Accidental discovery

I suppose many discoveries are accidental. In my previous post, I noted that I was contemplating two different joints for the frame. A notch or a double notch. Turns out that these are called lap joints and they have many variants. and half-lap joints. And, according to good friend, amateur woodworker and all around smart guy, Michael, that the lap joint, especially when secured with a pin or dowel and glue is about as strong a joint as you can make with wood. He noted that you would have grain running in three different directions giving the most strength possible. So, I'm going with it. Lots more work cutting the joints, but it should turn out very nice.

One thing I am realizing, and you have to if you are following the tedium here, is that every corner turned and everything learned results in a delay of the project. Or, if not delay--I have no deadline--then certainly a stretching out to the infinite horizon the end of the project.

Pictured is the "cross-lap joint" in rough form. In final form, the two edges will be flush, the joint glued and will include a dowel or pin.

Testing 1, 2, 3

Between various appointments and grandchild duty, I setup what I hope is the last of the fabrication tests. When you look at the plans, it all seems so simple. A few tools, a vice and a list. Just do things in order and it will all work out. Maybe that's the way it is supposed to work, but for me, it's more experimentation, testing and "lab" work.

Today, I cut some notches in a piece of lumber with the same dimension as the stuff I'm planning to use. I wanted to see what it would be like to actually mill this stuff and put it together. The result? Pretty simple.

Lobnitz says that a notched joint is strong, but a "double" notch joint is not as strong. I'll go with his recommendation. Or, not. Depends upon my desire for a more aesthetic piece, or an aesthetic that is more specific to my interests. This first image is the test piece according to the plans. The next one is what I would prefer, it it were strong enough. More later.

Pedal to the metal

I stopped by The Steel Yard today while running other errands. The ever helpful Lance was there, ready to put the Omada H-4013 to good use. I now have enough metal plates for at least three trailers, though I will have to do some further cutting. Seems Lance was reluctant to put his hand in this gigantic hydraulic scissor machine to get all of the cuts needed.
The experience was a good lesson in "right tool for the job." If you have absolutely no other option, hacksaws will work. But, having someone cut these for you and having plates cut for more than one trailer is not only effective and efficient, but it moves the work along much faster.

The challenge of the hand tool only approach

My experiences using a hacksaw to cut out the towing brackets has made it clear that a different approach might make more sense. In other words, I need some power. Here's why.

It's a noble idea to try to work on this project with just hand tools. And, it's possible if you have the right tools. I thought a hacksaw would be enough, especially with a new, sharp blade, to handle the fairly simple cutting. Not so. A standard hacksaw frame is just too shallow to allow the cuts required. There are probably other frames that would work, but a call to the Temple of Hardware, Winks, confirmed that they don't carry them. I was surprised.

Day of rest

Not really a day of rest, but a day that had many conflicts. At least conflicts with additional fabrication of the trailer. For one, there was Trinity SeniorConnect. Sorry, no website to send you to on that one. It's a program for at-risk seniors in NW Portland. I am a volunteer.

Then, there was a reception for Travel Oregon's launch of their website, Ride Oregon. It's been out for a couple of months, but I had an opportunity to catch up with the folks at Substance. They are the agency who designed and programmed the site.

It was worth the diversion, though I might have stopped along the ride and picked up some saw blades and probably a new saw at Winks. Alas, I did not and I look forward to tomorrow's schedule for a chance to do that and much more.

Fabrication, round one

I finally got my building feet wet today. And, just as I suspected, there's more to this than meets the eye. When you look at the design and directions and the simple line drawings of the tools, all look straightforward. Then, you actually have to get the tools out and go to work. Or, in my case, create some tools to do the work.

Because the sheet of 14 ga. mild steel is much taller than my vice, I needed to create a sort of jig to make the sawing stable. I cut two lengths of scrap bead board and used them to stabilize the metal.

Measure twice

I finally got down to determining how many beams I would need and whether or not the ones I had would do the trick. It's not always obvious. At first glance, I thought I did not have enough lumber for the job. But, as I evaluated the various parts, I realized that I could make the entire trailer out of the four beams that I have. So it is.

Tomorrow, I start the actual fabrication. I'll be cutting out the metal bits. And, I will be adjusting the dimensions provided by Carry Freedom so that the metal parts fit more closely with the wood. You'll see it more clearly as I post pictures.