Today I started to do what I assumed would be a rather easy job. I intended to make a polyboard panel to cover up the original green plastic wall paper on my shower wall. The shower wall is also the side of the rear closet.
I took some brown paper stock that comes on those large rolls, and held it up to the closet wall and pushed it into the edges to trace out a pattern.
Copied that pattern onto the polyboard an wal-la.... terrible fit.
Tried it again with a new sheet of paper, and made a worse one.
Now I eventually got it to fit, but its not great. One side is trimed out with oak molding and looks fine. The edge along the wall, is well, yucky . I intend to caulk it, but it will then be yucky with caulk.
I'll attach a photo...
The real question is, how do you do this? How do you guys, and you know who you are, make those bulkhead walls that match the curve of the airstream perfectly?
I'll have to build a bulkhead wall for the fridge soon and my confidence is now shot .
Tim, if you've done all the normal stuff, and you just can't get the curvature right, take a piece of stock and set it where it's supposed to go, or at least in the position it needs to be.
If you have a compass (the kind with the pointy thingy in one end, and a pencil in the other), open it up and hold the pointy end against the curved part of the wall, and the pencil end on the stock board. Move the compass up the curved part of the wall to the top, and cut the board along the pencil line you just drew.
This is the "engineeringly challenged" method, no measuring, just draw and cut. Remember to hold the compas steady while drawing, don't twist the pencil end relative to the pointy end.
I recognize that tub /shower arraingment ,although my tub still is that coral
pinky type whatever it is color.I did exactly what your doing using that pebbly white shower stuff from Home depot .You might want to use a long
piece of cardboard ,somthing that can hold the shape ,make the curved side (the new wall covering)
abit over sized slightly , then check fit ,file it down or use a wood
hand block sander and sand the curved edge top to bottom or lengthwise
a little at a time ,check the fit .thats what i did .you need to get your pattern pretty much right on .it takes some work to get it right .I was able
to get it done and fit good ,and Im no expert you can believe that.The paper
is just too flimsy to get a good pattern .I would use a piece of cardboard
or poster board type stuff that you rough out to the general shape ,then
start trimming the curved side first till your happy with it ,then go ahead and cut the straight side to fit (cardboard pattern).Now, all that Ive said may be worthless to try if
over63s method gets you there better and more importantly faster ,meaning
less trouble .
I guess it seems like I was on the right track. It's definately trial and error. Mostly error! lol
I guess, with Terry's method you'd have to do some rough cutting just to get the board close enough to run the compass on it.
I've actually done that before when I built my bench seats on the dinette for my '71. Didn't think about it for the bulkhead.
Just trying to think about the mechanics of it.
If you were trying to make a bulk head, you'd have to start with a rectangle as tall as the ceiling and as wide as the wall you want. But it wouldn't fit against he wall, so you'd have to start by triming the upper corner to get it close.
Next you run the compass against the wall marking the new bulkhead with the curve. Then you cut it out on your line.
But now, the bulkhead would be too short since you cut it down on your mark.
The trick I found with the compass it it needs to be at 90 degrees to the line you're following.
Try this, the paper needs to be secure tape it good into place, mark it up then transfer it to cardboard, find a furniture or refridge box to it's one piece.
Test fit if its short mark that spot how short and add a piece of cardboard in that area and recut.
If all that doesn't work (it should) take the old panel out and use it as a templet.
__________________
Bob
'77 Sovereign Intl 31' CB '07 GMC 4x4 2500HD EC 8.1 Allision six | Bedrug | Softopper
WBCCI Time's a-changing Say no to Lawrence Welk attitudes Defendwally.org
There are two things at play here. To get it right...
1st -- the trailer must be dead nuts level.
Then the straight edge of your piece of paper must plumb.
If you don't have those two things right first then the bottom edge of whatever you cut won't be right. It will always have the panel leaning in or leaning out once you put it on the floor.
Move the edge of the paper that you need to cut 3-4 inches away from the wall edge and tape it in place (with trailer level and uncut edge plumb [perpendicular to the floor]).
Take a small string level -- butt an edge against the wall and hold a pencil along the other edge of the level (obviously away from the wall). If you have the opportunity to drill a small hole an upper corner of that string level do it and put the point of the pencil through it.
Now, starting at the bottom raise the level up tracing the line making sure that the level stays level as you move up. As you get to the curved part make sure that level is perfectly level (slow down if you have to) and continue tracing.
The resulting cut will mirror how well you were able to trace. If you were perfect, the cut will be perfect. Keeping it level is the key.
Bob mentioned the 90 degrees while tracing and that is the key. A lot of folks start turning their compass as they go through the curve and that gradually lowers your cutting line during the trace giving you a crappy curve and something that doesn't fit. If I'm not mistaken I can use your 1st cut board as a perfect example as to what will happen. The more you turn that compass the more off your cut will be.
Don't use a compass unless you're going to rest it on top of a level while you trace.
Before you cut your board you might want to cut a big piece of cardboard first and see what it looks like...
Tim, paper (compass method) top template, final material.... do the paper and compass method then transfer to a template. Use something you can "work" with a file, rasp or sissors. Then when you're happy with the template for the curve you can transfer to your final bulkhead material.
I can assure you the guys at AS work from patterns and all you need is a good one for most all your bulkhead needs. Trial and error for certain until you get the final pattern right. Then keep it for further use or loan to those in need with your year/model.
__________________
Glen Coombe AIR #8416
1984 28' Funeral Coach
Golf Professional Sales Rolling Showroom & PuttLab
"I'm not an expert. But I did sleep in an Airstream last night."
all of the above and for the final trim scribe you can use a steel cut washer. Select washer of correct size, edge of washer against scribe surface, pencil in hole of washer, follow scribe edge drawing a perfect line on the panel to be trimed.
__________________
Royce (KORKK) and Karen
Web page http://spearfishcreek.net/ AIR# 3913 '77' Minuet 6 Metre TV: '94' Wrangler, 4.0L inline 6, Ford 8.8 rear, NV4500 tranny, Old Man Emu suspension, 30x9.5 tires
if someone does this could they shoot a photo or two and show us dummies the steps. My templates in the past were always off a bit. especially the weird flooring angles around cabinets and such.
__________________
Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
Cardboard. Paper is too flexable. I use it for templates for airplane parts. Never misses. Cut it a little big and trim to fit. Takes a little longer but worth it in the end.
Cardboard. Paper is too flexable. I use it for templates for airplane parts. Never misses. Cut it a little big and trim to fit. Takes a little longer but worth it in the end.
How about heavy cardstock? You know, the stuff that holds shirt collars up while they are in the store?
Go down to the arts and craft store and get several sheets of poster board, (the stuff that gift boxes are made of) tape a buncch together and then scribe the contour with a compass. I would be lost at work and at home without it. I make prototype aircraft parts with it all the time.
I've been using sheets of Luan plywood. Best if you slap a coat of varnish on it to keep the splinters from jabbing you. I think it's just as cheap as posterboard and you don't need to tape it together.
Either method described below is fine. The curve is where it's at.
Make sure the front edge and curve are squared ( that does not sound right, somehow)
Transfer to fiberboard or some other light but durable material for a template. Now you have a good starting point to make bulkhead panels.
In my case, I could not use the template without trimming subsequent bulkhead panels. The curvature in my interior is not identical everywhere.
So I always cut slightly too big on the curve, and then did fine tuning with the sanding block or belt sander, depending on the severity of the mismatch.
Quick Links
. I intend to caulk it, but it will then be yucky with caulk.
.
Say no to Lawrence Welk attitudes
The more you turn that compass the more off your cut will be.
AIR #8416
Linear Mode
