Galley / Nav Station Renovation

[Not Sure]

Originally Posted by James S

Thanks.
I used a 1/2 inch router set up under a table, shaft up...and you use it like a shaper.
Rough cut the corner piece shape...then tack on a template with the exact shape of the corner…the template needs to be as accurate as you can get it.

Put a bit in the router the profile you want the nose with a bearing off-set on the top of the shaft...that bearing will follow the edge of the template.

Take small bites.

Depending on the size and shape of your bit you may have to flip the piece over to get the other side…that’s how I did this piece…you can see in this picture that the top and bottom are symmetrical.

Change the bit for the shape you want on the inside.

Start out with the piece longer than you need ...then you cut back the ends to suit your final length and end angles.

Once your set up its pretty easy.
Get a sanding drum with flush bearing for the router as well…their great.

You can also use a shaper table if you can get your hands on one.

For the hand hold, How about a bit of wood 8 or 10cm high by 2-1/2 or 3cm wide, on edge, fit around the outside top with about half its height on the top becoming the hand hold..of course you would router the top and maybe a little detail on the bottom.
It would be kinda like a thick fiddle.

LOL! In other words, you'll needs access to a halfway decent woodworking shop and/or 'handyman'/amateur shop loaded with toys, you'll need to fashion jigs, and you'll likely need a sufficient amount of materials to get past the learning curve required necessary to produce consistent quality results without buggering the pieces up in the process.

I don't need to post photos. I could care less whether you believe me or not. Any old schmo can find photos of their purported 'work' to post. The fact is, it is not easy to produce nice hardwood custom bullnose, and whether or not you're a 'master carpenter' or 'professional' matters little. It still takes some decent amount of practice and/or trial and error to produce decent results, and some amount of previous woodworking experience to even get that far.

In other words, not something produced by your average boat owner or kit finisher.

The difference between you and all of your tools and jigs and steps in your 'instructions' is that I can go into a Home Depot, pick out a hand jigsaw, a circular saw, a hand router, and hand sander off of the shelf, go down and get a piece of oak or whatnot in the wood aisle, and in an hour or so right there in the store made on the counter have four 90 degree bullnose pieces made entirely by hand sitting there that you wouldn't be able to tell from your shop-fabbed pieces of bullnose. That's what makes a 'master' a master, friend. And in case you still don't get it, let me spell it out further. Any no-talent half-wit can produce decent results when they have access to Norm Abram's shop and unlimited time. The 'master' can produce quality when simply equipped with the most rudimentary and basic of tools ...by hand and 'in the field', lickety split.

[bstreep]

"Not Sure" - would you mind taking your thread-crapping to a different thread? Seriously, there are people that are following this thread and really want to continue following it. If you want to argue, please open another discussion thread.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Not Sure

It still takes some decent amount of practice and/or trial and error to produce decent results, and some amount of previous woodworking experience to even get that far.

I've had loads of practice over many many years.........this is one of my better results




Please don't knock those of us who use power tools, it used to take me hours to get a result like above - but with full power I can now acheive that effect in minutes

[Not Sure]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I've had loads of practice over many many years.........this is one of my better results




Please don't knock those of us who use power tools, it used to take me hours to get a result like above - but with full power I can now acheive that effect in minutes

Good one! But don't sell yourself short. I've seen worse by actual 'professionals'. And by 'hand' I mean freehand and/or with handheld tools only....not that I'm specifically whittling away the wood with a stone hammer and flint chisel, sans electricity.

[James S]

Not Sure... The router is the only power I tool mentioned…..although I did use a jigsaw for the initial rough shape.

I did not fashion or use any jigs. In my description I did mention a template.....mine was made from a single piece of 4mm MDF cut to the shape of the corner.

I installed the router to the under side of my temporary sole in my galley…that’s a 16mm piece of black form plywood….the sole is two steps higher than the lower cabin so I worked the pieces while on my knees.
That is the extent of my workshop in Lebanon…I’ve attached a picture.

Many of us who follow the refit forum are engaged in doing refits. As such we probably think we have the skills to be successful…but more often than not we find we are lacking.
We are fortunate to have this forum and like minded folks to turn to.
We hope that masters and experts such as your self, can share their knowledge with us so that we might honor our boats by doing the very best work we can.

I like this forum because I get lots of info and tips and occasionally have the opportunity to share something I may have learned.

[Christian Van H]

Sweet shop James! I see that it's air conditioned, with a vacuum system and all the latest power tools! Man, you could build ANYTHING in there...even a house! Wait...you build them for a living?

[James S]

I cant afford nice power tools (or helicopters) I spent all my money on fans (there's a third one in the forepeak)

[Not Sure]

Originally Posted by James S

Many of us who follow the refit forum are engaged in doing refits. As such we probably think we have the skills to be successful…but more often than not we find we are lacking.

