Diary of a Camper Conversion
With plywood everywhere, filling my van, stacked up in my shed and leaning up against the house in the alley, it’s time to put down the mouse and pick up the hammer.
That was a really cool opening line right? But I really don’t want to have to use a hammer on this build. As much as I like to say,
“…anything is possible with the right attitude and a hammer…”
If it gets to the point of using a hammer then something has gone dramatically wrong.
But it really is time to get cracking. I’ve got 2 weeks to make the van into (at least a basic) camper. Everything will definitely not be finished, but we should at least have the bed frame and platform built and operational. Everything else may have to wait.
I set up my laptop in the shed, and methodically made post-it note cut lists and mini drawings of each part. This is because im working literally from the 3D model and I haven’t spent the time to draw out each component, like I would have done for a proper engineering job. It also means I have to physically check each measurement which is good.
I’ve already caught a couple design elements that needed a tweak. 5mm added or taken from here or there just to get things to fit nicely. One of these was adding 30mm to the length of a trim strip so it becomes an end stop for another piece. Now all I need to do it butt them up to each other, add some glue and screws and it should fit and locate the next bit.
I also tried to think through where all the connecting pieces would be screwed together. I’ve borrowed my brothers pocket hole jig and its a really useful tool, but takes some setting up. I did some trial and error test pieces to get the settings dialed in and then drilled as many parts as I could where I think I’d need them screwing.
But because I’m using 12mm panels the screws poke thru. So I can only use them when going into thick material, or back to back with other panels.
Lastly I got out my power sander and blitzed everything to smooth it off. Once its assembled I think im going to give it at least 1 coat with a lacquer so its somewhat dirt resistant and could be wiped clean if needed.
Cleaning up the sawdust was fun. Ever hoovered your patio? I can tell you it’s stratifying