When last we visited the Great Banquette Conversion of 2009 Chris was making himself stupid by curve-fitting with a belt sander. Mercifully for all concerned, he went back to the tried and true Compass Method that we used so successfully before. We completed both seats and the table top then added some Ikea drawers, which are going to work just fine. There is quite a bit of clearance at the back of an Ikea cabinet, even though we cut away part to fit, the drawers fit perfectly.
I spent some time figuring out the best way to support the table so it can be both a table and a bed/lounge. We used a laptop stand as a prototype to figure out how high the table should be. Usually, we like to use Marine components because they are just better quality. But in this case there was just not anything that looked right. Most involved having some part of the table leg protruding below the ‘deck’. Hmmm. Not so much of a good thing with a trailer. So I was back looking at trailer parts.
I wandered over to Vintage Trailer Supply and found a nice support system that works for the table level and sleep/lounge level. We bought two Table Wall Mounts (one for the table height and one for the bed/lounge height). They are quite reasonably priced and have worked out well.
We added a 30″ Vika table leg from Ikea which we can remove when the table is lowered. We used JB weld, an old family favorite, to attach the Vika base to a bolt that fit a groovy orange knob we had laying around, and then we screwed the base into the bottom of the table. When the table is used as a bed or lounge the base and knob are hidden under the leg, but when the table is used as, well, a table the groovy orange knob adds a bit of spice to the birch.
We are very happy with the finished effect. The Ikea drawers fit perfectly and leave a bit open at top for handholds, recall that the base cabinets are actually refrigerator wall cabinets mounted on 1/2″ furring strips. Next to Chris, below, is the aluminum seat-level wall-mount. We also added 1″ strips of aluminim for the table to rest on when it is in lounge mode. Did we get the aluminum from McMaster-Carr? But, of course! Well, it might have been OSH, too.
We added Ikea birch drawer fronts to the Ikea drawers, they were a bit pricey but look so nice. We left the spaces between the cabinets and the trailer walls uncovered. We plan to use them as cubbies for laptop cases and well, more laptop cases. Our trailer bristles with multiple laptops on all camping trips – don’t ask – and we never have anywhere to put them.
We’ll probably cover the exposed side of the cabinet with purple or green plastic but are just not sure yet. The white looks pretty nice; this may be a call we make when the upholstery is done.
We celebrated the finish of the woodwork with martinis in the trailer. That’s Chris there next to my fancy new power drill, it has an LED. That reminds me that Chris needs to keep on his Martini Series he promised last year!
Next time, the foam!
