Black Rhombus

OK, I’ve been working on this damn thing for a while, & it’s been a while since I posted here, so I figured I’d post something about the tiller I’m working on for my boat, Irie. I started working on the tiller in the beginning of March. I got the idea from the SJ23 page that Bob Schimmel runs (Irie’s an SJ23).
My Mom, the master woodworker that she is, offered to help me out, & so we did the first stage together. This was the hardest part: cutting 1/8″ strips of ash & walnut for the laminate. We broke a few of them, of course, but we ended up with enough to get for the tiller. Working that table saw was a bitch, lemme tell ya. Freak-out time when one of those pieces of wood hits the blade just right & jumps outta yer hand…

Then came the actual laminating. Thanks to Jaime for all of the help on getting me started here. After a trip to West Marine, we had everything we needed for the epoxy, including instructions. You can see a few of the epoxy process pictures here, in my gallery, & the entire set over here, at KodakGallery. That whole process wasn’t too bad; only took up an afternoon. Epoxy isn’t as scary as I’d thought it’d be, that’s for sure.

Which brings me to where I am now. Sanding. Lots of friggin sanding. I’ve got more photos to post, but no time to post them yet. Trust me, though, it’s really starting to take shape. Looking really good. Once the sanding’s done, I’ve got to drill the holes that’ll bolt it into the rudder & the one for the forespar. Then one more coat of epoxy, followed by some Sikken’s Cetol, and I’ll finally be done. Memorial Day? I dunno, but that’s the goal…