Still More Framing

Those of you reading this who are beginning to get a little tired of pictures of pine framing, I can sympathise. This weekend there has been more of the same. I had to wait for about a month from agreeing to buy the bus until I got to pick it up (bank stuff) and during that time I drew plans, went over everything and had it all worked out, or so I thought.


It turns out that the most challenging thing is creating this project as I go along. I have been lucky in that I haven't made any major stuff-ups, but in order to avoid them, I have spent what seems like hours just sitting and looking at the framing pondering how that what I am currently doing will affect what's to come. I have think ahead to accommodate plumbing, electrical, the 12volt solar system, gas installation and a myriad of other things. So if it looks like I haven't done much this weekend, my excuse is I've been thinking.





The 'bed/lounge' is about ready to be lined with plywood on the interior and to have some 10-12mm ply across the top. What I've decided to do here is make 3 'lift-up' sections, one of which is shown in the pic above. To accommodate this, I've widened the areas of the frame that will support the opening sections and put a frame across where the plywood cover doors will be hinged. The other sections that are not accessed by the lift up doors, I will fit the plywood to the frames and cut 'man holes' in them through the plywood.

Before Starting the framing for the main cupboards, I unpacked the fridge and located it approximately where I want it to end up. I figured that the best place to have it was opposite the door given that when you are out camping, you can get to it without going all of the way inside, and because it is opposite the steps, it means that I will be able to see into it without having to grovel around on the floor. The fridge is a Waeco MDC-90 litre model, (new but superseded). It is light and compact and I wonder where all of the money is. This model was $1499 RRP. I got it for $800 from the factory, still you have to wonder why they are so expensive. Made in Germany to last, I hope. The front panel is removable so you can replace it with whatever blends in best colour wise. Don't know it I'll bother at the moment. I will have to swap the door around so it opens from the right side. They provide instructions and bits to do this. Later.

So, here is what I've done this weekend. Actually what you see here was all done on Sunday. At 9.00am Sunday, I hadn't even started the main cupboards. As you can see they're not finished by along shot, but well on the way. I had to accommodate the wheels arch and work out how they cupboard were going to sit in relation to the windows etc. It had turned out OK, but there are still a few linger doubts about hinges for doors etc. All will become clear immediately before I go to do that part of the job. That's it for this week. The weather is warming up and the days getting longer, so I may be able to get the odd bits and pieces done after work. We'll see. Thanks for reading.

Shower Framing Completed

A reasonably productive weekend with one of the most difficult areas to frame completed. As mentioned in a previous post, I was dreading the shower/toilet area because of the need to extend from floor to roof and take into account the waterproofing and the angle of the roof etc.

At the end of last weekend, I'd started the frame and it took me a week of pondering to sort out how I was going to do it, and after all that, when I went to put it into practice it had to change.

The idea is to use the wheel arch over as a support for the toilet and provide enough room so that a person can not only get into the cubicle, but also have a reasonable shower.

I started off with the cubicle being a planned 1300mm x 700mm, but when I marked it out and saw the size I decided that it was too big. As you can see pfrom the photos, I have decided to make the back part of the shower into a floor to roof storage cupboard. To leave it as shower would just be a waste of valuable space. Anyway its done now. Have a look at the finished product, well the framing anyway.

The first frame to go in was this side one, probably the easiest of all of them.

The finished job, a bit a battle and 2 days work but at least its solid and won't move.

This is the space for the cupboard behind the shower cubicle. You can see the benefit of the pocket hole joinery here.  It makes life so much simpler.  You can construct alot of the frames on the bench,  but being able to add in supports etc as you go is great, and the joints are always accessible.

This is the base for the toilet built on top of the wheel arch  There is storage space under too.  I intent to line oout the bottom of the shower with exterior grade plywood, seal it then cover it with fibreglass to make the base.  That's the plan.  If you have any other suggestions I would love to hear them.

The Framing

Well, some real progress this weekend, the framing has started. I decided to use 42mm x 19mm pine for the framing for a couple of reasons, the main being that it is light and the other reason is that it is comparably inexpensive. The pine cost $1.57 per metre from a company called Timber Wholesale in Glenorchy. I am pleased to say that when I paid for 'clear' timber it was in fact free of knots and sap marks. If you buy the cheaper grade you can end up with quite a bit of waste.

The timber is straight, true and free of imperfections and is just what I needed to ensure good straight frames.
I also purchased a quantity of the lining boards that I will be using once the frames are completed. I did this because I thought that I may need some to fill in spots that I won't be able to get to when I move onto the next piece of furniture.

The Joining System
For a long time prior to purchasing the vehicle, I was searching for a joining system that would allow for butt joints without having to use biscuit joinery which although faster than many jointing systems still takes a long time because each joint has to be glued and cramped until the glue is dry. Finally I discovered the Kreg Pocket Hole System. What a fantastic method of joining timber which is both strong and fast. If you want to see how the system works there are many videos on YouTube, just type in 'Kreg' into the search window. You'll be amazed how quick and easy this method is. All you need is a saw that will cut square and of course the pocket hole jig. Without a straight cutting saw, you're wasting your time.

