1962 22' Safari

[jcferguson]

Cherry wood cleats fit on the front of the dinette seats to support the table in the bed position. They are screwed from the inside. There is also a piece of trim to hide the wall to floor joint in front. There are only two spots in the trailer where this joint is visible, front center and rear center.

The table fits down in the space securely - it feels quite stable.

I ordered medium-firm foam from Knox Foam. I sent them templates and they cut it and sent it back. I bought 5" thick, but after trying it out I think 4" or even 3" would be adequate, I feel like I only sink in an inch. The height at the table is good with this thickness though.

Anyone reading that has designed a dinette, how do you arrange the seat backs? I just had the middle space cut in two and will probably order some triangular bolsters to fit behind these pieces, but maybe there is a better way? I consider just having the back of the seats be wood and store the center parts below one of the seats but it is nice to lean back when sitting and talking. The shape of the back as I have it cut isn't great for four people, really makes it a two person space.

Any thoughts?

I am going to sew up covers out of some linen canvas that I will dye deep red.

[jcferguson]

Even after a few days I couldn't really get the door to shut with the gasket in place, so I removed it and will try to install it in a slightly less "proud" position tomorrow.

[Zeppelinium]

concur with all the other WOW!!!! Hope to see you at a rally soon. will you be at the international?

Weatherstripping: Had to do an emergency replacement in Vegas last week and found this at Lowe's. Not perfect, but door closes "firmly"--easy from outside but requires about 20 lb pull on handle inside. As you can see, my door stands a little proud, but that's where the latch seems to always put it previously. If yours closes more tightly, this stuff might not be a good idea. But it way easy--self stick tape on the gasket back got me home to Colorado, about 1100 miles. The only problem is where the door is "wiping" as it closes, above the hinge up to a few inches under the rain shield, it tends to roll the gasket a little, rather than compress it.

[jcferguson]

Originally Posted by 3isnotenough

The only problem is where the door is "wiping" as it closes, above the hinge up to a few inches under the rain shield, it tends to roll the gasket a little, rather than compress it.

I had the same problem. You can see my fix attempt in the pictures below, I am trying to "train" the gasket to slip over that edge. I put a little mineral oil on the edge too which helps.

The placement this time is better, still takes a very strong push to close the door and a hard slam from the inside. I will let it squish for a couple weeks before deciding to try something else...

[jcferguson]

I moved my futon to the front bed position while I work on the back counters. That's the mess of blankets it takes to keep warm when it is below zero out.

The curb side back counter will have a very wide drawer beneath - 45" x 6" - about 23 " deep. Paper that I use for drawing comes in 30" x 22" sheets...

[jcferguson]

I am building this airstream to be both a studio and home and so I want a bed that will be comfortable but transform completely into workspace when not in use.

The bed will be the last 50" or so of the trailer - the tabletops there will come off and stow below when the bed is up and slide back into place for worktable when desired.

I made a cleat to hold the pointy (rear) end of the table. Most of the fitting to make this piece fit the curve of the wall and be square to the floor was done with a belt sander and rasp.

I cut the table tops into two parts each and fit the back section to the wall by scribing the edge and belt sanding to shape.

Then I drilled a couple holes in the cleat for pins and put in some temporary pieces with sharp tops to mark the table. I put the tables in place and whacked them with a mallet to mark these pin locations, then drilled out these spots on the table tops and filled the hole with a piece of brass tubing. It is a little larger than the pin size and I hope this slop will be enough for the expansion over this part of the table (8" or so).

I made permanent pins for the cleats and slipped the tops into place - then refined the curves that run down the middle to the window.

[jcferguson]

This is the opposite end of the removable table sections - a lap joint.

[A-Merry-Can]

you're making me jealous! beautiful wood work, man! i love it. i particularly like the open feel in the trailer is maintained as the furniture goes in. my Trade Wind feels like a cave compared to yours!

jp

[jcferguson]

Thanks JP, I have been liking how open it is too, the light from the windows fills the space pretty well since there aren't any bulkheads. Just the stove-pipe, which could be removed in summer. I am toying with the ridiculous idea of making the bathroom hidden under the counter with some "pop-up" walls - something like the bed, it could be set up semi-permanently when I want a bathroom, collapsing to below the countertop when I want to have a huge/open workspace. Then I wouldn't necessarily lose the airy-ness of the space. A pop-up bathroom, this is crazy, isn't it?

[A-Merry-Can]

NOTHING is crazy, man! that sounds really cool! as for our 18 footer, i think i've settled on just having a toilet, no shower. i plan on putting in an external shower fitting to clean up nastiness (boots, etc)... but in 18 feet, 15, really... i didn't see the need for a permanent shower. let me know how your hidden toilet works out. i may have to do something similar as well. in fact, i think i might rethink a few things in my current layout to try to get some openess back. i'm inspired!

[NorCal Bambi]

Originally Posted by jcferguson

Thanks JP, I have been liking how open it is too, the light from the windows fills the space pretty well since there aren't any bulkheads. Just the stove-pipe, which could be removed in summer. I am toying with the ridiculous idea of making the bathroom hidden under the counter with some "pop-up" walls - something like the bed, it could be set up semi-permanently when I want a bathroom, collapsing to below the countertop when I want to have a huge/open workspace. Then I wouldn't necessarily lose the airy-ness of the space. A pop-up bathroom, this is crazy, isn't it?

Way cool idea! Thanks I needed something else to think about. Keep us posted. I'd like to see plans or drawing of your idea once you start to think it out. If you don't mind.
Don

[jcferguson]

I am thinking more about this Tardis-bathroom, popping up from countertop level. I will make some drawings and maybe you all can help with my design...

