I'll try to keep this short and will fill in more details as questions are asked (or not!).
Let's start with the OEM floorplan of the 315RLTS (shown below). Note the arrows pointing to the both the kitchen and dinette slide trim as they played an integral role in the configuration of the foam desk.
The OEM rear couch and side stands were not the best use of space for the DW and I. We've had a temporary folding table between the side stands for quite a while but after extensive research decided on trying our hand at building a foam desk.
There is way too much technical details to go into the actual construction process of foam-based furniture or cabinets. The best resource I've found on the topic is Nomad's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@falkornomad His Foam Bones series is fantastic and is the genesis for most of the construction technique used (with some custom changes that I will mention below).
Why foam? Again, watch Nomad's videos as he goes into great detail on the justification (weight, cost, etc).
STEP 1: Plan the Desk
To accomplish this task I took quite a long time to learn how to use SketchUp (a 3D drawing program). The version used is from 2017 (the last full-featured "free" version that can be installed locally on a computer). Works great on my old Windows 7 computer, though some of the latest YouTube videos from SketchUp, the SketchUp School and The SketchUp Essentials don't always work on the older version. I'm just not willing to fork over the $$$ for the newer version.
So below is the concept (version 17!) for the desk as drawn in Sketchup with the side walls and rear wall of the camper.
The small box labeled "1" is a wireless router. The shelving unit ("3" in the pic) is where a small NAS and UPS will eventually be located. Number 2 is an embedded outlet with USB connections (there's one behind both laptops) so it's easy to plug in items used on the desk.
So why shelves instead of drawers? Remember at the beginning I mentioned the slide trim? Any drawer that might pull out will impact the slide trim, thus the drawer would have had to be offset (inboard) almost three inches to clear the trim when opened. Moving the drawers inboard sacrificed way too much space, so shelving was chosen as the alternative. The left side will be for tool storage and the right side for printer storage, as previously mentioned a NAS, UPS, and a DeWalt charging station (with battery storage).
The concept above doesn't show it, but the shelving units are being built separately from wood for strength and space-saving. The weight savings for these two small shelving units (versus the space lost if made from foam) was not worth it.
Cutting out the foam pieces was the first deviation from Nomad's process. I chose to use my table saw and jig saw with blades that are meant for cutting luan (lots of teeth). Cut very clean.
The 1" x 1" notches were probably overkill...a lot of work so everything could be dry-fit. Next time I'll cut them longer, maybe even as large as 4"x1".
Once all the pieces were cut the table was assembled (dry fit). Note the notches the arrows are pointing to are a mistake--but they'll be covered so (thankfully) didn't need to cut a top again. Note there's a 1/8" luan top piece, too.
Also note the "L" in the back corner in the picture above. There are two of them, one on each side, that will remain free-standing. The "L" covers up the wiring in the back corners. Below is the deconstruction of the camper (side stands removed) showing the wiring. The wires going up the wall are part of the brake lights mounted high on the back wall (see https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...2121#post22121 ). Those wires will be covered up with the same trim used in the original modification.
continued in next post...
Let's start with the OEM floorplan of the 315RLTS (shown below). Note the arrows pointing to the both the kitchen and dinette slide trim as they played an integral role in the configuration of the foam desk.
The OEM rear couch and side stands were not the best use of space for the DW and I. We've had a temporary folding table between the side stands for quite a while but after extensive research decided on trying our hand at building a foam desk.
There is way too much technical details to go into the actual construction process of foam-based furniture or cabinets. The best resource I've found on the topic is Nomad's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@falkornomad His Foam Bones series is fantastic and is the genesis for most of the construction technique used (with some custom changes that I will mention below).
Why foam? Again, watch Nomad's videos as he goes into great detail on the justification (weight, cost, etc).
STEP 1: Plan the Desk
To accomplish this task I took quite a long time to learn how to use SketchUp (a 3D drawing program). The version used is from 2017 (the last full-featured "free" version that can be installed locally on a computer). Works great on my old Windows 7 computer, though some of the latest YouTube videos from SketchUp, the SketchUp School and The SketchUp Essentials don't always work on the older version. I'm just not willing to fork over the $$$ for the newer version.
So below is the concept (version 17!) for the desk as drawn in Sketchup with the side walls and rear wall of the camper.
The small box labeled "1" is a wireless router. The shelving unit ("3" in the pic) is where a small NAS and UPS will eventually be located. Number 2 is an embedded outlet with USB connections (there's one behind both laptops) so it's easy to plug in items used on the desk.
So why shelves instead of drawers? Remember at the beginning I mentioned the slide trim? Any drawer that might pull out will impact the slide trim, thus the drawer would have had to be offset (inboard) almost three inches to clear the trim when opened. Moving the drawers inboard sacrificed way too much space, so shelving was chosen as the alternative. The left side will be for tool storage and the right side for printer storage, as previously mentioned a NAS, UPS, and a DeWalt charging station (with battery storage).
The concept above doesn't show it, but the shelving units are being built separately from wood for strength and space-saving. The weight savings for these two small shelving units (versus the space lost if made from foam) was not worth it.
Cutting out the foam pieces was the first deviation from Nomad's process. I chose to use my table saw and jig saw with blades that are meant for cutting luan (lots of teeth). Cut very clean.
The 1" x 1" notches were probably overkill...a lot of work so everything could be dry-fit. Next time I'll cut them longer, maybe even as large as 4"x1".
Once all the pieces were cut the table was assembled (dry fit). Note the notches the arrows are pointing to are a mistake--but they'll be covered so (thankfully) didn't need to cut a top again. Note there's a 1/8" luan top piece, too.
Also note the "L" in the back corner in the picture above. There are two of them, one on each side, that will remain free-standing. The "L" covers up the wiring in the back corners. Below is the deconstruction of the camper (side stands removed) showing the wiring. The wires going up the wall are part of the brake lights mounted high on the back wall (see https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...2121#post22121 ). Those wires will be covered up with the same trim used in the original modification.
continued in next post...
Comment