Today's picture shows the white foam insulation being glued down with some of our famous or rather infamous weights.

Insulated Left wall.
Feb. 3, 2007
We had a very good day working on the INKWELL. We managed to glue the entire frame down on the left wall. Tomorrow we'll attempt to place it on the trailer to see if everything lines up. If it does we'll put the screws in and fiberglass the outside seams.

Things took a bit of hunt and searching around the yard, the church and our son's yard to provide enough weights to hold down the glue covered boards. I've uploaded several pictures. You'll see we procured some empty bottles and filled them with sand. We used paint cans full with paint, a fire extinguisher, a 15 lb. barbell, two tool boxes, bricks and concrete blocks to hold the pieces down. Even then we had to start with one end and weight until that end was set to finish glueing down the rest.

We sanded off the glue from the under the floor storage box that I moved too quickly and it fell and broke apart. Tomorrow night we hope to redue the box.

Paul is holding up the left wall but it is upside down, so I flipped that picture and filled in the door and window. This will give you the look of how this side will appear on the trailer, I hope.

It is really getting exciting to actually see pieces coming together. The wall isn't complete but we're moving right along.

Here's the pictures from today.
First set of weights
2nd set of weights
3rd set of weights
Upside Down Left Wall.
Left wall interior
The edited version of the wall.

Feb. 2, 2007
We worked on the left side and begun glueing down the supports. Tomorrow we hope to finish glueing and screwing down the boards. If everything works smoothly we'll be able to put the first layer of fiberglass on the seams of the side.

I did manage to get a picture of the side with all our weights to hold down the supports for a tight bond. Tomorrow we're going to try to build a table large enough to work on and have the three panels of plywood secure enough so we can use our clamps.

I'll post the pictures tomorrow.

Feb. 1, 2007
The past couple days have been uneventful in terms of actual work being done on the INKWELL. On Tuesday I met up with some gals I went to highschool with and we toured St. Augustine together. It's always fun getting together with the friends I knew when I was a kid growing up on Martha's Vineyard. There are things we experienced together growing up on the Island that other folks haven't experience. Of course, you all had other experiences. For example, we were walking through the historic section of St. Augustine where the old cottages (which are now storefronts and restaurants) and I commented "this reminds me of the campgrounds." Susie said, "Exactly. I guess that's why I want to live here.". The houses don't look like the Victorian Gingerbread houses in the Methodist Campgrounds in Oak Bluffs but yet they had the same feel. Something that both Susie and I could relate to.

I also realized that Joyce has the same love and desire to RV the country and I encouraged her to go for it.

Anyway back to the INKWELL. We've cut the opening for the door on the left hand side panels. I need to measure and layout the window frame to cut out for that same side. There is a technique to cutting those lines that involves a very straight edge and a circular saw. We called on a man from our church to lend us a hand. Neither Paul or I felt compable of making the cuts as percise and as straight as they need to be. Thanks Bob!

Over the next few days we'll be getting the wall panels ready to adhere the supports on them. Once they are laid out we'll and supported, we'll turn them over and fiberglass the seams of the plywood panels.

I have no pictures yet but I hope to after this weekend.

Jan. 29, 2007
Today we didn't have much free time but we were able to get an hour and a half in this afternoon and another 30 minutes this evening before bed. This afternoon we painted the bare wood on the trailer floor. The only reason for doing this is because of rain protection. We have a plastic tarp but it's leaked. So, to protect the plywood we decided on a oil based primer. The floor will be tiled with vinyl tile once the sides and some of the interior has been finished. This evening we put together the second box.

Two of our grandsons lent a hand this afternoon. The older one was caulking the joints of the first box, the younger used the air compressor to blow off the sawdust for us to have a clean surface to work with. We're enjoying the fact that our grandchildren are also participating in the build of the INKWELL.

Here are a couple of pics from today's prgress.
Jonathan applying the caulk.
Matthew working with the air compressor.

Jan. 28, 2007
Wow what a huge day on construction of the INKWELL yesterday. Unfortunately it doesn't appear that much when you're looking at pictures but there are many fine details that have to be evaluated and recalculated when you're actually putting the pieces together.

We trimmed all the boards for the two side panels. We cut the corners making it a rounded corner design rather than the straight angle that you see in the diagrams of the INKWELL.

We were able to adhere the first of the two boxes that go under the floor. And we started to measure the locations for the door on the left side of the trailer. (Left if you are facing the hitch end of the trailer.)