This pic shows the Kreg Jig ready to use. I screwed it to a small table and I found it works just as it was supposed to. In the kit is a dust extraction cover that you connect to a vacuum cleaner to remove the dust and I found that this was a real asset. It prevented the drill clogging and made the job faster and cleaner. The pic below is an example of the pocket holes. Clean and square.

I decided to start at the back of the bus and work forward, using the 42 x 19 pine on its edge for strength and also to reduce the amount of room that it took up. When you only have a small amount of space in the vehicle, you want to use what you have as effectively as possible.

The framing in the pic below is for the 'U' shaped lounge which doubles as a bed. You can see that at the end of this weekend, I've basically completed the frame and started the shower/toilet frames.

Can't wait to get going on it again. I will continue to move foward in the bus and complete the shower/toilet. This will pose some problems because as you can see the roof slopes in toward the middle. I can see some creativity being required here. I intend lining the shower with waterproof plywood and Lamipanel. Until next time.

More Planning Needed

Well, the weekend came and went without much progress at all. The main reason was that I had settled on a layout and having done so decided to do side elevations of the cupboards etc. The problem was that I did all of this before I actually got my hands on the bus. The reality is that when I began studying the plans against the bus with all of the interior panels removed, my ideas became a bit impractical.

My idea was to have two single beds at the back of the bus, centrally mounted cupboards on each side, a toilet/shower on the right behind the driver's seat and a small desk opposite the shower. The trouble is I had failed to take the rear wheel arches and the frames of the bus into account. This meant that I had to re-think the layout.

I spent a fair bit of time measuring and drawing plans again over the weekend, and that combined with terrible weather meant that not much was done. On brighter note, I have ordered the fridge.

THE FRIDGE
I had to make a decision about whether to go 3 way with the fridge or settle for 12volt compressor type. Because I am going to need a good 12 volt supply to support my Amateur Radio hobby, I have decided to go with a couple of good sized AGM deep cycle batteries and solar panels with a smart charger.

I found the fridge on the Waeco factory website reduced from $1499 to $800 simply because it was a superseded model. This website has heaps of RV euipment at greatly reduced prices. Its worth a look at www.getawaeco.com.au. The prices are good and delivery is very reasonable ($47.00 to Tassie). The fridge was bundled with a 240v adapter which senses mains power and switches the battery out of circuit. That with a 90 litre fridge fitted with a German made Danfoss compressor (low power consumption) all for $800. A bargain I think. I'll post a pic when it arrives.

More soon...

First Job - Removing the Seats

The bus is at home and in the carport and just waiting to be converted. Today was the first day of work on the bus and before I can do anything else the seat have to come out to give me a blank canvas to work on. From all accounts the seats should have been easy, just undo the bolts on the inside right. No. All of the seats were held in place with bolts and the nuts under the bus weren't locked.I contemplated climbing under the bus and using vice grips to hold the nuts, but that was just too hard. Instead I made a trip to the hardware store and bought some new cut-off discs for the angle grinder and ground the heads off the bolts. Lots of sparks and metal filings everywhere, but much easier. If you wanted to re-install the seats again, I wouldn't use this method as it weakens the mounts which could cause them to break.


This is the before photo with the seats in place. The bus was licensed to seat 20 adults, but I reckon they would have been jammed in like sardines. The seats are so low. The bus was used to ferry primary school kids around so not much leg room was needed. I had some trouble fitting the vehicle into the carport but luckily it has an earth floor and I was able to dig out a couple of wheel 'trenches' to allow the bus to fit under the trusses in the carport.




Well thats the end of the first days work. Seats are all out and just needs a clean up. It didn't turn out to be as hard as I thought. Best thing is that there have been no nasty surprises. The bus looks to be in good order. There are only a few very tiny bits of rust that will be easy to fix. But that will be the last thing. Whats next? I am going to mark out the location of fittings next, but that will have to wait until next time.

The Background

For me the time has come when, for many many reasons, my life needs to change. Living to Work has had to become Working to Live. Since I was in my 20's I've wanted to own a motorhome. More than that, I've had a burning desire to convert a bus or coach into a home on wheels, not to live in, but to get away in.

This has never happened and although I did buy an old Ford bus many years ago with this intention, work and family prevented me from devoting the time to the conversion. Things are different now. The stars have aligned not only to make it possible, but also almost necessary for me to 'follow the dream'.

SO here begins the 'Project'. A project to convert a former school bus into my idea of a holiday home. I intend to do as much of the conversion as I can myself, not only to save money but from the satisfaction I know the end product will bring.

Why a blog? For two reasons; I have a number of friends and family interstate who I hope will want to follow the progress of the conversion, and because I want to put what I am doing out there in enough detail that it might assist those who follow.