Converting my Van into an RV (continued)
The finished desk/bed thing. I'll probably use plastic bins as drawers under the bed and on the shelf at the side. I'll put a cooktop on the desk to the left of the sink.
One last thing I had to do though -- the old board cart (which held the boards toaster-style) would not take the boards with all their hardware hanging off them. So I built a new simpler cart with just a single fin that I clamped the pieces to.
I then carted it piece by piece down to the van. The first problem was that leg which hits the side door motor. I had measured the motor base at 18 1/2 inches, and cut the leg to 18 1/4 inches. That turned out to be too high. So I had to set up the saw in the parking garage and cut it again. What a nuisance!
The second problem was just moving around in the van with all these pieces nearly as wide and long as the space I had to work with. Very crowded!
After I assembled the back and sides, I got nervous. For one thing, the leg under the motor was still a tight fit. I had visions of stopping short and having the leg ride up over the wheel well and use that leverage to rip the door motor off the wall! And I was worried that the whole thing was too wobbly with those 2 inch angle brackets I used everywhere. So I cut the leg down (again!) and added some of the tougher 4 inch angle braces. The construction looks pretty silly, but I do feel it's sturdier.
Finally, it was all in place. Unfortunately, I can't show you a nice view of it. The last thing I needed was heavy duty angles to tie the legs to the floor of the van (I'm having that done by the hand-control place.) I got those, but also impulsively bought some styrofoam to insulate the walls, back and roof. This filled up the back of the van again, obscuring the desk.
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I can't wait to see what the hand-control guys say about this whole project. They will probably bust a gut laughing. Once it gets tied down, I can put the insulation and a mattress in. At that point, I could try sleeping in it! That will tell me whether the shower and dresser are worth doing, or if this is just going to be an office.
See Part 3.