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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

RV Mods

The other day Carol said she was ready to move the craft center in to the RV.  That is a good sign because our days remaining in the house are numbered. Moving from 1700 square feet to 400 square feet is not something you do over night.  It has to be done in stages. We are fortunate that we have a little time to complete this move.
100_0319When we bought our RV, we decided the couch would have to go. It was nice but was not something we needed when we get on the road.  Yes, it folds out to make a bed for overnight guests.  We did not need the extra seating when considering what we wanted in that spot.  Carol loves quilting and crafting. The idea of replacing the couch with a craft center was the solution.

So, off I went to my woodshop to make a crafter for Carol. I removed the legs DSC_1807from a 6 foot folding table and built a more suitable frame using the same construction technique found in RV’s Here is what I came up with. The only thing I had to purchase was a couple of 4x8 sheets of 1/4” oak plywood. Home Depot had some on the rack marked as “damaged” for $2 per sheet instead of $13.00 per sheet for the good stuff. Since the plan called for cutting the sheets, I was able to find 2 sheets that would work. Now all I need to do is get it into the RV.  

Our daughter took the couch from the RV so that left a nice spot for the craft center.100_0485
Yikes! Pretty tight fit. Sure hope it fits through the door.  That sucker is glued together and will not come apart without damaging it. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

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YEAH! That’s what I’m talking about. Once I figured out how to get it into the door and get it turned, the rest was pretty easy.

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Now to accessorize it a bit. The bins on the right are on wheels so they roll in or out as needed. Carol has not seen this in the RV yet, but I think she will be pleased.

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When traveling, the bins will be stowed with drawers facing in and pushed all the way in. The sewing machine will fit under the center section on the floor. The space on the left will be filled with stackable containers. And it weighs less than the couch.

PS – When you come for an overnight visit, you will be sleeping on a air bed on the floor. Hope that is OK.

10 comments:

  1. WOO-HOO, looks great...I'm sure Carol will be very pleased -- great job!

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  2. I'm very impressed with it! I see you followed the "measure twice, cut once" rule...good fit!

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  3. Very nice! Making it your own is what it's all about. We also took out our couch and dining table to make it fit "us". We too hope to hit the rid in a few months. See you down the road.

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  4. Looks GREAT! This Carol is terribly jealous... I'm still working on a how to bring the sewing machines with us.

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  5. Really great. I wish I could compress my stuff down to that.

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  6. Nice job! That looks terrific.

    My wife, Paulette, is an avid quilter and after showing her your setup she is very envious.

    Me? Ain't gonna happen!!

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  7. Wow, I am impressed. wonder if I could convince Paul to get rid of the couch!
    You do beautiful work.

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  8. I love this! What an excellent idea . . . I had pretty much figured I would be doing most of my sewing outside on the picnic table when we finally hit the road . . . but you're putting new thoughts in my head!

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  9. I, too, am a quilter and plan on taking my machine with us. I am truly envious of your setup. Looks wonderful. Carol will be delighted I'm sure.

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  10. Fantastic idea and great job! We will be hitting the road in about a year and I was looking for some ideas for my crafting stuff, was considering a Toy Hauler so I could use that space for my massive craft collection....thanks for the idea, maybe I don't need the hauler now!

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