Teardrop Trailer Cabinets
| The plans call for
two cabinets in the main cabin of the trailer. One cabinet is a
shallow curved space at the head end of the trailer and the
other cabinet is the main storage at the foot end of the cabin
in the upper half of the space. Because of the way I made the trailer body, I was able to make a bulkhead of the appropriate size for the front cabinet in my workshop, and then install it whole and finished. I entered the cabin with the bulkhead from the rear of the trailer, through the open space which would eventually become the galley. Since I knew exactly where the framing members were in my walls, I knew exactly how tall the bulkhead was going to be. I made a "story stick" which represented the bulkhead framing. I could fit it in place, and determine just what degree of bevel I needed on the top end, so the wall would fit snugly on the first try. I made a frame for the bulkhead, with the door opening I wanted, and then paneled the bulkhead. I did not want a thin feather-edge on the paneling on the top edge, so I deliberately cut a less shallow bevel on the paneling. Fitting the top edge of the paneling to the framework and tacking it in place, I then trimmed the sides and bottom with my paneling router bit. I also cut out the doorway with the router, and then finished nailing the paneling on all edges and the door opening. Micky stained and varnished the bulkhead the same as she did for the sides and roof, and I installed it. Since there was no plywood on the shell yet, I could use long screws from the outside, through the wall framing into the bulkhead framing. This was a simple and comfortable operation. The results are neat, snug, and solid. Micky and I decided that we would have sliding doors for this space, so we would not have to move bedding and people out of the way to get into this cabinet, using hinged doors. I used aluminum U-shaped channel at the top and bottom of the doorway for the sliding doors. |
The doors are
framed with red oak and faced with paneling which matches the
rest of the cabin. The door frames use plain butt joints.
Slotting for the door panels was done with multiple passes on
the circular saw. The doors were glued and assembled and squared
and clamped. The finger grooves on the door edges were cut with
a router and the outside edges were rounded with a router. My
personal preference is for carbide tipped router bits whenever
possible. The finished results and longevity of the cutting edge
more than make up for the higher cost. I used a table saw and
multiple passes with a (carbide tipped) circular saw blade for
cutting the grooves on the top and bottom edges of the doors. I
clamped a board to the door so that the board could run along
the top of the rip fence instead of having the door running
along the surface of the table saw. The rip fence is only 3/8"
away from the saw blade, and the slot in the saw table top is
wide enough that there is no support for the work piece, which
could drop into the slot. Again, Micky was in charge of the staining and finishing of the doors. When they were dry, I waxed the slider grooves and cut the U-channel molding to the length I wanted. I also drilled and countersunk screw holes in the molding. I'd never made sliding doors before, but I had some ideas (dreams, actually) about how it would go, and so now it was show time. With close tolerances I had to fit the doors to both the top and bottom moldings before placing the whole works into the door opening. Then it was a matter of sliding the doors to one side, putting screws in, and then sliding the doors to the other side to put the other screws in. Sort of. Imagine a three-ball juggler juggling four balls, on his hands and knees in a confined space and using power tools. The doors look good, work smoothly, and I will dress the exposed unfinished edges of the door opening when I feel like it. A single hole drilled through both doors where they overlap at the top permits a metal pin to hold the doors securely shut. In practice, a plain pin comes out almost right away. A locking pin of some kind will be needed, but I do not have one yet. |
 It is comfortable leaning against these doors, especially considering we have the pillows propped up against them when we are sitting up. The reading light is convenient and adjustable for the desired lighting effect. |
 This is a representation of how the sliding doors relate to each other. The U-channel is 1" x 1" and 1/8" thickness. The door panels are 3/4" thick. This not to scale. |
 You can see how the guide board will rest and run along the top of the rip fence. You are looking at the front face of the door in this picture. The door panel is actually a sandwich of oak veneer 3/16" paneling and a layer of 1/4" plywood. The saw is a Shopsmith™, in case you are wondering. |
Don't
actually hold it like this with the motor running, jeepers! This
is just for the camera. You are looking at the back face of the
door. The blade makes a 1/8" kerf, and the molding is 1/8" so I
made a second pass after moving the blade a smidgen. The top and
bottom edges are cut the same way. I used other mechanical means
to keep the door next to the rip fence, to preserve my fingers
and keep the door clean. |
| I made a framework
to support the drawers, which would run on full-extension
glides. The framework is screwed to framing members in the
trailer sides and roof. I made the drawers from 3/8" plywood for
the sides and ends, and 1/4" plywood set into grooves in the
sides and ends. I used Gorilla Glue™ for the drawer assembly.
After the drawers were attached to their respective glides, I
attached separate drawer fronts, using 7/8" screws. As careful
as I try to be in my measurements and woodworking, I know that I
can not attach the drawer fronts until after the drawers are
actually in place. Then, I can take alignment measures to insure
that the fronts will not jam or bind in their spaces. Although
there are detents in the glides to hold the drawers in place,
they are not secure enough to hold a loaded drawer against the
forces of momentum when the trailer slows down or stops. This
was learned from experience, and I was being gentle and careful
with the brakes. I installed some simple turnbuttons to the
cabinet framework, to hold the drawers shut. A plastic washer
cut from a yogurt container is under each turnbutton. |
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 The open space above these drawers is for larger items not kept in drawers. The space is closed off with a curtain which is held with rods on top and bottom (not shown). |
 showing the inside of a drawer, the screws which hold the front in place, and the hole for the knob screw The drawer fronts are a layer of
3/8" plywood glued to a 3/8" layer of oak. The decoration is a
simple freehand line done with a router and a 3/16" round-end
bit. The edges of the drawer fronts are rounded with a 3/8"
radius bit.
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