This video now has multiple parts and a Q&A Video... before commenting with questions please watch the Q&A video and the other parts in this playlist: th-cam.com/video/t96u94PytcQ/w-d-xo.html
This was a great idea. I see so many van builds with people using heavy 2 x 4's and 3/4" plywood adding a lot of weight to their vans. Your method is light, strong and looks great too. Thank you.
This is by far one of the most well done DIY videos I have ever watched. I clicked on it because my skeptical brain said there was no way to build a foam anything that would last. You proved that wrong. While I won't be using this design in the tiny home I'm building now, I'm going to work it into plans in the future. Other DIY video creators could take a lesson from you on how to make coherent videos.
As a person about to embark on van living as well as a person who works with all types of foam for making props, armour, costumes etc...its really cool to see how sturdy and strong it turned out. Gives me a million new ideas of how I can go about using foam now, and as they say, every pound counts. Amazing!
I can confirm that foam insulation sandwiched between thin metal sheets makes an incredibly strong and light structure. We used this for building robots at a local high school for the national robotics competition. Four big guys jumped up and down on a three by three foot piece suspended across two cinder blocks - barely flexed at all. We used gorilla glue :)
@@louiechidwick6034 first off my commercial neighbor built walk in freezers and his were sandwiched between oriented strand board or whatever that stuff is called that was at least half inch thick and on both sides. The overall wall thickness was much much greater, like 8” for obvious reasons, and you’re not supposed to put anything on the roof of a freezer nor do you stand on the walls, so this is totally irrelevant, not to mention the word thin is relative and could be 1 mm or it could be a quarter of an inch
How can you confirm that when you don’t even know how thick somebody’s gonna make it overall or how thick the metal that they sandwich on the outside is going to be, much less how much load will be on it or how far it will span. you couldn’t possibly confirm anything without knowing that information at a minimum. somebody built a robot in high school and decides they are structural engineer and qualified to advise others. I guarantee the high school teacher wasn’t a structural engineer.
@mark pope I can’t speak to freezer construction but I can confirm the op in this thread posted their comment 5years ago. This was the first in many videos I’ve done over the years on this building system. If you would like to discuss the details, I suggest checking out the videos from the last month or so.
Very nice you are thinking out side the box, you are absolutely right! .....crazy why everybody is carrying so much weight in wood around in their van. Refreshing to see somebody creative!
Hey thanks Tony... 2 more episodes on it just published... discussing further creativity / engineering challenges...and a Q&A video coming up soon. Glad you liked it!!
@@sonnymoon6465 yesssss the insulation factor is amazing too because what a GREATTTTT place to store bread and fresh produce....with it being so well insulated it will stay fresh longer!!
SO much lighter is my issue! I'm a disabled gal that can't be tugging on heavy stuff. This will change my design for my portable camp kitchen by SEVERAL lbs/kg! YES! (Edited because my phone insisted I meant camp stove and I didn't catch it before I hit post.)
I have always felt that, the materials most people use in their campers, RVs, and conversions, were way too heavy, and certainly could be made lighter, and less expensively. You've just proved my point ! ! ! Nicely done.
I watch a lot of DIY videos and I was totally blown away by your video. Not only do you provide great information, but your video was very well done. Thank you, much appreciate... two thumbs up, brother
Great job. This is essentially how they make light weight, high end furniture for yachts except they use fiberglass & exotic wood laminate. The paint & screen is a great, easy alternative.
This is the first time I've seen that foam used for a structural build. Way cool!! You've given me some ideas, from which will bloom many more, probably late at night as I lie in bed trying to get my brain to shut up. Also, I like the rooster. Love to hear the crowing in the background. I live in the city now, and man, I really miss my chickens.
Agree entirely with commentators here - thanks and keep doing it! One thought that came to mind - perhaps if you setup a jig for the hot knife cutting that allows you to follow a predetermined outline - joints would be tighter and even stronger - just a jig made from scraps of wood.
@@MiniLuv-1984 or out of sheet metal... then electrify it and bingo ! done, punch style ! or forget the heat and just make a sheet metal punch press with a thin, sharp cutting edge. I say "just"... I do not have even a shop or metal working tools but I sure enjoy watching all those that do !
Wow! I was buying that the cabinet would be plenty strong for it's intended use, but for it to handle you literally jumping on it, THAT was impressive! I've been looking for an inexpensive but strong construction method to make a velomobile body for my recumbent trike, and this video has put me a LOT closer to having that AL figured out! Thank you!
Hey thanks for the comment! It was featured in this video I just released. Check the table of contents at the beginning if you want to skip to the "jump on cabinet" section: th-cam.com/video/BcAXr_gtbG8/w-d-xo.html
This is absolutely incredible! I love how you don't have to worry about thermal bridging. The entire cabinet is pretty much R6! Absolutely brilliant, light weight, super strong. Please let us know how these hold up over time!! :)
I don't feel the need to comment very often but that impressed the holy hell out of me, really appreciate that way of thinking, although there was plenty of examples of how to do it on TH-cam and you said yeah but I can do it better.
