Bongo Fury

Does anyone know where i can get some lightweight ply for building a unit?

it all seems a bit expensive online and no one seems to deliver ....they do list some in Travis Perkins as lightweight. but is it really as light as the stuff the units can be made from or is it close enough not to worry

Ta

I'm no expert but there is no such thing as light weight ply, by using ply you will seriously add weight to an already weighty vehicle, I may be wrong but I'm sure somebody will be along with abit more knowledge on the subject

The only positive thing is, if your removing one of the bench seats, the seat will be heavier than the unit that it replaces, if building out of ply.

Hanksy wrote:Does anyone know where i can get some lightweight ply for building a unit?

it all seems a bit expensive online and no one seems to deliver ....they do list some in Travis Perkins as lightweight. but is it really as light as the stuff the units can be made from or is it close enough not to worry

Ta

Travis Perkins are builders merchants they don't stock or supply the specialist lightweight board your looking for, trade name Vohringer this is designed and manufactured in Germany and was created specifically for the German camper van conversion trade (VW in the early days) hence its price, there are several campervan specialist board suppliers who in some instances supply half boards etc etc and will deliver...bongos are all about cost verses value, space, weight...your purposed unit build should not be compromised as any weight factor in a bongo can effect the already dismal fuel consumption.............

mentaliss wrote:

Hanksy wrote:Does anyone know where i can get some lightweight ply for building a unit?

it all seems a bit expensive online and no one seems to deliver ....they do list some in Travis Perkins as lightweight. but is it really as light as the stuff the units can be made from or is it close enough not to worry

Ta

Travis Perkins are builders merchants they don't stock or supply the specialist lightweight board your looking for, trade name Vohringer this is designed and manufactured in Germany and was created specifically for the German camper van conversion trade (VW in the early days) hence its price, there are several campervan specialist board suppliers who in some instances supply half boards etc etc and will deliver...bongos are all about cost verses value, space, weight...your purposed unit build should not be compromised as any weight factor in a bongo can effect the already dismal fuel consumption.............

I wonder how light this is ???
http://www.travisperkins.co.uk/p/plywoo ... 53/3893617

It's not just the weight that's important but the quality of the laminate surface. Cheap laminated ply is much more prone to scratches, dents & chips. Vohringer ply really is the best stuff you can get which is why all the big names like Wellhouse, AVA, Bilbos, Reimo etc use it. I used 4 sheets of Vohringer in my rear conversion which probably set me back £400 at the time, which accounted for about a fifth of what I spent overall, but it means that nearly 4 years on, the unit is still in excellent condition & when I eventually sell the van, I will get the best possible return on my investment.

I've heard from someone in the trade that TP can get a laminated furniture board which is similar to Vohringer, but personally I would spend the extra & get the best you can.

I have a contact (branch manager) at TP, he was unable to supply a lightweight or Vohringer ply at any cheaper rate for me. In the end it was cheaper for me to go from Derby to Wisbech (Rainbow) to collect the Vohringer sheets. I had worked out my cutting plan beforehand, and so was able to ask Rainbow to cut the 2 sheets down to my spec, so that they fitted in the back of my stripped out Bongo for the journey home.

I got my Vohringer from Grassroutes Leisure when they used to be near Southampton. Now they're in South Petherton, Somerset, so not a million miles from Swindon. Mark who runs it used to be a Bongo owner and made conversions, but now specialises in supplying all the bits to the trade and public. It's not unknown for him to offer special prices for a Bongo self-build

http://www.grassroutesleisure.co.uk/brand/4/vohringer

Hi,

Robbins in Bristol do a marine ply they call their Elite range and one of these is lightweight. I used it for my short side conversion and was surprised how light it was. Seems good quality and cuts well, but not particularly cheap. Available in various thicknesses and in sheets, halves and quarters. Ideal for flooring.

Peter

thanks all

Simon Jones wrote: I used 4 sheets of Vohringer in my rear conversion which probably set me back £400 at the time,

Four sheets!!! How did you manage that? I used 1 and a half sheets in a full side conversion. If I'd used the same ply for my worktop I'd have gone to 2 sheets. 2 and a half if I'd made more than one long overhead locker.

BigPanzer wrote:Hi,

Robbins in Bristol do a marine ply they call their Elite range and one of these is lightweight. I used it for my short side conversion and was surprised how light it was. Seems good quality and cuts well, but not particularly cheap. Available in various thicknesses and in sheets, halves and quarters. Ideal for flooring.

Peter

Good point about the thicknesses, lots of bespoke units are all built out of the same thickness ply whatever the span/load etc. This is IMO so the converter can buy the material by the pallet. My top cupboards I made are 8mm thick and as strong as any flatpack ones as they are one piece preformed ply. Even if it weren't a lightweight ply it would be a big weightsaving over commercial units but it is a lightweight species anyway. If you are doing it yourself you can be more selective of materials than if you are doing it commercially.

The reason I used a lot of ply was that I wanted all the doors to be over-sized to the apertures behind, so I've got lots of small bits left over which will come in useful when I make some smaller side units. The top was made of a darker ply, to provide some contrast and the left overs from that sheet were used for some table tops.

Ahh - I see - your doors are not routed out from their apertures - that saves tonnes of wood. I also see you lined your cupboards with the same wood. I used MDF inside my cupboards. I really like what you did with the hatch for the top loader.

wow that looks great. how many seats do you have? im looking for some kind of conversion but i dont need loads. just a sink, electric and a hob. any ideas. do you do conversions yourself?