates has an RV like this!
Marc

Gates, Shmates! We're an Apple family.

3Ms75Argosy · 12-30-2005, 11:49 PM

Yep - we're a 100% Apple family too! If the medical world ran like Windows - we'd all have "Fatal errors!" by now!
Marc

flyfshr · 12-31-2005, 08:19 AM

Another yep! All Mac here too. One at home, one at the office and a portable one to go with me. Been contemplating a Mini for the trailer.

Brad
FF

tphan · 12-31-2005, 08:26 AM

hi- looking good, uwe. Sounds like you made your doors a little differently than what I've always done, though they look the same when done. There are cabinet-door router bits (or better yet, shaper bits) that cut everything in one operation, and create a locking joint for the stiles and rails that needs no pocket hole. They work fine in a minimum 2-hp router mounted to a table. You can put either a flat 1/4" or a raised panel in the central groove, which allows that panel to move just a bit for humidity changes. A panel that is solidly fixed to the stiles and rails runs the risk of splitting the whole thing apart if humidity changes drastically. Love seeing your progress- tim

uwe · 12-31-2005, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tphan

hi- looking good, uwe. Sounds like you made your doors a little differently than what I've always done, though they look the same when done. There are cabinet-door router bits (or better yet, shaper bits) that cut everything in one operation, and create a locking joint for the stiles and rails that needs no pocket hole. They work fine in a minimum 2-hp router mounted to a table. You can put either a flat 1/4" or a raised panel in the central groove, which allows that panel to move just a bit for humidity changes. A panel that is solidly fixed to the stiles and rails runs the risk of splitting the whole thing apart if humidity changes drastically. Love seeing your progress- tim

Tim,

I saw these bits, but they require bigger and better routing equipment than waht I have. I have a benchtop router table and a router that only holds 1/4in bits. I have to make 2 passes to do the 3/8x3/8 inset...
Most of the cabinet door bits that I have found were very traditional. I wanted clean lines, no bevels or extra frills. Another reason I went with the equipment that I already owned.
Thanks for the tips!

uwe · 12-31-2005, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyfshr

Another yep! All Mac here too. One at home, one at the office and a portable one to go with me. Been contemplating a Mini for the trailer.

Brad
FF

Mini for the trailer? Me, too. I am still undecided, though. See, I already own a G4 Powerbook. It can do the same thing, and cna be easily removed to use at home.
We use Apple at the office ( 3 of them) at home, and while underway.

tphan · 12-31-2005, 09:09 AM

Uwe- your method looks great. There is a router bit that can make the simple, un-frilly doors like yours, I made all the cabinets in my house with it. It is one bit, with a 1/2" shank, and you switch the cutter arrangement to rout the stiles and rails for the panel, and then to rout the rail ends to fit into the stiles for assembly. You then use bar clamps and glue. Will try to post some pics of bits(2-piece set, on left, for the more frilly look, and single bit on right for clean look), a stile-rail joint, and finished look. I used cherry and maple. I have no idea what I will do in my coach yet. Keep up the beautiful work- tim

uwe · 12-31-2005, 06:52 PM

Well, this year is nearing it's end rapidly. I spent 5+hours of quality time at Area 63 today, sanding, saining, sanding, sanding, staining, sanding some more, followed by more staining with tung oil.
All the glue foints had hardened over night, and the doors have a nice solid feel now. All 17 of the doors now have their first coat of a 50/50 mix of tung oil and mineral spirits, with a dash of Japan Drier for a hopefully quicker drying time.
It is fascinating to apply the oil to a freshly sanded panel, and then watch the figure in the wood pop out. Nice.
I will start the New Year of 2006 at Area 63 tomorrow afternoon, giving all the doors a second coat of tung oil, this time without the mineral spirits. I anticipate having to apply 3-4 coats, for a medium sheen finish.
The next step will be cutting the stainless steel for the galley backsplash, shower surround, and bath countertop. After that it's plumbing time.
Tonight I am hunting down hardware for all the doors. Rockler has a nice assortment, so does Lee Valley. Later we'll go dancing, a friend's band is playing by the sea tonight.
I want to take a moment and thank everybody for participating in my project. I have gotten many good ideas from you all posting on my thread. I have also gotten much encouragement at times when I wanted to shlep the whole thing down to the Pacific, donating it to the fishes.

jcferguson · 01-06-2006, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uwe

While perusing my ever growing stack of hardware catalogs, I came across these power door lock actuators. They cought my eye because they're quite powerful and not very expensive.
One of these actuators and a momentary on/off/on switch would lock everything at once, and unlock everything at once. There is plenty 12V under the galley cabinet already, so power supply is not a problem. I would need 6 of them, to lock 5 drawers and the pantry slide. Overkill?

Overkill? Ha!

Sounds like a good idea to me - though I have your same reservations about losing power and being locked out.

uwe · 01-06-2006, 08:37 PM

Got all the cabinet doors hung today. Looking more finishd now. I will have to finish the "finish" on the doors inside the trailer. I used Rockler's pure tung oil after running out of the McCloskey polymerized tung oil. Rockler's is pure, which means it does not get a sheen until you apply about 10 coats. ( with 24 hours drying time). Forget it. I need more McCloskey's tung oil. Seems to be hard to find in this town.
So, make sure and buy polymerized tung oil if you want a nice sheen in less than 4 weeks of constant work..
I might take some pictures tomorrow and post them here.

uwe · 01-07-2006, 07:41 PM

These are of the bath cabinetry.

uwe · 01-07-2006, 07:45 PM

Here are a few shots of the cabinet doors for the galley/bedroom cabinets.
As I mentioned above, the doors still need a few coats of tung oil, to get the desired sheen.

uwe · 01-07-2006, 07:52 PM

I took out the cabinet for the galley, figuring that it is easier to work on top of a work bench. All I got done today was install the drawer box, install the wooden drawer sliders, and then mount and adjust the drawer fronts.
The rear view shows the cutout for the sink above. It's a tight fit, and I tried to use as much space as possible. Didi decided on 5 shallow drawers,and one deep drawer on the bottom. The very top had just enough space under the sink for a small cutting board/shelf on sliders. I used some of the leftover butcherblock for that. The drawer fronts are flush with the face frame, and grain-matched top to bottom. Even though it took seemingly forever to get this step done, I am very pleased with the outcome.