Bits and Pieces

No images at the moment - apologies. Pictures to follow!

Foam Box Beam Construction

I put together the foam box beam. Construction involved assembly of the deck to one of the sides to keep the deck flush with the top of one luan side panel and the bottom blocks to the same luan panel. I then spread a layer of the foam adhesive using a notched spreader, bonding the foam to the luan and to itself, placing the foam between the top and the bottom blocks. The notched spreader made for a consistent thickness of adhesive. I had allowed 1/16" for each adhesive layer. Unfortunately, the thickness of the adhesive seemed to be greater than allowed for and the sides bulged.

I also glued the patches to the outer layer of the luan at the center join. After curing, I supported the 16' beam at the ends 2" above the floor. I then stood in the middle of the beam. My roughly 160 pound weight deflected the beam about 3/4". Not bad, really.

Still, I wasn't happy about the bulge and the time to deal with the adhesive.


Foam-less Box Beam Construction

I then tried a similar construction. A piece of 1/2" thick plywood for the deck, 8" wide. Two 6" wide 1/4" thick luan side panels. To join the top and sides, I used 8" long blocks of 2x6" dimensional lumber. While I only made an 8' section, I was pleased with the results. Simply supported at the ends, my 160 pounds in the middle deflected it 1/4". I think it was good, easier to assemble, cheaper and lighter.

Ranger Plans

Plans came in. (*WHEW!*) Master patterns will be prepared from the drawings this weekend. Looking good. I'm hoping to shorten the overall height of the patterns to make the forms less awkward to move. We'll see how I do.

Sign-Up

Tonight was the sign-up for the school where I teach. I have to say that I've never seen a crowd like we had tonight. Let me paint the picture for you. The school offers a variety of classes for a variety of interests. My canoe building class is only one of many. Sign-up runs from 6-7:30 PM in the evening and I figured I was arriving fairly early showing up at 5:00 PM. I dodged through cars parked on both sides of the street and managed to find a parking spot nowhere near the building. People were waiting in two lines - one stretched all the way across the parking lot, the other stretched from the front of the building, down to the street and along the street past the next two houses. I was gobsmacked, to be honest.

Even more surprising for me - according to one of the school's trustees, two of the students who came to take my class had been waiting in line since 1:00 PM and another was waiting since 3:00 PM. Also, my class rarely fills up at sign-up. This time I was full in the first 15 minutes. Amazing. I look forward to another great and interesting year with some new challenges.