@@falkornomad yep. you are on to something bro ! I have been looking at all the foam that gets tossed for many years and such good stuff and you could create a market for all that to be used now and maybe couple it with parts made from a 3D printer and make small stuff that many otherwise trash pieces of foam could be plenty big enough for. Maybe just modular blocks of foam as big as the pieces that are being used can make. then use them for any number of projects ! You could say make foam in standard sizes from 1" to 4" in cubes and use a two sided tape to join them into anything you wanted.
Trump 2020 True. Most people that want ‘patterns’ don’t understand how to execute a project or how application develops a design. I guess one could design an entire suite of cabinets for a VW bus and sell those plans but that would not necessarily help those who can’t envision a project.
I've been in construction over 35 yrs and you have taught the teacher a new trick, amazing job great work and thank for some new ideas for the restoration job that I'm doing ! Looking forward to seeing more from you and already have shared your videos, thank you for the time and Terrance and due diligence in the work and also explaining to others to take thier thier time on metal shaping, that's a lost art form and u did a beautiful job on that steel!
@@falkornomad I've watched them all and again thanks for the info cause what you have shown has saved me alot of head aches on this r.v. rebuild, and trust it's become a friggin night mare lol, but I've also taken some of your ideas and incorporated them into the tiny house build to help lower the weight and increase the structure strength so again love the videos and thanks for the assist Teaching this old dawg new tricks lol, great work please keep them coming and yup we know it's not easy with the editing and filming process and time lines lol
I appreciate your time! I am completely renovating my 26 ft 5th wheel. The original wood is horrible! They used cheapest wood, partial board, and carpet. Not me! I have been putting off my kitchen cabinets just because I wanted something better. You just provided me with what I needed! Thank you. I really appreciate your calm narrative with full explanations of what you did to achieve the vest results!
This is a cool guy he's smart knowledgeable explains why and how he improves on the build and the video is very good too. I wish more people approached things like this.
Awesome work. Something I realized when I stepped away to clean up some tools I left out was that you have a voice for doing voice-overs (I typically listen to audio books while I'm working, so I came to the realization pretty quickly) You should seriously look into recording for audio books. It's something you can do on the go, so it's perfect for us nomadic types.
If you need or wantprecise cutting, you should look into a proxxon hot wire cutter (or similar) www.proxxon.com/us/micromot/37080.php I think there are plans around to make one yourself.
Thats great just what a VW bus needs is lightweight strong cabinets I shared it with two VW communities I know, thanks again, keep up the videos very awesome
Great little video absolutely no way to go I'm astonished at how much wait people put in their van conversions. I. know in the USA the gas is cheap but in the UK every extra pound you drag around it's gonna cost you loads. First time I've seen a hot knife will be getting one. Very useful little tune I have got hot wire set up already but that looks ideal for the tricky little bits.
"but in the UK every extra pound you drag around it's gonna cost you loads". Obviously weight does matter, but the stuff I put in my van (gear, bikes, water, food and especially the people) weighs a lot more than the fitout structure. My structure is removable and I've never been able to measure the difference between in/out. It's much less than 1mpg. So my impression is that the shape/weight of the van itself (and how fast you go) utterly dominates, and people obsess over weight more than is warranted. Although I would use lithium in a new van, not lead-acid, just because that's 40Kg that really is kind of pointless.
I'm totally stealing this construction method for an air-conditioned hurricane shelter for my living room. I had no idea that foam cutters came in such a compact size. That joint method would let it break down and store flat.
I like your explanations and presentation more than any of the other related videos i've watched. I'm going to subscribe in the hope that you continue doing updates as your build continues sharing your experiences both good and bad.
So you start with a brilliant idea and excellent workmanship, then you explain it really clearly and make a brilliant video to illustrate it. That's the way to do it! I wish I had seen this before I made my camper 15 years ago!)
Very nice, well done! I have one foam shelving unit in my van. Your method would have helped as my measurements got slightly skewed by the Gorilla Glue. Thanks for some ingenious ingenuity, and improving on a good idea.
Have you tried fabric instead of window screen? I build kayaks out of foam, skinned with old bedsheets, look up "sawfish kayak" if you want to see details
Hey thanks for the comment! It was featured in this video I just released. Check the table of contents at the beginning if you want to skip to a particular subject: th-cam.com/video/BcAXr_gtbG8/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for sharing your knowledge & experience. I'll be converting a cargo trailer into an RV and want everything to be as lightweight as possible, so I'll be using everything I learned in this video.
