It’s still hot as can be in the tent, but I’m making good progress on the V-berth cabinetry.
Harbor Freight featherboard is worth the price: $7
I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a pro. When I started this refit, I had a fairly garden-variety set of mechanic’s tools, a really awful Craftsman jigsaw, and a Skilsaw circular saw. Since then, I’ve acquired a bunch of new tools, but when it came to woodworking mostly I was only working with plywood panels. My EZ-One track saw table has been a very good investment and it’s great for breaking down plywood, but recently I acquired a Craftsman table saw since it was clear I’d need it to make moldings. I have a Shopsmith table saw, but the table is too small and for angled cuts it wasn’t quite enough. Since I’ve been using the table saw, I have been very wary of getting my fingers in the blade. I’d heard about featherboards and decided to order one when I was stocking up recently on chip brushes, acid shop brushes, and nitrile gloves from Harbor Freight. I’m happy to report that this is a terrific upgrade to the table saw. I think I’ll order more of them for vertical positioning, too, before and after the cut.
Push stick + featherboard = nice, consistent cuts with greater safety
V-berth closet panel needs reinforcement
Mahogany cleat is recycled from the original toe rail
Utility access at the back of the closet
I want to be able to access all of the wiring, so I made a little hatch here.
Hatch panel in place
Framing out the closet back panel
A vertical mahogany panel at the back of the closet will be held in place with some visible screws. Once that panel comes off, the hatch panel comes out with a twist and a tug.
Like magic!
More framing
I plan to put a self-contained 6kBTU marine air conditioning unit on a shelf at the top of the closet. The air intake will be through the closet wall.
Back wall framing is done…time for varnish
After sanding all surfaces with 220 grit, I blew off the panels and broke out the varnish brush.
I thought I’d try a new (to me) kind of varnish inside the closet
That does not look like “gloss”
I thought maybe it wasn’t glossy because it was only the first coat. So I sanded with 220 again and applied another coat.
Funky Varathane goes on milky
I don’t like this stuff. Low odor and easy, soap and water cleanup are nice, but this stuff just doesn’t flow out like regular varnish.
Sanded and ready for another coat
Next day…this definitely isn’t “gloss”
It’s more like semi-gloss
The Varithane product doesn’t flow at all. It dries clear, which is nice, but I think I’ll just stick with spar varnish for closet and drawer interiors when I’m not having the painter spray ICA.
The solid mahogany door openings turned out OK
I apply varnish before final assembly because that allows me to wipe up any epoxy without staining the wood.
Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the V-berth Closet
1969chriscraftroamer46 