New Mahogany Toerail - Steam Before Bending?

[anjou]

Hey Chicken
Slam in the Lamb and make it steamy.

When you select your lumber at the yard, ask them to throw in some waste for you to practise on first.

[Randy]

Fishman
To mark the bolt locations make a template the shape and width of the cap rail out of 1/8" doorskin then place dowel points in the bolt holes, place the template precisely where the rail is going to be installed. The dowel points transfer the bolt locations to the template which you in turn transfer to the new cap rail.

[Fishman_Tx]

Can I get mint jelly with that? The question, I guess is, "How long to cook the Sunday joint?"

The original toe rail is still intact (mostly) and was considering using as the "form" for the template. We are talking door skins as in Birch door skins or wallpanel (1/8")? It would be easy to use the original to transfer to the template, but the pattern will change somewhat if I change the type of joint, yes? The original was lapped and bolted through. One of the reasons I was trying to keep the original joint style, even if not the best.

[Randy]

Home Depot usually has luan in stock. Yeah, the old rail could be used to transfer by just drilling through the old holes into the luan (if you just mark the luan with the bit it should mark the center pretty well and verify alignment by laying the template on the boat to see how the holes line up) And yes also to adjusting for changes in the joints.

[rbhb2]

You may not need to steam it in order to bend the rail. Here is a suggestion: Build a jig on the ground and see how well the stock bends. Do not rush the job! I've steamed in DWV pipe successfully but the current thinking is that boiling is better. Check out some of the wooden boat sites for specifics. If the trial bend on the jig shows the wood needs encouragement, then try steamed/boiled wet towels wrapped around the stock on the bends. Again, go slow and do not rush the job!

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Fishman_Tx

The most radical bend, of course, is at the bow from the chock to just even with the cabin leading edge; appx 8-10 ft. Should I build a steambox for bending these pieces?

Have you considered laminating thin strips (1/4 -3/8") using epoxy. No chance of cracking/spliting or pulling out any screws. Stronger too! You can use the hull as the form.

That's the plan for mine, when I manage to get to it.

[forsailbyowner]

I cut mine with a skill saw and bent it as I put the fasteners in. 5 yrs later alls well. The morgan has drain slots between pieces so they're only 8' or so long.

[Fishman_Tx]

A shot of the deck with rail removed. Hull/deck joint is under the tape.

[Fishman_Tx]

David,
Could you elaborate on "difficulty with the sheer" at the joints? Pinching/sagging?

[Fishman_Tx]

So, no one has the recipe for how long to cook a tree?

If I used a 12-1 scarf, what would be the amount in degrees off the vertical representing that ratio? (or would that be off the horizontal?)

[digmac]

Most woodworking sites seem to recommend steaming 1 inch thick wood for an hour. Lots of good info on woodworking sites like wood web etc.
Dave

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by anjou

Hey Chicken
Slam in the Lamb and make it steamy.

When you select your lumber at the yard, ask them to throw in some waste for you to practise on first.

Waste? The only waste mahogany I would be able to find would fit in the palm of one hand. I bought a chunk a couple weeks ago 4x4x6" which cost me US$30.

[Fishman_Tx]

you can use regular treated 2x2 pieces for that (not mahogany).