Falling Angel Drama

Angel, our German Spitz.

We had quite a scare Sunday afternoon, after Sharon came home from work around 3:30. I was outside working on cabinets for the trailer, and Sharon was in the laundry room. Angel had been laying on the top of the couch, in his usual spot to see out the front windows. We heard Angel let out several cries, and Sharon came running from the laundry room to the living room, and immediately called for me to come in from outside.

We aren't sure what happened, as neither of us saw it, but we can only assume one of two things. We had an old cross-stitched afghan over the couch to protect it from Angel's claws and it had become quite frayed. There were a couple of spots where it had loops pulled in the fabric, one of which was large enough for Angel to catch his claws in, or even a foot.

The other thing that could have happened is that he might have gotten his foot caught between the couch, and the ottoman part of the love seat, which sits very near the couch at one corner. Either of these instances could have caused him to twist his leg or pull a foot.

When I got in the house, he was holding his right rear leg up close to his body, and couldn't put weight on it. We immediately feared the worst, that he might have knocked his hip out of place, and that's never a good thing for dogs...or anyone else!

We got him to lay down and we checked his back and hip, but could feel nothing wrong...but then...we aren't experts, either. We laid him on his back and felt around his leg, and he could move it and extend it without pain. In fact, we could move all parts of his leg with no signs of pain from him, so we figured he might have just strained a muscle. He just wouldn't put weight on it.

With it being Sunday, no vet around here was open, but we called on Monday, and got an appointment for him on Tuesday morning. Sharon worked all day Monday, but was off Tuesday, and since it could take both of us to carry him, open doors, etc., this worked out better for all of us.

The doctor checked him over, and we noticed that his right foot, from his ankle down, was slightly swollen, but nothing appeared to be broken. It appears that he might have strained a ligament on the top of his ankle. Think of it as the top of a human arch, just in front of the leg. They decided that they wouldn't do X-rays, but gave him some anti-inflammatory medicine to help take the swelling down.

We were greatly relieved that nothing was broken, and even more so, that Angel wasn't in constant pain, although that's hard to tell with a dog. He was obviously lethargic for the first couple of days, and didn't even want to go out to potty. When he did, he tried to lift his good leg, and it took him awhile to figure out that he needed to turn the other direction! I carried him outside and down the steps and back again so he wouldn't have to get out there on his own.

However, going #2 was another story, since he couldn't squat down on his sore leg, and couldn't balance himself. He didn't go #2 at all on Monday morning, or even Tuesday morning, and we felt bad for him, but the doctor said Angel would figure it out on his own when he had to go bad enough.

By Tuesday morning, after the vet visit, Angel seemed to be doing better, and was at least touching the ground with his right foot. After lunch, we went outside with him while I showed Sharon the progress on the trailer, and we noticed Angel finally figured out how to squat. He wasn't his usual graceful self, but he got the job done, and acted like he was feeling much better.

Since yesterday, we have noticed that he is attempting to put a little weight on his foot, so we think he will be fine, although it may take up to a month to get back to normal again.

While we were at the vet, we also got all of Angel's shots and medical needs up to date, and also put him on a heart worm and flea and tick regimen, to be taken internally once a month. With our future travels, he will need all of that. We had never worried about that stuff before, because he is inside most of the time, and when he does go out, we usually go out with him, or at least keep an eye on him.

After all, he is our "baby", and what parent does not keep an eye on their child? Having a dog around is like having a two year old, autistic child around. When you think about it, their intellect is about the same, as is their mannerisms, i.e., they hear but don't always acknowledge it, they like routine and are happy with the same food all the time, among other things. Any parent who does not watch over their child doesn't deserve to have a pet!

We also went up to the city, and spent another $15 for the city tag for him. Being with us all the time, we had never felt a need to have it before, and looked at it as more of a revenue stream for the city, but we figured as long as we were making everything else legal, we might as well do that, too, even though we will be leaving here in another 70 days or so, and probably have to renew them in our new state of residence.

Since we will be roaming all over the country, we also plan to order a custom tag for him with our web information on it, and our phone number. These days, the quickest way to get in touch with a traveler is through a web site, which is why any traveler with a pet should have at least a free blog. If they don't have a blog, then an email address is the next best thing. Some people are too tight to call a number if it isn't toll free, but they can always go to a web site or email and make (nearly) immediate contact.

So between the incessant rain that we have been tolerating, and having to care for Angel, I still managed to get a couple of the overhead cabinet frames done. Below, is the cabinet that will go immediately to the right of the microwave cabinet, This one will hold the computer printer that we currently have, and to the right of it will be the Perma Power line filter that protects all of our computer equipment. We may add another shelf above the equipment later.

The computer printer cabinet for our cargo trailer conversion.

Because this cabinet fits into the rounded front corner of the trailer, it took a little more work than just a square cabinet. No side could be used on the right-hand side of it, so other ways to secure it had to be designed into it.

The back side of the printer cabinet.

In order to find the right radius for the corner, I first cut a slightly longer piece of scrap plywood to the same depth as the shelf, for a template. I then held the edge of that against the back wall (left outside wall of the trailer), and used a simple mechanical drawing compass, set at the widest point of the difference in shape, and scribed around the front corner. After cutting that first cut, I tested the fit again, and made the final adjustment, using the belt sander, to the pattern so that it fit tight on both the side wall as well as front wall.

Notice in the photo that there is a large plywood panel across the top of the left (printer) compartment. That is 3/4-inch plywood and was made extra wide because these cabinets (the microwave cabinet, too) are 15 inches deep, rather than the standard 12 inches of most overhead cabinets. In order to secure the cabinet to the blocking that I installed down both sides of the ceiling at 12 inches out from the side wall, the wider piece was necessary to reach it.

Also, on the back of each divider wall, I attached 3/4-inch-square cleats, and also on the right-hand side, behind the face frame. There will be screws run through these into the outside wall of the trailer. Under the bottom shelf is also a piece to support the shelf, and it will also get screws through it into the outside walls of the trailer. All parts are glued, as well as having the longest staples or nails possible to put in them...and plenty of them. After all, these are going to be holding up to 30 pounds in each cabinet, and have to sustain bouncing down the road. The printer cabinet will also be secured through the side of the face frame to the microwave cabinet...so each helps to support the other.

