Visible Progress

Yesterday was spent in the workshop making the fronts to a couple of the cupboards in the rear cabin.  Today we fitted them!

They still require varnish

There were two complex parts to the joinery.  The doors in the upper storage cupboard had to align with a 2mm gap between the frame and the doors.  The doors were cut from the same sheet of plywood as the frame so we also had to ensure the grain in the timber all matched.  The lower door was even more complex to fit.  It’s mounted on the front of the freezer drawer.  There are no visible screws on the front of the drawer as it has been screwed from behind.  The only way to ensure there was a 2mm gap around the drawer front was to fix it whilst the drawer was closed.  But how could we screw in the screws when the drawer was shut.  The approach we eventually adopted was to cut the freezer ventilation hole in the side wall of the freezer compartment.  This enabled Richard to reach around the back of the closed drawer through the hole.

The cupboard above the freezer provides yet more storage space.  I’m thinking an adjustable shelf might be required.

The next task was to make a start on the rear steps.  Richard cut a 6” circular hole through the timber floor immediately in front of the rear cabin bulkhead.  We then took turns to cut a 104mm hole inside the 6” hole.  This second hole was through the top of the steel blackwater tank.  I used the industrial vacuum cleaner to clean all the sawdust and steel filings before using a half-round file to clean all the burrs off the end of the hole.  The five holes for the gauge sender mounting were then drilled before I sealed and bolted down the mounting block.

Richard was then able to mark out the first two steps and fit battens to the floor.

The battens will secure the bottom edge of the face to each step.  This next photo is a close-up of the toilet sender gauge mounting block.

The internal circle is threaded.  If When the gauge needs to be cleaned it can be unscrewed and removed.

Under my supervision Richard then made and installed the first two steps.

Following a mid-morning discussion there was a slight change of plan with the design of the steps.  The first step has a hinged lid and can be used for storage.  I need to check the length of a mooring pin because they may fit in the step.  The top of the second step is exactly the same height as the adjacent bed and forms part of the extension to a double.

The second step has a removable lid.  The change in the design of the steps means this compartment will hold the four bed extension pieces that convert the singe to a double.  The vertical face of the bottom step will have ventilation plates in it.  These will be required because we intend to drill ventilation holes between the first and second step along with more holes into the adjacent inverter compartment under the bed.

The third step will be removable so it won’t obstruct the extending of the bed. I need to run some wires for the LED step lights which will probably be fitted into the face of each step.