THE VERSATILE CAMPER-TOP CABIN

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I use square-drive screws because I've lived in the country long enough to know that what I build today may be obsolete tomorrow. These screws let me easily salvage materials for future projects since, compared to nails and other kinds of screws, they chew up less wood—and are less likely to get chewed up themselves—during frequent knocking down and reassembly. They also don't require pilot holes, so projects go together faster.

The L-brackets are used to hold the walls together. The hinges and latch let you close the door to keep out night-time marauders and weather. Add a drip-edge, if you wish, so rainwater won't run down the walls. The walls will dry faster after a storm, reducing water damage.

If you wish to paint or stain the wood, which is entirely optional, you can either apply the paint or stain to each panel individually, or to the whole project after assembly is complete.

TOOLS

• carpenter's hammer
• 7¼” power saw
• power drill, with square power bit
• carpenter's square
• flat rasp, to smooth rough corners
• framing square
• sandpaper, medium
• two clamps, throats at least four inches
• two saw-horses

Getting Started

Start by cutingt a ½ x ¾-inch strip from one edge of each 2 x 4. For this, you can use a table saw with a dadoo attachment, but I prefer a power saw so I will end up with eight ½ x ¾-inch wooden laths that I can use for some other project. When you use a dadoo, all you get is sawdust.

To cut a strip with a saw, clamp the wide face of a 2 x 4 flat to the saw-horses and make a½-inch deep cut, ¾ inches from the edge. Cut all eight 2 x 4s the same way. Then, clamp the narrow face to the saw-horses and make a ¾-inch deep cut, perpendicular to the first. Repeat for all eight 2 x 4s.

Since camper shells come in a variety of sizes, measure the length and width of yours, and transfer these dimensions to the camper top sketch above. Use this sketch as a guide for cutting your 2 x 4s to frame the cabin's side and rear walls.

Before assembling each panel, use a 3/32-inch bit to drill pilot holes into the ends of the 2 x 4s, as indicated above. (Don't skip this step, or the wood will surely split.) Using two nails at each corner, assemble three frames—two for the side walls and one for the back wall. Use your framing square to make sure that each frame is perfectly square.

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