The angled corners on the tops of the dividers are for the wiring chase that will run along both sides of the trailer. It will eventually be covered with flat pieces of paneling installed inside the cabinets and closet, and above the entry door. In fact, the one above the entry door may also provide a place for the monitor panels and switches. We'll see.

As luck would have it, I happened to have in stock some primed 3/8-inch AC plywood, that I am reserving for the bottom shelves in the cabinets. After we get on the road, I will prime and paint all the cabinets, both inside and out, but at least this will provide a nice clean shelf to start with. I didn't get a photo of the microwave cabinet, but they are both built the same way, except that I didn't need any curves on the microwave cabinet, other than at the top (for the ceiling curvature). It's basically just a rectangular box. When I get them hung, I will take a photo of them both together, in place on the wall. 

Before any of the overhead cabinets can be attached, though, I have another problem to solve. The upper wall of the front of the trailer is open at the top. My intention was to leave an accessible space up there as a wiring chase, which I still plan to use. There are connections up there for the clearance lights on the trailer, also, and as per wiring codes, no connection should ever be buried in a wall and made "non-accessible". If anything should ever fail, you have to be able to get to those connections for troubleshooting and repairs.

As a cover for the upper part of the wall, I figured on installing another piece of paneling or plywood over it...something that could be removed if a problem ever came up. Originally, I had thought of using thin luan plywood for the cover, but the truth is, I ran out of pieces large enough to do the job!

The only answer was to use a piece of the same 3/8-inch plywood that covers the walls of the trailer. But even after making a template and cutting the piece to shape, it is too stiff to push it into the curvature of the front of the trailer! Although the height of such a piece was going to be short, I decided to make it extend down to the bottoms of the cabinets on either side...otherwise it would be a pain to try to trim around it.

I am a big fan of ratchet straps. I probably have at least twenty of them in various sizes, up to 2-inch width, that I have actually used to pull a vehicle with. So, I came up with the idea to use one to create a bow effect...to bend the plywood to the approximate shape that I need for the front wall. To keep the hooks from cupping the ends, I also added a couple of braces, secured with clamps, just to keep the ends relatively straight.

The plywood cover for the top of the front wall, being "pre-bent".

Such a task could be accomplished by steaming the wood, as most curved wooden pieces are made. The problem is that I don't have a steamer, let alone one this big! So all I can do is try to "over-bend" the plywood, and leave it set for a few days to (hopefully) retain some of that curvature.

I will add some extra tension every day for awhile and test it from time to time, to see how far it remains bent, and when it becomes sufficiently bent to be able to anchor it in place, I will do so, and then it will remain that way. If I need to fish wires behind it, I have steel electrical fish tapes to poke through the insulation from either corner, hook the wiring onto it, and then pull the wires through. God forbid I should ever have to remove it completely, but it could still be done. I hope to never have to! I will make sure all the front lights work before I install it! In the meantime, I have plenty of other things to work on.

I still have to make the dividers for the bottom of the wardrobe closet to separate the battery compartment from the porta-potty, etc., and I need to start on the front couch framework, as well as the bed platform at the rear of the trailer. But I figure the cabinets and frames are about half done at this point, so it will get there in plenty of time. I'll do the drawers and cabinet doors last. I also need to free up the other two steel pegboard panels from the garage and those will be hung in the storage compartment...two on the back of the bulkhead wall and one on the right side wall.

I was hoping I had a couple more to hang on either side of the wardrobe closet, but it appears I won't have enough. I want to add pegboard there to hang things like the broom, vacuum attachments, shoe bags, and other things on. I have plenty of various hooks, and those plastic clips that keep the hooks from falling out, so I may have to buy a half sheet of regular pegboard (also cut in half) to use on each side in the closet.

We had rain again this morning until noon, and only three days of clearing before we have yet again another five days of at least 50% chance. The yard is a muddy mess again, and trying to get back and forth from the deck to the trailer just creates more mud. But I will keep at it as much as I can, in between the showers and "life" getting in my way.

As always, thank you for reading, and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Addendum 5/21/15: It has been brought to my attention twice already, that some people with Yahoo email accounts are being blocked from making comments. They get the following message back from the server:

The error that the other server returned was:
550-5.7.1 Unauthenticated email from yahoo.com is not accepted due to domain's
550-5.7.1 DMARC policy. Please contact administrator of yahoo.com domain if
550-5.7.1 this was a legitimate mail. Please visit
550-5.7.1 http://support.google.com/mail/answer/2451690 to learn about DMARC
550 5.7.1 initiative. z92si7133232qgd.1 - gsmtp

Please know that I have been trying to resolve this issue, but as it clearly states in the error message, you must resolve this with Yahoo. I find nothing in the settings on Blogger that will correct it from my end. If you have another email account, try to register with a different account. If I find any other information on this, I will update it here.

More on the Kitchen and Countertop

With other projects going on inside, I missed one day of beautiful weather, where I should have been outside, but Wednesday brought another beautiful day, and a little more progress on the trailer.

The first thing I did was to cut the gussets for around the inside perimeter of the top of the kitchen cabinet. In some places I already had vertical cleats attached so I had to notch three of the gussets to fit around the cleats. Most cabinet shops make them smaller than I made mine, but since I had the room, I made them 6-inches each way from the squared corner. These were all cut on my compound miter saw with a slide extension. (With the slide, I can cut up to 2 x 10 material crosswise, or even double that width if I flip the board over.)

Gussets for the kitchen cabinet.

These were all glued into the top corners of each compartment in the cabinet, and secured with 2-inch finish nails driven with my pneumatic finish nailer, as well as 1-1/4-inch staples from my pneumatic stapler...depending on where I placed them and how far they needed to penetrate.

Plywood gussets installed in cabinet.

After they were installed, I drilled the center of each one. A layer of 3/4-inch plywood will cover most of the cabinet, and screws will be installed from the bottom of the gussets to secure that plywood, as well as to go through far enough to secure the countertop...being very careful not to go through too far and come through the laminate!