So, it was a fair amount of work. I did manage to sprain a tiny muscle in my right hand that does a far amount of work. All of last night I was unable to use my right hand. Today I am able to use it but it still isn't a hundred percent. We're hoping it will be back to full strength tomorrow, as I need to work on my next novel.

Here are some pics to keep you up to date on our progress.
Under the floor box
Left sidewall panels to get a feel for what the wall will look like.
Paul, Lynn and Corky standing in front of the walls.

Jan. 25, 2007
Hi all, We were able to get a couple hours in today and worked on the rear flooring panel. We've cut the holes for the storage boxes that will go underneath the floor. We still have to purchase some construction adhesive so we stopped there and worked on the supports that will go over the fenders in the sidewalls.

Here are a couple of pictures of our progress. The third panel for the floor
Our Little Helper
Rear view of the trailer.

Jan. 24, 2007
We finished putting the side boards on the frame today. We had to move the brake lights on the trailer since the builder didn't put them at equal settings from the other side. Heavey guage aluminum is tough stuff to drill through, in case you didn't know.

We were able to set two of the 3/4 inch plywood down for the flooring today. In the picture you'll see the only one sheet. We were able to get another hour in after Paul attended a funeral this afternoon.
Second Day on the frame
Close up
The third plywood sheet needs to be altered in order for us to attach the under the floor boxes for extra storage. WE hope to get the boxes and their support done before the weekend, so that we'll be able to set in the final plywood sheet. After that we'll begin working on the walls.

Jan. 23, 2007
We finally were able to get some self-tapping screws today and boy what a difference those puppies really dig into the aluminum. I've uploaded a couple of pics of our progress today. The first is a picture of just about the entire trailer trailer. The second is a close up

We're really excited to finally put some work on the trailer itself. Tomorrow we have a two hour window and hope to finish the side supports and put on at least one if not all of the floorboards.

Jan. 22, 2007
As expected not much was able to be done over the weekend. We did manage to put a layer of resin on the bottom plywood that make up the underside of the flooring for the INKWELL. However, due to some really unusual rain in our area, it has not dried.

Tonight we would have been painting the area that was resined but obviously that won't be happening today.

Jan. 20, 2007
We tested the resin we purchased to seal the wood on our trailer's flooring. It's dried nicely but taking a wee bit longer since the temps are down in Northern Florida.

Yesterday, we cut the floorboards to the right length and ripped a 1"x4" to 2, 1"x2"'s. Unfortunately the store didn't have the length of board we were looking for in 1"x2". Oh we also painted the axle. The man who built the trailer had painted it but we decided to put the extra layer just to protect the steel a bit longer.

Monday we have to go to Palatka to find the self tapping screws that will secure the floor and braqcing to the trailer frame. If all goes well tomorrow night we'll be able to coat the underside of the floorboards with the resin, so that we can sand and paint the resin on Monday night. This will allow us to fasten the floor on Tuesday. At least that is the plan.

I'll click off a photo and upload it after when we have the floor painted and ready to be placed on the trailer.

Jan. 18, 2007
YEAH! We picked up the trailer today. Click here for a picture of the trailer Unfortunately this Saturday we'll be busy with church related events and won't have time to begin work. Our goal will be to put the floor on by Tuesday night. Hopefully there will be enought time before Tuesday to have the underside of the plywood sheets treated.

Jan. 17, 2006
Today I saw our trailer laying belly up. Believe it or not this is a good sign. The builder was attaching the aixle and springs. He's hoping to have it done by this evening but we agreed that I'd pick up the trailer at 3pm tomorrow. Paul and I are very excited.

I joined a Tear Drop & Tiny Trailer forum a few days back and I'm learning alot with regard to construction. One gentleman suggest how we could easily have a curve on the top corners instead of the straight 45 degree angle we were looking at. We're seriously considering this option.

We're looking into the various sealants to protect the floor from water. Some suggest roofing tar/sealant, others suggest epoxy and still some others have used urethane. Our decision will probably be based on availability and costs. We want to paint the floor before we attach it, so we're not doing a Michelangelo and the Sistine chapel deal under the trailer.

The next problem is leveling the work area to build on the trailer as well as the area to construct the floor and sidewalls.

Thanks for following our progress,
Lynn <--Rubbing hands together and anxious to get into the thick of things.

Jan. 15, 2007
Well, we made our first mistake, I'm sure it will not be our last. I saw my dad yesterday and he pointed out that we should have had the trailer built with the crossbeams for the floor level with the outerframe and not sunk in 3/4". What does this mean? We'll be adding a spacer onto the 2"x2" crossbeams and laying the floor across that and the outer frame with an over hang of an inch.

