Re: Installing rub rails: tips? Tricks?
Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2022 10:54 am
I decided I wanted to make my trim (rub and toe rails , hatch) out of white oak. I’ve always liked oak and it’s local. I’ve also been interested in steaming wood and did some oak for inside the cabin. I need to do the rub rails before flipping so I’m figuring it out. I decided to try to steam bend the rub rails in one piece (well two - fore and aft as I have 9’ boards). It’s been an adventure and education. Thought I’d go through the process so far in hope it’s of value to other builders. Sorry if this is a big long winded..
Since it’s really difficult to transfer the curve on the boat to a work table, my original thought was to bend it in place . I made supports every foot along the curve and screwed them into place. I added various thickness blocks (max of 1 1/2” in the middle) to allow for the anticipated spring back. I cut the oak to the rough finished size and steamed it a bit over an hour. Then I clamped it into place and let it sit overnight.
The next day I took off the clamps and had a lot of spring back. Like almost a foot at each end. I was surprised, but being an amateur, thought I needed to allow for more spring back. So I transferred the curve to a workbench and added substantial curve to it. I put blocks on every foot and used clamps and a ratchet strap around the whole thing to help pull in the ends. When I went to clamp it in it all went a bit crazy and the poor board (same one) came out all over the place. So I reconfigured my setup and tried again. I also searched for tips and realized I was probably not letting the steam box get fully up to temperature before adding the wood. EnglesCoachShop on YouTube is really good and fun to watch. He steam bent 2” oak into a ‘U’ with very little spring back, so I knew it could be done. Anyway, I waited until stream was coming out of the box, but I really need to measure the temperature to be sure it was up to near 100C. So with the better setup and method I tried a third time (same piece). I had to use a flexible drainage pipe to accommodate the set curve in the wood. The next day I pulled the clamps and the wood just sat there- virtually no spring back! But now it curved way too much! Agh. I realized half the board was ok, so I adjusted my setup to follow the actual curve and steamed the one end of the board. Pulled it out this morning and it looks to fit very well. I think my original idea of forming it on the boat is good, I just need to let the steam box come up to temperature. Yes, it would probably have been much easier to have re-sawn my boards and laminated them, but I have (mostly) enjoyed this process.
Since it’s really difficult to transfer the curve on the boat to a work table, my original thought was to bend it in place . I made supports every foot along the curve and screwed them into place. I added various thickness blocks (max of 1 1/2” in the middle) to allow for the anticipated spring back. I cut the oak to the rough finished size and steamed it a bit over an hour. Then I clamped it into place and let it sit overnight.
The next day I took off the clamps and had a lot of spring back. Like almost a foot at each end. I was surprised, but being an amateur, thought I needed to allow for more spring back. So I transferred the curve to a workbench and added substantial curve to it. I put blocks on every foot and used clamps and a ratchet strap around the whole thing to help pull in the ends. When I went to clamp it in it all went a bit crazy and the poor board (same one) came out all over the place. So I reconfigured my setup and tried again. I also searched for tips and realized I was probably not letting the steam box get fully up to temperature before adding the wood. EnglesCoachShop on YouTube is really good and fun to watch. He steam bent 2” oak into a ‘U’ with very little spring back, so I knew it could be done. Anyway, I waited until stream was coming out of the box, but I really need to measure the temperature to be sure it was up to near 100C. So with the better setup and method I tried a third time (same piece). I had to use a flexible drainage pipe to accommodate the set curve in the wood. The next day I pulled the clamps and the wood just sat there- virtually no spring back! But now it curved way too much! Agh. I realized half the board was ok, so I adjusted my setup to follow the actual curve and steamed the one end of the board. Pulled it out this morning and it looks to fit very well. I think my original idea of forming it on the boat is good, I just need to let the steam box come up to temperature. Yes, it would probably have been much easier to have re-sawn my boards and laminated them, but I have (mostly) enjoyed this process.