Tiny House On A Steel Soldier “Redux” Expedition Build

[BrandonBellrose]

Pretty! With so many materials available, why Oak? Not stainless, Corian, marble/granite veneer?

Funny that you mentioned Corian, I owned two different Corian countertop businesses for ten years. One in San Juan Capistrano, Ca the other in Durango, Colorado. Wife and I are burned out on Corian, Granite, and with all the metal framing we felt that stainless would feel to industrial cold. Both Granite and Marble have natural fissures and have a tendency to crack way to easy with the way I drive. ( I learned the hard way ). We felt the modern high gloss birch walls we are installing, mixed with white oak counters/floors would warm up the aged blackened steel framing. We are not going to cover up the framing, the wood in both cases will be inlayed into the steel framing allowing the steel to be enjoyed in a (steam punk “modern rustic”) way. We wanted to be different, hopefully this turns out. Using the m109a3 van body with its old school looks, I felt i needed to pay respect to that feeling by designing rustic.

 

[BrandonBellrose]

Day Trip Damage Plus Trail Video

Needed to take a break today from sanding on the kitchen countertop, went for a drive in the m931a2 with the wife and 8yr old girl. Trail was new to me and got really steep and narrow fast. Truck was doing good even though trees were touching both mirrors. “But then” it got real steep, narrow, and it added a bit of snow. Well......long story short while backing down we hit a tree. Oh well......just add it to the list of things.

 

[BrandonBellrose]

First bench drawer roughed in, high gloss birch will be inlayed in drawer front with a marine door latch. The drawer body will also be built in birch, steel will be blackened.

 

[BrandonBellrose]

Trinity wanted to show you all the birch that will be our walls, cabinet doors face inserts, and cabinet bodies.

 

[CARMAN]

Pretty! With so many materials available, why Oak? Not stainless, Corian,
marble/granite veneer?

being that solid wood furniture is my profession. I like it! Just use a good top coat like General Finishes. Arm-R-Seal

 

[marchplumber]

Understand the reasoning.......thanks for the insight........munchkin has a possible career in the meterology gig......TV weather person! lol. =)

 

[BrandonBellrose]

being that solid wood furniture is my profession. I like it! Just use a good top coat like General Finishes. Arm-R-Seal

I was going to use a Danish Oil and wet sand it to 220 to bring the ghost figure out of the oak, then lacquer it. But I’m not a expert by any means. It’s been years since I have worked on a wood/furniture project, any advice is always appreciated.

 

[BrandonBellrose]

Understand the reasoning.......thanks for the insight........munchkin has a possible career in the meterology gig......TV weather person! lol. =)

Trinity said “Thank You” she wants to be on TV and Weather would be cool. But she says she looks outside everyday and she knows if it’s sunny or raining. She doesn’t know why people need some other person to tell them about the weather when they can just open the door and look out themselves.

 

[mcv1964]

you know I am in Martin City MT and any time you are short on projects I got a 1951 M135 that I want to stretch the frame on and then put the back half of a 1951 GMC school bus on. LOTS OF WELDING TO DO!!! The four big issues I have are:
1. I don't have a welder.
2. I don't know how to weld even if I had one.
3. I have no budget (I'm a retired / disabled pastor) ...big sigh... lol.
4. My wife is sure that this is never going to happen...lol! THIS HAS TO HAPPEN...LOL!

So after your next big adventure I might have to come check out your rig and get some ideas....need to bring the wife so she can see that it is possible to live small. I have some ideas for a couple of e-books and if they are successful I might be able to get this project going.

You know Martin City is about 4 hours from you and in Montana distance that's just a hop skip and a jump away.

 

[tobyS]

Oak, walnut, cherry etc. tongue and groove solid wood flooring makes a good wall covering. I use screws and fasten to wood or metal frame (pre-drill). Small heads don't split the tongue. Small quantities are cheap.

 

[CARMAN]

I was going to use a Danish Oil and wet sand it to 220 to bring the ghost figure out of the oak, then lacquer it. But I’m not a expert by any means. It’s been years since I have worked on a wood/furniture project, any advice is always appreciated.

