Modifications to Eggscape

[7th Heaven]

Ed,

I'm about to cut in a hatch similar to yours

What did you use to cut the hole?

[Eggscape]

I used a Jig Saw as pictured below.
I applied masking tape on the trailer side to draw the lines on...level everything off of the horizontal belly band. Then drilled a pilot hole in one corner for the blade to start in.
Good luck.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

I used a Jig Saw as pictured below.
I applied masking tape on the trailer side to draw the lines on...level everything off of the horizontal belly band. Then drilled a pilot hole in one corner for the blade to start in.
Good luck.

I have found that a Dremel with a reinforced cutting wheel works well too.

[Eggscape]

Good to know...

Maybe you could post what a reinforced cutting wheel looks like. Mine are just thin and don’t last long on other projects.

I do now have some little saw blades of the same diameter, but have not tried them on fiberglass. I don’t think they would last more than a foot or so in cutting. I purchased them more for cutting very thin plastic where other blades would destroy the product.

[Ron in BC]

i consider those little saw blades evil incarnate. Depends on what tool you're using them in but if it's something like a Dremel tool, watch out, especially on f.g.

They can grab and since your hand is off-set, arc and mark up an area that you really didn't want marked up.

I used to think that they were a great idea, now I use alternative tools.

Ron

[Eggscape]

You are 100% correct when using the little blades.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

Maybe you could post what a reinforced cutting wheel looks like.

Some abrasive cutting discs are reinforced with fiberglass - you can see the reinforcement as with these from Dremel: 1-1/4" Fiberglass Reinforced Cut-Off Wheels

[Eggscape]

They look like they would stand up better.

[MyronL]

What Ron said. Keep away. I see no way using A Dremel with any cut off wheel can be controlled enough to produce a clean, straight line.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

They look like they would stand up better.

They do . Pat

[Jim Bennett]

Like many, I have had a Dremel for ages now, however it gets next to no use any more, as there are many better ways of getting the same result. Not that they are not handy for some things, but I too would never cut an opening in my trailer shell with one. I have almost exclusively used my Bosch Occidental Multi-Tool. Not just there, but it is very useful for lots of fine cutting needs. Tons of different bits to use too.

[Patandlinda]

Have lots of tools but sometimes the dremel does the job . But so does the multi tool . There is a need for different tools , depending on the situation .
I would be very careful and wouldn’t want to lose control on the trailer body . Pat

[cpaharley2008]

Yes, that is my tool of choice now for mod's to the trailer. The oscillation sound takes me back to being in a dentist chair every time I use it...

[Iowa Dave]

I went to a dentist named Doctor Demento when I was a kid. He was a butcher. Had a foot pedal driven drill and kept all the anesthetic for his personal recreational use. Later became a disc jockey and played a lot of Leon Redbone.
Iowa Dave

[gbaglo]

Oh, the memories.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by MyronL

What Ron said. Keep away. I see no way using A Dremel with any cut off wheel can be controlled enough to produce a clean, straight line.

Steady hand. Works well. Exterior spray port, bath window, recessed medicine cabinet. Not to say there isn’t a better way but to each their own.

[Eggscape]

The jigsaw worked well for the single layer of fiberglass. However I doubt it would cutting two layers at one time as in the bathroom window where you would also be cutting the shower stall wall as well. That could be a disaster.

A jigsaw would not work cutting out the medicine cabinet also because you don’t need to cut that rear wood wall.

Great pictures of those two examples Dave.

I like the idea of the Oscillating Muiltitool that Jim pointed out as an all a round cutting tool for paneling and fiberglass. I had a great finish edge cutting out my 7 inch dia speaker holes in the paneling.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Steady hand. Works well. Exterior spray port, bath window, recessed medicine cabinet. Not to say there isn’t a better way but to each their own.

To clarify, you're using a Dremel tool with an abrasive wheel, not a mini steel saw blade.

Well you're well past the usual reticence to cut a hole in your trailer.

Ron

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

The jigsaw worked well for the single layer of fiberglass. However I doubt it would cutting two layers at one time as in the bathroom window where you would also be cutting the shower stall wall as well. That could be a disaster.

A jigsaw would not work cutting out the medicine cabinet also because you don’t need to cut that rear wood wall.

Great pictures of those two examples Dave.

Ed: With the Dremel you can control the depth by being careful. The window was done in two steps as there is an air gap between the shell and shower liner. I cut through the outside shell first. Then had someone press the shower stall against the exterior and traced the opening onto the backside of the shower stall. Then from the outside was able to cut the shower stall. A little nerve wracking but I nailed it.
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...tml#post184313

The medicine cabinet did require me to cut the wood wall for a complete opening between the bath and closet. I used the Dremel for the fiberglass and a jigsaw for the two layers of wood paneling.
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...tml#post187403

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

To clarify, you're using a Dremel tool with an abrasive wheel, not a mini steel saw blade.

Well you're well past the usual reticence to cut a hole in your trailer.

Yes, correct Ron. The fiberglass wheels that Brian linked in post #467.