I don't want to attach the plywood or the countertop just yet. I have to order three more sets of the drawer slide hardware. It's a lot easier to reach the back screws from the top of the cabinet, rather than have to reach through narrow drawer openings. But in the meantime, I still have many other projects to work on, the first of which is getting the countertop ready.

I mentioned in the last post that I had to remove about a half-inch of the overhang on the rear of the backsplash, to allow the countertop to go back farther and allow a little more swing on the closet door, before it hits the left front corner of the countertop. That was the next task.

Laminate is easy to cut, but has the bad habit of chipping out on the upswing side of a circular or saber saw. And since there is no room available to cut from the bottom, another method had to be used. In  this case, I used my Roto-Zip tool.

My Roto-Zip, with the saber saw handle and base, and rip guide attached.

For those who don't know what a Roto-Zip is, it is similar to a router, with a spinning drill point-like tip on it. Instead of cutting up and down, like a saber saw, the blade rotates like a drill bit. Besides being physically smaller than a router, a Roto-Zip has no fixed base on it like a router. Instead, it uses one or more of a whole slew of attachments which are able to convert it to many different uses. Two of the most popular are the attachment I used here, and a grinder attachment, which uses circular blades for various grinding or cutting projects, from wood to masonry. Another popular tool is the compass guide. With that, you can cut out circles up to a foot in diameter. I own every attachment made for this tool.

In the photo of mine above, I have the basic motor portion attached to the saber saw handle and base, with a rip fence attached. They still call it a saber saw handle, even though there is no saw involved, simply because of the shape of it. Without the rip fence attached, you can hold it like a saber saw and do the same kinds of things that a saber saw will do, although you have to be very careful when free-holding it, as that spinning tip can quickly head off in the wrong (any) direction if you aren't careful!

By setting up the rip fence properly, I was able to take off all but about 1/16-inch of the backsplash overhang, and since the bit cuts sideways, rather than up, it did it without making the slightest chip in the laminate...a perfect cut. I could have cut it perfectly flush, but decided to leave just a little bit of material.

The piece that was cut from the overhang on the backsplash.

Above, you can see the piece that I cut off. Although it looks larger because it was closer to the camera, it was actually only about 5/16-inch thick. The bit takes out 1/8-inch, making the entire removal at 7/16-inch. I left 1/16-inch just in case I needed to belt sand any of the remaining lip to get the countertop to fit tight to the wall. After all, that's why they put that overhang on there!

After I cleaned up the dust and turned the countertop back around where it belonged, the next little project was to cut the end piece for the right-hand side of the cabinet. This is the side that will face the couch, but it will still be exposed and seen, if only by us.

I had already left a little more of the face frame beyond the end of the backing plywood on this side, so that the 1/8-inch paneling would fit flush, so it was just a matter of cutting it to size and stapling it in place. When I attach the laminate end cap on the countertop, it will hide everything but the paneling.

The finish paneling attached to the cabinet end.

Other than installing the drawer guides, I am almost to a standstill on the kitchen cabinet. I'll build the drawers last, after the rest of the cabinets are installed. I can't mount the base cabinet in place until I also drill two holes down through the floor behind the left pantry opening, and install the pipes for the fresh water inlet, and also the drain. If I just stub them up into the cabinet, I can do the rest later, but I definitely have to drill the holes for them, otherwise I won't be able to get to the floor in that spot. So for now, we'll move on to other things.

The last project for the day was to get the bikes down from the garage, where they have been hanging upside down for the past five years, and test fit them in the trailer. They fit perfectly, as planned, with one facing left and the other one facing the opposite direction. There is only a half-inch of space left for the length of them, and even that will be used.

After all the cases I have read about lately, where bikes have been stolen, even while people are sleeping right inside the RV, I have no desire to leave expensive bikes out in the weather and open to vandalism, road damage, rain, or theft! Even if I had them on a bumper rack, I would make sure they were inside of something.

There are bike garages available that mount to a bumper rack. And with that comes the option of adding an alarm to the enclosure. Even if you leave them exposed on a rack, the least that should be done is to rig an alarm of some kind, whether it be a motion detector, a vibration sensor, a hidden trip switch, or whatever. There are too many thieves in the world to leave your bikes open to theft, let alone all the ravages of weather, road debris or whatever else can do them harm! 

Our two matched pair mountain bikes in the storage compartment.

If we ever get a longer van, whether it be a Sprinter, or just a long conversion van, and do away with the trailer, there WILL be a space in the back to fit the bikes crosswise within the van! I won't have it any other way! If people can travel in a standard size van and have everything they need, then why not make that extra two feet into something useful, rather than just more space to collect more stuff? Even if you aren't into biking, having a small "garage" in the back, similar to what we are doing here, is a handy thing for all that crap that you don't want cluttering up your living space! Even if we do away with the bikes, I would still want a storage space!

We wanted to test the fit of the bikes in the storage compartment for several reasons. I had already made the compartment 4-inches deeper to accommodate the handle bar width, but there was more. I wanted to visualize how much space we would have around them.

The inside trailer width is 68-5/16-inches wide. The bikes are about a half inch shorter...thankfully.

Our first concern was that we have a 25-gallon Barker blue tote, that we had considered for gray water storage, but as it turns out, it was way too big, and all the fittings were in the wrong places for what we have planned. Instead of using it, we will be purchasing a different brand of gray water storage tank...probably about an 18-gallon tank. It will fit in the left front corner of the storage compartment, against the bulkhead wall and behind the bikes.

We will install a 3/4-inch PVC pipe through the cabinets and closets to the rear storage compartment, at a half bubble off-level for proper drainage, from the kitchen cabinet to the gray water tank. It will have a diverter valve under the sink, so we can send the gray water straight outside, or send it to the tank in the storage compartment...depending on where we are parked. To empty the tank, we will simply move the bikes, and take the tank out to dump in a proper receptacle (a toilet or dump station).

If we have a sewer hookup where we are parked, we can simply attach a hose to the drain fitting under the left side of the frame of the trailer, and drain directly to the site's sewer opening.

The area for the gray water storage tank.