Up to you. I would just clear coat in an oil base poly or if you want a little color, stain it first. These are just clear coated. Silver maple with barn wood base, spalted maple bar top and the large one on the bottom is an ash table

 

[BrandonBellrose]

Oak, walnut, cherry etc. tongue and groove solid wood flooring makes a good wall covering. I use screws and fasten to wood or metal frame (pre-drill). Small heads don't split the tongue. Small quantities are cheap.

I have worked with tongue and groove over the years, mostly pine. Your right that it has many great uses, I think your idea of flooring is brilliant.

 

[BrandonBellrose]

Up to you. I would just clear coat in an oil base poly or if you want a little color, stain it first. These are just clear coated. Silver maple with barn wood base, spalted maple bar top and the large one on the bottom is an ash table


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So once you get to Philipsburg, Montana turn left at the gas station, can’t miss my place its the shop with the HDT Airbeam tents. Much respect to your beautiful projects, I can see I’m taking notes from the right craftsman. Thanks

 

[BrandonBellrose]

you know I am in Martin City MT and any time you are short on projects I got a 1951 M135 that I want to stretch the frame on and then put the back half of a 1951 GMC school bus on. LOTS OF WELDING TO DO!!! The four big issues I have are:
1. I don't have a welder.
2. I don't know how to weld even if I had one.
3. I have no budget (I'm a retired / disabled pastor) ...big sigh... lol.
4. My wife is sure that this is never going to happen...lol! THIS HAS TO HAPPEN...LOL!

So after your next big adventure I might have to come check out your rig and get some ideas....need to bring the wife so she can see that it is possible to live small. I have some ideas for a couple of e-books and if they are successful I might be able to get this project going.

You know Martin City is about 4 hours from you and in Montana distance that's just a hop skip and a jump away.

Sounds like a great project. Would love to share ideas, and I guarantee my wife would inspire your wife on tiny living. Projects on this scale take major commitment if to be completed correctly. My family left on a ten month trip in our unfinnished vehicle thinking it would be a fun work in progress. The unfinnished truck was incredibly fun but limited us on what our adventure goals were and in the end became expensive and sometimes counterproductive. (Laundry, resturants, generator fuel, hospital bills, and people thinking (and treating us as) homeless.)

 

[M35A2-AZ]

Nice work, look forward to seeing the completed project.

 

[CARMAN]

So once you get to Philipsburg, Montana turn left at the gas station, can’t miss my place its the shop with the HDT Airbeam tents. Much respect to your beautiful projects, I can see I’m taking notes from the right craftsman. Thanks

Would love to. A short 34 hour drive and 2300 miles. Maybe one day.

 

[agazza2]

Quite an impressive build. I also started to use square metal tubing welded together in my M1078 Ambulance body build for the shower walls and now I am working on the seating out of the metal square tubing. You have done a lot in such a short time. Keep up the excellent work, and I look forward to seeing the build through the remaining stages.

Any plans for solar on the roof, or a pass-through to the cab?

 

[BrandonBellrose]

Quite an impressive build. I also started to use square metal tubing welded together in my M1078 Ambulance body build for the shower walls and now I am working on the seating out of the metal square tubing. You have done a lot in such a short time. Keep up the excellent work, and I look forward to seeing the build through the remaining stages.

Any plans for solar on the roof, or a pass-through to the cab?

Yes I plan on using the Victron Quattro 24V 3000 Inventer/Charger, smartsolar MPPT 250/100, and Victron’s Color Control GX monitor. I’m also looking at SolarWorld SWA 350 XL mono panels that I will hide in my exoskeleton rollcage. The “build through” is unresolved currently until I get the box back on the truck. My use of steel comes from my many years rockcrawling in Moab, Ut, Farmington, NM and the vehicles I fabricated for that terrain. I’m trying to fabricate a attractive but useful internal/external roll cage for the project so we can continue to aggressively engage the same trails as i drive my 95 H1.

 

[BrandonBellrose]

Countertop Update - Working Actuator Video

Waiting for Amazon to deliver more wood finnishing supplies, I temporarily installed the sink and stove into the white oak countertop. I also downloaded a video of the TV linear actuator working.

 

[marchplumber]

Looks nicer than some of the stuff I get to install!! =)