Design & Build A Birch Panel

This video deals with the designing, building and shellacking of a birch panel. Removal and installation of panels can be seen in my other videos.
Patreon / cannedhamtrailers
Website www.cannedhamtr...

[@doogals]

Is a roof vent really worth it? I see so much water damage around them. A lot of campers, but not all, have an upper bunk vent mounted in the walls. I would think they would work almost as well without leaking.

[@mobiltec]

It's very much worth it. When it's hot you need that vent to allow the heat to leave the trailer. Especially when cooking inside. Problem is, no one ever removes and re-seals the vent until it's too late. All openings in a trailer should be removed and re-sealed 7 to 15 years depending on your climate. The putty tape eventually dries out and let's water in. Easy maintenance item but no one ever does it till they see water damage on the inside. By then it's too late.

[@charleshoward9983]

man that turned out beautiful ! Good Idea changing that pieace. I think it made a world of difference.

[@mobiltec]

I actually ended up replacing the entire top wrap from front to rear.

[@happycamper5900]

It is a pleasure to see such a craftsman. I enjoy every one of your videos. Thanks!

[@mobiltec]

You're welcome. Thanks for the kind words.

[@wilkiepup1]

Beautiful. Great depth to the finish. Our modern vinyl wall finishes can't hold a candle to what you are achieving here. We're forging ahead with our 1996 fifth wheel project. Finding all the shoddy workmanship and taking care of it. Love your videos. The Master at work, doing it right!

[@mobiltec]

Good luck with your project Marilyn...

[@LcJohnson7962]

We actually found 1/8 inch luan today at Home Depot. Now if the rain will let up, we will get the roof on. Starting with the "key" piece. Your video skills are excellent!

[@mobiltec]

Hi LInda, keep in mind that Luan doesn't look the same as Birch paneling. Or are you painting it?

[@LcJohnson7962]

mobiltec I am painting it white. But only because we don't have the time or strength to rebuild the cabinets and they are already painted. If we could start over with a coveted place to keep it while we worked on it and could take our time I would definitely rebuild them and use birch so I could stain and shellac like you do. I will just have to be happy with white interior and no rotted wood. Got to be ready to travel by end of September. I hope next week we will have a few days of no rain although the state is still in a drought. We've had lots of rain this spring but not enough. We usually go from a few pleasant days of spring to hot and humid. June, July and August will be miserable. I'm watching your videos now. Trying to get sleepy so I can get up early but it's not working. Thanks, Larry.

[@campfire52]

Beautiful job on that, thank you very much for sharing it with us Larry. Take care my friend.

[@mobiltec]

It's really been bugging me that I don't know your name. Can't really call you campfire...

[@campfire52]

My name is actually Terry.

[@mobiltec]

Great Terry. Glad to formally meet you..

[@campfire52]

Very glad to formally meet you too. Thank you very much for all of your great videos through the years. I am proud to say that your channel is one of the first channels that I subscribed to. I think that I have been subscribed for six or maybe even seven years now. I have enjoyed every single video that you have put on your channel. If you keep making them, I will definitely keep watching them. Take care Larry and enjoy life.

[@mobiltec]

Glad to have you aboard for all these years Terry.

[@Anonymoose]

Hahaha! @ 6:08, "Nuthin' to it." Yeah, right... Table saws have always scared the Hell out of me, and I'm glad they do. It results in a huge amount of respect when I use one. This is a great addition to your arsenal, but always keep in the back of your head that it could make one of your fingers disappear before you even knew it happened. I've never tried it with shellac, but I've used the French polish method (without knowing what it's called) with tung oil, and the results are absolutely spectacular. Of course, it's a purely natural finish, not the amber you're after, but the process is the same, and I have some old vintage 1960s walnut and mahogany, that I refinished with it 15 years ago, that's as perfect as it was the day I declared it done.

[@mobiltec]

I know what you mean about the table saw John. I watched as my wood shop teacher in high school took off his thumb on a table saw. Not a pretty sight. Right after that he said, "do as I say, not as I do"... I now use he french polish method on all my birch. It really works well. I tried it out for the first time on the cabinets of this trailer and loved the results. Thanks for your comments John.

[@LcJohnson7962]

We are going to start on the middle panel like you did. Then work our way down. Maybe it will wrap better. Probably have to splice some. There is a cabinet on that end that would hide a splice. After taking today off and resting, doing laundry and cleaning I feel so much better and I'm ready to go at it again. Thanks for the videos!!!!

[@mobiltec]

Well you never want a splice in the radius. Always make sure no matter what, you have your splices on flat framing at least one rafter past the radius if not more. On both ends. This is why many times there is a small piece of paneling in between the "KEY" sheet and the piece that wraps around the radius. Because you want your key sheet surrounding the top vent.

[@LcJohnson7962]

mobiltec Thank you so much. Will do. I have a steamer. Do you think that would help to bend the wood around the radius?

[@mobiltec]

That is something I have not tried yet but I bet it would work.

[@MrBlender777]

nice work Larry!

[@mobiltec]

Thank you David...

