DIY Teak Gratings

[Guest]

Hi does anyone know how to make Teak Gratings ? I have a project that im working on that requires these and id like to have a go at making some !
I assume that the strips are made with lap / halfing joints ? correct me if im wrong ! but how do they join into the frames on the edges ? lots of tennons and mortices ? no idea ! they have to take some weight so needs to be resonably secure ! any help appreciated.
Andrew
Outerspace50@aol.com

 

[Guest]

Your profile doesn't give any indication of where you are.....but here in the US you can buy the grating sections in the major boat stores like BoatUS. You can also probably find the items by going to http://www.boatus.com and go to the online catalogue and look up the teak.

Unless you are quite a talented woodworker.....with alot of patience, its not likely you will enjoy doing it from scratch.

It would definitely be a challenge.

 

[tyger]

I made a teak grating for the cockpit of my Ruffian 23 a few years ago. It takes time and patience and access to a reasonable set of woodworking machinery but is not a difficult task. Much easier than making a chair perhaps.

Unless you are a skilled cabinet maker and are confident of doing the job quickly and accurately by hand; in which case I don't think you would've posted the message; you will need at minimum a table saw, a thicknesser ("jointer" in the USA), and a router. Nice to have (I didn't) would be a planer and a square chisel morticer. And, of course a workbench, normal hand tools and sufficient sash cramps to pull it all together.

If you don't have the machinery and/or have no previous experience of using it I would suggest that you start with a simpler project or an evening course at the local tech first.

The most time consuming part of the project is the planning and building jigs and templates. Accuracy is much more important than in most woodworking since all the joints have to line up. I started from an article in an old woodworking encyclopedia which gave basic scantlings and a number of different ways of jointing the grating together. Assuming you use the equipment list above I think the only alternatives for the strips are:

1) half housing joints with the cross members and the longditudinal members being the same thickness,
2) lap joints with the longditudinal members being half the thickness of the crossmembers.

The strips joined into the frame using mortice and tenon joints. An alternative to cutting individual mortices in the frame would be to cut a single slot. I don't think this would weaken the structure too much but I rejected as unasthetic.

The frame was jointed like a door with the cross members tennoned into the longer sides.

I cut all the joints with a small router with a 6mm (1/4 inch) collet. This was adequate, although it meant that the mortices on the four corners of the frame were not as deep as a would have liked.

The only fastenings used were home-made wooden pegs through the frame tenons - two at each corner. I used epoxy resin to secure the pegs- but nowhere else.

A few general hints:

1) Take time over selecting the teak - look out for wavey grain which will split when you cut into slats.

2) Buy more timber than you think you need - allow for some spoilage.

3) Take time over preparing the timber - get the face and edge right (this is where a planer is handy).

3) Cut the housings and tennons across the planks before you cut into slats. I cut the housings and the tennons using router and a tee shaped guide.

4) Cut the slats oversize with a table saw and finish to the final size on a thicknesser. Do this with care since the wood is weakened by the housing cuts. Make sure the thicknesser knives are sharp and take fine cuts.

5) Make a jig to hold and guide the router while cutting the mortices in the frame.

6) Teak is fairly easy to work (compared e.g. to oak ) but takes the edge off your tools very quickly. If you can, use tungsten carbide cutters in your router.

Scantlings: my old encyclopedia gave 2 1/2 inches thickness for the frame and (I think) 1 3/4 inches for the slats. Working with the timber avail able I reduced this to 1 1/2 inches for the frame and 1 inch for th slats. In the Ruffian's relatively small cockpit this was adequate. I would suggest you try to get measurements off gratings on other people's boats to determine the thickness you need.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[tony_brighton]

Saw several people at the Soton boat show who I'm sure will also be at Earls Court - they manufacture pre-cut strips for you to assemble to shape. All sorts of sizes/materials. probably not the absolutley cheapest way but looked good quality/easy.

 

[Guest]

Teak is about £90 cu.ft :-(

 

[Twister_Ken]

There\'s a company in Poole...

...that specialises in teak and teak components. They'll sell you a ready made grating, a bespoke one, a kit , or just the timber. I suspect they are called Howells, but memory is dim. Maybe someone else can confirm/deny?

 

[bryantee]

Re: There\'s a company in Poole...

http://www.k.j.howells.dial.pipex.com/ do a kit including taper sides.well worth asking for their catalogue.

 

[Danny]

Re: Howells

I ordered an unusal shape 5 side grating for the heads for my last yacht from Howells. I had considered making my own from the kits but due to the strange shape decided the cost of the materials and time made it sensible to have Howells make me one. I sent then a paper template and expected that I would have to do some planing and sanding to get it to fit. NO it was a perfect fit and a lovely piece of craftmanship. I did not know that such high quality was still around and at reasonable price.
Danny

 

[Guest]

Try Onward Trading at Southampton (023 80637810). They supply a DIY kit of parts which avoids the need for precision machining. Their catalogue is helpful.

Joe Cole

 

[Guest]

I would simply make a frame with a rebate for the grating to drop into, this also provides a space ender for drainage if it is for a cockpit sole etc. Large areas will need some batterns under for aditional support

Roly, Voya Con Dios, Glasson, Lancaster