Our trailer frame won't be ready this evening as suggested by the gentleman building it. He's estimating Wednesday. I'm planning next Monday just so my hopes don't get dashed. This extra time though has given us more time to evaluate my father's suggestions for support as well as debate about putting a curve on the upper front corner of the design. Our original drawing was Inkwell Basic The shaded rectangle above the trailer is the size of the window for the opposite side of the trailer.

As soon as we have delivery I'll upload the pictures of the frame and then the a picture or two of the floor construction.

Jan. 12, 2007
Yesterday Paul and I went to the shop building the frame of our trailer. The basic rectangle, 6'X12' and the tongue were put together. The aixle needed to be reordered since it was four inches too short. The projected date of completion is Jan. 15th at the end of the day. Tonight we purchased a miter compound saw. This was an item we debated about for a while. But after a few cuts of the studs and some 2X4's we decided it would be a worth while purchase. After cutting some 2X4's this evening with the new saw, we know we made the right decision. This will give us very straight edges and far more percise cuts.

We also purchased the floor tile for the trailer this evening, when we picked up the miter saw.

We built a pair of sawhorses using old 2X4's and the inexpensive kits that are sold at most hardware stores. We purchased two sets at a cost of $3.99 per.

Here's a link to a picture of a trailer that is very similar to the one being built for us. Trailer In the picture you'll notice that there is a wooden floor, ours will not be the same. There is also a rail in the front, this will not be there. Along the sides are brackets to fit sides onto this trailer, again our trailer will not have these either. As soon as our trailer is done, I'll take another picture and you can see the frame will be starting from.

Things are getting exciting now as each day we manage to do a little bit more and get that much closer to our goal of having the outer shell completed by the end of March.

Jan. 5, 2007
Today we managed to cut some of the studs as well as the pieces for the first box under the floor, we're planning on two, possibly three of these boxes. With the first one done, it gives us encouragement to do some more and to know where we need to be careful in working with the rest of the construction. Tomorrow we're traveling for a friends funeral so there won't be any updates until Monday night.

Jan. 4, 2007
Today the contractor began work on the frame. He's asked us to come on Monday to take a look and hopes to have the trailer done by Thursday at the latest. I'll bring my camera and take a couple photos.

The full scale model of the INKWELL on our family room floor has been a real blessing. We've altered the floor plans I haven't drawn them out on the computer yet but the new design will give us a floor to ceiling closet and an L shaped kitchen counter-top which should translate into more storage space. We moved the sink from the right hand side of the counter to the connection of the L. This will also give us more counter space.

This evening Paul and I fashioned a table to guide the wood while working with the table saw. We made were only able to measure and make two cuts before we had to close the sawing down for the evening. We live in a country area but our neighbors bedroom is not that far from our garage and we want to be good neighbors. However, it was wonderful to at least get that far in the project.

As part of the storage design we are putting together 4 boxes that will fit under the floorboard with access to them from the inside of the trailer. This will give us more room for storage. Working with a 6'x12' trailer doesn't allow for much space so we're trying to max out as much possible storage places as possible.

December 31, 2006
To recap our week, we ordered the trailer frame. A couple days later we went to the store and purchased the remaining wood to build the floor, outer shell and bed. There are more supplies to purchase but we'll wait until there's more room in the garage.

We mapped out on our family room floor the actual size of the INKWELL, this gives us a true to life impression of how much room we really have, or don't have.
We'll be playing with the floor plan over the next few days but we hope to begin work on the storage boxes that will be placed under the floor for extra storage. These can be worked on before the trailer arrives in Mid-January.

Well, I'm off to church for our Sunday evening service. Happy New Year to all of you. Our year looks to be quite full.

December 26, 2006
We're excited! Today, we ordered the trailer frame. We decided to go with the heavy guage aluminum trailer. The price, $800. The steel construction trailer estimate was $795. Since the difference was only five dollars and the obvious advantage of the aluminum over the steel we jumped at the aluminum. We're anticipating delivery by mid Jan.

We also pulled a couple more windows out of a junk trailer, as well as some hinges, nobs and running lights.

Our goal is to have the shell and bed complete in time for our anniversary in late March '07.

