Little Girl Refurb 1972

[texasbound]

Very nice Kay!

[ND10CentCan]

Originally Posted by Minno

Waaay back in post 45 on 10/1/09, I posted a picture of a quilt top I had designated for the Airstream, to complete when we were ready to start using the trailer. WELL, here it is! All quilted and finished and "installed" on the bed. It is SO nice to be able to put things in the trailer that we have planned and dreamed about for what seems like soooo long!

Kay

Love the quilt and the work that has been done on your trailer. It is fun to see the progress as it goes along and thanks for sharing the pictures. It all looks great.
Sandy

[r.swanson]

wow looks great live in ga now from braham mn.years ago.

[Aage]

Suh-weet, Kay!

[Minno]

Finally, she's bubbled back to the top of the list! That happened about 2 weeks ago, and then the highs here were below zero. I was going to start working on the front shelf over the window, but was afraid I would somehow crack the front headliner, so I abandoned that idea and switched to something that I can build mostly in my workshop - the base cabinet for the microwave. Have I mentioned my worshop is heated?

Here's what I have cobbled together so far.


I have the face frame together and mounted to the two side panels. This cabinet will install directly to the left (aft) of the fridge. The converter will mount in the lower right-hand opening, with a small door to the left of it. Then two 6 1/4" deep drawers, and finally a pull out cutting board. I used ½” plywood for the sides and our standard wood (red alder) for the face frame. The left side is partially skinned with red alder plywood, as that part will be exposed.

Next to this cabinet on the left, and all along the wall heading aft to the bathroom will be 13 inch deep cabinets containing drawers and closet space. Those plans are still milling around in our heads, but the wardrobes will probably not be big enough to walk into and find the lion or the witch...

Chris

[Aviator]

What a fantastic job! I just caught up on your thread. She looks wonderful, and has to be so personally satisfying to be out camping in her.

[Bauxter]

Pocket screws?

Looking real nice!

Way nicer than my trailer plan, Ikea cabinets wedged in with a crow bar and a glue stick

[Minno]

Thanks Aviator!

Bauxter; yes, pocket screws hold the face frame together and the sides to the face frame. I can get a picture of the back of the face frame if you want to see the joinery.

Chris

[Bauxter]

Of Course! And don't forget your flashlight, I seem to remember some dark pictures...

Thanks

[Minno]

You're in luck - it was still daylight when I took these!


Inside of the cabinet showing the pocket screws that hold the face frame together and one of the sides onto the face frame. The extra pieces of basswood nailed onto the back of the face frame serve two purposes. One is they position the sides in the correct place while I installed the pocket screws, and two, they will provide a mounting point for the drawer slides.



Here’s the other cabinet side with the pocket screws on the outside of the cabinet. Did them on the outside this time because this side of the cabinet will be against the fridge cabinet and will not show, plus it lets the screws go into more meat of the face frame so help ensure it disn't split.



Close-up of the joinery.

I love pocket screws. They are quick, easy to use, and strong. Plus, once the screws are installed, no clamps are needed. I use 3 different sizes. 1 1/4" for most 3/4" thick face frame joints, 1 1/2" for anything thicker than 3/4" thick, and 1" for attaching the 1/2" plywood to the face frames. For this soft red alder, I'm using the coarse thread pocket screws. For oak or maple, I would use fine thread.

Chris

[VeggieBullet]

wow.....amazing craftsmanship....again...wow...

[HiHoAgRV]

That is some really nice woodwork. It looks like it will hold, what, 16 wine bottles? ;0)

[Minno]

Lets see: 4 inch diameter holes, 21 inches apart... how big a wine bottle can we put in there? What color wine?

Kay

[HiHoAgRV]

Originally Posted by Minno

Lets see: 4 inch diameter holes, 21 inches apart... how big a wine bottle can we put in there? What color wine?

Kay

Square them up and it will hold a full case of box wine! Gee, that's at least 4 gallons and will cost more than $20 - $30 bucks!

Seriously good looking woodwork. What kind of wood is that?

[Minno]

The face frame is red alder - varnishes to look like new cherry, but won't darken over time and is half the weight of cherry. Boards are a decent price, plywood veneer is not cheap. He used regular half inch plywood on the hidden areas. He uses basswood for hidden framing too, due to weight.
Heck, I was thinking Boones Farm. You know, revisit our youth, etc. Does it come in boxes now?

Kay

[Minno]

I wanted to document how I built the drawers. This is the same technique I used for all the kitchen galley drawers past year. Primary reason for using this quick and dirty method is it’s a fast way to build drawer boxes, and speed was a primary concern last year. I figure if they fall apart years from now, I’ll build new dovetailed drawer boxes.



The construction starts with milling ¾” thick basswood down to ½” thick. After cutting the sides, front, and back to size, I cut a ¼” x ¼” rabbit in each piece to receive the plywood bottom of the drawer.

Measurements are pretty easy. The sides are the length of the drawer slides (22”). The front and back are the width of the drawer opening in the face frame minus 2 1/16” (subtract 1 1/16” for the drawer slides I’m using and then another inch for the thickness of the sides). Drawer height is whatever looks good and still fits in the opening of the face frame. For these drawers, the height is 6 1/2".



I glue and nail the sides to the front and back.



Then glue and staple the ¼” plywood bottom in place, ensuring the drawer is square.



After the glue has dried, I use a ¼” radius bit to round over the top, both on the inside and outside edges. I leave the outside front edge square as it will butt up against the drawer front once installed.

Chris

[Minno]

Finally had time to get 3 coats of poly on the microwave cabinet, drawer boxes, drawer fronts, and the door.



Like the other cabinets, I installed aluminum strips on the back edges of the plywood to attach the cabinet to the wall. I used 1 1/4" long #6 screws and red lock-tite to hold the screws in. Note: the cabinet is sitting upside-down on my table saw in these pictures in case that threw you off.



Here it is sitting in place. We'll wait for the weather to warm up a bit before doing the installation. I need to move the outlet up a bit to clear the countertop, and pull the converter out of the plywood box we stuck it in last year.

I have today off, so I'm going to start working on the table that goes over the battery box in between the two recliners at the front of the trailer.

Chris

[Minno]

Built the cabinet base for the table that will go over the battery box in between the two recliners at the front of the trailer.


Red alder plywood and frames, built the same way as all the other cabinets. Freshly glued & pocket screwed together, so it still needs sanding.



The opening at the top of the front is for a drawer, which is still to be built.



This side view shows how the back of the cabinet (to the left in the picture) is scribed to fit the front interior wall of the trailer.

Instead of Formica, we decided to make a red alder top. I was able to find a 14” wide board that wasn’t cupped or twisted at all at Youngblood lumber last fall, so I bought it not knowing what I was going to do with it yet. It was perfect to make the 12" wide table top.



Here’s the top cut to size with one coat of poly on it. I wanted to get a seal coat on as soon as I cut it to size to help make sure it doesn’t warp or cup until I can get it installed on top of the base. The door sitting on my workbench above the table top in the picture is for the cabinet over the fridge.

Chris

[HiHoAgRV]

Your woodworking skills are amazing.

[Minno]

Thank-you.