Toerails |
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Toerails are an important safety feature in that they keep one from easily sliding off deck into the water. The following details my efforts to install toerails. | ||
I decided to steam mahogany to make it easier to bend. Here is my steambox that I built from materials I had on hand. |
I put nails in at a specified spacing from the edge to act as a jig for bending the wood. The intent is that the wood would become easy to bend and hold in place. |
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The wood seemed to be easier to bend after steaming for about one hour. |
This short piece is the after toerail. I divided the toerails into forward and aft sections with a small gap in the middle to allow water to run off. This piece proved to be too stiff even after considerable steaming so I had to make a jig for it. I heard cracking sounds as I forced the wood to conform. |
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Here is the wood after being allowed to dry for two days. It has almost total springback. |
I went ahead with gluing the strip to the hull. I set screws about every eight inches. I countersunk and bunged the screws. The after rubrails take a tighter turn. I'm thinking I will saw some laminations this weekend and glue them up. I will finish up by sawing the bungs flush, trimming, sanding, and finishing as usual. I will paint them bright. |