Don't sell yourself short. A good part of the battle is knowing when what you're making (or have made) is worthy of keeping, or needs to be abandoned/torn out and redone. There is nobody, 'professionals' included, who doesn't screw up time to time and have to start over. The key is knowing when that is, when it's time to start over, and when its time to alter the design to make use of what you've done so far so that in the end the finished product still looks 'right'.
(And here's the key to looking 'right' .....The eye should virtually never be drawn to the area/item in question other than in the instance of admiring it's beauty as part of a seamless whole. If something stands out in contrast, it usually isn't 'right'. To check for 'rightness', look away, cleanse your memory, and look back at your work as if you were seeing it for the first time as an outsider. If it doesn't jump out at you, and seemlessly blends in and is not noticeable, then you've done your job well and can move on.
In other words, the technical skills can usually be learned by just about anybody willing to learn, while the eye generally has to be taught. Some people naturally have 'the eye' more than others, and some will never gain it no matter how hard they try.)

Some of my best work has come as a result of mistakes or circumstances forcing the alteration of the original intended design or plan. That is just the nature of the beast when working with an imperfect material (wood) in an imperfect world.

The point of this screed is that simply because I may criticize something doesn't mean that I'm being cruel, or unkind, or trying to denigrate somebody or something ...or their work. It's because I think that we've all seen things that caused us to say "What in the world were they thinking, and what made them think that that looked correct?" In this instance, I believe that the nav/galley can be salvaged, and with the correct use of materials and their applications can be a complementary design rather than a detrimental one. The question is....can the builder pull it off in the end? Let's hope so. (At least he's on the right track, as he recognizes that he needs to use wood now to balance the look of all of the corian, effectively canceling it out and bringing the design back into balance. My advice is to go heavy on the wood trim, and go exotic. Not necessarily teak or mahogany per se, but sapele, jarrah, etc., ....woods along that line that are complimentary to the existing woods are what is called for in the trim work now.)

[FloridaWriter]

Originally Posted by Not Sure

LOL! In other words, you'll needs access to a halfway decent woodworking shop and/or 'handyman'/amateur shop loaded with toys, you'll need to fashion jigs, and you'll likely need a sufficient amount of materials to get past the learning curve required necessary to produce consistent quality results without buggering the pieces up in the process.

I don't need to post photos. I could care less whether you believe me or not. Any old schmo can find photos of their purported 'work' to post. The fact is, it is not easy to produce nice hardwood custom bullnose, and whether or not you're a 'master carpenter' or 'professional' matters little. It still takes some decent amount of practice and/or trial and error to produce decent results, and some amount of previous woodworking experience to even get that far.

In other words, not something produced by your average boat owner or kit finisher.

The difference between you and all of your tools and jigs and steps in your 'instructions' is that I can go into a Home Depot, pick out a hand jigsaw, a circular saw, a hand router, and hand sander off of the shelf, go down and get a piece of oak or whatnot in the wood aisle, and in an hour or so right there in the store made on the counter have four 90 degree bullnose pieces made entirely by hand sitting there that you wouldn't be able to tell from your shop-fabbed pieces of bullnose. That's what makes a 'master' a master, friend. And in case you still don't get it, let me spell it out further. Any no-talent half-wit can produce decent results when they have access to Norm Abram's shop and unlimited time. The 'master' can produce quality when simply equipped with the most rudimentary and basic of tools ...by hand and 'in the field', lickety split.

Why don't you go fashion some of those hand-made bullnoses and leave this thread alone.

[Not Sure]

Originally Posted by FloridaWriter

Why don't you go fashion some of those hand-made bullnoses and leave this thread alone.

You're right...I should be out working on my boat, since I aim to have her back in the water next month....4 months after I pulled her out. Otherwise, it will end up taking me, uh...... 4 years. Know what I mean?

[blahman]

Hi All,

I just realized that I never posted "finished" photos of our nav station. I've been quite busy with a new graduate program, but now that the semester is at an end, my mind has wandered to the time I'll have in December and early January for sailing.

The photos attached below are in succession from when we first purchased the boat through our rewiring and addition of the electric panels, then from from modifying the nav area for the new counters and trimming it out. The full nav table/galley renovation is shown in this album.

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread!

Sweet coconuts,
Aaron N.

[James S]

Well done Aaron...she looks real nice.
Thanks for the up-date.

[gulfstar37]

My two cents. Very interesting thread. Took me about 10 min from start to this point. Aaron I actually looked at your album and looks like you definitely had something in mind to rip out a good portion of your starboard side of cabinets and rebuild to your liking. Not many people can do what you have done or have the guts to attempt what you have done. Looks good.

All comes down to if you are happy with your results that is all that matters. We all have made modifications to our boats for various reasons. Some for aesthetics others for function. I'll share a secret, I've used someone else's great ideas from this site and maybe a few from popular magazines on my own boat. I also enjoy going to boat shows and visit other boats to see what others have done to improve their boat.

That is the reason I like this site.

Don't get discoraged from some peoples comments and thanks for sharing your ideas on this site.

Here is a few photos of my nav station upgrade from a few years ago. May not be "professional" grade but I'm happy with it, and some have made positive comments.

[dandrews]

Looks pretty darn professional to me....thumb!

Don