Laminating a tiller advice

[andygc]

Mine's ash, steamed and slightly over-bent on the mould by putting in spacers, when cold (next day) glued up with Cascamite, which is a perfectly satisfactory glue for this task. Over-bent because the steamed wood always goes back a bit after the cramps are taken off. It makes no sense to cold bend wood for this purpose since that will impose strains in the wood and the glue line with no good reason to do so. You don't need to get the laminations really dry by putting them in the airing cupboard. Steaming does not make wood wet, it makes it dry. The whole point of the process is to make the wood hot, not wet, so that it will bend. That's why you have to work quickly when getting the bend in - it cools down. Yes, of course you can use epoxy, but as it has no advantage over Cascamite as an adhesive, requires very accurate mixing, needs fillers to make it suitable for laminating wood, needs the right temperature to cure, costs more, does not clean off with a damp cloth, and sticks to your fingers, why would you? I'm not anti epoxy, my dinghy is held together by it, but it's not the universal glue that some people suggest.

 

[cliff]

Mine's ash, steamed and slightly over-bent on the mould by putting in spacers, when cold (next day) glued up with Cascamite, which is a perfectly satisfactory glue for this task. Over-bent because the steamed wood always goes back a bit after the cramps are taken off. It makes no sense to cold bend wood for this purpose since that will impose strains in the wood and the glue line with no good reason to do so. <snip>

At last someone is coming up with the "proper" method. Steaming, over bending to allow for springback. I would differ from there though by saying I leave the tillers in the jig for around a week in the drying cupboard. Even so there is still a little spring back. Lamination strips ¼" maximum thickness down to 9/32".
After drying you should be able to assemble the tiller with hand pressure without the need for "G-clamps" - the more force needed to hold the laminations together the greater the risk of forcing the glue out of the joint leaving the joint weak.
As for glue - I prefer epoxy to Cascamite..
Do not use kiln dried timber - use only naturally seasoned lumber. - important if bending is required.
Do not over clamp in the jig do not want to squeeze out too much of the glue.
Cut the strips slightly wider than the finished tiller requires to be and sand or otherwise chamfer the corners along the length of the strip particularly if working with Iroko or Teak.