Dec
29
2014
The internal table and seating turned into quite a big job. It started out with some of our comfortable dining room chairs placed in the approximate space where the seats were to go, and copying the dimensions. The table top and seats were laid out with masking tape,and the build started from there.
I wanted the kitchen bench tops and the table tops to be at the same height, except a bench top is 900mm high and a table is 750mm high. So I built a small 150mm high 'plinth' for everything to sit upon, thus making the two benchtops the same height.
The pole to hold up the table was going to be a simple cylinder of aluminium until our shake-down trip to the beach. We go sick of opening up the cupboards every time we wanted a glass, implements, or a plate, and it is surprising how many times in a day you get these basic things.
So the table 'pole' transformed into an open type of cupboard made of stainless steel and designed to have knives and forks, glasses and plates in an easy to get to layout.
The length and width of this makes the table much more stable than a simple pole too.
The main body is a single sheet of 1.6mm stainless sheet bent into an approximate "C" shape and the three shelves are made from perforated stainless.
The top shelf will be for commonly used implements like knives and forks and spoons.
The lower shelves have both got foam inserts cut in the profile of either glasses or plates.
The foam is quite stiff and I just drilled it with my normal holesaws to make the holes for the glasses.
The holes for the plates were done with a jigsaw using a very long blade.
Now it is quick and easy to grab a plate or a glass, and it's a good way to safely store delicate items to cope with corrugations.
The table top is made from honeycomb fiberglass, and I TIG welded an aluminium surround to fit exactly the same profile.
I didn't rivet the edging on, just relying on Soudal T-Rex glue to keep the edging attached.
The whole table top is very light, only weighing about 5.5Kg (about 12 pounds).
This is what it looks like fitted in the truck.
For the seating, I have bought some custom cut foam from a local supplier. I am now waiting for a small industrial sewing machine to arrive from the USA so I can do the upholstery work.
Under the seat, I've put in an Ikea rubbish bin system, with 3 separate bins for rubbish, recycling and something else that I can't remember!
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