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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 27, 2009 20:22:00 GMT 10
...can someone please give me the definition of a bondwood van? I considered any ply or masonite van to be a bondy till yesterday when a few questions came to mind such as: Does it have to have a wood frame with ply? Can it have Masonite cladding? Or.. Does it refer to the 'RESIBOARD' that my Globey and Neill's Adventurer are made of? That is;3/8 resiboard sides with no frrame as such apart from around the window and door openings? Cheers Beetles Interesting question Beetles has raised. I suspect it has been debated before, probably as soon as the forum started, but if it has I can't find it. I suspect the question of what makes a bondy a bondy is also a real ant's nest. I probably should leave the question to be answered by the 'Prince of Bondwood' Reddo, or Cobber, who has researched a lot of these issues. But I never did have the sense not to stand on an ant's nest, so here goes... To my mind a 'bondy' is a caravan clad with bondwood - marine ply, plywood, plasply, etc. I don't know too much about Resiboard, but if it is a type of ply it would also be bondwood. Masonite is not a plywood, it is a form of composite board, and therefore a van clad in masonite is not technically a bondy, BUT in practice a lot of us do not really distinguish between a ply clad van or a masonite clad van - we call them all bondys. As far as the framing - or lack of it - goes, I don't think it matters whether the van has wooden framing, has no frame, or has a metal frame. In popular parlance, being a bondy is all about the cladding. What do others think? Don Ricardo |
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Post by Franklin1 on Mar 27, 2009 22:10:11 GMT 10
I think the term 'bondy' is just an affectionate generic term used to describe any old timber-skinned caravan. The name Bondwood is a registered trademark belonging to Hancock & Gore in Brisbane, but it is not the only waterproof plywood that was available in those days. I would assume that a lot more bondwood was used in the market, for the name to become so familiar that it was used in conversation to describe any waterproof ply. That probably annoyed the manufacturers of SeaPly, Reswood, and Plasply, all similar to Bondwood. I suppose it's not unlike people referring to cans of fly spray as being all in Pressure Pak cans, when in fact that name is trademarked to Mortein, and only relates to their product. Who wouldn't like to have their product name on everyone's lips??
I don't know how long the name Bondwood has been around for, but I doubt whether it was around before WWII (cobber may know). So all those vans built in the 1930s and 1940s may not have been referred to as 'bondies' back then. Maybe they were called "woodies"??
cheers,
Al.
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Post by cobber on Mar 28, 2009 7:31:09 GMT 10
Bondwood ? I find nothing to disagree with in what Don R or Al have said. As Al indicated it could be an affectionate term applied to any material that consists of wood bound together, whether it be sheets of wood bound together to form plywood, or chips of wood bound together to form Masonite or similar products. They are both held in the same high regard in my books. I clearly remember my Pater.. just prior to WW11 saying to my mama.... “put the little bas**#d on the bondwood and see if that shuts him up...... a clear reference to the plywood base in the cot I slept in, so I think the term has been around for some time Al.  Your reference to Hancock and Gore, who own the “Bulldog” brand, might lead us down an interesting path Al. because Ol' 36 was constructed using plywood made by D. G. Brims and Sons... both companies were founded about the time of the first world war in Queensland.... a discussion for another time maybe. Cobber. |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 28, 2009 16:39:37 GMT 10
Hi Al, Dave and Cobber,
Maybe I wasn't standing on an ants nest, but on a hill of unanimity and agreement instead. ;D ;D ;D
Interesting that bondwood is/was a proprietary name Al. I had a suspicion that it might haven been - a bit like 'biro' and 'xerox'. It's a mixed blessing when the name of your product becomes the common name for a class of products. On the one hand the name of your product is on everybody's' lips, on the other hand the "everybody's" don't care whether they actually buy your brand or not!
Beetles referred to the frameless style of caravan structure where the frame is essentially provided by the internal furniture, etc. The manufacturers of Don caravans referred to this in their post-WW2 brochures as the "aircraft principle of stressed-skin construction". Does anybody know when 'stressed-skin construction' was first applied to caravans? Was this developed for aircraft construction in WW2, or did it pre-date that? From the pics of some of John Jennison's early caravans (mid-30's) he was using a full frame at that time, and in the 50's some van manufacturers were selling rolling frames to the DIY crowd. So when did the 'stressed-skin' principle come in?