Watching tons of videos to find what should work for my build. I plan on building a camper shell on an old trailer that has an outside measurement of 5'7" x6'10". I need to be able to stand in it but hope to make it lightweight enough to tow with my 2005 Grand Prix. I should also mention I am 56, a woman and have rheumatoid arthritis . It is difficult for me to move around sheets of plywood so this type of building is right up my alley!
Your ideas are most certainly an improvement on the other methods I have seen. Good job ... and with the video as well. Great explanation. I look forward to seeing the progress! As I've been thinking of my future build, I was thinking that a template made of cardboard to map out dovetail-type joints ... and transfer the template onto to adjoining pieces. I was going to use PL (or something like that) ... thanks for the product recommendation! :-)
For the finger joint template idea... I suggest using one of your foam joint cut outs as a template... then as you mark where you will make your cuts on the first board space it and adjust the width of it so you don't end up with a tiny sliver of a joint at the end. Then cut out those joints... then mark the abutting board and cut it. I thought a template would be good too... but I ended up doing it this way.
If you make templates out of a piece of plywood or even a board pulled from a pallet, than you can clamp the template to the foam to be cut and then cut it using the foam hot knife... no time wasted marking the foam. Love the cabinet. Solid video.
Wow, that was really incredible. You have a lot of skills working with all those different materials. I watched TH-camr Into the Mystery 13 showcasing a guy who made these same style cabinets for his van, and it looked really interesting. Then he tried to build them for his own van and it turned into kind of a nightmare for him, as there were quite a lot of steps (size, cut, screen, paint, etc.) . Still, I like the looks, the low weight, and very inexpensive cost associated. How long did it take you to build that cabinet? Did you add the venting since you seem to be storing water/grey water in there? What do you think you spent in round numbers? Thanks for posting!
Glad you liked it! There are a lot of steps, time wise, as I said below; I would guess that just that one cabinet, if you had all the parts, tools and materials on hand... would be 3-5 hours start to finish. But I was doing all kinds of experimentation and had to do steps over. I have 9 more pieces to go... I will keep track of the time... that's a good idea! The venting is actually for a 12v Cooler that will be in the next piece over in needs to be able to vent the hot air away from it. Cost wise... that's though... just for materials: $20 in foam, $2 in glue, the screen was used... but it would have been $5 or so, $2 in paint, the finish ply is $22 a sheet and I used less than half a sheet so $10 there... um... I mean $4 in truck bed liner... the stainless steel was scrap I got for $12 and I'll get 3 counters out of it so $4 there... so maybe around $50... I don't know... it's hard to nail down a price on one small piece. I'll try to think about that / track it. I'll talk about this more in a future video but I'm not doing foam to save money, I'm using it because it's the best material for the job.
NØMAD x this is an entirely new method for me and full of possibilities. Thanks! I have 2 questions m. 1st, when using the hot knife - are there any noxious fumes while cutting? Second, it is difficult to see how slow the cut goes. However, if you went with the hotter 3” knife, will you experience some ‘melting ‘ if you don’t move fast enough? Thanks for the great video! Husband is in a wheelchair and is like a bull in a china shop. If something is in his way, he just forces it out of the way. So, am not sure how the foam would hold up. The kick plate might do the trick. If not, I will start loading the sink with water. Getting a lap full of water might encourage him to resist knocking things around like that. After 20+ years of asking him to take care, sometimes a little behavior modification is in order. But either way, am thinking the mesh support might be a bit more forgiving than the 1/8” plywood. Thanks again
Thanks... lots of folks are talking about the bed from foam... I had not considered doing the bed / seat out of foam... I'll have to ponder that a bit... it's an interesting idea... I have a mock up of the bed in wood right now... it would be a challenge to do it in foam... hmmmmm....
Hey thanks for the comment! It was addressed in this video I just released. Check the table of contents at the beginning if you want to skip to a particular subject: th-cam.com/video/BcAXr_gtbG8/w-d-xo.html
This Man actually built several of these - jumped up and down on many of them. Those first tries actually were demolished. Then he was able to build this last one strong enough to withstand his pounding.
Great vid,,,glad to see someone else thinking outside the box when it comes to weight saving,,,and incorporating wood joints in the build,,,well worth the effort to save weight,,
Using foam in this application, and with these tools, is very interesting. Adds a new dimension to van builds. Can't wait to see more. Just sub'ed so I don't miss out.
YES! Thank you! You addressed ever concern I had with the heavier materials and at the same time assured me I wasn't crazy. I was curious if there was any concern with off-gassing (is that the right term?) fumes when you are enclosed in the van and especially when you're using the the hot knife and glue? Can't wait for more videos and the final reveal of your van. Tell the rooster--I'm a fan! Thank you, again.
Thank you for the information. Good build, but amazing video. Keeping the video relevant is a rare effort in the van life community. The demonstrations on tensile strength also explained allot.
Great job! Like the technical explanation. Most important, you have a great, concise, professional presentation style, so often lacking on these how-to videos.