In the photo above, you can see how much depth we will have. The tank will stand vertically, and be secured to the bulkhead wall, as close as possible to the electric heater box in the lower part of the photo. To the left of that (or even on the left trailer wall, depending on space) will be the rest of the electric distribution of the 120 volt side of things. (The 12-volt side will come off the batteries in the bottom of the wardrobe closet.) Any wiring between here and the batteries will go up the back left corner, and be run through the wiring chase along the upper left wall, over to the battery compartment (and beyond). Any 120-volt wiring along the right hand side of the trailer will also go overhead, across the back above the door springs, and along a wiring chase at the top of the wall on the right-hand side.

The bikes have to set at a slight angle, because of the handlebars, but that also leaves a space between them and the bulkhead wall on the other side of the heater, along with a slightly deeper space in front of the bikes. That part in front of them will be used for things that we have to get to often, such as leveling blocks, hitch accessories, or anything else that we may use more often than the bikes. Any heavy items will be secured, one way or another. We can't have hitch accessories bouncing around when traveling!

The storage space on the right-hand side.

Keep in mind, the back side of the bulkhead wall will also be nearly covered with two panels of the steel pegboard product that I showed in an earlier post. It will be mounted as close to the electric heater box as possible.

That pegboard has lock-on hooks of about 20 different styles, which can be used to organize and secure things on that wall. Any longer tools, such as BBQ forks, a rake, and a shovel can hang horizontally across both boards, if necessary. I may even attach a third board to the right-hand side wall of the trailer, at the end of the bikes.

Although the hooks themselves can't fall off, the things on them could, so we will be using mostly spring clip type attachments or rings to hold the items on the board. Tools would bounce off of the ordinary hooks when traveling down the road, so those aren't an option. By using ring attachments, we can also use bungees or ratchet straps to secure the bicycles or anything else...such as the gray water tote tank.

Today, we had only 20% chance of rain predicted, and between noon and 1:30 the skies opened up and we got yet another deluge! So just when I thought I would have another nice day for working outside, it turned into a muddy mess again! Lovely! That's why I am inside, writing this now.

On the moving end of things, we got rid of a PVC patio set that we have had since 1985, and got a Lane cedar chest to the garage, for sale on Facebook. Last night, we also moved the 1800's era antique sideboard buffet to the garage. As soon as we can photograph that, we'll also put it out for sale. If it doesn't sell on the local Facebook groups, we'll put it on eBay as "local pickup only". For anyone interested, we're at "azgrand001" on eBay.

After that. we'll probably attack the exercise equipment, and then the office furniture. Slowly but surely, we are making progress in disposing of stuff, but it's really overwhelming at times! It brings a lot of mixed emotions. It's hard to get rid of some things that we have spent our whole lives acquiring, but on the other hand, when we see the empty spaces it leaves and know that we will never have to move it or dust it EVER again, it also brings a feeling of freedom with it. All that time that was spent working to provide space for all that stuff, and then to heat it and cool it, maintain it and clean it, was wasted time. That time can now be freed up to spend on other, more enjoyable things, and that is what we will look forward to. The relief we feel far outweighs the feeling of loss.

As always, thanks for reading, and if you have any questions on anything, or just want to leave a comment, please do. All bloggers want comments, otherwise they feel like they are talking to a wall, and no one is listening. I am no different. But yet it seems that it's always the same three or four people who bother to say anything. I already have their email addresses and can contact them personally. I don't need to blog! 

Blogs are meant to be social platforms, to allow two way conversation. If I feel like I am the only one doing the talking, then why should I bother? I know enough other people that act like fence posts when I talk to them in person! I don't need to spend my time writing and showing pictures if no one participates in the conversation!

But please know that it is greatly appreciated when I get feedback...other than trolls, who have nothing better to do than find fault with everything they see and read. I will delete those kinds of comments. But I welcome all others.

Also, while I was writing this, it came to my attention that a couple of the YouTube people got into a swearing match at each other because of a misunderstanding. I didn't even stick around long enough to see what it was about, and deleted the notification, as I will be doing with their channels.

I grew up in the construction trades. I have seen plenty of foreman/superintendent, "in your face" confrontations, as well as had my own share of them. And I have heard just about every swear word in several different languages, than I care to remember. I am not an overly religious person, and I sometimes use that language myself when with certain people that I know will tolerate it.

But to open it up to the public for thousands of people to hear it, including kids that might wander onto it...nope...not going to tolerate it. Professional, educated people would never open themselves up to that on a public forum of any kind.

This is the kind of crap that makes me want to never have a YouTube channel. Not only does the video work take a lot of time, but then there are all the trolls out there who have nothing better to do but find fault with everyone and use language on them that most construction workers don't even use!

And even when they aren't trolls, as in the case of these two, there was no excuse for not settling things amicably and without swearing at each other. I lost a lot of respect for both of them, and will be unfriending them on Facebook and deleting their vulgar behavior from my sight. There is no place in this world for negativity, and I don't want to see it in others. I don't care who was right or wrong, nor did I watch enough of it to even know what it was about. The first five seconds was all I needed to hear.

This is the kind of crap that gives all vandwellers a bad name. It's bad enough that some are forced to live this way through financial considerations. Many middle and upper class people already think that vandwellers and even RVers in anything less than a $100,000 RV, in general are scum and don't want them in their neighborhoods. Some don't keep themselves clean and then let their hair grow so long they look like cave men, and then they wonder why they get a bad rap.

I can tell you that no matter how broke I was, I would never let my hair grow long (I use a Flowbee when traveling), go unshaven or allow my body to stink, nor would I degrade myself to the kind of language and conduct that I have witnessed lately on YouTube and even on some sites and blogs. If you can't respect yourself enough to clean up your act, then how do you expect to gain the respect of anyone else?

I hadn't intended on a rant today, but it needed to be said! Clean up your act, People, or continue to lose followers! Respectable people who have any hopes at all of earning money online, whether it be through YouTube, their own sites or whatever, need to think like a professional business and learn to handle stressful situations a lot differently than what I have seen lately!

'Nuff said.  