Don Ricardo
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2009 17:13:47 GMT 10
Cobber wrote... " whether it be sheets of wood bound together to form plywood, or chips of wood bound together to form Masonite or similar products. They are both held in the same high regard in my books." We here at "The Royal Society for Preservation of Bondwood Caravans of Australia" Fully endorse Mr Cobbers definition of "Bondwood"..... Its a better caravan construction product and poses no threat to the environment while it is growing.. in use... or... decaying... To quote from the "Book of wood manglers" ;D Bondwood.."Thin Verneers of wood ,laid in alternate directions by layer to form an impervious, indestructable and lifelong building material. An excellent insulator from the extremes of climate that lends itself to the constuction of the worlds best form of Vintage Caravan....while looking totally cool in the process"..( oh alright i made up that last little bit) ;D To quote from the Oxford dictionary.. "Bondwood".. lending itself to freeform design.. Not of the casting or mould...No welding flashes or itchyness  ( says in large text .. THANK CHRIST).. Geeeeez .. .. its been a while since i had to deliver that sermon...... Guess i will be in the naughty corner by tomorrow morning .. again  ;D Dont forget to write .  Reddo..Foundation member and Hon Pres RSPBCA |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 28, 2009 18:43:45 GMT 10
G'day Reddo. Welcome to the discussion. For a while I thought you might be going to sit this one out. ;D ;D ;D But there's no-one better to instruct us on the nature and inherent value of bondwood than you. You sent me rushing off to the Oxford dictionary to check out the definition you quoted...hmmm...b...o...n...d...w...o...o...d...can't find it...  let me try again...maybe I don't know my alphabet...  Oh, now I get it...looking in the wrong book...it's in the Revised English Dependable Definition Oxford on the next shelf down! Published by Reddotel, Barnsley NSW. No naughty corner for you old mate, just the honour and respect due to the Hon President of the RSPBCA. Don Ricardo |
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Post by humpty2 on Mar 28, 2009 20:04:55 GMT 10
Ahem.............the one point you are all missing here, is that bondwood and masonite have the one common factor.............
They are held together with resin........ you know the stuff they make fibreglass from! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2009 20:14:58 GMT 10
..  God damn .. so that's what makes it rot ;D ;D ;D ;D Reddo
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Post by atouchofglass on Mar 28, 2009 20:22:13 GMT 10
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BluetangJo
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1964 10ft Homemade, 1966 Propert, Sixties 15ft Viscount
Posts: 164
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Post by BluetangJo on Mar 29, 2009 6:50:41 GMT 10
And on a slightly different tack, my Tilly is totally clad in aluminium, but I think of her as bondwood. I guess its because she once was bondwood, (there is still some under the alum) and she will be again when I have the time & money. ;D So to most she is a tinny, but I see her as the beautiful bondy she is at heart  |
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Post by Jennison on Mar 29, 2009 7:08:33 GMT 10
Same deal with the 53 Jennison - a bondwood VV sheeted over with gal- I still think of her as a bondy regards........
As an aside I finally put her over the weighbridge and including the mattresses and cushions(which are original and must weigh a total of about 90kg between them) she comes in at a huge 1140kg, no wonder the EH struggles to stop her!!! jennison
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Post by beetlesbailey on Apr 2, 2009 21:19:22 GMT 10
Thanks to all for the opinions.
I guess it's as I thought. That is if it's clad in wood of any type, brand or thickness it's a bondy.
So I have 2 of 'em. Or do I?
The G.T.(globe trotter not ford) is both a bondy AND a tinny as it has aluminium front,roof and rear, with 3/8" resiboard sides!
The teardrop is ply with fibreglass over it to protect the wood from rot.
Yeah Yeah theyr'e BOTH bondy's.
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BluetangJo
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1964 10ft Homemade, 1966 Propert, Sixties 15ft Viscount
Posts: 164
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Post by BluetangJo on Apr 3, 2009 7:01:14 GMT 10
Maybe the Hon Pres RSPBCA, when he gets out of the sin bin, can suggest a new catagory for tin or fob...er fibreglass clad bondys ;D or then again maybe that would put him back in the sin bin  ;D ;D ;D |
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( says in large text .. THANK CHRIST)..
;D
;D ;D ;D