It's pretty slick the way that the triangular pcs. stack and interact with each other as you form the curved outline of the board.
The pros of this approach are that the outer edge of the rib is not what defines the rail - the stacked triangles give you enough wood volume to shape different rail shapes & dimensions. You also don't have to create a stack of coved-and-beaded strips, thus avoiding a bunch of millwork with a router and router table which I'd have to buy.
The cons of the approach are that you still have to figure out how to make triangular strips. My table saw canted to 45 degrees, but not smoothly so my triangles weren't as uniform as I'd wanted. Not having the rib define the shape of the rail is also a downside. It means you've got to free form shape the rail without much guidance from the shape of the edge of the rib. There is also a LOT of planing. See next posts.
This was my first board and I didn't use the method Grain uses and others appear to use - it looks like their rib outline defines the rail shape b/c the stacked cove and bead strips mimic that rail as they're glued into place. This has many advantages, especially for a newbie like me. Rather than having to figure out how to shape the rails, you just have to make sure the ribs are cut accurately. Once rail strips are glued on, there's minimal planing and sanding to finalize the rail . . . at least, that's how it appears. It's especially appealing if you buy the ribs and spar since Grain and others who sell rib and spar kits have the cuts nailed since it's all done with a CNC cutter. Their dimensions should be perfect.
My next board may take that route, but I'm glad to have used the stacked triangular strip method. It forced a lot more thinking and understanding of how the rails had to be shaped - getting that thinking was a big part of wanting to do this project regardless of whether I ended up with a board worth showing anyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment