Jeff's Teardrop Sides Page
I decided that I wanted to make the sides of my teardrop using "sandwich" construction, instead of just cutting them out of
plywood. I would make a framework out of 1" dimensional lumber, and glue 1/4" plywood on the inner and outer surfaces with
insulation in the voids. I thought about using biskit joints, but decided on using lap joints instead.
To cut the joints, I started out using my table saw, but quickly realised that this wasn't going to be easy. When cutting the
ends of long boards, it was hard to keep them straight on the saw. Although I had never tried it, I put the dado blade in my
radial arm saw, and it worked great! I use an adjustable dado from Sears. It's not the best, but is a lot cheaper then a
stackable dado. if you don't take a full cut every time, but overlap each cut, it minimizes the uneveness of the cut.
I started by rough cutting each of the framing pieces. They are all 1" dimensional lumber (3/4" actual thickness). I used
1"x 4"s for the smaller pieces, and 1"x 8"s for the curved pieces. The piece at the front of the door is oak, so that the hinge
screws would have a solid place to grip, the rest is just common pine. I'm sorry, but I didn't get any pictures of the sides
before I trimmed them out. After gluing, I rough cut the shape with a jig saw, and then went back and got my final edge using a
router with a bearing guided laminate bit. Since the wood was thicker than my bit, I had to make 2 passes to get the final edge.
I placed framing all around the edges, and around the door. Also placed it wherever I planned to add a shelf and behind where
the fenders would mount. I probably could have used narrower wodd in some places, and made the sides a little lighter, but I'm
learning as I go. After the side frame was glued up, I glued 1/4" luan plywood to the outside. Since I will cover it with
aluminum, I just wanted something to use as a backer.
Since the sides are 9' long, I had to put a seam in each side. I didn't want the seam to be any bigger than it needed to be,
so I put it at the front edge of the door. That gives me a clean edge on one side of the door plywood, and only makes 2 short
seams. I rough cut the edges of the plywood with a jig saw after the glue dried, then cleaned them up with the router and
laminate bit.
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