Cargo Van Conversion

Now we have finished the decorative strips, the plywood core will be next. It will hold the drawers and sliding cooktop, while guiding electric and/or gas lines, hidden from view, to and through the floor of the van conversion. The space between the core and the sides also allows for the hinges of the folding…

Prepare Decorative Strips Its fan-like body is prone to breaking, which necessitates a dense wood. I chose hard maple, just because I had a piece laying around. The other van cabinets that I will be building in the next few months, will carry the same decoration,…

The Multi-Use Cabinet needed some decorative strips finished with a round cherry ‘button’. This is how I made the perfect circle out of cherry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4oKxzcMS6g

Drawings for the multi purpose cabinet at the side doors of the van are based on a general theme, as reflected in the adjoining image. Many of the features will be incorporated in all of the remaining cabinets and closets. The color theme is a reddish cherry with dark gray…

Having just finished the rear door cabinetry for the van conversion, I now have to decide which woodworking project to continue with. I would love to start with the kitchen and closet wall on the driver’s side, but feel that it is more practical to put some final designs on paper for a side door…

Previous posts in this series are Rear Door Cabinetry and Addtional Rear Door Cabinet. Both cabinets are installed by re-using the existing door panels. They are first removed from the doors to which they are attached with plastic plugs.   With a red marker I indicate where I have to cut the metal door frame,…

Additional storage space is highly appreciated in my camper, even as small as this little door cabinet. A RV has never enough! As with the other door, I’ll have to find some Cherry and do the assembly in my workshop.   I follow the same procedure as the main cabinet that I just finished. I…

Creating the rear door cabinets is the next step in my van conversion. They will add extra storage space,  of which every little bit counts in a RV. It involves mostly simple woodworking, so I’ll be heading back to my workshop. First the driver’s side rear door. The red line in the photo indicates the…

Just one picture this time as an appetizer. After finishing the pull-out shelf under the bed, I’ve been quite busy working on the rear doors. I already removed the fabric covered panels and decided to replace them with built-in cabinetry. There is only 3″-4″ depth available, but every little bit of storage counts in a…

In my previous postings (Pull-out bed shelf and Pull-out shelf (2)) I built the shelf in my workshop; now I head out to the van, to make some final measurements, adjust it and finish the last details. Two issues remain: the front of the shelf needs to be shortened and finished with cherry and secondly…