Cardboard templates for sill and radius boards?

Jan 1, 2015 21:50:09 GMT -8 Teachndad said:

Hi,

i am am a little gunshy about starting on my first corner and the sill boards on the curbside.

i thought it might be a good idea to make some pieces out of cardboard first to make sure I got my measurements right and to test for fitting.  Yes, I know we can use the original boards as templates, but in my case, out of the two sides, one of my rear sill boards has disintegrated and my other one is in 5 pieces.  

Am I wasting my time or should I just go for it and cut a bit larger with the saw and sand down later?

thanks

Rod

Yup.......wasting your time. I would doubt the trailer is the same on both sides. You just need to take some measurements, and start replacing the damaged wood. The measurements will help you keep each side close as possible.  It's just connecting the dots.

What I "would make a template on" is the fender opening. Make it from a scrap of paneling, mark the lower edge on the front and the rear with a Sharpie, and draw a vertical line over the center line of the axle.  Then you can use the same  pattern on each side to make the fender openings the same.  If your trailer has symmetrical curves on both the front and rear, just tweak the pattern template so it's correct.  Nothing looks worse than a funky miss cut fender opening.  Make sure you draw an arrow showing the front direction on the pattern, so when you layout the other side you have the pattern pointing to the front of the trailer.  On some shapes it might not make a difference, just do it to be safe.