Project Choose Your Own Adventure

[ScottyB]

as the galley sits right now.  framed out the lower cabinetry on the left and brought out some more of the counter from the bulkhead by using some scrap leftover plywood (you can see the seams, its a bit piecemeal) - it will serve as the base of the "pantry" cabinets up on the counter so i wasn't concerned about the wood quality there.  the part of the counter you will see is going to be a custom hardwood design that is in progress off to the side.

our 2 burner camp stove will snug into the bottom left cabinet as you can see, and there will be a door on that opening to match the drawer. the dark brown rails where the counter will mount to are cuts off of our old bedframe! use what you have.


made a drawer.  this is where our cutlery and BBQ tools will live.  this was HARD.  i can tell you now i have so much more respect for, and understand why cabinet makers are their own subset of craftsmen.  it doesn't take much to throw stuff way off.  pictures may not show it, but i've made mistakes all over.  minor, but clear to a close inspection.  that's how the learning process goes though, and i can fix most of it with some elbow grease.  most importantly, its all more or less square for the counter to mount up snugly.


the drawer face is leftover cedar shiplap from the interior, trimmed with walnut that is also being used on the interior.  the drawer sides are scrap 2x4 that i cut and planed down to ~1x4, and the bottom is leftover baltic birch from the interior wall skin.  you can see the theme here of using up leftovers and trying not to waste material.  i really like that it also ties the interior and the galley together with a color/materials theme.  


the handle was cut off of this pattern of maple and purple heart that i manufactured, originally intended for cutting boards.  it has been great having access so so many scraps as a result of the other woodworking i'm doing on the side.


got my water containers in and they were critical to figuring out the cabinet dimensions.  each holds 5 gallons.  we found on our last camping trip that over a 2 night stay, we used (wastefully, i might add) about 7 gallons for hand-washing and dish cleaning.  i think this capacity will give us enough use before refilling with wise usage and at about 80lbs. together, will ballast out the rear nicely along with the cooler to help take weight off the tongue.  my eye twitches every time i see how the front container sticks out a bit past the cabinets, but that's just the best i could do with available container sizes and how far i could push the counter out.  they'll be secured with a zig-zag bungee cord across the opening.


more dumb luck - this is my clearance - about 1/8" - when i tip the containers out so they can lay on their side.  that's how we're going to have access to the spigot.  in transit they will stay upright to reduce leaks.


the cooler slideout got 2 slide bolt locks to keep it secured tight in transit.  the lock pins drop into holes in the floor.


i stole this trick from another build.  remember those nasty gaps between the wall and ceiling?  they'll be covered by super thin dowel rod.  it bends beautifully and has enough girth to clean up those junctions nicely.  super clean and easy.


look at this freakin mess.  i'll have to take a full day just to get everything back where it belongs.  this is what happens when you're fueled by coffee and manic excitement and chaos starts to creep in.  its dangerous and a good way to get cut or worse.  but something something make hay while the saw spins something something.

[V1GiLaNtE]

Scotty, this is top notch build work my friend. Absolutely gorgeous and the custom drawer knob is such a classy touch. I'm going to be hitting you up here soon to pick your brain about some of the storage designs. Have something up my sleeve that I'm hoping will pan out in the next few weeks.

[Steve85]

I'm laughing at the last picture because I am sure my finished product would not be discernible from the mess around it.

Did I miss something early on, what is the purpose the cutouts in the side panel that are filled with insulation? Lighten the load without structural impact?

[ScottyB]

Scotty, this is top notch build work my friend. Absolutely gorgeous and the custom drawer knob is such a classy touch. I'm going to be hitting you up here soon to pick your brain about some of the storage designs. Have something up my sleeve that I'm hoping will pan out in the next few weeks.

ayo!  thanks man.  feel free to ping me with any questions, and yes i need to know about any top secret plans you have!

I'm laughing at the last picture because I am sure my finished product would not be discernible from the mess around it.

Did I miss something early on, what is the purpose the cutouts in the side panel that are filled with insulation? Lighten the load without structural impact?

lol please. i saw your water softener installation, if i did that the fire department would probably be showing up at my place by the end.

yes - back a couple pages i have some shots of the walls. the cutouts do 2 things, drop weight by at least half (from probably a 50-60 pound slab to easy enough to pick up one-handed) while sacrificing little structural rigidity, and they allow me to stuff those spaces with 3/4" hard foam insulation. that'll help on those cold spring/fall nights and reduce the propensity for condensation to form on the interior, which is no bueno for a wooden structure like this. it also helps alot with giving me access to pulling wires through the wall for hooking up clearance lights and the overhead door lights on the exterior.

[Senor_Taylor]

What's your plan for keeping the drawer shut when you're going down the road? Campers/RVs have drawers you have to lift in order to open.

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[ScottyB]

i was originally going to make a little turn knob that would cover a little part of the drawer to keep it from sliding out. but i found out that when i bought my "soft close" drawer tracks from Home Depot, that it has a pretty significant detent in the tracks that you have to overcome to actually get it to pull out. its actually so tough to get open that i'm going to carve some finger holds in the square knob to let me get a better grip on it. its definitely not coming open.

[WRXtranceformed]

Its only because i know you're a perfectionist and exceptional craftsman that i won't call shenanigans about you pointing out the flaws. This is incredible man and every point was clearly researched, thought out and executed. Love following this build!

