Woodwork help

NUTMEG

NUTMEG

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www.theblindsailor.co.uk
So, it begins.
I want to remove a lot of old fittings, vents and bits of wood from the decks of my Mk1 Crabber. The deck is thick (1") marine ply with a fibreglass coverring and several layers of deck paint.

What is the best method? I have come up with a possible plan.

1/. Using a jigsaw set to cut at an angle, cut a circular hole following a drawn pencil line to leave a tapered hole.
2/ Using same template, mark up a bit of ply, cut a tapered plug to fit the hole.
3/ Cover in Cascamite or similar and push plug into said hole.
4/ Go to pub for pint.
5/ Cut bit of woven glass mat, cover plug + 1" in epoxy, stipple etc. when set paint! Easy!
6/ in cabin, fill inevitable gaps with wood filler, sand and paint.

There are also numerous old screw holes too. Plan for these is to whittle bits of hardwood, cover in epoxy,?bash in and plane/sand off.

Any improvements to my cunning plan? All suggestions welcome.
 
Depends. If you have access from underneath use a backing pad and then fill your hole from the top with a graving piece to fit the hole. Use epoxy and then epoxy glass cloth over the top. If no access from underneath use a router to enlarge the hole to half depth then make a stepped plug from two thicknesses of ply. Small holes easiest to bore out to 10mm and plug with hardwood bungs made with a plug cutter. None of these repairs is structural so the main aim is to fill them neatly and surface them so that they are invisible from above.
 
Sophie19 said:
So, it begins.
I want to remove a lot of old fittings, vents and bits of wood from the decks of my Mk1 Crabber. The deck is thick (1") marine ply with a fibreglass coverring and several layers of deck paint.

What is the best method? I have come up with a possible plan.

1/. Using a jigsaw set to cut at an angle, cut a circular hole following a drawn pencil line to leave a tapered hole.
2/ Using same template, mark up a bit of ply, cut a tapered plug to fit the hole.
3/ Cover in Cascamite or similar and push plug into said hole.
4/ Go to pub for pint.
5/ Cut bit of woven glass mat, cover plug + 1" in epoxy, stipple etc. when set paint! Easy!
6/ in cabin, fill inevitable gaps with wood filler, sand and paint.

There are also numerous old screw holes too. Plan for these is to whittle bits of hardwood, cover in epoxy,?bash in and plane/sand off.

Any improvements to my cunning plan? All suggestions welcome.
Click to expand...

Invest in a multi cutter, e.g.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/bosch-bosch-pmf-190e-all-rounder-with-10-accessories-prod887921/

If you can't remove them by unscrewing. slice items off flush with the deck, you can get metal and wood cutting blades, then file flush and cover with grp. Would save cutting holes in the deck!
 
Sophie19 said:
Going to sound really thick now. What's a graving piece?
Click to expand...

As you now have a "traditional" boat you need to learn the lingo! Fancy name for a bit of wood to fill a hole. Often used in traditional planking to replace soft spots and cut in a diamond shape probably tapered to wedge into the plank. In your context it would be a circular disc cut with a hole saw to size and the pilot drill hole plugged with a bung. You can make stepped ones by using 2 different diameter discs glued together. Several holes on my Ply boat filled in variations on these themes!
 
Leave out the Cascamite and do it all with epoxy. Then your plan will be excellent. Cascamite is a great adhesive for wood in controlled conditions, but epoxies are a bit more versatile.

Read up a lot, don't use it near any silicone products and it will be harder than a very hard thing
 
Agree with using epoxy
But would also recommend using a router rather than a Jigsaw, and make some templates first. Using different sized guide bushes on the router you can use a single template to both cut the hole, and the plug fill it and they will be a good fit, which you will never achieve by hand with a jigsaw. Also if the hole is any size, I would say greater than 50mm diameter I would step the cut to give more strength.
 
Could use some decent holesaws to make stepped holes and then some slightly bigger holesaws to make the plugs.
Epoxy is the stuff to use nowdays and west do a good website with info, etc. If you are in a boatyard, see if anyone else is doing GRP repairs and ask them about the various aditives for epoxy. Just don't take the first persons views on it, but find others. The use of GRP / epoxy in repairs is a frequent discussion on here so a search is worthwhile.
 
Thanks.

I like the look of those Bosch cutty things. Just the job for a visually impaired person to run about the yard with :-)

So, my plan sounds reasonable, just use epoxy, no glue. Not sure about hole cutters as I have holes already so nowhere for pilot drill to go.

