Shelf Thickness (How Thick Is To Thick)

[Guest]

CNC Sign Carving

Sign cutting, & carving. CNC milling. SaltWaterWorkshop.com

[Grady300]

So I cut my shelves out out of Versalam 1 3/4" thick, I got both fronts out of 2ea. 2x12x10' and both back shelf's out of a 2x12x14' only will have one joint up at the AB line. I thought I ordered 1 1/2" thick but it came 1 3/4" I thought no big deal bigger is better right . Then I saw some pictures surfing the site this morning of some beautiful completed boats & noticed how much the shelves take a bend up to the bow. I then remembered reading something about planing down the shelves and adding a cap later on. I assume this is so the shelf will make the bend up to the bow by planing it thinner than 1 1/2". I have the shelves at my home shop and will need to load them up to go to my real shop to plane down since I have no planer at home. And I cant find my reading glasses to look in the book, I hate getting old I used to have 15/20 vision.
 Also I assume the shelves get their bend up to the bow as you attach the sides and the bottom can't remember reading about this either. Any comments appreciated,

[David Nolan]

Several guys built the boat with stock fir lumber 1.5 inches.  I think you are right tho, the planing back was to allow them to bend.   

Are you building a Jumbo?  If so, the turn up at the bow isnt much, but I cant see how you will get them to bend much.  Id do a test first and see.  Maybe at only 4 inches you could get them to bend "some"

The shelves lay in the molds, pretty much defining the shape of the hull.  The molds are set at different widths and heights.


by the way, I used the 1 1/8 plywood this time.  I was more happier with regular lumber but guys say the ply works.   But I had some 3/8th cut offs from the sides that were glassed so I flipped these over, and glued them to the shelf (bottom) so my underside gunwales are already glassed.  the book says to just paint a couple coats of epoxy on the underside of the gunwales

[Grady300]

I should have said I am building a typical by the book wide body @ 21' 4"

[Grady300]

Got it figured out (found some old reading glasses) book says it all. Its almost like just can't figure something out than you ask someone and BOOM the answer hits you right in the face. Thanks loading up and heading to the shop to plane 5/8" off my versalam. This forum Sure is a great resource I also learned that there is a wax coating on versalam so i will also plane a tiny bit off my stringers. 

[luk diver]

 Maybe I'm missing something but I don't imagine you can torcher? regular plywood gunnels (well atleast we didn't)? We just cut ours from scraps of 1/2" Superply (forgot how many sheets we went thru but plenty) that Renn reconmended for ply other than hull which was marine ply. BTW we did bend a piece on the keel for the bow section on out 'built-up' keel. B & B

[fjolsen]

The book calls for 1 1/8 plywood for the foreword section and 2x material for the aft section. The planing you remember reading about was to take the 2x down to 1 1/8 to match the plywood. I think you will be fine leaving it all 1 3/4. The shelves will be bent and clamped to molds on the jig and glued together at the bow to make the shape.

[Grady300]

I went ahead and planed them down to 1 1/8" they still seam awful stiff but I think they will clamp into place just fine. Didn't mind taking them down as I was planing on putting on a nice ribbon mahogany cap anyway. I know it will be more up keep down the road I just think it will look nice.

[bleu]

You can get 1.5 lumber to bend even 2".  I got my keel to bend all the way to the bow tip with ease.  All you have to do is a series of cuts with a skill saw on the concave side of the radius. for the shelfs it would be about every 3" and about 5/8- 3/4 deep, only where they will be bending. It would not be hard at all. then you fill the cuts with epoxy and microfibers or whatever.  On my keel it was a series of cuts 1.5" @. I read about guys laminating 1/4" pieces together to form there keel. Heck I did mine by myself in about 45 min. I just filled the cuts and stuck it to the bottom of the hull, done.

[Grady300]

You can get 1.5 lumber to bend even 2".  I got my keel to bend all the way to the bow tip with ease.  All you have to do is a series of cuts with a skill saw on the concave side of the radius. for the shelf's it would be about every 3" and about 5/8- 3/4 deep, only where they will be bending. It would not be hard at all. then you fill the cuts with epoxy and microfibers or whatever.  On my keel it was a series of cuts 1.5" @. I read about guys laminating 1/4" pieces together to form there keel. Heck I did mine by myself in about 45 min. I just filled the cuts and stuck it to the bottom of the hull, done.

That sounds like a good idea wish I would of thought of that. I'll keep that in my bag of tricks

[luk diver]

You can get 1.5 lumber to bend even 2".  I got my keel to bend all the way to the bow tip with ease.  All you have to do is a series of cuts with a skill saw on the concave side of the radius. for the shelfs it would be about every 3" and about 5/8- 3/4 deep, only where they will be bending. It would not be hard at all. then you fill the cuts with epoxy and microfibers or whatever.  On my keel it was a series of cuts 1.5" @. I read about guys laminating 1/4" pieces together to form there keel. Heck I did mine by myself in about 45 min. I just filled the cuts and stuck it to the bottom of the hull, done.

 Our keel/side strake and acc. chine sprayrail all are bent ply with no fastners left behind. B & B

[bleu]

yea, I didn't leave anything in my hull either.