[ScottyB]

Its only because i know you're a perfectionist and exceptional craftsman that i won't call shenanigans about you pointing out the flaws.  This is incredible man and every point was clearly researched, thought out and executed. Love following this build!

thanks bud.  i can't emphasize enough how apprehensive i was about this going in.  this project was leagues above my head a year or two ago.  i basically sat in front of build threads and youtube channels for months on end before i felt like i had a rough idea what i was doing.  most of my technique and parts selection is taken from the guys that went ahead of me. i'm still essentially learning most of this as i go, but that's part of the fun when i'm on nobody's schedule but my own.

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next item in question is a "power panel" i'm putting in the cabin, which will live above our heads on a little stow-away shelf.  i have a voltmeter, USB port, and Cig lighter port, along with switches to turn any of them off to prevent battery draw when not in use.  i'll be able to glance at our juice level as well as plug in stuff like our phones, weather radio, LED lantern, or even a travel hairdryer.  first step is creating the panel itself.  i grabbed an ordinary old 4x4 cedar post that was left over from making my wife a potting bench years ago and was destined for the trash.  i was pretty happy to come across it though, because the cedar would match the accent on the bulkhead wall.  i ripped it down on the table saw and planed it to thickness.  in doing so i found out that it had wonderful grain structure and color hiding inside.  a quick spray of Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane and the color really jumped out, as you can see compared to the uncoated piece to the right.


the unfortunate thing about planing softwoods like cedar is that they tend to chip/tear-out easily, no matter how little material you try to take off. you can see the chip marks in the lighting. not the end of the world, just a shame on an otherwise beautiful piece of wood.

now for wiring.... i haven't soldered up anything remotely complicated since high school.  quickly found out my old Weller 40W soldering iron was junk and grabbed a new 100W unit to get the job done (something something you should double your budget for stuff like this at the start blah blah blah).  money well spent.  

the switch on the right turns the voltmeter on/off, and the left one controls the 2 receptacles.  they'll definitely need to be shut off at night because they're brighter than you'd expect and would probably light up the whole cabin.  i may consider replacing the USB port at a later time with an unlit version so i can leave it on at night and not light the cabin up like a disco.

a quick jerry-rig up to the fuse panel and thar she blows...er, glows!  i'll attach this panel with screws so it can be removed as necessary to swap out or service the switch and/or receptacles.

[Senor_Taylor]

I think a piece of tape solves your blue LED issue. Looks great!

[ScottyB]

I think a piece of tape solves your blue LED issue.  Looks great!

but...that's waaay too easy   i'm not happy unless its complicated

[Senor_Taylor]

Oh, I meant create your own natural tape out of wood fibers.

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[.RJ]

.... travel hairdryer?

[ScottyB]

.... travel hairdryer?

if you can believe it, i'm actually married.  

i'm getting the wife more used to backcountry adventure but she still has to get her hair did every night.

[Jake]

.... travel hairdryer?

Ain't nothing wrong with a little glamping.

[Senor_Taylor]

You can't post that Beyonce Gif before the end of the work day... Come on. Now I'm not going to get anything done.

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[ScottyB]

cabin's almost done.


kiddo's loft got an egg-crate mattress meant for a cot that i trimmed to fit, works awesome. the roof net is meant for behind-seat storage on a boat.

backing up a bit, here's what happened last week to get there....

installed my overhead shelf with "power panel" and reading lights i got off amazon.  the shelf is small but will work fine for tossing phones, keys, socks, voodoo talismans, chargers, etc. the panel is just screwed into place so i can remove it to replace/service stuff. the sides of the power panel were hand-formed to match the roof curvature which was a total bitch, do not recommend, but once i got started i had to see it through before i realized it would take half the day.


they even have little blue night lights you can turn on.  neat.


then i punched a hole through the ceiling


and i fitted the trim for the vent fan and patiently awaited Ceiling Cat to bless me with his fleeting presence


but it stood too tall so lots of trimming with the dremel.  everything smelled like burning.  i don't think i was supposed to breathe that.


then i made these wee bezels for the light switches that will turn on the exterior "porch lights" above the doors.  scrap purple heart wood, and yeah i drilled it off center, fight me


they aren't just for looks, i need these to space the switches out from the wall enough that they'll fit within the wall depth. I AM SO SMRT


had to test the fan, this is what the wire-running process is starting to look like as i test each component.  looking forward to graduating from "wire pile" to "rat's nest" soon!


currently gluing up the galley counter and building the galley pantry, then on to the galley hatch which is already making me get cold sweats. would love to see this wrapped up by end of May!

[V1GiLaNtE]

[Goodspeed]

This is so rad. I love all the little detail work that you're getting into now that the big picture is complete. Also, were I you, I'd probably be stepping out to the garage all the time just to get a whiff of fresh cut wood, mmmmm

[ScottyB]

were I you, I'd probably be stepping out to the garage all the time just to get a whiff of fresh cut wood, mmmmm

every night and sometimes with morning coffee. dat cedar tho

[WRXtranceformed]

Looking incredible man! Love the lofted bunk for little man, how long do you think you have until he "graduates" (ie gets too big) for that shelf?

Also, did you talk about what the exterior skin is going to be?