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09-14-2019, 01:08 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Trailer: 2019 5.0TA "Junior", 2019 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi
Posts: 1,600
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Dinette decor
When we first started working on the build sheet for our 5.0TA last year Mary got busy developing a plan for the U-shaped dinette. She got a 36" round drop leaf table, stained and finished it, and painstakingly painted an intricate stenciled design on the top. She also made curtains which are now installed, and pillows complete the look.
I was tasked with the easy part - figuring out the mechanics of the curtain rods and table mount. The curtain rod was easy, aluminum tracks with flat sides and curved corner sections hold little roller wheel carriers for the curtain hooks. I attached them to the underside of the upper cabinets directly in front of the shades with 3M tape and small wood screws every six inches or so. Mary made valance strips from our upholstery fabric that attach to the front of the curtain tracks with velcro.
The wood table top is very heavy, and the mechanism underneath for the support for the drop leaves on the sides was challenging to work with. I wound up using heavy duty drawer slides and built, in effect, a drawer box that mounts to the top of the pedestal that lets it slide from back to front. We find so far that we mostly use it in the far back position, that allows enough room for us to get in and out of the dinette seats comfortably and get into all the upper cabinets. We keep the side leaves down most of the time and pop them up to make a larger surface for meals...or for cats at night
The table uses a single stationary pedestal wrapped in sisal to serve as a cat scratching post. It's almost back against the back bench wall so it's not in the way of our feet. Because the table top and slide mechanism are so heavy, I added brackets attaching the pedestal to the back bench wall which is braced just like others have done for a Lagun mount. The brackets are not obtrusive, and I painted them with the same light brown paint ETI uses for the inside of the cabinet door frames so they barely show. The pedestal is not easily removable, of course, but we never use the dinette as a bed so that's not a factor for us.
The curtains are lined, and with the shades down make the trailer plenty dark for afternoon naps or sleeping late after big hiking days. The bedroom has the same curtains as the dinette. As for how the cats will treat all the little pompom balls hanging down on the bottom edge of the curtains....I'll have to report back on that after our next trip
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David, Mary, and the cats
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09-14-2019, 01:16 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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You could always rotate the table 90 degrees to have the flip ups in front and rear and give the seat sides more leg room.....?
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Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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09-14-2019, 01:18 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Trailer: 2019 5.0TA "Junior", 2019 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi
Posts: 1,600
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
You could always rotate the table 90 degrees to have the flip ups in front and rear and give the seat sides more leg room.....?
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Yup, the table could be rotated - but we have found that the height of the leaves when down is just above our legs so they're not in the way. The drawer slide mechanism adds some height to the table top so it probably sits a bit higher than one with the standard ETI slide mechanism.
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David, Mary, and the cats
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09-15-2019, 09:22 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Piermont, New Hampshire
Trailer: 2019 17B; 2011 Tundra 5.7L Dbl cab
Posts: 193
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Just gotta say, I am inspired! You two have done such great work, and the ideas and pics are a treat. I haven't even gotten my first trailer, yet, and you are giving me SUCH ideas!
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Mimi and the “boss-dogs”, Steed and Merlin
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09-15-2019, 09:59 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,528
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Looks good!
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2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
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09-15-2019, 03:35 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Whidbey Island, Washington
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19 "Sheep"; 2003 Toyota Tundra "Shep"; 2017 Aussie "Cody"
Posts: 44
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Thank you - I (mistakenly, I think now) opted the U dinette on my 19' and you have given me inspiration for increasing the table area if I can find someone to execute it. Beautiful work Mary! More inspiration!
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09-15-2019, 04:02 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Seventy Degrees"
Posts: 3,494
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Very inviting lounge Dave.
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09-15-2019, 07:34 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Trailer: April 2016 21' "Ramble On"
Posts: 279
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Wow! Looks Awesome.
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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt
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09-15-2019, 09:58 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: ..., New Mexico
Trailer: 2013 Esc19/'14 Silvrado
Posts: 4,193
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Truly beautiful work!
__________________
Myron
"A billion here, a billion there...add it all up and before you know it you're talking real money." Everett Dirkson
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09-16-2019, 08:30 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Trailer: 21' Escape in production 12/05/19
Posts: 132
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It's GORGEOUS! I'm sure you'll get many years of enjoyment out of your work.
__________________
"It's all Perfect, it's all Divine". "Perceived sanity is highly overrated".
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09-16-2019, 04:34 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Olympia wa, Washington
Trailer: 5.0TA 2017
Posts: 2,255
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looks great! can you lower it to make a bed?
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09-16-2019, 04:37 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Trailer: 2019 5.0TA "Junior", 2019 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi
Posts: 1,600
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox hunt
looks great! can you lower it to make a bed?
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Nope - not quick and easy to remove the pedestal since it's bolted to the back dinette wall. And the round table with drop leaves wouldn't work to make a base for cushions in the opening, and is too heavy and bulky to put someplace else and use boards. It's just the two of us (and all our cats...) and we never use the dinette as a bed. Without the need for conversion, it opened up more options for a table and pedestal.
__________________
David, Mary, and the cats
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