Cabin table rebuild
I was not totally satisfied with the effect of table rebuild.
The whole purpose was to make it rock-solid. After removing wobbly brass legs and hanging it on the bulkhead it became much better but still we needed to be careful and not use the table as a support while sailing. It was still a bit unstable although it was now quite OK to have meals on it (and not ending below it in bilge!).
I knew I needed to do something about it and now, once I have it in my workshop, it was time to finish the job.
The construction allows the top part to slide on rails, to adjust table position. This joint on otherwise thin plywood is a main source of instability. I wanted to keep the original possibility of sliding but make it more beefy and robust. Using original part I cut thicker plywood and transferred mounting holes, to avoid making new holes in mahogany frame I made last year.
With thicker plywood the brass rails cannot reach their positions so I needed to cut grooves on both sides of new component.
As nothing on my boat is straight or equidistant I draw exact lines where components will interface. Cutting with guided circle-saw is the easiest way to go here.
Cleaning with a chisel and voila!
Traced exact position of table support bottom part.
Sanded and degreased faces to be glued and then taped their vicinity before next, messy part: epoxy gluing. Bronze screws will keep all in position and add even more strength.
Even though this will be hardly ever visible I detest unfinished plywood edges so I fitted walnut list to the visible face, with copper nails.
And now for the messy part - epoxy thickened with filleting blend. Strong and resembles dark mahogany.
Tightening screws caused nice, even epoxy squeeze-out, assuring that joint is properly wetted.
After cleanup and masking tape removal all that is left is a nice, clean joint with moderate fillet.
All left to cure. Next step, after epoxy sets, will be to seal the new component with 2-3 layers of epoxy. That will darken it and blend with the rest of the assembly.
I rise temperature in my workshop with kerosene lamps - to increase process speed.
While at it I decided to clean brass frames. Although it’s a bit of a pity to remove the patina the rails were also covered with old varnish and all sorts of gunk accumulated over these years. Cleaned to bare brass - will oxidise in one season but should look cleaner than they were.
Temperature in the workshop got too high to continue so I took my favourite Optimus lamp and went for a walk into the night. Maybe Mr Postman left something for us?
Once epoxy was cured I stained the new part to match surrounding wood. Epoxy coating followed.
Kerosene lamps keep process temperature at the right level.
Next morning, when coating was cured, I assembled the table. I’m about to meet Lennart in the boatyard today so I take this opportunity to work a bit on Meritaten.
Brass rails screwed with new, bronze screws. Silicone bronze is maybe an overkill here but this is what I have. I try not to use brass screws as much as possible - they loose their strength after 20 years and often are impossible to remove.
To maintain shiny look on brass rails I coated them with camellia oil which I use also on my iron tools. It protects against corrosion very effectively and is easy to use.