September 20, 2019
After removing the tape from the forward hatch frame and top glue-up, I could resist seeing the it atop the coachroof. The hatch itself was riding a bit high since I have not yet transferred the camber of the coachroof to the hatch frame, and removed that excess material.
Nevertheless, the warmth of the teak has already done wonders for this old girl.
I tucked the forward hatch away for the time being and turned my attention to the lazarette hatch. I removed the clamps from the hatch frame assembly, and then cleaned up the epoxy squeeze out by hand-sanding and using the small finish sander.
The remaining material from the teak I selected for the hatch frame would not get me the number of slats for the hatch top that I would need, and so I selected another teak board for re-sawing. The width dimension I choose for the slats for the lazarette hatch was 1 and 7/8". I set the table saw fence at 2", knowing that the jointing process would remove material down to the desired 1 and 7/8" width. I ran the teak stock over the table saw and secured the 13 2"-wide slats required. The initial layout on the lazarette hatch frame showed promise!
I went through an iterative process of running the re-sawn slats through the planer, taking them from 1" in thickness to 3/4". I then turned to the jointer. I jointed both edges of the slats, by 1/16" of an inch, taking them to the desired 1 and 7/8". With each of the slats fitting together nicely, edge to edge, I then flipped them over and ran the edges over the router table fixed with the chamfering bit. The slight edge this gives me provides a great reference line to then run the small laminate router over, cutting the groove for the teak decking caulk. Method to the madness!
Happy with the layout, I prepped the boards for epoxy resin. I wiped the surfaces of the teak slats with acetone to remove the natural teal oils, and then set them out in their proper orientation. I first wet out the edges to be glued up with epoxy resin (no thickener), and then came back with another small pot of epoxy, this time thickened with West System 406 colloidal silica. I buttered a layer on each edge to be glue, clamped the boards on each side, and slowly tightened things up. I made sure the boards were aligned on one end, and wiped up the initial epoxy squeeze out. Next, I laid down another sheet of plastic on top of the hatch lid assembly, and then weighted the surface - excessively! As much as I could, I wiped the epoxy squeeze out as I further tightened the clamps. That would conclude the day's work.
Total Time Today: 4.25 hrs
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