Details and trim

This weekend I was solo again :-( .... My lovely wife is still having back issues so I made her stay home and take it easy (no exaggeration, she was determined to help).

I completed the rebuilding of the front upper storage bin and reinstalled the factory made fascia and mirrors... as always this required several hours of trimming and fitting.  It looks really good and fits well so I'm happy with the results.  I also finished the door frame and jamb; this required ripping poplar to the correct dimensions as new lumber is cut slightly smaller then when this trailer was manufactured;  I have discovered and purchased "reclaimed" lumber for framing the rear areas once I get started so I'll be buying a planer to make exact duplicate dimensions...ya can never have too many tools:-)

I also finished the Birch Paneling on the curbside and started the trim... 1/4" round around the ceiling and 1/4"x1/2" flat trim for all the seams between panels.

The last thing I worked at was the coating of fiberglass resin; the cabinet at the entry had a spot of soft wood I coated. I will be coating most of the framing as well a little at a time...it's a messy, toxic job best completed a "Bite" at a time.

Check out the laminate flooring we found on clearance at Lowe's...killer deal at 70 Cents a square foot! I've read that laminate is preferred over hardwood due to the moisture resistance and durability...

I'm also going to add a couple of new pages; one on all the era correct "props" we have been finding for the trailer that will add to the fun of camping in her. The other is on all the various tools I'm using to do the work; most I've acquired over time and some I have purchased for this project but will be used for a long time to come on future projects...

Here are the photos...enjoy!

Here's the base of the storage bin above the Dinette where I left off....

The other side...

My handy Makita drill driver...compact and has torque enough to drive long screws; also have the impact driver

 

I used stainless screws everywhere; this one is 3.5 inches and secures the storage bin at the sides

Secured with stainless screws at the rear as well

The front fascia required a bit of trimming and fitting

Measure twice cut once right? Measure at least twice.....

Making it fit and holding it in place with extra "hands"....clamps are my new tool of choice

Fits good on both sides...I feel lucky...

Looking good...It was quite cold so the plastic was keeping  the wind out and me semi warm

A reminder of "before"...

"After" with lotsa sweat and cursing along the way!   I attached the top from the roof side securing it through one of the roof trusses - it is solid!

Another reminder...during demolition just over 6 weeks ago!

Now - good progress for working on it mostly on weekends

The underside - I wish all the panels fit together as nicely as this does....

Other side of the bottom.... I just love all that new wood

Before....inside storage bin street side

Ta da! I will be finishing out this area even though this is how it was delivered from the factory back in 1959

The OG mirrors are cool..even dated October 1958!

Mirrors installed - finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel... at least for this portion of the restoration

Getting there a piece at a time...

This next series of photos is the rebuilding of the door Jamb and trim installation

Last week the door frame and trim were non existent

My Dremel Trio worked perfectly to duplicate the trim detail...clamps..... ya can't have too many!

Here is the result prior to any sanding or finishing

A mix of old and new here...getting the finish to match will be interesting....

Flat trim is installed on the Birch where the seams come together

Pretty close to being finished on this side..

A shame most of the wood is covered with Aluminum

Can't wait to see it done....

 This last group is the resin application and some miscellaneous pics....

So I guess you cannot leave resin on the shelf indefinitely after opening.... this cap was a real bitch to get off!

The remains of the can... I won't be saving any left overs!

I intend to coat all of the framing paying particular attention to areas vulnerable to moisture...I am coating the old framing with 2 coats to insure the new stainless screws I bought for the skin and windows fit snugly

The bottom of this cabinet had a small area of soft wood so I am reinforcing it prior to fitting with veneer

The windows were re-fastened with various size screws so I am filling the holes with resin as well

Yeah I wish I were to this point in the process...if I were installing the floor everything else would be done!

The reddish Pine will be a nice contrast to the Birch walls

A close up -

Unfortunately my best buddy and partner is out of the picture for awhile due to a surprise and sudden case of sciatica - she is a tremendous help and great fun so I miss having her with me on the project... Hopefully she'll be swingin her hammer again soon!

I've been getting quite an education in this project; some tidbits I've learned so far;

• Buy the best blades for your saw that you can possibly get!  I bought some Bosch Jigsaw blades for my ancient Craftsman Sabre saw and man what a difference! 
• When you get hungry stop and eat....may seem like a no brainer but being a guy I don't have the best sense all the time, you will avoid stupid mistakes doing this though!
• You cannot ever take too many pictures during the dis-assembly of any project, you can avoid much head scratching with the right photo!  

 More later...

The monsoon season is upon us here in Washington....oh well at least it gets dark earlier! LOL -  I covered Katrina in plastic in the event that the rain blows in while I have the tarp removed to work on her.  I included a photo of what it looks like after dark... lucky I have a miner's cap type flashlight!

Our friends Debbie and Jim have been so kind to let us use a covered space to work on her; good friends are truly one of life's blessings!  They are also letting me use some shop space for storage and the woodwork... wow!

I worked solo over this past weekend and was able to get a bit more done on the front interior. Cutting the radius curves was challenging for me; such an amateur! I am thinking I should pick up a "How to" book on woodworking.

Anyhow here are the latest pictures

I wish this were a camp site photo of us camping in the trailer but alas.....

Same photo with flash...man it gets dark up here Jimmie!

Here is the door frame, I've reinforced it with additional vertical and horizontal framing.

Another shot - this is the area that incurred the most water damage and rot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside shot, here you see the trim I fabricated from 2x10 poplar for the door jamb leaning against the wall waiting to be installed

The first piece I radius cut for the street side top front corner - wadda pain for us rookie wood workers!

Another view after several hours of fitting and trimming - I'll be using 1/4 round trim instead of the plastic Gimping that was originally used - so the minor gap will disappear

Here is a shot after installation of the 2nd piece of Birch in the ceiling - a tough job with only 2 hands - but it fits perfectly after careful measuring and cutting

A reminder of what was....

A closer view...

Same area now! Fitting the puzzle together one piece at a time...

Man I love that new wood!  It looks amazing...can't wait to put a finish on it

Closer to camping still...just the door jamb left to rebuild on this side!

This side was a bear to make fit - the trim will cover the "Rookiness" of the fit to the ceiling - hey I'm doin the best I can!

If you look closely you can see the area I sanded material off of to taper the original framing so that I can fit the Birch into the notch in the bulkhead - the dimensions of the old and new lumber don't match perfectly...give me the old lumber any day!

Another view and my trusty belt sander....ya can't have too many tools that is for sure!

Remember this?  It is the storage shelf with mirrors located above the dinette in the front...

Here is the bottom of the shelf prefabricated and ready to go in...

Opposite side view...

Here is the old one...Yah Lori can swing a hammer and wrecking bar!

One side fitted but not yet attached...

And the other...I won't attach this until I build and fit all the piece parts that make up the shelf

This is it for today ....it's nearly 9:00 PM... 12 hours without much of a break...yah I am determined to get her finished quickly!

 Well that's it for now...next I hope to have the door framing and the front storage shelf completed...but it all takes at least twice as long as one can expect!