December 22, 2006
Finally, I have some good news to report. We have estimates being prepared from two different companies to design the frame for the INKWELL. We've already received another estimate yesterday from a company that makes frames out of steel. His price was close to the first estimate we received from the company who works with heavy duty aluminum. In fact, it was only five dollars less. However, we have not been given a formal estimate yet.

All of that to say, Paul and I are really excited. One company can have the trailer built in four days. The steel frame will take two weeks. We don't have a time frame from the second aluminum construction company. So it is quite possible we'll be able to begin work on the trailer in Jan.

I've been working on our plans and if you're interested in seeing the outside with a peak into the interior click here.
The floor plan, which doesn't have much discription on the image click here.
And for the front interior of the trailer click here.

During the time when I didn't update we purchased a few additional items for the trailer. One was another window that we pulled out of a wrecked trailer. This is the window for the front panel above the counter.

Our goal will be to have a closed in trailer by Spring. The finish work in the interior will take additional time but we should be able to make use of the INKWELL in time for our anniversary. Last year we camped in a tent. It was a cold and damp night. I look forward to being off the ground and with a heater this year. I hope we're able to get the work done in time for our anniversary trip.

Christmas is around the corner, I pray you have a blessed time with your families as we're anticipating to have with ours. I'll write on Tuesday to let you know who we went with.

P.S. The estimate we received back in September was 275 dollars lower than it was today. The steel frame is 795. We're hoping the aluminum ones are around 800

October 19, 2006
Well, we're at a stand still for a while. We've had two family weddings and a major repair on our truck. Which means, funds are tight and we won't be ordering the trailer for a while. I'd love to say we'll have the trailer frame before Christmas but that might be pushing it.

Sorry for the delay but I'll keep you posted when we begin building.

September 16, 2006
Well we finally heard from the local seller and he decided to keep his trailer. So, today Paul and I went shopping. We found a place that can build the frame we're looking for between 400 to 500 dollars. We'll try to hook up with the owner of the shop on Monday morning and see if what the actual price will be, but we're excited. If we purchased a frame online it would cost 360 plus shipping. Then we'd have to weld and assemble it. This way we get the trailer built and assembled to our liking for the pretty much the same price. Needless to say we are excited.

We're looking at two to three more weeks before we can have our basic trailer frame. Then we can begin work on the Inkwell.

August 26, 2006
Two days ago a man in our church brought us a sink and counter (I don't know if we can use the counter top or not) to add to our ever growing collection for the INKWELL. We're looking for other trailers locally if we can't find one soon we'll probably order a brand new one and have it welded here. There is still a possibility with the one we've already found but the current owner still has plans for it and until he's done with his yard work, I don't think he'll make the decision to sell it.

We've found a couple of sites online that offer good prices for basic trailer frames that you have to weld. It helps with the shipping costs but you still have to factor in the welding costs. Fortunately for us we have a friend who has the equipment and says we'll only have to pay for the rods. Another alternative is a brand new already constructed trailer but that more than doubles the price.

Ah, the many factors that go into purchasing items to build a trailer. In the end we'll have something we'll be very satisfied with.

At least for a year or two. Our goal is to use the INKWELL as our learning trailer then move on to rebuilding a larger trailer which we've already named as well. But I'll keep that secret until the time is right. In a little over a month I'm hoping to be fully engaged in building the INKWELL. At that time we'll add pictures and plans to keep all of you posted.

August 19, 2006
We're still waiting to hear from the seller of the trailer whether or not he'll sell it to us for the price we are offering. In the meantime we're keeping our eyes and options open for another. In the meantime we can't go any further with drawing the detailed plans.
Yesterday my husband spent an hour with one of our grandsons and cleaned up the door and window that he pulled out of the junkyard trailer a few weeks back.
The roof vent came and looks great.

August 15, 2006
I'm sorry for the delay in posting but we had a real dog ate my homework experience. I had my laptop on the dinning room table when my grandchildren, all eight of them were visiting. The visit wasn't just the grandkids but the parents and their dogs. We had three visiting dogs to go with our one. Needless to say the dogs were chasing one another at some point and caught on my adapter plugged into my computer. The laptop fell but the worse part was the adapter end that plugs into the computer was bent and broken. What that translates to is several weeks without a way to charge my computer. Well there's a whole host of other reasons for the delay but I won't bore you with those details.