Ive just subscribed, i wasnt sure what i was going to see,but im glad i watched this. Ive used this sort of foam for modelling, i built a castle with my daughter for a school project,and the school are now using it as a display piece in the art department,and she won first place in the competition. Imagination is the only limitation. Thank you, for the inspiration Nomad.
Very well thought video: Labelling of the cutting area, placement of the recommended products in the foreground of the image and much more. Very good! A true role model for other TH-camrs / content creators. Thank you!
Well explained and produced. Maybe you should advise the chicken that he/she may be part of the celebrations if they don't behave :o) Thanks for the video.
I have watched a few DIY camper builds, I have to say, your's is the first to take weight into consideration. Cladded Composite materials are a thing of the future, when building diy campers. +1 for outside the box thinking, Kudos to you sir...
Very good ideas and good descriptions and examples. Gives me ideas for my RV which is WAY to heavy as it sits. Definitely have to check out the tools and glue.
That was well done from start to end. As so many have said Thanks for all the time you took to make this video you keep the weight way down like in aircraft, You improve or made people thank of how interlocking the pieces really help hold it in place before any Glue is applied You show a way to make it stronger and not break the bank by using cheep screen and paimt You show how to keep the bottom water and a anti-skid floor. The kick plate was well done along with all the others things you did like using the hot knife As so many have said well done and thanks for posting
This video now has multiple parts and a Q&A Video... before commenting with questions please watch the Q&A video and the other parts in this playlist:
th-cam.com/video/t96u94PytcQ/w-d-xo.html
Wow! Dovetail joins have always proven to be more superior in basic carpentry. Transferring this idea to foam builds just strengthens everything!
They are finger or box joints (no angles, just square) but yeah, joinery for the win!!
This was a great idea. I see so many van builds with people using heavy 2 x 4's and 3/4" plywood adding a lot of weight to their vans. Your method is light, strong and looks great too. Thank you.
This is by far one of the most well done DIY videos I have ever watched. I clicked on it because my skeptical brain said there was no way to build a foam anything that would last. You proved that wrong. While I won't be using this design in the tiny home I'm building now, I'm going to work it into plans in the future. Other DIY video creators could take a lesson from you on how to make coherent videos.
As an old man it is great to see a young man making something himself and being so innovative.
As a person about to embark on van living as well as a person who works with all types of foam for making props, armour, costumes etc...its really cool to see how sturdy and strong it turned out. Gives me a million new ideas of how I can go about using foam now, and as they say, every pound counts. Amazing!
I’m just loving this non wood van build with mostly foam
I can confirm that foam insulation sandwiched between thin metal sheets makes an incredibly strong and light structure. We used this for building robots at a local high school for the national robotics competition. Four big guys jumped up and down on a three by three foot piece suspended across two cinder blocks - barely flexed at all. We used gorilla glue :)
“Cinder” blocks? Nothing to do with cinder anymor. Concrete blocks
EPS foam is standardized to 10psi.
I've been googling....
@@louiechidwick6034 first off my commercial neighbor built walk in freezers and his were sandwiched between oriented strand board or whatever that stuff is called that was at least half inch thick and on both sides. The overall wall thickness was much much greater, like 8” for obvious reasons, and you’re not supposed to put anything on the roof of a freezer nor do you stand on the walls, so this is totally irrelevant, not to mention the word thin is relative and could be 1 mm or it could be a quarter of an inch
How can you confirm that when you don’t even know how thick somebody’s gonna make it overall or how thick the metal that they sandwich on the outside is going to be, much less how much load will be on it or how far it will span. you couldn’t possibly confirm anything without knowing that information at a minimum. somebody built a robot in high school and decides they are structural engineer and qualified to advise others. I guarantee the high school teacher wasn’t a structural engineer.
@mark pope I can’t speak to freezer construction but I can confirm the op in this thread posted their comment 5years ago. This was the first in many videos I’ve done over the years on this building system. If you would like to discuss the details, I suggest checking out the videos from the last month or so.
Very nice you are thinking out side the box, you are absolutely right! .....crazy why everybody is carrying so much weight in wood around in their van. Refreshing to see somebody creative!
Hey thanks Tony... 2 more episodes on it just published... discussing further creativity / engineering challenges...and a Q&A video coming up soon. Glad you liked it!!
You just changed my life!!!! I've been planning a minivan to camping van conversion.
Foam never occurred to me.
THANK YOU!!!!!
Yah so cool right ! ? 4x8 of that is only like $20 for 2 inch i think he's using. way cheaper than ply and insulated !
@@sonnymoon6465 yesssss the insulation factor is amazing too because what a GREATTTTT place to store bread and fresh produce....with it being so well insulated it will stay fresh longer!!
It was 1" and I just posted more videos on the subject.
SO much lighter is my issue! I'm a disabled gal that can't be tugging on heavy stuff. This will change my design for my portable camp kitchen by SEVERAL lbs/kg! YES!
