Building a

[WildCamper1983]

Hi,

New to the forum so this is my first post.

I currently spend a lot of time sleeping in my van (VW Caddy) travelling up and down motorways as well as the endless run up and down the UK in winter chasing ice climbing conditions from North Wales to Northern England and Scotland etc.

I have decided to try and undertake a partial camper conversion to make the experience a bit more enjoyable. I am looking to self build something similar to this cooker/sink/fridge unit
http://www.thecampershak.co.uk/productdetails.php?pid=34

Now not being the greatest carpenter/joiner around I need guidance on what materials to build it out of. Reading around some say MDF 12/18mm other sites suggest building a timber frame and cladding in 9mm ply. Just wondering what people with a lot more experience than I have would suggest?

Thanks, any reply will be appreciated.

[WildCamper1983]

Just noticed I never
Just noticed I never completed the subject field. Please accept my apologies

Thanks

[WildCamper1983]

Just noticed I never
Just noticed I never completed the subject field. Please accept my apologies

Thanks

[Darren]

Hi
Great to hear of your
Hi

Great to hear of your project.
I would recommend 9, 12, 15 or 18mm plywood for building furniture. Use L brackets to join sections together at right angles.
Plywood is lighter than MDF, but more importantly doesn’t absorb moisture like MDF does.
You can get cheap plywood, but also birch faced (which is lovely and more expensive) and even oak faced (which is really lovely and really expensive). So you can make your choices with plywood.

I have built camper furniture using a frame and cladding with ply, and also by just using plywood.
The former is great for seats where you need maximum strength, and the frame isn’t going to get in the way.
However, for kitchen units I would not use a frame. Just use 12 or 15 mm ply to make the complete structure. A wooden timbre frame is unnecessary, takes up room and takes a lot more time.

[Darren]

Hi
Great to hear of your
Hi

Great to hear of your project.
I would recommend 9, 12, 15 or 18mm plywood for building furniture. Use L brackets to join sections together at right angles.
Plywood is lighter than MDF, but more importantly doesn’t absorb moisture like MDF does.
You can get cheap plywood, but also birch faced (which is lovely and more expensive) and even oak faced (which is really lovely and really expensive). So you can make your choices with plywood.

I have built camper furniture using a frame and cladding with ply, and also by just using plywood.
The former is great for seats where you need maximum strength, and the frame isn’t going to get in the way.
However, for kitchen units I would not use a frame. Just use 12 or 15 mm ply to make the complete structure. A wooden timbre frame is unnecessary, takes up room and takes a lot more time.

[WildCamper1983]

Thanks for the message
Thanks for the message reading what you write makes a lot more sense and maximising space while minimising weight will be the best option. I will at times need to remove the unit from the van for work purposes etc.

I will definitely look at the plywood options with L-brackets, The unit itself doesn’t seem to be overly complicated to build and the quickest build method is definitely the way forward for me.

Another question:

What is the best way of semi-permanently securing the unit to the van? I am planning to cut the side and back boards etc to the shape of the van etc for a closer fit but not sure how to secure it to the van. On wheeler dealers (Sky TV) I seen them use a rail system that can be installed and then the units can click in to this? Do you know where to buy them or what they are called?

Thanks for the message.

[WildCamper1983]

Thanks for the message
Thanks for the message reading what you write makes a lot more sense and maximising space while minimising weight will be the best option. I will at times need to remove the unit from the van for work purposes etc.

I will definitely look at the plywood options with L-brackets, The unit itself doesn’t seem to be overly complicated to build and the quickest build method is definitely the way forward for me.

Another question:

What is the best way of semi-permanently securing the unit to the van? I am planning to cut the side and back boards etc to the shape of the van etc for a closer fit but not sure how to secure it to the van. On wheeler dealers (Sky TV) I seen them use a rail system that can be installed and then the units can click in to this? Do you know where to buy them or what they are called?

Thanks for the message.

[Author]

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