[@MrBlender777]

I'm watching your video on the stretcher right now. Looks great, wish I had one of those when I was working with jrail; I bent all of it it by hand...

[@lifehawk3599]

Amazing. Wonderfully done. I learned much. Thanks.

[@mobiltec]

You're welcome. Check out my website for lists of hundreds of videos on the subject. www.canndedhamtrailers.com

[@PaulDGreen-bu4iz]

Great work Larry! Looks really great! Thank you for sharing!

[@mobiltec]

Thanks Paul... Glad you like it. I Need to get the owner to send me some photos now that it's all painted and finished.

[@c.j.brownbearflips742]

Hey Larry , first of all how are you doing ? 2nd I hope you get your hands on a hand break and an air sheer ! It's the little things that add up in that business , I'm not even joking . Great job - well done and hats off , ok TTYL 😁

[@mobiltec]

I'm looking for the brake. Things are moving along nicely. Loving living in Nevada...

[@c.j.brownbearflips742]

mobiltec I sure am glad to see a good guy finely coming up after being held down for so long , living in California is beautiful but what a nightmare to make a living ! Happy to see you've moved now you can eat and drink the way you wish , ps I hope your getting more then $15.000. a trailer !!!!!! Make that money and stay bitching 💰🛠😁

[@c.j.brownbearflips742]

P.s. I LOVE NEVADA 💜

[@mobiltec]

Well it's not as easy as some might think to make a living doing this. But I'm getting by and hope to grow... Thanks for the kind words.

[@BobJones-hf7bt]

Beautiful job

[@mobiltec]

Thanks Bob...

[@charleshoward9983]

Yea It really made all the difference doing that. like I said it turned out beautiful!

[@kirksway1]

you do such excellent work

[@mobiltec]

Thanks Kirk. It's not hard though. Just takes a little practice and some patience...

[@vantastic_dreamer]

Wow!! Gorgeous!

[@mobiltec]

And as you can see, it's not hard to do.

[@A35pickuptruck]

Hi Larry, I like the idea of gluing the cross members onto the paneling. I think it make the job easier and gives a lot of support while installing. I wanted to ask you about the clear finish. What do you think about the water base products over the oil base products also do you use simi gloss or satin finish.

[@mobiltec]

I use only shellac. Never put anything else over shellac. On new paneling I use two coats of amber and 3 clear. Sometimes in order to match other paneling I may use 3 coats of amber...

[@A35pickuptruck]

OK Thanks Keep up the good work and the video's

[@couerl]

That looks really nice, I like the French finish too and I think they call that "chatoyance" when you get that sweet glossy finish. I'm finally going to pull the trigger and build my own camper starting this month and after years of mulling it over I've decided instead of rebuilding or buying new to just make my own "cowboy camper". You can see them on youtube, but you probably know what they are. I'm going to skip the sink and cooktop and all that and just put in a 60x80 bed with led lighting strips, 110 and usb charging ports for cell phones.. Anyway Larry, I had a question or two before I start that maybe you can help me with. I figure I can build the box easy enough and do the siding from watching you do it, but I wonder if you can recommend an internet company to get windows and doors (misc parts) from or if you just source them locally? I saw you rebuild a door once, but not build a new one from scratch so I'm wondering if ordering is worth the 300 bucks or so (ebay cost) or if I should build one myself? Second, the building method Capri campers uses is a stich and glue 2x2's frame and I wonder if they do it to save money on screws or if its more flexible in the bed and thus intentional? I had planned on screw and glue and using soft pink insulation but their method got me to thinking about something you said in another video way back about why they built these old wood campers the way they do so they could flex and not rattle apart etc,.. Is the rigid foam and stich method better for a truck slide in or stick with screws and twisty nails?

[@mobiltec]

I don't know the answers to your questions. I am only experienced in rebuilding old 50s and 60s campers and I rebuild them pretty much the same way they were built at the factory... Sorry I can't be of more help.

[@couerl]

Well that's what trial and error is for. :) Thanks Larry.

[@mobiltec]

The best thing I can say is don't over build it and remember what I keep talking about regarding how these and all other trailers are engineered for strength. The cabinets and the way they are attached are the main super structure of the trailer. They are what keep it square and strong. Consider the cabinets gussets. They do the same job.

[@LcJohnson7962]

Great job! We are now attempting to put the top on the Play-Mor. How did you get the panel to wrap over the radius? We started from the front and we are using luan not birch because the original wasn't birch but a type of paneling. I wanted to use luan and paint it white since someone had already painted everything beige. The luan is 3/16. The thinnest we could find but it wouldn't bend and we ended up taking it off covering the camper and deciding to take a few days off.

[@mobiltec]

Yep. You will have to find 1/8 inch material. It's somewhere. You just have to keep looking. Forget about Home Depot or Lowes. Try hardwood lumber companies and the like. Never give up. If I remember right your pla-more has a very tight radius? If it's too tight, you will have to build a steam box or something. I am used to Canned Hams which have fairly large radii...

[@ronbonnevie5146]

Beautiful job. Where do you find 1/8" birch paneling? I can't find any here in Maine.

