Complete newbie with big camper cabinetry task!

[shinobidef]

Hello all,

I’m new here and also completely new to woodworking – the last time I ever did any wood cutting was making the obligatory balsa wood plane at school about 25 years ago! I supposedly hail from a family of wood sawyers so hoping there’s some kind of ancestral knowledge I can tap into

I’m converting a camper van and due to budget reasons and a particular look I want, I’ve set myself the momentous task of doing all the woodwork myself, including the kitchen cabinets as a first task. I’ve bought myself a Kreg jig and face clamp, 4 corner clamps (although not sure if this was a good idea as seem too small for the wood I’m using), and a router with bit set. Despite pocket hole joinery being for beginners, I had to get my boyfriend to show me how to use the jig and drill for about an hour! I’d also never used a jigsaw before yesterday so I've cut and laid out the face frame but that's as far as I've got.

My reason for getting the router is that I was planning on attempting dove and tail joints for the drawers, but as I’ll be using ply, I’m not sure this is going to be possible. I was also going to use it to make some freehand designs on the front of each drawer panel or using a tongue and groove system, but I don’t have a router table so not sure if buying one was a bit pointless at this moment.

I’m going for the stick frame technique with ply panels. I know they cupboards are going to look rubbish inside but the main thing is here making something very light, strong and that works with the rustic look we’re going for. I have a 27mm, 2 metre oak worktop that needs to sit on the top of this.

I’ve attached a drawing with my cuts and where the plywood is going. My face frame is made out of 18x34 and all the batons you see behind that are 25 x 37. I was hoping to get away with 3mm ply for the inside panels, but maybe I’ll need to use 5.5mm. The ply will sit front to back and rest on the long orange batons, the side panels will sit on the top and bottom green panels.

What wood and thickness do you think I should use for the door fronts and drawers? The doors will sit flush with the face frame and I’d quite like to use those black antique tee hinges as the whole camper is supposed to look very woody and rustic.

Am I right in thinking that for drawers (so the first and third section) of the cabinet, you need to attached the ply inside panels to they’re flush with the inside of the drawer section (for mounting drawer runners)? This is a bit of a problem on the ends as you can see I’ve got the ply sat on the outside so the end grain goes right into the face frame, but if that’s right about the panels being flush inwards, then I’ll need to change the left side panel (or double up on panels).

I’ll have a toe kick but the second section in won’t have a floor as the gas bottle will be in there and it needs to sit a minimum of 5cm below the bottom of the door opening. The toe kick Is 80mm high but haven’t quite worked out how to build this in yet.

Any tips/help would be appreciated! I’ve watched loads of vids and have a couple of books but can find very little on stick built cabinetry.

Thanks!

 

[xraymtb]

Is there a reason you have chosen this type of design over the more common ways of outfitting a camper?

I have converted a couple, one with IKEA kitchen units that were modified to fit and to use sliding doors (so I can still access even with the bed pulled out) and one with the more common all ply construction with hatches rather than doors and drawers.

 

[shinobidef]

We just didn't want it to look like a typical camper, if that makes sense, so didn't want to use any laminate or glossy surfaces, etc. - just preference really. We'll be living in it full-time so the only way we were really going to be able to get a layout and storage solution that fitted both our requirements, we were either going to have to pay someone to do it (not enough funds!) or do it ourselves

 

[n0legs]

Welcome

Not wanting to rain on your parade.
What vehicle have you bought and what is it's maximum weight?
This needs consideration before and during fit out.

Where I live we have a very very good custom camper outfitters and having shared a few drinks with the guys, I know this comes at the top of the list.

 

[shinobidef]

No probs - it's a Sprinter Luton and GVW is 3.5tn. I've done a calculation of the weight of all our belongings, us, water, food, units, mattress, shower, appliances, full water tank, full fuel tank, cladding - pretty much everything I could think of and we have about 250kg spare. I've tried overestimating everything as much as possible to be cautious and if I've got it wrong, there's quite a few ways we can modify the build towards the end if it's looking a bit hairy!

 

[xraymtb]

That's true - good converters use Vohringer ply or similar as it's very lightweight. My fittings cost me 10mpg in the end!

 

[skipdiver]

As someone who has built caravans and campervans for a living and also a few van fit outs for personal use and for friends, the first job is to board and insulate the floor, walls and ceiling before you start on the furniture. This is also the time to plan out wiring and pipe runs and any windows you may want to fit. Vans are very cold and prone to condensation if you don't do this part well and all your nice new furniture will soon be damp and mouldy, along with your clothes and bedding. The gas bottle needs to be isolated and vented to be legal and there are myriad other things to take into consideration if you want the van to be safe and user friendly. It's not as simple as just fitting some furniture in a van and off you go.

 

[shinobidef]

Thanks for the info skipdiver. I wasn't clear in that when I say "the first task", I mean the first task as far as the furniture goes! We've already insulated the walls with 25mm Celotex, the floor with 30mm XPS, there are conduit cables running along the van each side. The gas bottle section has been built into the face frame with the legal requirement of it being below the cupboard door and an external vent. The worktop has been treated with Danish oil and the T&G cladding will have 2 coats of hard wax oil (the side facing the insulation has been sealed with a wood protector). We're not having windows - this is a stealth camper so we've opted for rooflights and a turbo fan instead and a couple of 100W solar panels.

I was just wondering if anyone had some tips on what they think is the minimum thickness of ply I could get away with for the cabinets e.g. cabinet floor and drawer fronts, etc. based on what others have done when they need lightweight cabinets. They won't be moved into the van until we've built the bits towards the cab but we can't get on with that bit for now as this is more flexible in terms of sizing than the kitchen area.

 

[MusicMan]

You will save some weight with poplar ply. Available from Avon plywoods in Bristol even down to 3mm thickness, and they will laser cut it into any shape at reasonable cost, but delivery charges are quite high - take the camper down there!

 

[xraymtb]

You are going to live full time in a camper without windows?

 

[skipdiver]

Good to see that you have done the basics. The furniture can be built in the way you suggest and most often is just stapled together at the joins. The ply and glue provides the strength when completed.


Timber of 15mm thickness with a 3mm skin of plywood is ample and lightweight. Various widths of 20mm, 35mm and 45mm can be used for different circumstances, depending on the application. The ply used mostly is vinyl or paper wrapped 3mm wallboards and is also available as 15mm furniture board, which is 3mm skins on both sides of 9mm lightweight ply. It often comes in 6'6" x 4' sizes but also in 7' and 8' sometimes. Edges can be finished with knock in T tape of varying widths. A guy i used to work with runs a caravan and motorhome supply company where you could get some ideas. Search for Magnum Motorhomes and have a look see. Of course, there is nothing to stop you building furniture with more readily available materials from timber yards but stuff made specifically for the caravan trade is made to be strong and lightweight. It can be pricey though, but does come in a variety of attractive finishes.

 

[paulrockliffe]

There's a really good conversion website that my dad used for his. While there's people on here that know about this, you should definitely get on a specialist site too.

My dad used a conversion company in Wigan to supply the light weight ply that you'll want. I would find a local company and have a chat with them about materials and I would focus your design on dropping it as much weight at possible. See if you can find some example structures as a starting point.