Making 1/4 round bend to fit the ceiling/wall join....

[asianflava]

I was originally going to do this but I couldn't get a nice joint between them. I tried a cove bit (same radius as the 1/4 round) in the router table but it still looked like a hack job. Bending wasn't a problem for me, except when I tried one that had a finger joint that I didn't see.

I ditched it and haven't looked back.

[steve wolverton]

Epoxy fillets in all my interior corners will double as the trim and it will be structural. Now for someone to come up with a stitch-n-glue teardrop...

[kayakrguy]

Steve. I gotta ask, what is an epoxy fillet? That's new to me....sounds like some really bad fish

AF, what did you end up doing for trim? I am beginning to feel some time pressure as I want this thing done by the end of January 'done' meaning, able to take camping without leaks etc. Have scheduled trip to Fla for 3 weeks in early Feb...so time on trim is not at top of the list...I figure I can always go back and redo it if it comes to that but for now I come down on the side of 'practical'!

Jim

[angib]

Steve. I gotta ask, what is an epoxy fillet?

An epoxy fillet is.... (wait for it, wait for it ...) a fillet made from epoxy.

You mix a blend of filler powders into epoxy resin to make a stiff-ish goop which you 'paint' into joints with the end of a lollipop stick (=tongue depressor). This is like welding plywood! Here is a picture of the inside of a boat I built - it's lasted nearly 10 years now with the buoyancy tanks still airtight and the whole of the boat is held together only by epoxy fillets - no fasteners and no glass:



The white bits are the epoxy fillets.

Andrew

[bdosborn]

Thank you!!!
Musta been pretty wide to start with. I have a thin blade but it takes some stuff off with it. Really pretty.

I think it was 3/4" wide to start out with. I used a regular blade to cut it.
Bruce

[asianflava]

AF, what did you end up doing for trim? I am beginning to feel some time pressure as I want this thing done by the end of January 'done' meaning, able to take camping without leaks etc. Have scheduled trip to Fla for 3 weeks in early Feb...so time on trim is not at top of the list...I figure I can always go back and redo it if it comes to that but for now I come down on the side of 'practical'!

I didn't put any trim on the sidewall to roof section. Like you said, you can always come back to it.

I know about the pressure, after a couple trips, I found a few things that I had to fix before the IRG. The best thing to do is make a list (I'm not a list person) then prioritize them by importance (I split mine into 3 categories) then attack the most important ones first. Something like trim would go on the bottom of my list.

[Melvin]

I haven't tried this yet, but it sounded simple enough. I searched bending wood and found a sit to make a homemade steamer. It was just some pvc pipe and a few fittings and plugs. This was connected to a can on a camp stove. They used a NEW gas can and put water in it and connected it to the pvc pipe. Plugged the ends, provided a vent and heated the watter to make steam. The wood to be bent was put inside the pvc pipe and the end plugged. I think they steamed the wood about three hours, but I would think it would vary with the kind of wood to be bent. I think they used a gas can because it already had a spout and a vent.
Brwbier

A $10 electric kettle works for steaming small pieces like this.

[steve wolverton]

Steve. I gotta ask, what is an epoxy fillet? That's new to me....sounds like some really bad fish

Bad fish - lol.

Just like Andrew says - it's mixing epoxy with a thickener and then spreading it out (tongue depresser, credit cards, etc.) into a nice smooth bead. It works great if you're going to paint it because the edges are then smoothed - so no need for trim, and it's super strong! Not just more attractive (IMO) but structural too. Two birds with one stone kind of thing, as trim is decorative only.

[kayakrguy]

Folks,

Another hairpin learning curve for me! I had never heard of using epoxy on a joint as you folks have described it...I suspect the success lies in knowing that 'mix' of filler and epoxy to get the consistency and strength you need. Is there anyplace you can link to to find that stuff out or is this another one of those 'market driven' we won't tell you unless you pay us money kind of things eg. proprietary with every system? This comes under the heading 'if I knew then....'

Thanks, Steve and Andrew!

Jim

[steve wolverton]

I use RAKA.COM, but there are many good epoxies out there. Getting the mix ratio of epoxy is very easy - it's usually done in 2:1, 3:1, or 5:1 ratios depending on brand. Most are measured out in hand pumps, 2 pumps of resin per 1 pump hardener for RAKA.

As for getting the epoxy fillet mixture right, it's done by adding fillers (wood flour is really cheap $5 for 1 pound) until you get it to about a thick peanut butter texture.

The stuff is very simple to work with, very low smell (epoxy has low smell unlike polyester resin), and *super* strong.

[Juneaudave]

Jim...I don't think you want to fuss with a epoxy fillet on finish work. Quite truthfully, you should be able to bend 1/4 round in a 19 inch radius quite easily. Couple questions...what type of wood are you using...is the grain of the wood lengthwise and defects minimal?