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Old 04-17-2014, 06:23 PM   #381
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Really admire your work here...you're doing a fabulous job

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Old 04-17-2014, 08:07 PM   #382
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by browncrown
Really admire your work here...you're doing a fabulous job
Wow! Thank you. I'm a big admirer of your Crown.
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Old 04-23-2014, 04:56 PM   #383
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I had two days off from work and I vowed to get some work done. Mission accomplished!

Started kitchen upper cabinets by building a frame from 1x3 pine. Once again, my Kreg Jig Jr. worked like a champ! I will never doubt the power of pocket screws.




Three 1x3 straps across the back will help secure it to the wall studs


Perfect fit at every corner except the ceiling, which I already knew wasn’t perfectly flat. A piece of trim will cover that gap. The shelves will also get 1x2 trim across their front edges. I’ll buy some door tracks on Amazon and install acrylic bypass sliding doors in each of the three empty openings. I can cook food now!
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Old 04-24-2014, 06:52 AM   #384
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I have to say again, your craftmanship is most good Cabinets look beautiful!
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Old 04-24-2014, 08:47 AM   #385
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I've been putting off buying one of those pocket screw jigs for years... I think you just pushed me over the edge!
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Old 04-24-2014, 09:21 AM   #386
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

i wish i was as good at working with wood as you are. your shelves look great.
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Old 04-24-2014, 09:30 AM   #387
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Outstanding cabinet work!
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Old 04-24-2014, 04:47 PM   #388
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by proconsul100
i wish i was as good at working with wood as you are. your shelves look great.
2nd that
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Old 04-24-2014, 09:42 PM   #389
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by Diesel Dan
I've been putting off buying one of those pocket screw jigs for years... I think you just pushed me over the edge!
You won’t regret it. My girlfriend bought it for me and she vacillated for days over which one to buy. In the end, she got the Kreg Jig Jr. and it’s just right for someone who wants to be able to make or repair a few things, but not start full production. Any of the more full-featured models may be easier and quicker to use, but for someone like me, I wouldn’t put it to good use. I’m very happy with what I’ve got.

Quote:
Originally Posted by browncrown
I have to say again, your craftmanship is most good Cabinets look beautiful!
Quote:
Originally Posted by proconsul100
i wish i was as good at working with wood as you are. your shelves look great.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tango
Outstanding cabinet work!
Quote:
Originally Posted by allwthrrider
2nd that
Thanks, everyone! I’m really just learning as I go. I’ve watched a few dozen YouTube videos on cabinet making and my plans were well considered and modeled in SketchUp! While I’d like to maybe have traditional swinging doors, other conditions preclude their use, so simple sliding doors will have to suffice.
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Old 04-30-2014, 03:00 PM   #390
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

My first day off from work in seven days and it's raining cats and dogs. But I did manage to get a few interior pictures with my "real" camera.













Sometimes I wish I would have covered the cheap vinyl flooring when I sprayed the ceiling and wall insulation; I kinda like it, but now the blobs of foam have ruined it. I did, however, remember a website I had bookmarked near the beginning of this project for www.rubberflooringinc.com. The company makes rubber "tiles" that interlock with jigsaw puzzle-like edges. Some are more appropriate for gym floors, but they do have some that are thin and tough and should hold up well to my dogs ... and anything they may leave behind. At less than $2 per square foot, it's not too expensive and the tiles are easily cut with a utility knife for custom installations.

In other news, I found a leak. When I removed the rain gutter over the entry door to pull the door hinge pin, I neglected to reinstall the gutter right away. I couldn't just re-use the screws that I had removed, so I planned to use rivets when I eventually got around to putting it back up. Well, I never did get around to it and today I found water coming in right above the door. While it's not in the wall framing, it does drip onto the top of the door where it seeps into the door itself, dripping out over the top of the window and around the edges. I'm hoping that the plywood inside the door is marine-grade so it won't immediately expand and rot, but I can't really do anything about it until it stops raining long enough for me to Gorilla tape over the gutter mounting holes. Bummer.
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Old 05-10-2014, 02:04 PM   #391
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I just want to share why it's so nice to build virtual models of cabinets before you cut a single stick of wood.

I made this model with Google Sketchup and started with only the dimensions of the space it was to fit in. I then whittled down the rectangular volume until I had the necessary parts lined out and then added the dimensions of the individual parts. It's so much easier to figure out the various lengths of the pieces when you do it this way and it's completely accurate. Now I only have to cut the pieces and put them together correctly.

This cabinet shares some of the design considerations of the kitchen upper cabinet I made already, but because the shelves are all the same depth, it's a bit easier to make. The top surface will also be the bottom of the AC duct that runs across the ceiling. The extended lip on the front of the bottom shelf will conceal under-cabinet task lighting and keep the light from hitting me in the eyes when I work at the computer. I plan to install the same bypass doors here as in the kitchen.

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Old 05-27-2014, 06:30 PM   #392
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I had a few days off from work, so I got busy and built some upper cabinets for the office area of my conversion.

While the virtual model I built on the computer was a great starting point, the realities of parts availability necessitated a few changes. I used leftover and salvaged plywood and changed the bottom shelf from 19" to 12" wide. I also slightly changed the way the shelves attach to the side supports.