The Kitchen Cabinet

I have pictures of the "mostly" completed kitchen cabinet to show you. Originally the post in this spot was going to be called "Around the Country in 80 Days" because that was how much time we had left... as of two days ago. But since I missed that deadline, thanks to feeling a need to write an addendum to my last post on my personal blog, due to unreasonable demands set upon me, I am now going to move on to trailer work again.

As you have seen before, if you have been following the last few posts on this blog, the face frame is always the first thing to be built on any cabinet. The face frame is what lays out everything else behind it. You have seen how I have been using pocket holes, screws and glue to bond it all together, so I won't repeat that. Instead, I am just going to show the face frame and what progresses on the back side of it.

The kitchen cabinet face frame on the saw table.

Above is the face frame, right side up, on the saw table. The openings are (from top left to bottom right):

-  - -top left, the drawer for the camp stove (fits end ways)...
- - - top middle, a dummy drawer front in front of the bar sink...top right, probably for office supplies, since the table/desk is closest to it (this drawer will also have a solid removable cover over it, to use as a counter extension)...
- - - left middle, towel drawer...
- - - right middle, wide drawer for utensils (and possibly other things with use of a divider)...
- - - bottom left, pots, pans and appliances, with a lift-out bottom, where the water pump and more storage will be located behind the toe kick...
- - - bottom row second space and far right space, two pull-out pantries...
- - - bottom third space, an open area with only a door on it, where an 8-gallon Reliance Hydroller for fresh water can be rolled in right under the sink. A ratchet strap will secure the tank and a dip tube for the water pump will be inserted into it.

After the face frame was finished, cleats were glued and stapled to the back of it everywhere that a divider wall needed to attach to it.

The kitchen cabinet face frame with the divider walls attached.

The divider walls were all made from 3/8-inch CD plywood (what I had on hand) and glued and stapled to the previously mounted cleats. The left side panel was held flush to the edge of the face frame, because that side will go against the wardrobe closet and never be seen. The right side panel was held in 1/8-inch from the edge of the face frame because it will have a finish sheet of blonde paneling on it. That side will be seen, even though it faces the front couch. It will eventually have a flip-up counter extension on it at 30-inches high, to serve as a work or eating table for the couch, as well as extra counter space.

In between these divider walls, 1 x 4 backing pieces were installed to serve as spacers between the sections and also to serve as the anchoring points to be drilled through to attach the cabinet to the trailer wall. These were installed at the top and bottom along the back side, as well as across the middle at a level even with the tops of the pantries. Additional vertical stiffeners were also added to the back edges of the divider walls to keep the plywood straight.

The kitchen cabinet and sidewalls standing upright.

Because we will be standing at this cabinet to work at the sink, it was necessary to provide a toe space at the bottom. This is a back-saving feature, to prevent having to lean forward too far while working at the sink.

Spacers were also added in this toe space between the dividers at the front, and then I used a solid piece of oak as the facing board to go across the first two compartments of the toe space, and another piece to cover the right hand side. 

Since we are using 100-pound-rated full-length ball bearing slides on all the drawers, backing pieces had to be installed to mount those to, which in turn, helped to strengthen and straighten each of the divider walls.

Cheap (and thin) plywood often has a tendency to bow. Thin plywood is also made up of fewer layers, usually only three. More expensive "furniture grade" plywood is often made up of seven or even nine layers, and generally remains straight and flat. Unfortunately, I didn't have any of the better plywood, and it is expensive to buy.

A cabinet may start out rather flimsy looking, but each piece that is added (if done properly) helps to strengthen and straighten the entire frame. If all cuts are square and it is assembled properly, it should end up perfectly square on all sides, and should be able to be picked up at any point without deforming the shape.

The kitchen cabinet set in place in the trailer, not anchored yet.

I only had three sets of drawer slides in stock, so to avoid standing on my head to install the ones that will arrive later, I chose to use what I had at the lowest locations. Above, you can see the cabinet frame set in place in the trailer, but not yet anchored. I installed the drawer slides on the two pantries (on opposite corners for stability), and on the wide drawer below the sink. Once the others arrive, I can install them from the top, before I attach the countertop to the cabinet frame.

I will custom build the pantries to the exact dimensions needed to fit these spaces and attach to the slides. The left pantry will be attached to a slide at the lower left and upper right, while the right pantry will attach at the upper left and lower right. The reason for this is because pantries loaded with heavy canned goods only at the bottom, have a tendency to "rock" at the top. In sudden starts or rear collisions the inertia can break the drawer slides if mounted only at the bottom. By mounting on opposite corners (or top and bottom, as many pantries are made) it will hold the pantry more securely. Exact positions depend a lot on the hardware being used.

I couldn't resist the urge to at least set the countertop on the cabinet, just to get an idea of how the finished product will look. Although the paneling in the photo below shows a "greenish" tint in the picture, it really doesn't look that way in person. In fact, it goes very well with the tans and browns in the countertop. Besides, most of that wall will have a black refrigerator setting in front of it anyway. 

Countertop temporarily setting on the kitchen cabinet.  

Probably after we get on the road, the backsplash area behind the refrigerator and below the microwave will get tiled with ceramic tile. We will have to select a color for that later. Any other gaps between the plywood on the outer walls will get drywall taped and finished smooth before the whole interior of the trailer (including cabinet faces) gets painted. If we can do it before we leave, we will, but I'm not concerned about little stuff. We can always do little stuff after we get out of here. As long as it's functional enough to live in, we can get by.

One thing I have to do on the countertop yet is to remove most of the rear overhang on the backsplash. These overhangs are designed onto the countertops to provide an area where the backsplash can be scribed and belt-sanded to fit walls that are seldom straight. In this case, our countertop fits tight all across the length of it.

The problem lies in the front. The left corner hits the closet door when it's opened, and prevents it from swinging back as far as it could. By eliminating that 1/2-inch of overhang on the backsplash, we can push the countertop back farther, which will allow a few more degrees of opening on the closet door. It still won't be as much as we would like, and will still have to install some doorstops at the top and bottom of the closet door, to prevent the countertop from puncturing a hole in the door, but every little bit helps. That is also the door on which we want to mount a tall narrow dressing mirror, so we need to make sure it is protected.

