Advice on trimming in place bulkhead.

[jpendoley]

Hi, I live aboard an old, ahhh... plastic boat.... BUT I am trying to make it look a lot nicer below. Its an old Rhodes design so I hope that buys me some forgiveness for working in frozen snot.

My challenge is I want to cap a couple of already installed curvy quarter bulkheads with a half round of teak. The original bulkhead was faced with faux grain formica -in fact all the bulkheads were and it was ghastly-I covered them with vertical beadboard painted white and they look great. Now I want to cap the curvy quarter bulkheads with the aforementiond teak, but how do I put a really smooth edge on the bulkhead which is now 1 3/4" thick? The original builders used a shoe molding-ie a molding with a dado cut in the back-looked like hell and if I did it that way it would need to be over two inches thick. Because they used an overlapping molding the original bulkhead dege did not have to be fair and it is quite uneven.

Had I been thinking, I would have faired the bulkhead first, then applied the covering beadboard front and back and trimmed with the router. The problem is compounded in that the bulkhead terminates under the pipe deck and a router will only get so close. Laminate trimmer will get closer, but won't spin a long enough bit-and it's a lot of work for my little Ryobi. Regular horse and a half router will spin a long enough bit but leave me 4-6" top and bottom that are still unfair and how do I fair the last four to six inches of 1 3/4 end grain? Once I have the bulkhead edge fair, I'm pretty sure I know how to marry the molding edge accurately to the bulkhead edge-just like I would to a table edge-but its the challenge of getting such a wide edge fair that has me stumped. I'm particulalry stumped about the last 4-6 inches. I don't want a shoe molding-I want a cap molding with zero gaps.
Any creative solutions appreciated.
Jim

[Jim Ledger]

Cheat a little.

You don't need to get the whole thickness square, you just need to have a tight joint there the molding sits on the beadboard. So, back out the thickness of the bulkhead with an angle grinder, die grinder, chisel, or whatever works, until there's only a narrow edge to work. Then you can work it down with a sharp chisel until the molding sits flat.

Any pictures?

[jackster]

jpendoley,
As I understand it... you have a sandwiched bulkhead consisting of a core plywood (?) structure member...a layer of Formica laminate either side...and a self-applied bead board layer (sheet or solid?), also both sides, totaling to 1 3/4" ??
And you want a smooth, fair curved, concave (inside curve) to convex (outside curve) ,edge to apply the trim cap to? Done in place and not accessible at the two (4) ends with power tools?
Is that what you have?
Well if in fact I understand the task correctly, I would....
Apply tape at the offending end(s), both sides.
Carefully draw the desired finished shape on this tape, fair and smooth. Again, both sides.
With a new (sharp) knife blade, trace said profile, carefully splitting the line, lightly at first, then with a little more force, then cut a V on the waste side that will intersect your profile cut and remove the splinters that result. All in an effort to carefully define the edge that shows.
Next, remove the major waste however you deem appropriate, ie. chisel, saw , sander,or just continue the knife method, working in stages.
Sand the resulting rough edge smooth.
Just my 2cents, best of luck.

[John Meachen]

Were it not for the Formica in the mix,this would not be too unpleasant,As it is ordinary woodworking tools will very quickly lose an edge and even the few inches at the ends will be difficult.For most of the bulkhead,you can use a router to trim to your desired outline and if the flute length of the cutter is insufficient to cope with the thickness you can always use a trimming cutter from the reverse side to finish the job.The ends of the trimmed edge will be the bigger challenge.Without the Formica it would have just been a tedious woodworking job.

[TerryLL]

Best way to cover both edges is with a solid piece with a dado cut out of the faying surface to produce a U channel. But at 1-3/4, that would be a dang difficult channel to cut without some decent shop equipment.

The cap could be made in three pieces. A thin strip on either side glued onto the beadboard, say 1/4 thick. And then a cap strip which spans the full width including the new side strips. The cap strip could be quite thin, say 1/8-inch, if flexibility is required to conform to curves.

With that beadboard on there you're going to end up with a really fat cap no matter what you do.

[jpendoley]

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. Jackster you nailed the situation exactly. I just went out and picked up a three bladed carbite trimming bit on a quarter inch shank witha one inch cutting length. I'm going to template the existing bulkhead then fair the template off the boat and use it to make a pass along one half the surface of the edge. The resulting surface will then act as a guide for a trimming bit. God help me on the last one and a half inches top and bottom. A sharp bull nose plane maybe? Will pst picture when I figure out how. This forum is great, thank you for the help

[jpendoley]

Here's a couple of pictures showing the profile and looking at a crossection. I'm pretty sur i'm not posting the pictures correctly-the directions on the forum are as clear as the coast on a foggy day

http://photobucket.com/moonraker
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n569/jimpendoley/bulkheadincrosssection.jpg (http://photobucket.com/moonrakerhttp://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n569/jimpendoley/bulkheadincrosssection.jpg)
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n569/jimpendoley/bulkheadprofile.jpg

[Lew Barrett]

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n569/jimpendoley/bulkheadincrosssection.jpg




http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n569/jimpendoley/bulkheadprofile.jpg

These your pics, Jim?