(Edited because my phone insisted I meant camp stove and I didn't catch it before I hit post.)
I have always felt that, the materials most people use in their campers, RVs, and conversions, were way too heavy, and certainly could be made lighter, and less expensively.
You've just proved my point ! ! !
Nicely done.
I watch a lot of DIY videos and I was totally blown away by your video. Not only do you provide great information, but your video was very well done. Thank you, much appreciate... two thumbs up, brother
You have a fantastic Engineering take on Foamie Cabinets!
Great job. This is essentially how they make light weight, high end furniture for yachts except they use fiberglass & exotic wood laminate. The paint & screen is a great, easy alternative.
This is the first time I've seen that foam used for a structural build. Way cool!! You've given me some ideas, from which will bloom many more, probably late at night as I lie in bed trying to get my brain to shut up. Also, I like the rooster. Love to hear the crowing in the background. I live in the city now, and man, I really miss my chickens.
This is a spectacular effort. Great job building the sink and telling the story. Please continue making videos.
thanks for your encouragement!!
I agree.......you explain this very well.....looks nice
Agreed. Nicely done!
Agree entirely with commentators here - thanks and keep doing it! One thought that came to mind - perhaps if you setup a jig for the hot knife cutting that allows you to follow a predetermined outline - joints would be tighter and even stronger - just a jig made from scraps of wood.
@@MiniLuv-1984 or out of sheet metal... then electrify it and bingo ! done, punch style ! or forget the heat and just make a sheet metal punch press with a thin, sharp cutting edge. I say "just"... I do not have even a shop or metal working tools but I sure enjoy watching all those that do !
Wow! I was buying that the cabinet would be plenty strong for it's intended use, but for it to handle you literally jumping on it, THAT was impressive! I've been looking for an inexpensive but strong construction method to make a velomobile body for my recumbent trike, and this video has put me a LOT closer to having that AL figured out! Thank you!
Hey thanks for the comment! It was featured in this video I just released. Check the table of contents at the beginning if you want to skip to the "jump on cabinet" section: th-cam.com/video/BcAXr_gtbG8/w-d-xo.html
This is absolutely incredible! I love how you don't have to worry about thermal bridging. The entire cabinet is pretty much R6! Absolutely brilliant, light weight, super strong. Please let us know how these hold up over time!! :)
See the Q&A video for 1.5 years after the first build.
@@falkornomadI like your content and your style you are cool as a cucumber. Thank you kind sir .
👍🏽
You're a terrific instructor. The instructional design style is practical with boatloads of common sense.
I don't feel the need to comment very often but that impressed the holy hell out of me, really appreciate that way of thinking, although there was plenty of examples of how to do it on TH-cam and you said yeah but I can do it better.
any body that owns a VW van is a genius.... cheers!!!
You might consider creating & selling patterns & instructions, because that was awesome.
wow... thanks for the encouragement!!!
@@falkornomad yep. you are on to something bro ! I have been looking at all the foam that gets tossed for many years and such good stuff and you could create a market for all that to be used now and maybe couple it with parts made from a 3D printer and make small stuff that many otherwise trash pieces of foam could be plenty big enough for. Maybe just modular blocks of foam as big as the pieces that are being used can make. then use them for any number of projects ! You could say make foam in standard sizes from 1" to 4" in cubes and use a two sided tape to join them into anything you wanted.
Use "mpg" in the name maybe!
Yes please do!!!
Trump 2020
True.
Most people that want ‘patterns’ don’t understand how to execute a project or how application develops a design.
I guess one could design an entire suite of cabinets for a VW bus and sell those plans but that would not necessarily help those who can’t envision a project.
I've been in construction over 35 yrs and you have taught the teacher a new trick, amazing job great work and thank for some new ideas for the restoration job that I'm doing ! Looking forward to seeing more from you and already have shared your videos, thank you for the time and Terrance and due diligence in the work and also explaining to others to take thier thier time on metal shaping, that's a lost art form and u did a beautiful job on that steel!
Lots more videos on the channel about this build system if you are interested!! Thanks for the nice compliment!!!
@@falkornomad I've watched them all and again thanks for the info cause what you have shown has saved me alot of head aches on this r.v. rebuild, and trust it's become a friggin night mare lol, but I've also taken some of your ideas and incorporated them into the tiny house build to help lower the weight and increase the structure strength so again love the videos and thanks for the assist Teaching this old dawg new tricks lol, great work please keep them coming and yup we know it's not easy with the editing and filming process and time lines lol
Yeah!!! Dropping an update video now… lots of life stuff going on and I got out of my video release habit, hopefully more coming soon!
I had not even thought to use foam insulation. Thanks for this video. I've had a complete paradigm shift in building all my furniture.