There are several other things to be done (besides the drawer slides) before I can mount the countertop permanently. First, I have to install some triangular corner gussets in each compartment of the cabinet flush with the top. These will be used to screw through, to anchor yet another piece of 3/4-inch plywood to the top of the cabinet (after I install the last three sets of drawer slides), as extra strength and height under the finished countertop. 

The first 21 inches on the left side has to support the weight of a loaded refrigerator bouncing down the road, so I am using 3/4-inch plywood under that part, right up to the sink. (Not that the refrigerator will actually "bounce", as it will be anchored tightly to the countertop, but the inertia is still there.)

The cabinet has already been built so that the top of the finished counter will be at exactly 36-inches, which is the industry standard for kitchen countertop height. Where the refrigerator sets, the countertop will be 1-1/2-inches thick. The rest of the "sub-counter" will be simply 3/4-inch stock around the perimeter of the cabinet, more for a spacer than anything else.

I also have to align and anchor the right side of the wardrobe closet door jamb, and then screw that into the side of the kitchen cabinet face frame. But even before that can be done, I have some preliminary plumbing to do behind the kitchen cabinet. 

Although you can't see it in the pictures, the bottom spacer behind the left pantry was purposely held away from the back wall by 1-1/2-inches. This will be the space where both the fresh water "city supply" will come into the trailer, and also where the drain will exit. Both will be 3/4-inch (probably PVC) and 90 toward the outside just under the trailer frame, where they will be strapped to the bottom of the frame.

The fresh water will terminate in a female hose fitting, while the drain water will terminate in a male hose fitting. The fresh water side can be reduced to 1/2 or 3/8-inch after it enters the trailer. Those two "stubs" have to be drilled through the floor and installed before I permanently anchor the cabinet in front of them. I can always finish the rest of the plumbing later.

I also have to cut and install the finish paneling for the right hand side of the kitchen cabinet yet, but this is where the project remains today. We have already had two days of mostly rain, with maybe a break on Mother's Day, and then more rain predicted on Monday. We don't have a lot of grass in the back yard, so it turns into a muddy mess whenever it gets wet. 

Even if I were to work inside the trailer or on our covered rear deck (where my saw table is set up), I still have to tromp in and out of the trailer to get measurements, cut and test fit everything. That would just drag a lot of mud into the trailer, so I prefer to wait until Tuesday to work on it again, and hope the ground dries up by then.

One more day on this part of the project, and the kitchen cabinet should be complete, except for the sink. I still have to order the high-rise faucet for it yet, and also buy the water pump. When I get the major components, I will be ready to start the plumbing.

In the wardrobe closet I also have to build the divider walls around the porta-potty and batteries, and whatever lids will go over them. 

With the kitchen cabinet in place, I also will have my reference point for the upper cabinets on that side...for the microwave and the computer printer, as well as the regulated power filter for the computers. Then I just have the couch to build and the upper cabinets on the door side of the trailer.

The electrical stuff and plumbing, since it will all be surface mounted, will be done after I get all the cabinets done. By that time, we will likely have started filling up the cabinets and figuring out where all the "miscellaneous" stuff is going to go.

As added incentive to get out of here, my wife just received an invitation to her class reunion yesterday, and it's scheduled for August 15th. So even if we don't get out of here in time to make her family reunion on the 1st of August, we now have a secondary deadline.

We are finally getting some of the big items sold in our household inventory. The PVC tubing style patio set with umbrella that we bought back in 1985 in Mishawaka finally sold this week. Next up is a Lane cedar chest, and then an 1800s-era antique sideboard buffet. After that will likely be the 1982 model Lowery MX-1 console organ that some of you saw her playing in the "Ed and the Aberts" video on YouTube. That's also in a post about three behind this one, if you want to watch it there.

We may not do any garage sales this year, as it's too much hassle for the number of people that we have been getting. Our efforts now are going to be to dispose of the larger items that aren't essential to our living here, while still selling stuff that can be shipped on eBay, and then have one big "moving sale" around the first week of July. Whatever doesn't sell by then will likely go to a second hand dealer, whom we will instruct to literally empty the house out. That way we can get it all cleaned up and ready to hand the keys over to a realtor by the time we have to go.

In the meantime, we anticipate being "mostly" moved into the trailer by the first week of July, so we can get a feel for it before we leave, and make sure we aren't forgetting anything before we hit the road. Anything that doesn't fit, and isn't essential to immediate travel will go to temporary storage until we can come around this way sometime next year. By then, we can only "hope" that we have room to absorb the rest of it!

Sounds like a plan to me. How about you?

Building the Wardrobe Closet and more...

In the previous post I had just gotten started on the framing for the walls of the wardrobe closet, so now we will continue with that and move on to the smaller short closet across from it. That cabinet is being built specifically to store Sharon's accordion in the bottom, and provide a place for file folders in the upper part.

We also have other musical items to figure out where to store, the largest being my guitar and our Yamaha PSR 500 keyboard. We also have a Suzuki Q-Chord, which is a sort of electronic guitar, but it is in a hard case and is less than 3 inches thick, so it can store almost anywhere. We're not sure how all these will be used yet, other than for our own enjoyment. We just know that we don't want to dispose of them. But we'll worry about those details later.

The wardrobe closet...

The last you saw of the closet was one wall laying in pieces on the saw table. The next step was using the Kreg pocket hole jig (example shown below)...

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig like mine...courtesy Home Depot.

And these are pocket holes...courtesy woodgears.ca.

...to drill the angled screw holes to secure all the parts together. Once that was done, I cut blocks of rigid foam insulation to fill the voids. This was just a strengthening measure because the outer side of the walls was going to be covered in 1/8th-inch paneling. There's not much strength to that, and without some kind of backing, would be like the skin of a bass drum. Not that we plan on fastening anything to it, but it just makes it seem more solid. I chose not to add horizontal cross supports, because the walls will be screwed into cabinets on each side at the mid-point.

The two closet walls with rigid foam board installed.

