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In post 43 I thought it looked like you were putting the foam board between the frame and the floor. After looking back to 33, I don't think so. Right? You're attaching the pink foam under the floor, between the frame members?
I am using the foam board as a template. I traced the old floor on the foam board and then cut it and fit it on the frame. I then took strips of straight cut cardboard and used it to fill in the gaps where there was some space. I want to make a tight fit. I got under and looked how it butted up against the Channel. I found some small gaps (not very significant but still gaps). I cut foam scraps into slices and fit them into the gaps so the board would fit like a glove. I used duck tape to tape the foam pieces into the small gaps. I pulled out the foam board and used duck tape as a edging around the foam board to smooth out the pieces I used for fillers. I then took another foam board and traced the previous foam template on to the new foam board. cut a 2nd foam template. I then fit the updated template on the frame. Perfect fit with no gaps and it looks great. To recap. I used the old floor as a template. I took the new template and made corrections and then made a third template.
I spent $157.00 on the nyloboard and I want to make sure that when I cut there are no errors.
Question: what type of saw did you use to cut your board with. Should I use a Jig saw. All I own is a hand held circular saw, recipocating saw and a grinder that has a cutting blade. I want this to be done professionally.
Cutting nyloboard is just like wood except wood will splinter along the circular saw cut line on the face you are cutting. I always try to cut from the other side so that there are no splinters on the good face. You will find plenty of uses for a good jig saw and it is the best way to cut the curves.
Looks great!
SIU-Bound : I saw in another post you were finishing fitting the new template...
If you cut the Nyloboard section in half you need to have previously added to your template an allowance for the saw blade widths worth of removed material.
Lifting the shell & depressing the frame is more complicated than it seems - a lot of outrigger bolts to be loosened before you get any real flex.
Very good to have discarded old flooring and gone the template route. I discovered I could have used more of the new flooring after I made the original flooring the template and cut the marine plywood - the curves did not really meet the shell the way I would've liked.
Zep: ...I spent $157.00 on the nyloboard and I want to make sure that when I cut there are no errors.
Question: what type of saw did you use to cut your board with. Should I use a Jig saw. All I own is a hand held circular saw, recipocating saw and a grinder that has a cutting blade. I want this to be done professionally.
...
Brian,
I am also using the old flooring as a template, but it was difficult getting it out and there was some rot, so there was some "calculating" to get the shape. I used a crummy piece of 1/2" CDX (hard to find, and then it turns out it's 3 layers--I'll get a 5 layer hardwood plywood and urethane it for the real floor). I think your precision is admirable, but I like to leave just a hair of space between the edge of the flooring and the shell, for breathing.
I cut using a fine cut saber saw blade. There's very little splintering and what there is is on the underside. A quick pass along the edge with coarse sandpaper and you get a nice relieved edge without splinters. If you want the smoothest possible curve, you can cut wide and then finish with a belt sander.
I bought a jigsaw and cut out the floor. The nyloboard cut just like it was plywood. My old floor measured a 3/4" and the nyloboard is 3/4". It seems like it is still going to be a very tight fit under the channel. Looks like I will have to use a rubber mallet to make it fit between the frame and channel.
When I finally got the front piece of my flooring out, after much cutting into smaller pieces and tugging like crazy, the shell moved less than 1/16", but in the even tighter direction. I don't have much play at all, so it's going to be a mallet job, for sure, putting the new pieces back in.
I found it helped to put a slight bevel on the edge of the flooring material so that it would more easily slip into place. Also you can sometimes use a ratcheting tie down strap to help pull things into place.
I took your advice and put a slight bevel on the edge and got the floor in. I am ready to start bolting the floor down. I had to take a break because The weather got nasty. I will have pictures tomorrow. I had my buddy who teachs welding construct some aluminum L-brackets so I can rivet into the ribs of the inner shell. I got the idea from fotochop. I found a few ribs that wiggled. Things are starting to fall in place.
Wiring the trailer back together is going to have to be subbed out. I don't fool with electrictiy.
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