[jcferguson]

I moved my electrical stub-out about 8" towards the front - I hadn't planned on this bed being here when I put it in and so spent a couple hours removing rivets, peeling back the wall, threading, and then re-rivetting. I have silver plates that cover the hole where the electric had been - maybe a little flexible light could go in these places.

I inset magnets into the lap joint for the removeable sections of the tables - they are strong enough that I don't think I will need any hardware to hold down the tops. It takes some force to pull it up.

All the new tables and cabinets came out and I put on finish, then put them back in, attached the tops with a screw in back and another at the front in a slot for expansion of the wood.

[jcferguson]

Each corner of the trailer has a wood piece of some sort, and the table tops needed to comform to the wavy walls, so I used this scribing technique to transfer a wall contour to a wood surface.

In the corners, which are tricky because you are bound on three sides, I made cardboard templates first. I cut the cardboard roughly to size, then put in in the space and used a pen and my index finger to trace the contour of the wall onto the cardboard. I hold my finger rigid against the wall and pinch the pen and then slide my hand along the surface, drawing as I move forward. The picture might make this easier to understand.

I use a scissors or bandsaw to cut the cardboard, put it back in place and scribe again until it is a pretty close fit.

Then I transfer this cardboard template to the wood that I will use and rough cut with a bandsaw. After, many trips between the shop and the airstream to cut to my scribe lines and then re-scribe, getting a finer fit each time. At a certain point I start using a belt sander instead of the bandsaw to make finer adjustments and smooth the edge.

After the contour is pretty close (between 15 and 30 scribings!), I put a bevel on the edge that will touch the wall with a hand sander. Areas where the contour is perfect next to areas where there is a slight gap don't look very good, this bevel evens everthing out by creating a shadow in the joint.

[jcferguson]

The rear bed is underway in my trailer.

A compartment on each side from the table top down to 19" off the ground will hold bedding and serve as a platform for part of the bed. Under this platform drawer slides will be mounted on the supports. A framework between these drawer slides will slide out from each side to meet in the middle, and then the vertical fronts of the compartments will flip down to cover the framework and provide a platform for the middle part of the bed.

The bed itself will be made of two layers, 2 or 3" of foam that will be stored in pieces in one of the compartments, and a continous piece of memory foam to top the pieces (another 2") that will be stored in the other. The tops of the compartments will store beneath the bed - I was trying to figure a better solution for this, but couldn't find a way to fit them into my plan.

Beneath the compartments will be 14" of storage space with a flip down door on the front. Space for the bedding I suppose.

[NorCal Bambi]

Technique and patience are the magic of visual perfection. Your work is a definite inspiration.
Don

[jcferguson]

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

Technique and patience are the magic of visual perfection. Your work is a definite inspiration.
Don

Thanks Don!

[jcferguson]

I am trying out my front bed tonight on 5 inches of medium firm foam with 2 inches of memory foam on top. I think the bottom foam could be 2 or 3 inches instead of five, but I won't be able to feel the pea at all! It's like climbing inside a cotton ball in there.

I bought the memory foam from overstock.com. For some reason ( I suppose because it costs nearly nothing to make this stuff ) they sell all sizes up to california king for the same price.

You can buy the biggest size and then cut this stuff with a scissors and glue it with spray adhesive. I made a perfect fit for the front of my trailer by gluing up a couple pieces and then cutting it to shape - you can barely see the seam and it is quite strong - the foam tears first.

For the rear bed I will get some thinner and perhaps firmer bottom foam - the cushions will only be a bed, where in front they have to be seat cushions as well as bed-base. If I can find a good source for thin traditional japanese futons I might do that for a topper - but it's expensive and heavier...

[uwe]

Originally Posted by jcferguson

I am trying out my front bed tonight on 5 inches of medium firm foam with 2 inches of memory foam on top. I think the bottom foam could be 2 or 3 inches instead of five, but I won't be able to feel the pea at all! It's like climbing inside a cotton ball in there.

I bought the memory foam from overstock.com. For some reason ( I suppose because it costs nearly nothing to make this stuff ) they sell all sizes up to california king for the same price.

You can buy the biggest size and then cut this stuff with a scissors and glue it with spray adhesive. I made a perfect fit for the front of my trailer by gluing up a couple pieces and then cutting it to shape - you can barely see the seam and it is quite strong - the foam tears first.

For the rear bed I will get some thinner and perhaps firmer bottom foam - the cushions will only be a bed, where in front they have to be seat cushions as well as bed-base. If I can find a good source for thin traditional japanese futons I might do that for a topper - but it's expensive and heavier...

Princess,

I got 3in of high density foam and 2in of latex foam for our bed. It feels very nice. I do not know the diffrence betwen memory foamadn latex foam, but the latex is definiely comfortable. It feels soft, but supports quite well.
3in of hard poly foam and 2in of latex is definitely a good combination.

[jcferguson]

The removable table sections are relatively thin wood, so I made battens for the bottom sides to keep them from warping. These battens have magnets sunk into the ends which are positioned to be a stop for the flip up/down bed segments. I needed a helper to get inside my compartments and draw the location of the magnets on the flip doors before I inset matching magnets into these parts. The doors now smack shut with a satisfying clack when the magnets take hold. To release the doors, I just lift the table top a couple inches and the magnets release. When it is all secured together by these magnets, it is quite solid and stable, I don't think it will go anywhere when I am driving.