Once the foam was installed, the outer side of each wall was covered with the 1/8th-inch paneling. However, since my stock of such paneling was limited, and no one will see the bottom of the walls after they are in place, I used some other paneling on the bottom half. On the left side, the bulkhead wall and narrow closet will come up to 40 inches high, so my good paneling started at a height of 39 inches, just to allow for an inch of overlap. On the right side, which will have the kitchen cabinet against it, the standard height for a kitchen countertop is 36 inches, so I made sure the good paneling extended from 35 inches on up. Anything below these two heights will never be seen again, so I just used some scrap paneling...more as a spacer than anything else. If you look closely at the photo below, you can see the slight color difference between the blonde paneling at the top, to the scrap honey oak paneling on the bottom.

The outer side of the wardrobe closet walls.

On the inside, I used some cheap 3/8ths-inch CD plywood, as it is going to be painted over. I just gave it a light sanding, and it will be OK, for what it is being used for.

The left side wall of the wardrobe closet set in place.

Before the walls were covered with the heavier plywood, I made several trips back and forth to the trailer to adjust the cut of the top of the walls, and then when it fit like it needed to, I scribed the contour onto the 3//8ths plywood before attaching it. In the photo above, you can see the left wall in place against the short and narrow cabinet that was built previously.

The next step was to add the right side wall of the wardrobe closet.

In the photo below, you can see the right side wall. The contour at the top, against the ceiling, may not be perfect, but as one of my former contractor employers once told me..."it's good enough for who it's for." I'll eventually trim everything out (that's paneled) with some thin and narrow cove molding and flat trim, and any painted surfaces will be caulked with painter's caulk, so it will be fine for our purposes.

The right side wall of the wardrobe closet in place.

Note the angled opening at the top of the wall. This will be used as a "chase" or "tunnel" for the wiring for the trailer, and be covered with an angled plywood panel. I chose to do it this way, because of the walls of the trailer being only 1-1/4 inches thick, and the need to use rigid foam board for insulation. It would be far too shallow for electrical boxes, and too difficult to deal with wires, especially the heavier romex cable wires for electrical outlets. Rather than put them "in" the walls, all electrical outlets will be mounted in or on the cabinets. In some cases they may be in the bottom of overhead cabinets, and in other cases, they may be mounted in or on the sidewalls of the base cabinets.

There will also be an angled corner chase down the back right side of the wardrobe closet, to get wires from above down to the battery compartment, which will be in the bottom right side of the wardrobe closet. From there, will also be a pipe running along the floor behind the battery compartment to the rear storage closet, where the incoming shore power will be mounted and distributed from the left wall of that compartment. More on that later.

The other reason for not putting the wiring in the walls, is that if we ever decide to trade this trailer for a new model, and one size larger (7 x 14), it will make it easier to remove everything and add it back into the new trailer. I don't want to have to start another one from scratch again!

Due to the way the door jamb had to be built, it would have been very difficult to attach it to the walls before installation of the closet, and be able to stand them up inside the trailer. The jamb was in three pieces, each designed to interlock with each other for strength. Each side has to be installed on the corresponding wall first, and then the header section installed last.

I forgot to take a picture of the detail of the door jamb, but basically, it is composed of three parts, (1) the outer casing, which is just 3/4 x 1-1/2-inch stock, same as the cabinet facings, (2) the jamb, which in this case is twice as deep as the door, since the bi-fold closet doors will fold back on each other and require 3-1/8 inches (more detail of that later), and (3) another piece of 3/4 x 1-1/2-inch stock for the door stop on the inside. All of these parts were glued and stapled with 1-1/2-inch pneumatic staples.

The wardrobe closet with the door jamb in position.

Keep in mind, the door jamb is not yet fastened to the walls, nor are the walls secured to anything. Only the slight tension against the ceiling is holding them in place at this point. Before they can be secured, the kitchen cabinet must be built and butted against the right side wall, and secured to it. Only then can the correct door width be established.

We already know that the door must maintain a 30-inch width from top to bottom, but the very best way to get a good fit is to mount the doors in the jamb first, to make sure we have not only equal spacing all the way across the top of the doors and down the sides, but to align the bottoms of the doors with the face of each other so they are flush in the front.

To secure this in place before that is done could cause severe mis-alignment problems and make the whole project seem crooked. But we CAN do the final assembly of the door jamb, which needs to be clamped, glued and secured with staples at the top, and then tipped back into place and joined to the walls on each side. But before we can shim the top above the header and screw the header to the ceiling, we must make sure everything is lined up where it belongs.

The trailer itself is not parked dead level due a slight slope in the ground, so using a carpenter's level is useless. The best thing to do in cases like this is to use a 4-foot drywall T-square off the floor to get a "close" idea, and then attach the components (which also must be built perfectly square) to each other, and let them "find their own center". This will also help reduce stress incurred once the trailer is being towed down the road.

The right side wall of the wardrobe closet at the bottom.

The single most critical issue with alignment is the bottom of the right side of the wardrobe closet, shown above. Since these walls are so thin, and pre-assembled, there is no way to anchor the bottom to the floor without something showing. This is why the kitchen cabinet must be installed first, as it will be screwed to the outer trailer wall and to the closet wall, and THAT is what will hold the wall in place and retain proper spacing and alignment for the closet doors.

Later on in this project, we will add the short dividers in the bottom of the closet, to separate the porta-potty from the battery compartment, and also create a storage compartment behind the porta-potty. On the floor, we will also use a piece of 3/4-inch plywood with two cutouts the exact size of the batteries. This, along with a couple of small ratchet straps anchored to screw eyes in the floor will secure the batteries in place. We certainly don't want two 77-pound projectiles going anywhere while on the road! These dividers will also help to strengthen and secure the walls of the closet.

The wardrobe closet from the back of the trailer.

In the photo above, you can see what will be exposed of the wardrobe closet at the back, at least for now. The rear bunk will be on top of the bulkhead wall, with a piano hinge mounted directly on top of the wall. This will allow the front part of the bunk and mattress to be  lifted to gain access to the narrow storage cabinet. The mattress will be 4-inch multi-density foam, specially made for this purpose, so it will cover the first 4-inches of the closet wall that you see.