My Kreg Jig Jr was pressed into service once again. Love this thing


Production line


Assembly


Installed! As with the kitchen cabinets, there will be horizontal trim installed across the front edges of the shelves. The top shelf is actually the bottom of the AC duct, so I made it from ½" plywood instead of ¾".
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Old 05-27-2014, 10:57 PM   #393
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Lookin' Good!
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Old 05-27-2014, 11:58 PM   #394
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

You are going to have the best bookmobile conversion in the country. I wish I had your wood working skills. Great conversion, keep it coming!!
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Old 05-29-2014, 06:44 PM   #395
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tango
Lookin' Good!
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmarvel
You are going to have the best bookmobile conversion in the country. I wish I had your wood working skills. Great conversion, keep it coming!!
Thanks, guys. I'm learning as I go. As are we all.
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Old 06-14-2014, 09:55 AM   #396
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I finished the trim work and the AC duct over the office upper cabinets. I really like the way these turned out and I'll probably use the same construction design for the remaining cabinetry. It's probably not as strong as traditional methods (there are no dados or rabbets anywhere on these), but the pocket screws seem to be plenty strong enough. I certainly used enough screws and everything is ¾" stock.

I also picked up a few lengths of ¾" aluminum channel from a local sheet metal fabricator. I thought I was going to get regular extruded metal, but he actually bent my pieces to order and they came out fantastic. I'm using them for edge protection on the plywood wall sections and the rounded corners are much nicer than the sharp corners of an extruded piece. You can see one of them on the left side of this photo. I took a couple hours to sand all of the pieces lengthwise for a brushed finish (which also reduced or removed the appearance of the tooling marks from the metal brake).



Not much else to report for now, but I do have three days in a row off from work starting in a few days, so I think I might be able to get quite a bit done ... if the recent rainy weather subsides.
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Old 06-14-2014, 10:35 AM   #397
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

its looking really good!
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Old 06-17-2014, 11:06 PM   #398
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I have three days off so I'm trying to get a few things done. Today I made a kitchen countertop and started fitting it into place, along with the sink. And then it started to rain, so I took my mini-assembly line into the bus and worked on some small trim pieces.

The counter is ¾" plywood, double-thick at the front edge. I'm probably going to wrap this in aluminum or stainless, depending on what kind of price I'm quoted. I keep coming back to aluminum because of the predominance of it throughout the vehicle, but I'm not sure of its use as a kitchen countertop.

Kitchen counter with sink loosely installed




The plumbing just fits under the 10" deep sink basin
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Old 06-20-2014, 10:16 PM   #399
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Finished the trim on the front edges of the cabinet shelves ...


... and built the lower cabinet frame, ready for a door. The front valance piece is only temporarily fit into place—it will be firmly attached after the countertop is done and installed


I called about sheet metal for the countertop and was quoted a hundred bucks to make a wraparound backsplash and a small edge protector from stainless steel. Except for one inch at the front edge, the countertop will be laminate of some kind. Still need to find something I like. I think the 15-inch tall backsplash will be pretty impressive, provided I don't tweak it somehow when I'm getting it into the vehicle. It should be ready for me to pick up on my next day off, so I'll share pictures of the test fit as soon as I can.
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Old 06-26-2014, 06:46 PM   #400
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Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Received my propane cooktop the other day and mounted it in the kitchen countertop. Everything looks good so far, but nothing will be permanent until I get all the parts for the kitchen.


The microwave/convection oven that was in the vehicle when I brought it home was a little beat up by the previous owner, but from the front it looks fine and works perfectly. One of the feet was slightly out of place, making the unit sit on an angle. I didn't like that, so I loosened the screws holding the bottom in place and attempted to reshape it so the feet would be aligned again. This only partially worked, so I then built two rails that are now mounted on the shelf on either side of the oven. The left and right walls of the oven ride on these rails, holding the whole thing level, and probably holding it a lot sturdier than just the four feet ever would. Eventually, I will strap down the oven to keep it from moving around on the shelf. (The little goof in the cabinetry woodwork looks terrible in the first photo, but it's only a few hundredths of an inch, so I'm not worried about it. Too much.)


Looking at the rail from the front, you can see the out-of-place oven foot on the right:


Finally, my backsplash was completed and I threw it into place for a photo. When I snapped these, I hadn't yet cut the hole for the switch over the sink, so the left side was sitting a little proud of where it will be when finished. I cut the hole today and it looks great. The sheet metal fits perfectly, although I'm not going to remove the protective film until after it's installed for the last time.




While I'm waiting for my WilsonArt countertop laminate sheet to arrive, I've started designing my clothing wardrobe for the driver's side over the water tanks. After I worked this up in SketchUp, I started simplifying it in my mind and I'm thinking it's going to be built as a very simple bottom shelf with two divider walls. I can fill the interior with removable shelves, maybe something from IKEA or The Container Store. At 64 inches wide, the wardrobe will be big enough for all my clothes and shoes with some space left over. The space underneath will be for one of the dog beds and some large photography containers. Nothing under there will be permanently mounted because I want to maintain access to the water tanks under the floor.
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