Day 295

Cabinetry is a tricky thing at best, even in a house, but Gena has her way of doing things with simplicity and weight in mind.

Because the face of these little cupboards is going to be supported by the side, and visa-versa , no real framing is needed. Just Glue and nails ( and screws ) made it really solid. The side not on in the picture to the right will also be braced by a shelf and ( possibly ) a cupboard or another shelf. This well keep it together. All of the joints must be glued to avoid weight shifting, especially in heavy seas, causing the classic creaking sound. It's a cool sound in a wood hull, but not in a cupboard right next to your ear while trying to sleep!

Side is on!(port)

Also the strength is unequaled with a good join and pl200 glue. (Some carpenters may disagree!)

Gena has had some previous experience with wood so I respect her decisions.

The large cupboard faces are the strong point of the whole assembly. Made of 3/4" oak they have been inset at the joins to get a nice strong connection. The corners have been rounded ( nice with the router! ) to make it more friendly.

Insetting is used with particle board to get rid of rough edges and to give the thing good strength. i.e. drawers. Particle board cannot be used in a boat because it soaks up moisture like mad! Those glues are not waterproof so eventually it will break down. Because it was pressed together, it will puff up to twice it's size and then fall apart. ( Not a pretty site that! )

Any ply used should be exterior grade or at least have waterproof glue. Sometimes the only way to know for sure is to dip a piece in water and then take it out after a few hours, then checking it out.

In high areas like these cupboards, non-waterproof would be ok. Underneath and close to the hull in enclosed areas would not.

Coating the edges of plywood is also probably a good idea. That's where the moisture seems to get in first. If the face on either side is coated well, the moisture can't really get in too easily.

The coating must be maintained as well over time with new coats. All of our exposed edges will be veneered. There aren't many as these are also sharp edges. Something you don't want on a boat!

My project for the day was to put on the top of the pilothouse window frames. (photo right)

Little shelf wood supported on wood

A cupboard face, corner rounded

Pilothouse side window framed. Top looks good!

It looks pretty good I think. A design may be appropriate but I haven't decided yet. All of this frame must be faily easy to remove in case a window needs replacing.

Day 295:
6 hours - Made and mounted pilothouse window top frames, framed cupboards faces and small cupboard sides

	The top frame is a 3.5" piece of oak with the top angle cut to conform with the ceiling angle, the bottom routed in to accept some 2" x 1/4"oak boards. The vertical supports meant a 2" x 1/2" swath needed to be cut out for inset. The bottom edge was rounded off and voila! They're done!
I can't help but think about the weight of all of this oak. One easing thought I do have is that most home-built boats are paneled with wood throughout. This fiberglass panel we used is a bit lighter so with all of the oak, it probably evens out.
*Doors doors doors!*	The plans don't specify weights or maximums, just try to keep it down. The sheer weight of the cabin top plate and framing , for example, makes the wood and interior work a trivial amount of weight. I just hope the boat doesn't tip over when we put her in! Payload/fully loaded weights are specified, but does this include the interior? Who knows. To the left is a little photo of the cupboard doors, not including the big cupboards. I Have not idea what to do with these. They look a bit plain. They will inset buy 3/8" because of the hinges we have chosen, and just to make them less thick looking. They are quite heavy now. I'd like to chew the middles out really. We'll see.
The large doors won't be solid or they'd weigh a ton. They will have the classic 45º corners and a 1/4" panel in slots. ( my way! ) The 45º enables a nice inner edge.