Now back to the INKWELL.
Paul and I purchase the wood needed for the two sides and the framing of those sides. We had Lowes cut the plywood down to size we need. This is a free service and when you're using home tools for a project like this, a huge blessing.
I ordered a ceiling vent from eBay this past weekend. And we put a bid on a trailer that someone locally was selling. It needs a lot of work to remove the rust but it is sturdy and will support the trailer we want to build. We're waiting to see if the owner will accept our bid. If he does, we'll need to alter our plans slightly to account for the larger trailer frame.
The only real concern I have about it, is the owner says the wheels are nine inches. I can find eight inched wheels with rims at Walmart for a very reasonable price and twelve inch ones but not nine inch. I'm not sure how the nine inch wheels will work out for travel but the trailer frame was originally a pop-up tent trailer so I'm thinking it must do all right.
We're hoping to hear by the end of the week if the guy will accept our bid and we'll know whether to continue our current drawings or adapt them to add for the increase size.
That's the latest. I'll keep you posted.

July 28, 2006
Paul, our son and son-in-law went to the junkyard a couple days ago and returned with the door and window. They tried to remove a ceiling vent but time ran out. Paul will return to the yard and pick up the ceiling vent. Tomorrow we are looking at a trailer that someone has for sale. This will save us from welding our own. But we're not closing the idea to that just yet either.

New windows run from 100 and up. Doors run from 150 and up. We paid 20 for the window and 45 for the door. Not a bad deal.

Our goal is to build the trailer for less than a thousand. Perhaps we're dreaming, we'll soon find out.

I hope to have the side panel plans redesign with the measurements of the door and window soon. When I have them, I'll upload copies.

If you can't tell, we are working on a shoe string budget and will be picking up the pieces as we can. We're hoping to purchase some, if not all, of the lumber in a few weeks after we return from our youngest son's wedding in Texas.

July 24, 2006
I have a jpeg of the first draft of the INKWELL available for preview. The lines running through it represent foot marks, every foot a line. This will help you give perspective of the size and placement of items on the trailer.

Tomorrow Paul and a couple of guys are going to the junkyard to take out the windows and doors from the trailer I mentioned earlier. That will be as far as we get this week.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy the sketch of the INKWELL. Click on the name and the picture should appear.

July 19, 2006

Paul and I started dreaming about refurbishing a travel trailer about two years ago. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, we live in the state of Florida where purchasing a used travel trailer can run you two to three times what other areas are charging for them.

About four or five months ago we started looking at building a teardrop trailer. Downloaded a bunch of plans from the 30's to the 50's and pretty much decided to go build one of those. The goal was to use it for a couple years then sell it and hopefully that will allow us to purchase an even larger trailer to refurbish.

While cruising on ebay I found a tiny trailer that an average person could stand in. Both Paul and I were concerned with the size of the teardrop and the inability to stand in it. This trailer caught our attention. The owner was selling plans on ebay. The bid went out of our ballpark but it started us on a search for others. I found one called the Squidget designed by Dale Summers. I love the design of this little trailer much more than the one on ebay. However, my being female and liking to pack a few things for a trip, Paul and I decided to make our own plans merging some of the design elements we liked from others.

We're inviting you on this journey of design, construction and hopefully out first trip, which we anticipate will be some time next year. We hope you'll be able to enjoy the adventure with us and possibly learn by our trial and errors.

You're probably asking why we would go the route of designing and building our own trailer when so many lovely units are available today. It's a good question. The simple answer is Paul and I wanted a hobby that we could do together. He loves tennis and I can't play because of my carpul tunnel. I love digital photography and he's slow on the technical side of media presentations. So, we settled on this construction project because in the end it is something we will both enjoy using.

I'll be able to use it when I go on long book tours or research trips and it's small enough for a middle age gal to handle by herself. Paul and I will use it while vacationing.

Why the name?
Easy answer: It's writing related. We hope our overall design will look like an inkwell albeit a boxy one.

As I mentioned before we've been dreaming and planning this for a couple years now so we've started to collect items for the trailer. Last week we purchased a stand up portable tent shower. In most locations this will not be necessary but if we are dry camping it will be cherished. Camping supplies are going on sale now as it is the end of the season so we purchased this at a good savings.

Today, July 19, 2006, we found a travel trailer that had been in a serious accident. It is literally splinters in the front end. However, we'll be able to purchase two windows and a door from the junkyard at a tremendous savings. I highly recommend checking with junkyards for some of the items you might be looking for in constructing your own trailer.

We're still looking into various frames but having the windows and door will help us with the blueprints for the left and right side panels.

I hope to post our beginning sketches on the site soon. I'll report back about the removal of the windows and door from the trailer and the process we use after we gather them from the junkyard.

Until then God bless.