I have to build a dovetailed box-like frame out of teak for a hatch on my boat. Quite complicated as the sides are slanted and each corner is a different height. Thanks to the excellent article by Steve Brown, the layout on my test piece was straightforward, and the dovetails got better as I progressed. My question is how to do the layout on the final teak frame. I have tried rubbing with chalk and then using pencil, but this wasn´t very effective. I wonder also if using masking tape and doing the layout on that would work? Anyone who works with dark tropical timber must face this problem. Can anyone help me?
Yours aye,
Bill Attwood
Replies
Tests
I would try scratching with an awl or blue tape.
The only problems I've had with tape are convincing the tape to lay flat and that pencil lines seem to be thicker on tape than on wood.
Good luck!
Hope my comments are of some help..
I use many different dark woods for most of my projects. Teak I cannot afford.
If I need 'critical' layout lines I sometimes use dewaxed shellac with the blue chalk that comes in a bottle that carpenters use for 'snapping' lines. You can mix the chalk or just dump it onto the shellac and then brush off the excess. The shellac and chalk is easy to remove unless the wood has very open grain. With Teak, everything should just wipe off with a bit of alcohol.
I normally use a very sharp layout knife and good lighting on the subject. My old eyes need alot of light!
Thanks a lot for the advice. I shall try the tape and your shellac + chalk suggestion. I´ll let you know how I get on. Teak costs a fortune, but is more or less unavoidable on a boat. Wood is priced by the cubic meter here in Germany, and the prices are very variable so it is worth my shopping around. I buy at abour 5,000 Euros a cu.m., but some suppliers are quoting up to 10,000 Euros. Fortunately my requirement are measured with one zero after the decimal point!
Yours aye,
Bill Attwood
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