I appreciate your time! I am completely renovating my 26 ft 5th wheel. The original wood is horrible! They used cheapest wood, partial board, and carpet. Not me! I have been putting off my kitchen cabinets just because I wanted something better. You just provided me with what I needed! Thank you.
I really appreciate your calm narrative with full explanations of what you did to achieve the vest results!
This is a cool guy he's smart knowledgeable explains why and how he improves on the build and the video is very good too. I wish more people approached things like this.
And I like his "hippie" drawl.
This is probably the best DIY video of any kind I have seen! Well done.
Wow, thanks!!! I have new ones on the same subject and other van build subjects if you’d like… this one is 5 years old.
Awesome work. Something I realized when I stepped away to clean up some tools I left out was that you have a voice for doing voice-overs (I typically listen to audio books while I'm working, so I came to the realization pretty quickly) You should seriously look into recording for audio books. It's something you can do on the go, so it's perfect for us nomadic types.
The foam build is brilliant, but you bring this to the level of artisanship. Please more videos and ideas.
You're intelligent and a good communicator. I like this video
Hands down best foam cabinet video I've ever seen !
best foam cabinet video I've seen so far. awesome! Definitely going to check out where you got those tools.
wow... thanks! Having the right tools is key in any project.
If you need or wantprecise cutting, you should look into a proxxon hot wire cutter (or similar) www.proxxon.com/us/micromot/37080.php I think there are plans around to make one yourself.
I abandoned this idea after I saw how messy and inaccurate it was but now I may try this again...thanks for sharing. Great work!
Thats great just what a VW bus needs is lightweight strong cabinets I shared it with two VW communities I know, thanks again, keep up the videos very awesome
After watching so many videos, yours was the only one that recommended a hot knife. Great video and it looks great!
right on, well done man. As a fellow bus owner for 25 years, cutting back on weight is everything.
TheMomentEnds hey
You are so chill and so in the know! Thanks for the improvements on the hot cutter and the glue!
Brilliantly executed and well explained...great job.
I’ve been a woodworker and even dabbled in cabinetry. You have blown me away.
Great little video absolutely no way to go I'm astonished at how much wait people put in their van conversions. I. know in the USA the gas is cheap but in the UK every extra pound you drag around it's gonna cost you loads. First time I've seen a hot knife will be getting one. Very useful little tune I have got hot wire set up already but that looks ideal for the tricky little bits.
"but in the UK every extra pound you drag around it's gonna cost you loads". Obviously weight does matter, but the stuff I put in my van (gear, bikes, water, food and especially the people) weighs a lot more than the fitout structure. My structure is removable and I've never been able to measure the difference between in/out. It's much less than 1mpg. So my impression is that the shape/weight of the van itself (and how fast you go) utterly dominates, and people obsess over weight more than is warranted. Although I would use lithium in a new van, not lead-acid, just because that's 40Kg that really is kind of pointless.
You're a modern Picasso with foam!! Love the narrative & the music. Might be putting some of your ideas to use soon, thanks mate! Cheers
That stand on test after all the work you did was BRAVE!!! :D Great video! New sub!
In the process of remodeling my van and have been looking at videos of foam cabinets. This is the way to go. Thank you for this information.
I'm totally stealing this construction method for an air-conditioned hurricane shelter for my living room. I had no idea that foam cutters came in such a compact size. That joint method would let it break down and store flat.
With how light and easy it is to make. You should just make one to protect your entire house :P
Dude that was probably the coolest tip trick I have watched so far!
I like your explanations and presentation more than any of the other related videos i've watched. I'm going to subscribe in the hope that you continue doing updates as your build continues sharing your experiences both good and bad.
So you start with a brilliant idea and excellent workmanship, then you explain it really clearly and make a brilliant video to illustrate it. That's the way to do it! I wish I had seen this before I made my camper 15 years ago!)
Very nice, well done! I have one foam shelving unit in my van. Your method would have helped as my measurements got slightly skewed by the Gorilla Glue. Thanks for some ingenious ingenuity, and improving on a good idea.
Glad you liked it, thanks for the compliments!!
I'm not building cabinets just now but this is a wonderful piece of information for me to file away in my brain for future use. Thanks for sharing.
Have you tried fabric instead of window screen?
I build kayaks out of foam, skinned with old bedsheets, look up "sawfish kayak" if you want to see details
Wow, is the cotton fabric the same strength as fiberglass once you put all that titebond on it?
Hey thanks for the comment! It was featured in this video I just released. Check the table of contents at the beginning if you want to skip to a particular subject: th-cam.com/video/BcAXr_gtbG8/w-d-xo.html
I ran across your stuff after seeing so many wood builds. Your energy, ideas and execution are fantastic, man. Thanks!
Glad you enjoy em, thanks for the compliments!