[@mobiltec]

Welcome to one of the biggest scavenger hunts of your life. You must go to real lumber yards. Look for specialty lumber yards that handle hardwoods and finish materials. Talk to a cabinet maker. It's around. You just have to find it. Not in big box stores. You may ask in Vintage Trailer Talk forum. There are people there who know where to get it in your area. Just google it.

[@ronbonnevie5146]

@@mobiltec Thanks for that intel. I'll keep looking. I already replaced 2 ceiling panels in my 64 Shasta 16SCS with what Home Depot calls a utility plywood. It's a nice finish but now trying to come close to a stain match mixing the Amber shellac to get more of a yellowish tone since the plywood has more of a redish tone.

[@bear4532]

That really turned out spectacular Larry. Nice work with camera and edit too! How is your eye doing? I plum fergot about it...but I'll bet you haven't!

[@mobiltec]

Thanks Bear. I have one more laser procedure at the end of the month and then they SAY I will have good vision in it again. It's all blurry right now because of some membrane that grew over the retina while healing. They say it is a normal thing but didn't tell me about it until I complained. So we'll SEE... I hope.

[@bear4532]

Good luck Larry. In this case, two is better than one!

[@mobiltec]

You betcha...

[@wpiitmtv]

Here's a potentially ignorant question: Where is the insulation in this panel construction method? Between the exterior panel and the aluminum cladding?

[@mobiltec]

Yes. As shown in other videos I peel off one inch thick layers from regular R13 fiberglass insulation and spray glue it between the rafters. Then cover that with vapor barrier and then the metal skin goes on.

[@theljbalz6691]

This may be a silly question and you may have mentioned this in some of your other videos, but did you do any sanding prior to finishing? Looks great btw. Thanks for the videos.

[@mobiltec]

Light sand with 220 grit if the paneling looks like it's been sitting on the shelf for a long time. Other than that... no.

[@stephenlomazzo1369]

Would you mind posting your dilution mix ratio? You said 15%ish but it if you could give an idea of DNA to shellac mix, I would greatly appreciate it!

[@mobiltec]

It all depends on temp and humidity so basically it's environment. It takes some playing around and experimenting to get it right for your conditions. The drier it is the more you dilute in order to make it stay wet longer. Easier to brush your strokes back into itself. That's what gets rid of brush marks. The heat has the same affect as dryness. So the hotter the more you dilute. Never more than 20% though. In cooler weather with a little more humidity you can go down to 10%. I very seldom use it straight but with some woods, if you get good enough with the brush you can go with no dilution. But that takes some practice. You can't go wrong with 15% and keep in mind that I don't measure any longer. I just kind of know how much to pour in now for my conditions.

[@ronbonnevie5146]

Do you have any info about the original Shasta colors? I'm looking to match the lower sky blue color on my '64 16SCS.

[@mobiltec]

In 64 the yellows and light greens were popular. But all colors including Salmon (sorta pink) sky blue and red were also among the colors being asked for. Tops were the yellows and salmon.

[@ronbonnevie5146]

@@mobiltec Tnhanks for that info. It's the sky blue I'm looking for

[@Colorado4x4Van]

Awesome! What brand of shellac do you use?

[@mobiltec]

Zinnser Bull'e Eye Shellac.. You can get it at Home Depot... $15 a quart on average. You will also need a gallon of Denatured Alcohol. Also sold at HD. Go to my website and find the videos I have on shellac. Everything you need to know in there. Everything is listed on the site so it's easy to find. www.cannedhamtrailers.com

[@Colorado4x4Van]

Ok...Thank you!

[@sagebrushbob2321]

As we all know, who have done this the hard way, once you start breathing the fumes of that third coat of shellac on the ceiling you won't notice the shellac running down your arm anymore. Problem solved. The cleanup afterward can be a bit difficult tho...

[@mobiltec]

LOL...

[@ronbonnevie5146]

Does anyone know what color the rims were on the original 60's Shastas?

[@mobiltec]

Let me know if you find out.

[@mrdanforth3744]

Ever try a roller or spray gun?

[@mobiltec]

Yes.

[@mrdanforth3744]

How did it work? I have used brush, spray and roller for painting but have no experience of shellacking large areas. I wondered if there is a reason for using a brush when roller or spray would be quicker. I was thinking if I was going to use 3 or 4 sheets for a repair job, or even more, that I would hang them up and spray them all at once before I began building.

[@mobiltec]

Quicker is not something we usually go for with things like this. It's how it looks that we are after. Brushing actually takes longer though. Spray just does not give it the same look that french polish does. And brushing makes it look better than spraying. So spraying is not the way to go if you want a deep rich looking finish. Watch my other videos on shellac.

[@barnclebill6333]

I think you got a close match.

[@mobiltec]

It looks even better in person.

[@Wythegoodsense]

Real nice reproduction.

[@mobiltec]

Thank you...

[@ScottyBr4700]

That looks like your old place in So. Cal.

[@mobiltec]

It is... I've been using some old video that never made it to edit to learn a new editing program. This video is a compilation of what I have learned so far. But it's also a good how-to video on pre-assembling and shellacking a birch panel.