Anybody know about caning/louvers?
I've been giving much thought as to how to finish out the interior on board 113. After much thinking, looking, drawing (CAD impaired, I) we're pretty well nailed down as far as what goes where. Sure, there will be plenty of '$#!#-'never thought about that! going on, but largely we're headed in one direction. From this point it will be South and East!
With so much to learn I was looking for some input from others that have experience in two areas (today). I am humina-humina over caned door inserts on a teak or mahogany frame. But louvered doors may be quicker to produce and hold up to the unintentional abuse of a somewhat klutzy person like me. Do any of you Captians/wood workers/craftsmen-uh-persons have experience with installing cane or making louvers? I'm looking for good 'how to' advice or directions of where to look. Naturally I have perused Tim Lackey's site for the caning but he has a knack of making everything look simple. I have tons of teak and mahogany pieces, a relatively decent shop and tons less money so I'd prefer to 'make' rather than 'buy'. Oh yah, we're kinda short on time too so a class at the local trade school is out...
P.s. Work on 113 should resume May 22 THIS YEAR!!! After two long, grueling, demeaning years of boat abstinance.
louver or cane locker doors
Tony, NIZE drawings!
I think loovers would be a PITA to varnish. I think they are more of a problem to make too.
Afterall, you make a frame door for sheet caning with a simple routed groove for the spline. Knowing me, I would consider putting the spline on the show side of the doors like we see on cane chair seats. For looks.
Of course, you can put the cane on the inside, which may protect it a bit more.
My cheat in the design of doors like yours (and mine too if I ever get to it:() would be to have a middle cross bar to help stiffen the frame. Just run the cane over the crosspiece. I usually break rules when I can - if the frames are fairly lite in section (3/4" stock max) I would consider gluing them up with simple lap joints in the corners using epoxy. Crosspiece would be a 1/4 lap let's call it.
So if there's any tension created when you spline in the sheet cane the cross piece will help keep the door panel square. Kind of tacky maybe if you look at that way. Any rounded tops could be straight across inside, canceling out any short grain in an actual curved top piece. The splining groove could make the requisite curve on the top (to lighten the door in appearance) While the straight across inside would add beef.*
I don't think the extra wood would show - depends on whether you use the traditional chair bottom pattern or the open weave 'modern' cane.
Could always paint the inside cross pieces flat black to help them visually disappear.
Designwise the cane way has a lighter look than louvers, which are solid maybe heavy in appearance. Cane adds texture and is busy - someone might say. So in going with cane I'd go with the smallest stuff we can find, since the Ariel is so small, smaller sections of things and small textures will help the inside feel larger.
So if I went with louvers, I'd go with mini louvers rather than clunky vanes. More horizontals rather than less. Just imco. Cane for me is somehow more casual than more formal furniture type louver doors.
HEY! Let's get our boats in the water!!!
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Eons ago, in another galaxy, I did some of this sheet caning. I had to practice a lot. The cane has to go in the groove with even tension, and not too much of it. And I would guess that we will have to seal the stuff once dry (with penetrating epoxy??) so it doesn't pick up moisture or loose it too readily either, pulling the door out of square. There's good reason why icecream parlor (Thonet) chair seats are round!