Any further thoughts welcome. Especially sources of thick plywood offcuts! Any near Maldon, Essex would be great.
 
You will find that cutting the hole with a jig saw set at an angle is unlikely to produce a neat even angle in the hole in the deck. The jigsaw blade is likely to 'wonder' and you will have some bits at 40 degrees and some bits at 50 degrees and very little of the hole will be 45 degrees...

I agree with others who have said that a step cut with a router using a pattern for the router to follow would produce a very neat result.
 
Hmm.

I have no idea about the suitability of a jigsaw for such thick wood. You may well have a point about 'wandering'. So, maybe a router would be a better choice? I will need to buy such tools new as I have none at all, apart from a nice 18v DeWalt drill and a Dremel. Don't want to waste dosh on tools that will not do the job.
 
Everything takes practice, with every tool. IMHO you may use whatever you are comfortable with. Did such things even with normal hand saw (thin one, however you call it) cutting from holes drilled on corners of the place. There is no need for great precision on the angle, provided it's still the angle so graving bit is not falling through hole inside :)
The rest - epoxy, well thickened - it will fill the gaps.
Prepare the patch, graving piece, you name it, with some file in hand and trial, so to fit it possibly snug, smear around with epoxy, put in, press. Done.
Underneath - best idea is to make back-up plate covered with poly film (so epoxy won't stick), press it up to the deck with some shoring, and now you are able to place the patch in the hole neatly and horizontally. Make sure there is enough of that epoxy.

For tiny screw-holes - dip a stick of wood, not a hard kind, in said epoxy, drive into with a hammer, cautiously, wait for epoxy to harden, cut off.
edit: for smallish hole only problem is driving something deep into, that is why softer wood (hardwood plugs for big ones) and not necessarily on epoxy. When you work with more of them it's more convenient to use one part glue or even clear polyurethane varnish, one part type, as they will not harden in the pot.


Not much of a philosophy, really :D
 
Last edited:
john_morris_uk said:
You will find that cutting the hole with a jig saw set at an angle is unlikely to produce a neat even angle in the hole in the deck. The jigsaw blade is likely to 'wonder' and you will have some bits at 40 degrees and some bits at 50 degrees and very little of the hole will be 45 degrees...

I agree with others who have said that a step cut with a router using a pattern for the router to follow would produce a very neat result.
Click to expand...

with west + filler / thickener the angle need only be say 10 deg, any gaps will be filled with the epoxy mix.
Can the OP borrow some tools
 
Pay back time maybe...

Middle son James is a Luthier, he is currently making a double bass. He has lots of hand tools (too personal to borrow), but I suspect he has power tools too. Reckon he must owe me.

I take the point about accuracy and thick epoxy to fill smallish voids. I like the idea of using a covered backing pad. I am looking for a non-woodworkers method, and think I may be getting close!

Thanks all, very helpful replies. This forum can be an invaluable resource.

Steve
 
For larger holes - where it is possible that stepping on it would put your whole weight on the patch, the stepped idea is good with the smaller patch on the inside. It also means that you can use two pieces of 1/2 inch ply to achieve the repair. It is really only difficult to achieve a good finish if the surface is curved as a small piece of ply cannot be evenly forced into the curvature.

I did some patching using the expanding polyurethane type of glue to take up the mismatches in my woodwork, but that was easier as it was to be sheathed in cloth and resin before painting.

Rob.
 
rob2 said:
For larger holes - where it is possible that stepping on it would put your whole weight on the patch, the stepped idea is good with the smaller patch on the inside. It also means that you can use two pieces of 1/2 inch ply to achieve the repair. It is really only difficult to achieve a good finish if the surface is curved as a small piece of ply cannot be evenly forced into the curvature.

I did some patching using the expanding polyurethane type of glue to take up the mismatches in my woodwork, but that was easier as it was to be sheathed in cloth and resin before painting.

Rob.
Click to expand...

use epoxy with filler & shape as req
 
Sophie19 said:
There are also numerous old screw holes too. Plan for these is to whittle bits of hardwood, cover in epoxy,?bash in and plane/sand off.

Any improvements to my cunning plan? All suggestions welcome.
Click to expand...
For the old screw holes I would suggest you invest in one of these though I would not bother with the supplied plugs as they are a little soft rather make your own from some hard wood dowel and a pencil sharpener.
 
That reamer looks just the job, thank you. Going to boat tomorrow to look at the type of fibreglass cloth used to cover the deck. Once I have that, West System jollop and filler, sharp blade for the jigsaw away I go! Anyone want a job putting my deck back together when I have finished messing it up?

Thanks all
 
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