how to install sink and cabinets

[Pandoragirl]

My husband and I have a 1978 Airstream Sovereign we are renovation, I am clueless regarding cabinets, can we buy some from a hardware or do we have to make them special????

[Becky B.]

The rear of your cabinets needs to have the curve of the wall of the trailer. If you purchase already made cabinets, their backs will be square. You would have a space between the wall & the back of the cabinet. Most people make their own, I think. You can purchase ready made doors if you make the frames. Doors are harder to make than the frames IMHO.

[TG Twinkie]

You would have to fit the cabinetes to the trailer as mentioned above. I replaced all of the cabinetry in my Argosy and have what most would consider above average carpentry skills. It is not difficult work, but it does require accurate measuring and planning. I have a few photos on my blog of what I have completed.

[Aage]

Howdy and welcome to airforums.com, Pandoragirl! We're pleased to have you as new members.

I would add to RG and Becky's comments that I seem to remember a thread here where a member bought cabinets from a big box store and added new sides over the existing ones to make the new cabinets match up to the AS' walls.

Or, I could be dreaming...

[reinergirl]

Originally Posted by Aage

Or, I could be dreaming...

You're not dreaming!!! It was Sergei (Smokeless Joe) who used IKEA cabinets to contemporize his mid seventies model. See this thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...ase-18448.html

I think its in there somewhere!

[TG Twinkie]

I helped lucymcdog with cutting patterns to fit the wall, here is where we started. There is more detail on one of her posts about a propane light, this is from #52 and it continues with more detail. It's a little off the topic of the propane light but she was working on multiple things
Do you know what a carpenters pencil is? It's the flat looking pencils you see in the lumber store.
It's the perfect device for getting the curves just right.
I will assume you are using carboard or maybe masonite to make a pattern.
Start out by cutting your pattern material roughly the shape of the curve. The first time you lay the pattern next to the wall or whatever you are trying to fit to. Make what is called "match marks"; these are marks that will help you lay the pattern down in the same place everytime. They can be anywhere on the pattern that doesn't get cut off.

OK, lay the rough pattern against whatever you are trying to match to, let's say it is to the curved wall. Obviously there will be voids between your pattern and the wall. Make sure you have a good point on the pencil (they make sharpeners for these pencils and they are not expensive).

Now think of the wall as the bar or line that is across the capital letter "T", with the pattern held tightly in place, hold the pencil vertically with the narrow side of the pencil against the wall. When you look down on it, the wall is the bar across the tee and the pencil is the leg of the tee. Trace around the wall. You will notice the mark on your pattern is about 1/8" to 3/16" from the wall. And there will be places the pencil is off the pattern but that's OK at this point. Pick the pattern up and cut the pieces of the pattern off wherever it is outside the line.
Lay the pattern down matching it up to the marks; then repeat the process tracing and removing of the part of the pattern outside the line. Do it as many times at it takes until you can draw a continuous line on the pattern then cut the pattern to the line.
There is one more step; Now, with the pencils flat side against the wall (it will look something like this =) the top bar being the wall and the bottom bar being the pencil. Trace around the wall again. Then carefully cut the pattern again. It should match almost perfectly to the wall. Repeat if necessary.
I hope this makes sense. Maybe you already know how to do this.
If you are going to try to build your own cabinets I would recommend that you buy a Kreg pocket screw jig. They cost about $100.00. It makes building the face frames really easy. There is a DVD included that shows how to make cabinets.
I will assume that you already have a table saw, reciprocating saw, skill saw and a router. These tools are pretty much required if you are going to make your own doors and drawers.

[Aage]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

You're not dreaming!!! It was Sergei (Smokeless Joe) who used IKEA cabinets to contemporize his mid seventies model. See this thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...ase-18448.html

I think its in there somewhere!

:: whew :: Wow, thanks for remembering that! I need to know that sometimes, my memory still works!