Le Soleil Royal ZHL Build Log [COMPLETED BUILD]

Tried using a dowel and hot water. It broke. View attachment 284544
The problem here is cheap, coarse grained wood. It looks like mahogany, which does NOT react well to sharp bending. Also, you should look at the method of bending. Say you need to make a risky, sharp bend with a brittle wood like mahogany or walnut. Just bending the water soaked piece over the fulcrum of your form typically ends up with a disappointing snapping sound, followed by several cuss words. Instead, you need to support the wood close to the bend and curl it over the fulcrum slowly, pressing the wood into shape around the form, and not simply bending it. Using my thumb with hard pressure usually does the trick. Maintain pressure all around the bent portion of the strip. See the diagram below. The yellow arrows show force or pressure. (And yeah, after doing this for hours using a dowel as a form, my thumb gets red). If this does not work, change your wood to a finer grained piece with straight grain. You may choose to use lime wood, poplar or beech, which are flexible woods, and stain them to match the rest of the railings as best you can.

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I would wonder what type of wood do you use, from the above images, I can assume it is Walnut (my best guess) or?? I can see, you tried bending from the end. Try bending from the middle! Maybe you didn't soak it well, perhaps this type of wood is brittle? What thickness is your plank, Vic? 2mm?
It is 2 mm sapelle—a relative of mahogany. Brittle. Soaked it well in hot water.
 
It is 2 mm sapelle—a relative of mahogany. Brittle. Soaked it well in hot water.
Check Kurt's post. He elaborated this method more in detail. Here is the knowledge of English language comes really handy :cool: However if this is mahogany, you may not succeed in your best tries as the wood is really brittle. Not all wood can be bent, some to a certain degree, others at all. Don't worry, you doing it right. It is just the timber issue...

method #2.
  • Find a dowel with a suitable radius.
  • Drill out to make the thickness you need.
  • Use your miter saw and slice pieces with the correct width.
  • The last step is to cut the segment you need
Sorry, I am not the draftsman...

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We’ll, it looks a little better. Gilbert used a different wood. I’ve been trying to stick to the plan as closely as I can muster. The instructions show the curves as bent. I don’t feel so bad now, but it’s not like I want. I would like a table drill, but that’s also down the pike a bit. Christmas after next?
 
All of these were made using the "sandwich" method described earlier. soak in water until they sink, use pva glue..... No broken pieces, no cussing..... just a little patience. Obviously, it takes a little practice. You should of seen the first few.

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Awesome Vic. It often feels like we are making the same ship twice doesn't it?
Yes, Paul. I just wish I knew at the beginning what I know now. This would be a much better looking ship. Having the directions in a weird order doesn’t help much. But I blame myself for rushing to get done. I see new things in the directions all the time. Unfortunately, I’ve moved on past these issues in many cases. If the ship were for me, I’d probably get more materials and tear apart some things, but I’m trying to finish it for my daughter this year. She won’t notice. But the experience will make me better.
 
I’ve got a cathead question. The directions show the cathead resting on top of the rail base as shown in the picture. There’s a lot of space under the cathead beam. That would seem to take away from its strength. Should I cut through the base of the railing and the bulkhead beneath it so the cathead can rest flush on the deck?44EACA28-12EB-436F-A602-17A000FB96A1.jpeg
 
Ho una domanda da testa di gatto. Le indicazioni mostrano la testa di gatto appoggiata sopra la base del binario come mostrato nell'immagine. C'è molto spazio sotto la trave a testa di gatto. Sembrerebbe togliergli forza. Devo tagliare la base della ringhiera e la paratia sottostante in modo che la testa di gatto possa poggiare a filo sul ponte?View attachment 286391
Dovrebbe essere al contrario
 
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