Interior woodwork advice please

I've added this to my own Commer Wiki on my PC, really useful stuff said by Hazel's dad... I've got a bit of delamination to contend with :I
 
Hazels Dad here again -Thanks for comments about my late night contribution. Your replies have made me think more about sourcing the correct veneers and ply backing so that we can provide restoration up to Mr Autosleepers standards. The veneer he used was as I have said -very high quality, it must also have been very expensive as it came from Oak that was 'quarter sawn' ie cut in cheese shape wedges to the centre of a tree and not cut across which was and is still the cheaper way of doing it-this quarter sawing gave the attractive flecks/rays in the wood which can still be seen on all old Autosleepers. This high quality wood was also used extensively in Churches for high quality fittings. The reason its expensive is that the cutting method creates more waste than the other simpler method. Mr Autosleepers veneer was also much thicker than that used today. We should have asked him when he popped into the NEC whether he employed professional craftsmen to veneer some panels in situ or had the veneer faced ply specially made. The quality indicates that professionals were at work somewhere. It is still possible to veneer in the traditional way -this was carried out using animal glue -sometimes called pearl glue which was heated up in a double glue pot containing water which prevented the glue from burning. I still have my Fathers glue pot and some glue! The other specialist bits of kit can still be found in antique shops - basically a device like a solid rake to push out excess glue and an old fashioned solid iron to ease out any lumps. This is a very satisfying process and the glue smells amazing! It is however an aquired art and the sourcing of the right quality oak faced ply would be the best option. When the exam season is over I will chase this up and with Admin/ Martins approval will try and negotiate a high quality batch. I suspect this will not be cheap and we might need to buy more than a few sheets to justify production -The level of interest might make this worth while. With regard to caravan veneer- I still have all of my Fathers woodwork books -one with 40 actual samples of 'Common British and Imported timbers' If I can't identify the wood from memory -this will certainly match up the required type. Try putting a high quality photo on -better to see an actual sample of the wood. -Perhaps come over to a meet and bring some! Hope this helps- Hazels Dad
 
ps -Have just looked at one old piece of Clarabel which has veneer applied only up to a junction line ie -it must have been done in situ!
 
Many thanks again for all the responses.

Well, I've just got back from a long day out.

On the road at 5.30am, 200 miles later I got to Essex about 9.30 thanks to the traffic, but soon got stuck into removing the interior with my mate Dez.

Boy, what a nightmare!! Most of the screws were either rusted in, had chewed heads or just spun round not coming out. It took both of us all day to get the interior out...and it's now sitting in my trailer back in Bristol ready to be looked at in more detail.

All of this in crazy heat! The inside of the van was so hot we were only able to work in it for about 30 mins at a time and I've drunk more than my bodyweight in soft drinks/water today just trying to replace the constant sweat that was pouring out! Thirsty work this Commer stripping malarky.

One thing that became obvious as more was removed...there is more water damage than I was expexting and also some rot in various places too (thanks to what looks like poor use of the sink, a leaky water pipe on the filler tube and leaky windows)

I'll be starting a build thread very soon, but I reckon I'm going to need to replace quite a bit of the wood along with the worktops.

I've also removed all the diamond vinyl 'padding' from the sides so will probably looking where to source some of that (although I'm tempted to go for some foam back vinyl in maybe dark brown?)

Hazel's Dad, if you are able to source a sheet or two of the oak veneer ply, I will certainly be interested. Both the thin stuff and the thicker stuff. Also if you know where to get laminated worktop similar to the ones fitted (table is the same too)

It's looking like this motor is going to be a lot more work than I was expecting, but I am sure it'll be worth it in the end!

My fave bit of the day (apart from getting home after 18 ridiculously baking hot hours and 400 miles after leaving this morning)....the four lovely glass domed lights - such lovely little things and I can't wait to refit them near the end of the build.
 
Hazel said:
Hi- Hazels Dad here (I'm the woodworker for Clarabel- My Ride needs a makeover) Clarabels main problem with about 40% of the woodwork was de-lamination due to rain damage-you can get the finish back on the old oak faced ply as it was very high quality -thick figured oak. When it delaminates there is nothing you can do but replace it. Most good wood stores stock oak faced plywood but make sure the oak laminate is as thick as possible -one batch I used was paper thin and rubbed down to the middle laminates very quickly -even with the finest flour paper. The second batch was much better- it's worth shopping around. The original figured oak ply is very hard to source (it can be identified with 'medullary rays' -very attractive flecks in the grain which polish up and look fantastic. -I found some of this very high quality veneer but unfortunately only on MDF- don't be tempted by this as it degrades and falls to pieces when it gets wet! Commervanfan needs to negotiate with the firm who produce the good veneer to persuade them to back it up with ply- I was about to do this but the NEC beconned and there was no time. Clarabel however still looks good with light oak coloured ply with some small flecks. The best way to finish this is to 'raise the grain' with a mixture of raw (not boiled !) linseed oil and white spirit. When this is dry rub it down very very lightly with the finest glass paper (called flour paper) or alternatively very fine wire wool. The final finish we used on clarabel was matt Yacht varnish (again mixed with a litle white spirit for the first coat. Yacht varnish is particulary useful near the back doors on the door cupboards and the wardrobe/toilet cabinet as these always get splashed with rain -this is when the delamination sets in. If you have any trouble sourcing the oak faced ply let us know - there is a suply in Keighley and Skipton West Yorks. Final bit of advice- Oak has natural tannin /acid and will attack any steel pins or screws it is absolutely essential to only use brass panel pins and stainless steel screws-these are expensive but if you look in any old autosleper you will see the staining everywhere. You need to make a pilot hole for the pins with a fine bradawl or a very small drill as they have a habit of bending! Good luck and if you need any more advice -get back to me. (ps throw nothing away -save evey scrap of wood and label it -you might need it as a template) Good Luck Hazels Dad.
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Just getting into the woodwork on my van and this post has been invaluable! Cheers
 
Excellent. Good luck. Let us know how you get on. I remade mine with framework and 9mm ply but it wasn’t brilliant so now I’m going to use 15mm birch faced ply. The other small reason for rebuilding is that the floor needs a ply base which wasn’t there before and my furniture won’t fit under windows etc whoops.
 
S0updragon said:
Excellent. Good luck. Let us know how you get on. I remade mine with framework and 9mm ply but it wasn’t brilliant so now I’m going to use 15mm birch faced ply. The other small reason for rebuilding is that the floor needs a ply base which wasn’t there before and my furniture won’t fit under windows etc whoops.
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I’m just making the seat bases/bed, framing out then I have some 9mm ply.
 
One if the problems I created was making the doors so big there wasn’t enough ply left to stop the whole thing twisting out if true so some if the doors stuck etc. 15mm ply is self supporting so doesn’t need framework. Also thinking of using cross dowel nuts and bolts to put it together like ikea furniture.
 
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