Beautifying a 45 degree join in plywood?

[TrentePieds]

Well. one more thing if I may: You can never be ABSOLUTELY sure in a boat that what looks like a 45º angle is, in fact, exactly 45ºs, so now that you are on the right track, instead of the 45-45-90º square i suggested, use a simple little tool called an "adjustable bevel". It will take off the PRECISE angle, and you can then use it to set your saw.

And just so none of us forget: ALWAYS test you setting on scrap before you chew into the expensive stuff :-)!

All the best

TrentePieds

[Midday Gun]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Well. one more thing if I may: You can never be ABSOLUTELY sure in a boat that what looks like a 45º angle is, in fact, exactly 45ºs, so now that you are on the right track, instead of the 45-45-90º square i suggested, use a simple little tool called an "adjustable bevel". It will take off the PRECISE angle, and you can then use it to set your saw.

And just so none of us forget: ALWAYS test you setting on scrap before you chew into the expensive stuff :-)!

All the best

TrentePieds

The 45 degree angle in the middle is definitely 45 degrees, I know because the base of the shelf is new & I marked it out & cut it!

However the actual issue is that the two bulkheads the shelf sits between are not parallel to each other & there is also a recess in the GRP lining at the top which the panel has to sit into, which isn't perpendicular to the base of the shelf.

If you're wondering why I didn't just make the shelf perpendicular to the GRP recess, its because there are other bits that wouldn't line up if I did!

I'm resigned to a non perfect gap, I just want to make it in an area that I can't see it.

[coopec43]

It's not like a house where everything is upright and square: my yacht is just the same as yours.

I make good use of cardboard to get the shape exactly right and then transfer it on to ply (or whatever) For bed shapes (i.e. large) I have cardboard that I got from a solar panel installer.

[Midday Gun]

Oh I understand that, I just finished rebuilding the saloon so I would say I'm painfully familiar with it!

What I mean to say is that even if I template everything perfectly, its impossible to get the mitres to be perfect because if one side lines up correctly then it will be out of plane on the other side. Its kind of hard to put in words what I mean.
That was one of the reasons I wanted to use some hardwood trims to unify the two pieces.

I've got plenty to be getting on with now & some good ideas, so I'll have a crack at it.

[Fore and Aft]

Gunna I think you are way over thinking this. Just slap it together then cove it with some epoxy filler. The bottom of a bake bean tin would be a close radius to what you need.
Cheers

[jimbunyard]

Well that'd certainly fit right in with the idea of "Beautifying a 45 degree join in plywood?"...

[Fore and Aft]

Gunna, once the filler is dry you can sand it and either paint it or glue some wood veneer to the whole plywood front thats why I like a big radius on my coveing spatula. Those sweet curves you get, never look out of place on any boat.
Cheers

[Wotname]

If you are going to radius or cove it with filler then do it properly a radius kerf bend in the ply and leave the filler at home .

[Midday Gun]

All good ideas.
I preferred sharper corners mainly for space saving reasons, I'm still trying different things out of scrap plywood.


The piece 90 degrees to the chart table will accommodate the switch panel & the 45 degree piece will have the Triton MFD, battery monitor, name plate & anything else that needs to be in line of sight.

I think I might struggle to kerf and bend the plywood to the amount needed here. The plan is to have a teak rabbet block across the bottom & then teak trim / blocks for the corners. I haven't decided on the neatest way to hinge it yet.

Please excuse the water filler going through the electrical area, its a good example of peak British boat building! (Its being removed, but for the moment its there so I don't have a hole in the deck. )

[Midday Gun]

Well I'm slowly getting there, I used my table saw as per the advice on here & then used a roundover bit for the curved edges.



Honestly its not an amazing fit, but its the best I can manage for a first go, hopefully the gaps in the trim will fill up with a bit of varnish.



Added some instruments to get a feel for how it could look.