Desert Dawg - Building the Galley
Part II

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Thanks to all of you who have written those nice e-mails and given me such encouragement!
   Joanne
 
 
 
 
 
© 2005 - 2007 All Rights Reserved
April 6-7, 2007

The ice chest and stove trays are finished and ready to be installed. There is a limited amount of space in the galley so the installation needs to be carefully throughout. The ice chest can weigh a lot so it needs to be mounted very strongly.

This is the rail that the ice chest will mount to. It will be held in place by bolts that come up through the bottom of the trailer floor. Wood nuts are used so the bolts have something to screw into.


I put some epoxy around the inside of the holes before screwing in the wood nuts. I hope that keeps everything strong and tight.


Here is the rail with the tray attached. Because the bolts come up through the floor, there aren't any ugly screws showing.


These are the bolts coming up through the floor. I put silicone rubber around the holes before putting the bolts into place. That should keep water out.


The right side of the ice chest tray is attached to the existing shelf upright.


The stove tray was a challenge because it needed to be as close to the side wall as possible. If it wasn't right against the wall, the tray would bump up against the top of the ice chest. I made some metal brackets that screwed into the counter top cleat.

Here is the slide for the stove tray.


The right side rail needed to be glued directly to the bottom of the counter top. Although I used polyurethane glue, I also used 6 pocket screws to secure it to the counter top.



Here is how the trays turned out. I'm really happy with them.


Everything fits just like I want them to.


The ice chest can be pulled out to grab a cold soda then slid right back out of the way. The stove tray frees up more cooking space in the galley.


I am temporarily hooking up the lights so I can go camping. I will add insulation and birch panelling so it looks like the rest of the trailer interior.

April 28, 2007

It's amazing the places you find materials for your trailer. I was walking through Costco when I saw a roll of anti-slip mesh cloth. I was planning on buying some from a boat store, but this was MUCH less expensive than the boat place.

I'm putting the stuff on every shelf so things won't slide around and mark up the paneling. I'm also going to cut a piece to lay across the counter top when I'm traveling since the stove will be up there and probably a box of groceries as well.


June 1-3, 2007

The initial outing with the Dawg showed me a couple of small items that I had overlooked. One thing that was annoying throughout the entire trip was the fact that the cooler kept sliding out. Any time the trailer was even a little nose-high, out it would slide. A trip to Ace Hardware provided me with the perfect solution, a small window latch. My shins are now safe!

Here is the window latch preventing the cooler from sliding out.


This works really well.


My next door neighbor is redoing a small travel trailer and asked it I wanted the table out of it. You don't have to ask me twice! It's in really great shape considering its age. No scratches. No stains. The color isn't bad either. At least it's not avacado green...

The only problem with the table is that it measures 4 feet wide. It was used as part of a fold-down bed so it needed to be wide. I figure I can cut it down to 3 feet and it will be perfect. It will certainly save me a lot of time and effort. Thanks Dottie!!!

It's in great shape considering its age.


I'll strip off the leg and make a new one.


I've cut a foot off, now I have to trim the aluminum edging.


Here's the mock-up of how it will be mounted. I want to make a new leg that will attach to the lower edge of the trailer frame. That way I won't have to worry about whether the ground is level whenever I want to use the table.

Although the 2x4 makes a fashion statement, I'll make something a bit nicer.

June 12-13, 2007


I want the table legs to lay flat when I travel and swing down when I'm ready to mount in on the side of the trailer. The legs will be made out of 1/2" square tubing so I can run a threaded rod through it and make it act as the hinge.



Here are the leg pieces cut and laid in place. I originally wanted to have a single leg, but my friend convinced me that two legs would make for a much more stable table. Especially when kneading bread dough.


I can start welding the legs together now that everything is clamped in place and can't move.

June 16-17, 2007


I leveled the trailer and the table. Now I can see where to mount the legs on the bottom of the table.


Doesn't that work nicely?! With all the "stuff" I take camping, there's never enough counter space. This will help a lot!


Note: I've been camping a few times since I originally installed the table and it's wonderful! I can't imagine being without one.