|
|
 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
by
Rick Campbell
photos: Roger Yip
illustration by Len Churchill |
BOAT-SHAPED BAR |
Be
the Captain Morgan of your domain
with this clever boat-shaped bar. |
I
have a long list of projects to tackle before I hang up my tool
belt for good. And near the top of this list is a boat. Although
this rowboat-shaped bar will never leave the shore, its construction
is similar to building the real thing in many ways.
You need thin wood for many parts of this project, both to keep
weight down and to allow the wood to bend. That’s why
I chose a marine favourite to build the bar: cedar.
A Strong Back
Begin by making a rectangular blank for the back panel of the
bar, which consists of 13 narrow slats brought together with
splines. Cut the slats to size, then use the tablesaw to rip
a 1/4"-deep x 1/8"-wide slot along the adjoining edges
to receive the splines. You’ll find tips for creating
spline joints on next page.
Normally, I use bar clamps to secure large panels such as these;
but in this case, the force is likely to cause the thin panel
to buckle. You could prevent this by clamping cauls on the top
and bottom, but there’s an easier way. Simply stretch
celluloid packing tape across the face of the panel at regular
intervals. Just be sure to tape both sides or the assembly will
cup in the centre. After the glue sets, remove the tape and
sand both sides of the panel smooth.
 |
| You
can dock your rowboat bar at the cottage or on the
back deck—wherever you go after a long day
at sea |
|
Next, lay out the curved sides and the locations of the horizontal
bulkheads. Start by scribing a line down the centre of the panel,
running in the same direction as the slats, then measure out
from this centre line to mark the point at which the bottom
corner of each bulkhead meets the curved sides. All the measurements
you need are shown on the plans (see following pages).
Drive a 1 1/2" spiral finishing nail at the end of each
bulkhead location, leaving the head protruding from the top
surface of the panel. You’ll also need to drive a nail
in the bottom corners and where the sides meet at the bow. Next,
cut a long strip of wood from thin material and bend it around
the outside of the nails to form a gentle curve on one side
of the boat. Scribe a pencil line along the inside edge of this
strip. It’s good to have a couple of helpers to complete
this procedure, but you can handle the job yourself by securing
the wood strip to the nails with spring clamps. Repeat the entire
process to prepare a mirror image of the curved profile on the
opposing side. Before removing the nails, use a straightedge
and a pencil to mark the bottom edges of the bulkheads. When
this is done, pull all the nails and, following the pencil lines
at the sides with a jigsaw, cut the back panel to shape.
Building The Bulkheads
Unless you have some wide stock on hand, you need to edge-glue
boards to create five wide panels for the bulkheads. As part
of completing my glue-ups, I installed a few #20 biscuits to
help with alignment. Note that the measurements given in the
materials list for these parts includes a waste allowance for
trimming panels to length. This is important because the ends
need to be cut at an angle to match the curved shape of the
back panel on your particular project. To determine where to
cut, simply mark the ends while holding the bulkheads on edge.
The reference lines you made earlier tell you exactly where
to position the bulkhead when you do this operation. Take the
bulkhead panels over to the tablesaw and adjust the blade to
the angle of the reference lines. Make a test cut about 1/8"
on the waste side of the mark to verify the blade is positioned
correctly. If the cut is parallel to the line, you know you
have it right.
When you’re satisfied, make your cut right to the line.
The angles will be different for each panel, so mark and trim
each end individually.
|
|
1. Building the bulkheads |
2. Strenghtning the structure | 3.
Adding doors and compartments | 4.
Accessorizing the bar |
|
|
|
|
| FREE
NEWSLETTER |
Subscribe to our newsletter. Every few weeks, you'll get a behind-the-scenes
peek at the magazine, the web site and the folks who put it all together.
CLICK HERE |
|
|
PROJECTS