Thank you for this video. I love the foam cabinet's. Great job. I put this video in my list of videos and subscribed. Looking forward to more videos.
thanks for the encouragement
Thank you for sharing your knowledge & experience. I'll be converting a cargo trailer into an RV and want everything to be as lightweight as possible, so I'll be using everything I learned in this video.
I'm making a truck camper, with Gypsy theme, Thanks!!!!
Sweet, I’m stealing a few ideas definitely! I was planning a removable kitchen as i use my van for work during the week.
Dan 5675 yep exactly what i wanna do. Ill make it all modular i think since i like to keep rearranging things
Watching tons of videos to find what should work for my build. I plan on building a camper shell on an old trailer that has an outside measurement of 5'7" x6'10". I need to be able to stand in it but hope to make it lightweight enough to tow with my 2005 Grand Prix. I should also mention I am 56, a woman and have rheumatoid arthritis . It is difficult for me to move around sheets of plywood so this type of building is right up my alley!
Your ideas are most certainly an improvement on the other methods I have seen. Good job ... and with the video as well. Great explanation. I look forward to seeing the progress!
As I've been thinking of my future build, I was thinking that a template made of cardboard to map out dovetail-type joints ... and transfer the template onto to adjoining pieces.
I was going to use PL (or something like that) ... thanks for the product recommendation! :-)
For the finger joint template idea... I suggest using one of your foam joint cut outs as a template... then as you mark where you will make your cuts on the first board space it and adjust the width of it so you don't end up with a tiny sliver of a joint at the end. Then cut out those joints... then mark the abutting board and cut it. I thought a template would be good too... but I ended up doing it this way.
NØMAD Good to know. Yes, easy enough to do each joint separately. The joints can be spaced according to length easily.
Thanks for the feedback!
If you make templates out of a piece of plywood or even a board pulled from a pallet, than you can clamp the template to the foam to be cut and then cut it using the foam hot knife... no time wasted marking the foam.
Love the cabinet. Solid video.
The finger jointing was ur most genious tip- really smart vid, no time wasted
Wow, that was really incredible. You have a lot of skills working with all those different materials. I watched TH-camr Into the Mystery 13 showcasing a guy who made these same style cabinets for his van, and it looked really interesting. Then he tried to build them for his own van and it turned into kind of a nightmare for him, as there were quite a lot of steps (size, cut, screen, paint, etc.) . Still, I like the looks, the low weight, and very inexpensive cost associated. How long did it take you to build that cabinet? Did you add the venting since you seem to be storing water/grey water in there? What do you think you spent in round numbers? Thanks for posting!
Glad you liked it!
There are a lot of steps, time wise, as I said below; I would guess that just that one cabinet, if you had all the parts, tools and materials on hand... would be 3-5 hours start to finish. But I was doing all kinds of experimentation and had to do steps over. I have 9 more pieces to go... I will keep track of the time... that's a good idea!
The venting is actually for a 12v Cooler that will be in the next piece over in needs to be able to vent the hot air away from it.
Cost wise... that's though... just for materials: $20 in foam, $2 in glue, the screen was used... but it would have been $5 or so, $2 in paint, the finish ply is $22 a sheet and I used less than half a sheet so $10 there... um... I mean $4 in truck bed liner... the stainless steel was scrap I got for $12 and I'll get 3 counters out of it so $4 there... so maybe around $50... I don't know... it's hard to nail down a price on one small piece. I'll try to think about that / track it.
I'll talk about this more in a future video but I'm not doing foam to save money, I'm using it because it's the best material for the job.
NØMAD x this is an entirely new method for me and full of possibilities. Thanks! I have 2 questions m. 1st, when using the hot knife - are there any noxious fumes while cutting? Second, it is difficult to see how slow the cut goes. However, if you went with the hotter 3” knife, will you experience some ‘melting ‘ if you don’t move fast enough?
Thanks for the great video! Husband is in a wheelchair and is like a bull in a china shop. If something is in his way, he just forces it out of the way. So, am not sure how the foam would hold up. The kick plate might do the trick. If not, I will start loading the sink with water. Getting a lap full of water might encourage him to resist knocking things around like that. After 20+ years of asking him to take care, sometimes a little behavior modification is in order. But either way, am thinking the mesh support might be a bit more forgiving than the 1/8” plywood. Thanks again
Finally someone who stresses the right tool for the right job!
Looking forward to seeing how you do the bed !!!! Thanks for the heads up on the cutter and glue. Subbed so I don't miss a thing.
Thanks... lots of folks are talking about the bed from foam... I had not considered doing the bed / seat out of foam... I'll have to ponder that a bit... it's an interesting idea... I have a mock up of the bed in wood right now... it would be a challenge to do it in foam... hmmmmm....
Maybe do part of the bed from foam? You are smarter than the average bear. Enjoyed the video; looking forward to seeing more!
Dude you’re a genius! Please share more videos of your progress.
Have you tried using fiberglass cloth instead of the screen?
