INTERIM UPDATE: The Dream has Come True

My dream has finally come true.  As I type this I am actually on the first adventure with my very own campervan, Ansel.  I will add a post later with some photos and more details regarding progress since my previous post, but I wanted to let you know what was happening, in case you were wondering (probably not, but here goes anyway).

I had originally planned to leave this past Wednesday but it was obvious I wouldn’t be finished in time, so I delayed it to Thursday.  Then I ran into some issues, first with the stove and propane supply (for the sake of saving face, I won’t give any details at this time) and then with the water supply (I had some serious leak issues).  Plus finishing up everything, particularly the cabinet fronts, took an interminable amount of time.  As a result, Thursday quickly slipped to Friday, and Friday soon slipped to Saturday.

All the critical elements (category (a), remember?) were finally complete by late Friday so Saturday would indeed be the day.  Was there more I wanted to do?  Of course.  But it was time to say “enough” and head out.  By mid-day I was on the road and heading for my first stop, my niece’s place in Cincinnati.  Tomorrow I will head to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

It has truly been a mix of emotions, and I haven’t really processed it all yet.  I am of course excited about the trip and finally getting a chance to do some photography again (I have REALLY missed it).  But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I am a bit nervous and anxious as well.  I’m confident in the work I’ve done, but you never know if something will go wrong (I’ve brought extra tools just in case). Bottom line, I am just physically and mentally exhausted.  It’s been an enjoyable project, but it’s been a lot of work in a relatively short period of time, so it will be good to take a break, get away, and have fun taking some photos!

On that note, I will be starting a new blog on the photo excursion itself, so stay tuned.

A beautiful day for an adventure.  Thanks to my best pal for helping my dream come true.  

Race to the Finish Line!

Problems are not unexpected when tackling a project, and I've certainly had my share of them with Ansel.  Most times the fixes are relatively easy and occasionally even quick.  Unfortunately, a few problems cropped up in the past few days that have taken much more time to resolve than I would have liked at this stage.

The most significant issue was that the refrigerator would not fit into the cabinet.  I knew it would be snug -- and in fact wanted it to be -- but what I hadn't realized is that the insulation on the sides of the refrigerator bulge slightly.  Not by much, mind you (maybe only an 1/8 inch or so), but just enough to keep it from sliding into the cabinet space.  I tried a few things to make it fit but eventually concluded I needed to modify the cabinet.  I cut one side out, and replaced the 3/4" plywood with 1/2" plywood, giving me an additional 1/4" inside width.  This did the trick, but the problem cost me nearly an entire day.

The other major issue was that the drawers would not slide into the cabinet (a similar problem, but a different reason).  I couldn't figure this one out for the longest time since my measurements were dead on!  It seems there were two issues: (1) these were cheap slides with a lot of "play", and (2) the slides were wider than the standard 1/2"...I discovered after the fact that the dimensions were metric, effectively adding about 1/16" on each side.  Again, not much but enough to cause the drawers to bind.  My solution?  I used my dado blade to cut a slight "channel" along the drawer sides to virtually narrower the drawers.  A true hack job, to be sure, but at least I got them to work.  In hind sight it would have been faster (though more expensive) to simply rebuild the drawers.  I've added this to the "future to do list" (along with new, better quality slides).

As a result of these and a few other less significant issues, I decided to hold off building the upper galley cabinets.  I don't really need the upper cabinets now...the biggest driver  was so I could mount the lights over the cooking area.  But temporarily I can mount these on the ceiling or rely on other lighting.  So, it looks like I can still meet my planned departure date!!!

Originally I wanted to cover the step leading to the cab with wood or something else.  But I realized that when the cabinets are in place, this would be more difficult, at least for the left-most section.  So, I just painted it for now (it used to be white).

Another hack job.  The cabinet right behind the drivers seat wouldn't slide all the way over on the base due to some "protrusions" in the van molding.  I couldn't modify the molding and modifying the base was not an option.  So I used my router to cut away some of the plywood.  This was a trial and error process that also took some time.  The good news is that this hidden and no one will ever notice!

Doors for cabinets ready to be polyurethaned and hung

Galley countertop being glued up.  I put the first coat of finish on tonight, and it looks sweet!  Will install tomorrow.

The (modified) refrigerator cabinet

Rather than mess with cutting boards I decided to make a cutting board/butcher block top for the refrigerator cabinet.  This was made from scrap wood I had laying around (at least 8 different species), and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!

To solve the dome light issue that I talked about in the previous post, I installed this "courtesy light" on the side of the refrigerator cabinet.  There's a switch on the opposite side that I can turn on when getting in the van when it's dark.

One of the benches and cushions made by MJ!!!  The small black thing at the lower left of the bench is a propane detector.  You'll also notice that I've started to install the faux ship lap.

Another contribution by MJ, the privacy curtain between the cab and the living space.  I found the curtains at Costco, but MJ had to shorten and hem them.  Thanks, honey!

The galley cabinets.  The plastic jug is for grey water.  It'll be hooked up to the sink once it gets dropped in.  The fresh water line is just above it, and the black hose at left is the propane line.