Keep in mind that once the rear bunk is completed, this view will not be seen from the rear of the trailer. There will be a vertical wall just inside the rear ramp door to close off the back of the rear sleeping compartment, and it will be insulated. My original design calls for a couple of small Plexi-glass windows that can be opened on hinges from the inside, with screens on the back side, just to allow a little ventilation during times when we can have the ramp door open. Otherwise, the storage compartment will be totally sealed off from the living quarters. So the only one who will see the left closet wall will be whomever sleeps in the rear bunk.

The "accordion closet"...

So this brings us to the next stage of the project...the "accordion closet". This short closet will be on the opposite side of the wardrobe closet, just behind the piano and against the bulkhead wall.

For those just finding this page on the web, yes we are taking a piano with us! You'll have to go back to the "New Beginnings" post to catch up with that explanation!

In the photo below, you can see the basic framework for the cabinet, but it has a ways to go yet.

The basic framework for the "accordion closet".

This cabinet will only be exposed on two sides, plus the top. We are again choosing the blonde paneling for the side facing the piano, as at least part of that wall will be visible to the front. And again, it is only 1/8th-inch paneling, so we added rigid foam to the left side as a backer for the thin paneling.

The "accordion cabinet" with rigid foam installed on the left side.

The right hand side will be against the already finished wall of the rear bulkhead, so to conserve weight, I decided to leave that wall  open. After adding support pieces for the bottom and the shelf for holding file folders (or eventually other things, once we can go mostly "paperless"), the left side wall was covered inside and out with paneling. Then I carried the assembled cabinet out to the trailer.

The "accordion cabinet" left side.

Sharon's accordion is one of the heaviest I have ever seen, at roughly 46 pounds, maybe due to the fact that it has electronics for plugging into an amplifier if necessary. I used to play one many years ago, and owned two of them, and mine were nowhere near this heavy! Of course, hers is not a cheap one like mine were, either.

For the floor of this cabinet, as well as the upper shelf, I used 3/8th-inch CD plywood, and it is reinforced on all four sides with framing under it. The framing is glued and stapled to the outer frame.

The right side of the "accordion cabinet".

On the inside, I also used the same blonde paneling as the rear bulkhead wall, so if one looks inside the cabinet, both sides will be the same. Eventually, doors will be made for all these cabinets. The top part of this cabinet will get a "dummy" drawer front, as there is no need to get into it from the front. The rear bunk will cover it most of the time, and if we need to get into it, we will simply lift the front part of the bunk and reach in from the top.

The "accordion closet" set into place in the trailer.

After moving some of my stored items in the trailer, I was able to set the cabinet into place. Again, I am not securing it at this point. I still have to anchor the rear bulkhead wall on each end, and then, due to a slight difference in how square the floor is in regard to the sidewalls, some shims will have to be used before any screws can be installed to permanently anchor the cabinets. It appears the center of the floor is sightly lower (about a 1/4-inch) than the bottoms of the side walls. The same situation applies to the opposite wall. Some shims will have to be used under the cabinets and closet walls to push the tops against the outside walls of the trailer.

Due to the fact that the rear bulkhead wall is built straight, and remains level in the center, the shims cannot be used against the outer walls, as that would make the cabinets out of square with the bulkhead wall as well as anything else in the trailer. The shims MUST be placed under the front edge of the cabinets. Once the kitchen cabinet is in place all of these other lower cabinets can be properly aligned and secured...not before.

For those paying attention, you might realize that this cabinet now protrudes farther forward in the trailer than it's narrow mate on the other side. Originally, they were supposed to be the same width, but due to having to add 4 inches to the storage compartment, they are now slightly "offset". This is not a big issue, although it may appear odd. It will force us to cut the front part of the mattress and platform to allow for this offset. The foot end of the bunk will be above this cabinet, so it will make the foot of the bed wider than the head end...but that isn't a big deal. When we lift the front part of the bed to get into the cabinets underneath, we will likely have a barrel bolt on the mattress platform to hold it up. 

Going forward...

Next up will be the modification of the closet doors, only because I have temporarily run out of "one by" stock to build the rest of the cabinets. That material will be purchased later this week. So in the meantime, I have to find alternative things to do. 

After the closet doors, we'll get back to the kitchen cabinet, and later on, the front couch. For those just joining us, the air conditioner is also being installed in the front couch, so it will require more than a simple framework. Vents must be cut down through the floor, screening and filters installed, and baffles installed to keep the incoming and outgoing exhaust air separated. 

Also this week, arrangements have been made to finally acquire the two 100-watt solar panels, tilt rods, wiring, controllers and even the roof rack. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, that should happen on Monday. And before any of that can be installed, I still have to order the special rust-eating paint for the roof, and then apply two coats of Kool Seal roof coating to it. So there's lots more of this boring fun coming. (:>)

I am currently working on a solar water heater design, and researching components, weights, and other such things necessary to make it safe for roof-top mounting. This will be a much more efficient design than simply attaching a black pipe to the roof rack, and will keep the water hot for a much longer time...good news for those wanting to shower after the sun goes down! So keep watching for that in the not too distant future. It will solve many of the problems with boondocking without power or the need to use space and propane for a typical RV water heater. And forget gravity fill and feed. This system will be pressurized from the water pump!

We're down to about 106 days before we leave at this point, so the time will go quickly. Whatever we don't get done here can be done on the road, and that includes final trim and painting. Right now, we are more concerned with getting the cabinetry and systems installed so we can at least "function" on the road. I'll have a lot more time for the little miscellaneous things after we leave here. 

By the way, if you are on a mobile device, and my countdown timer is not showing, I apologize. It seems to work fine when viewed on a laptop, but I noticed on my iPad, it disappeared again. I had this problem once before, and had to reload it from the third-party web program, It worked for awhile, but has now messed up again. Sorry 'bout that. I'll try to fix it when I get time.

We still have a lot of household items to dispose of yet, set up a local temporary storage for the rest, arrange for mail forwarding, and a ton of other things to do. This is also why I haven't been working on updates to my ebook, for those of you who have downloaded the free copy. Get it while you can, because I hope to have the paid version (as in "not free") going to Kindle by this next winter. There's a lot of good information there for any size or type of RV you are using. Everyone will get something from it.

But this post is long enough already, so let's take a break here. Let me know your thoughts, and if you have any questions, please ask.