Seems to me that, unless you're building a bookcase, it'd be overkill
Los Apriscos yeah I was just thinking it is lighter than the mesh and pretty cheap. Also sands easily. Cool method either way
This is covered here: th-cam.com/video/dru51u-vLCs/w-d-xo.html
Hey thanks for the comment! It was addressed in this video I just released. Check the table of contents at the beginning if you want to skip to a particular subject: th-cam.com/video/BcAXr_gtbG8/w-d-xo.html
This Man actually built several of these - jumped up and down on many of them. Those first tries actually were demolished. Then he was able to build this last one strong enough to withstand his pounding.
Interesting theory, but not true… would love to hear what led you to this conclusion.
That hot knife sure cuts clean compared to a blade or saw. I don't see any pink dust anywhere. Nice.
Great vid,,,glad to see someone else thinking outside the box when it comes to weight saving,,,and incorporating wood joints in the build,,,well worth the effort to save weight,,
Using foam in this application, and with these tools, is very interesting. Adds a new dimension to van builds. Can't wait to see more. Just sub'ed so I don't miss out.
Dude! You're a pro master! I bow to your mad skills!
Well done man! Those are certainly some great improvements
Great job
YES! Thank you! You addressed ever concern I had with the heavier materials and at the same time assured me I wasn't crazy. I was curious if there was any concern with off-gassing (is that the right term?) fumes when you are enclosed in the van and especially when you're using the the hot knife and glue? Can't wait for more videos and the final reveal of your van. Tell the rooster--I'm a fan! Thank you, again.
Good job! I'm pinning this for future reference.
After 5 years living and surfing in my VW Bus (74-79) I love what I see.
First time to your channel, best thing I ever did thanks for the confirmation and great lesson. What is your new company name? Thank you so very much!
Thank you for the information. Good build, but amazing video. Keeping the video relevant is a rare effort in the van life community. The demonstrations on tensile strength also explained allot.
you just helped me take my project to a whole new level!!THANK YOU SO MUCH MAN
Two new videos out, take a look and let me know if you have any ideas or questions.
Truly excellent build. Cannot wait to see the remainder. So film it. Keep the rooster, he is cool.
Where did you get the molding for around the openings ?
It looks like automotive pinch molding trim. probably also used in other cabinet applications.
Great job! Like the technical explanation. Most important, you have a great, concise, professional presentation style, so often lacking on these how-to videos.
Well done! Looks great too. I'd never seen this method for van/rv building before. Can't wait to see more.
Ive just subscribed, i wasnt sure what i was going to see,but im glad i watched this. Ive used this sort of foam for modelling, i built a castle with my daughter for a school project,and the school are now using it as a display piece in the art department,and she won first place in the competition. Imagination is the only limitation. Thank you, for the inspiration Nomad.
Thats awesome. I never thought of it
Finally! A big sink is essential and this cabinet is awesome! Thanks!
Excellent video. Thanks. I learned several new ideas.
Very well thought video: Labelling of the cutting area, placement of the recommended products in the foreground of the image and much more. Very good! A true role model for other TH-camrs / content creators. Thank you!
Thanks, new videos covering a full Transit Van Conversion with foam are up on my channel
Well explained and produced. Maybe you should advise the chicken that he/she may be part of the celebrations if they don't behave :o) Thanks for the video.
Nomadd UK 😂
Never would have thought using foam, definitely gonna think about it for my camper. thanks man !
Is styrofoam noisy as you drive over bumpy roads?
I have watched a few DIY camper builds, I have to say, your's is the first to take weight into consideration.
Cladded Composite materials are a thing of the future, when building diy campers.
+1 for outside the box thinking, Kudos to you sir...
Great job and narrative!
Excellent! Especially like how you used a marker on the ends of the foam to "LABEL" the razor, versus hot knife methods of cutting the foam!
Excellent video. Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome, thanks for the encouragement!
I love the fraternity that I joined when I bought my Westy! Thank you sir!
Very well made,great job my friend
Very creative brother, you need to build a camping trailer out with these cabinets. Wanna see more of your creativity.
damn it post another. i wanna see how it turned out.
Well that blew my mind. Was fun to watch and you've got a great, chill voice for narrating.
Awesome your a genius man!
Duuuuude yes. Haven't been this excited about a build alternative in a long time. Thank you!
great info! Thanks
Very good ideas and good descriptions and examples. Gives me ideas for my RV which is WAY to heavy as it sits. Definitely have to check out the tools and glue.
That was well done from start to end. As so many have said Thanks for all the time you took to make this video you keep the weight way down like in aircraft,
You improve or made people thank of how interlocking the pieces really help hold it in place before any Glue is applied
You show a way to make it stronger and not break the bank by using cheep screen and paimt
You show how to keep the bottom water and a anti-skid floor.
The kick plate was well done along with all the others things you did like using the hot knife
As so many have said well done and thanks for posting