I've been framed

[IraRat]

Productive weekend, because I semi-framed my sides. I'm using Bruce's technique, framing along the top/spar edges as well as vertical, raising/attaching walls, insulating, skinning, and using spar hangers flush to the skins, screwed in from the outside 3/8 ply.

I didn't use ply for the complicated curved framing because I had extra pieces of 3/4 by 3 1/2 finished pine, and the thought of trying to carry and work with a heavy piece of 3/4 ply made me shudder.

I didn't do any framing past the hatch spar cutout yet, in the galley, which I'll do once the walls and main spars are up. I figured that's a pretty important area to get perfect (as if they ALL weren't important), but I wanted to be 100% fresh before attempting it. Fresh means anything done before 4 beers.

So how did I do?

Well, it's gonna work. When I post some shots from far away, you're going to see it looks PERFECT! If you saw a closeup, you may notice two pieces I've named "Old Man River" (because the outer curved edge just keeps on rolling and rolling along) and "Valley of the Dolls" (for the valleys in this same outer edge).

Basically, they're not two award-winning edges flush to the edge of the ply wall.

It is my blind naivete and youthful optimism that has me hoping that since I'm using hangers, I will still be able to position the spars in correct position and all will be right in the world after all of the skins are on.

I also have a never-ending faith in wide trim.

[Guest]

Ira,
I'd strongly recommend using plywood on any vertical spars used in the hatch. (The one's that follow the shape of the profile)
Kevin was showing me part's from his original '37 Thims and the manufacturer used lumber in those members. When Kevin picked up the old hatch to show me the underside, a couple of those spars were split right along the grain of the wood. Plywood won't do that.

[IraRat]

Ira,
I'd strongly recommend using plywood on any vertical spars used in the hatch. (The one's that follow the shape of the profile)
Kevin was showing me part's from his original '37 Thims and the manufacturer used lumber in those members. When Kevin picked up the old hatch to show me the underside, a couple of those spars were split right along the grain of the wood. Plywood won't do that.

You're talking about the actual hatch itself, right? The door?

Yeah, I knew I would have to use ply for that, because the length is too long to do it in one piece anyway, unless you had like a 12" wide shelf piece of timber or something. But I trust you and I'll go for the ply with this for sure.

Here comes another hernia....