[Ron Williamson]

So you're concerned with the bit above and to the left of the light at the top right, as well as the bit just above the bolted metal strip at the bottom left?
IMHO,they are pretty straightforward to fair just by machine sanding and being careful to keep things square.
Tiresome,but straightforward.
R

[Saltiguy]

pieceacake

Another thing I'd do would be to get rid of that ugly wiring chase (Wiremold?)
Keep the light, but run the wiring inside the panel. Easy to do now by just removing the light, and using a bendy steel rod, pushing a hole down through the foam.

[Wavewacker]

I'd make benderboard for the oustide edge and about 3/8 or 1/2 inch square stockto length. 3 pieces as mentioned above. I'd use a sharp utility knife to scarf cuts on the inside radius and bend the oustside bottom trim board on a jig of ply and finish nails. I have not bent teak, you may need to soak it or steam it as you make the bends to keep it from splitting. Your scarf cuts should only be deep enoungh to close the grain. Apply and set the nails, fill, sand, restain and polsih. Good luck!

[jpendoley]

Hi All-thanks for your replies and yes Lew, those are my pictures (I need to learn how you did that). It must seem pretty silly going on like this about a simple task, but I'm an out and out amateur and doing this on a mooring in sweltering summer weather. I have a straight edge on the bulkhead and have routed the inside curve out of 1 x 1 3/4" iroko and made a routed hand grip on the inboard edge of a sandwhich of iroko and ash. Basically its a four piece cap rail now with each piece scarfed. There are still some irritating very thin gaps between the molding and the bulkhead but I'm thinking of calling it good enough and using a little bedding material to fill in the difference. Since the beadboard is painted white, I'd like to use a caulk or bedding compound that would match and will hold paint. The cap rail itself will be varnished.

I noticed that some of iroko has a yellow cast that is not attractive-does anyone know if it darkens up? Some of the iroko looks very similar to teak, but I'm a little concerned that the pieces that are lighter may not blend well with the rest of the trim on the boat. I've also noticed that the dust is very irritating and pretty much have a respirator on whenever I cut the stuff.

Saltiguy-appreciate your insights, but I love that wiremold. I got the design off this forum, its routed out of one piece of teak. Might look better once its varnished and trimmed down a bit. The original wiring was buried in the bulkhead and formica laid over it-no way I'm going after that. The bulkhead is basically covered up now so I need some kind of wire mold.
Will post a picture when done.

[Saltiguy]

Saltiguy-appreciate your insights, but I love that wiremold. I got the design off this forum, its routed out of one piece of teak. Might look better once its varnished and trimmed down a bit. The original wiring was buried in the bulkhead and formica laid over it-no way I'm going after that. The bulkhead is basically covered up now so I need some kind of wire mold.
Will post a picture when done.[/QUOTE]


Well, I'll have to say - you did a super job counterfiting the WIREMOLD. I thought it was metal, straight out of Home Depot. Anyway, I'm from the Jim Ledger school of "make 'em wonder maritime design", so if it was my boat (it's not) I'd conceal the wiring. Having said that, I truely feel that the pleasure of homebuilding is that we (you and me) can make it any way we please and too bad for everyone else.

[Jay Greer]

What I see does not look too difficult to deal with. Unless there is something that I am not seeing, I should think that one could take a pattern of the profile and build a router jig in order to rabet a mortise in the back side of the capping material. On a router table, the oval crossed sections can be easily formed. One thing that is missed by most interior joiners is in bringing the molding curves out beyond the apex of the radius by an inch or two on to the flat. This visual trick will give a better flow to the entire form of the cap. Remember that the cap is there to mask any unfairness in the raw edge of the bulkhead. If done well, it will give a final finish to the bulkhead that makes it into a thing of beauty rather than a raw rough panel.
Jay
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c76c6cd38b00000040O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D720/ry%3D480/

[jpendoley]

Holy smoke, Jay-you posted the exact picture with the exact description I needed to perfectly visualize and finish the task. I know it does seem simple, but when you haven't seen it or done it before and stock and time are dear a post like yours is a life saver. I spent most of yesterday trying to make the cap/bulkhead fit look seamless via perfectly mated surfaces...ain't happening and I was leaning to bedding compound to cheat. your appraoch is much nicer and easier. First of all, way too much end grain on the panelling to work (and its ply panelling) and its to difficult to get two perfect edges when working on a rocking mooring. I'll be hesitant to share, but will post pictures when done. hank you everyone-love this forum and may have to get a project boat so I can keep posting.

[Jay Greer]

Well, I am happy you are well on your way with your bulkhead trim capping! One point I did not mention is that the cap material needs to be made longer than needed in order to provide an attaching surface that can be nailed to the routing jig so that it will give support but will not be in a posistion to lunch the router bit. Also, carrying the curve into the flat allows for a simple butt joint that does not have to be bevel cut. I use a very fine Japanese dove tail saw for doing that. The piece is cut slightly over length, forced into posistion and then saw relieved by cutting into the joint. This shot of the fitting of deck house corners should let you see what I mean. Once the shim is removed, the molding springs back and tightens the joint. Although this is depicted here as deck house trim, the process is essentially the same for a bulkhead cap.
Jay
Jayhttp://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9da31b3127ccec6818cf9e25700000040O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D720/ry%3D480/

[jpendoley]

JAy, Appreciate all of your advice and those of other members. Here is what I have so far-I decided to forgo the dadoed approach as my bulkhead is already almost two inches thick and I thought it might look clunky.
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n569/jimpendoley/bulkhead.jpg