my work

Finish lumber

I got a decent start this weekend on getting some finish lumber installed in the master cabin. Im using Cherry veneer plywood for the hull sides and partitions in the master cabin, and a lesser quality ( maybe Birch) for the head, hallway, and kids bunk room.

While I still think the engine rooms steel door jamb could have been a few shades lighter, Im happy as to how it looks vs the white I had initially painted the jamb. Looking at in in this picture, I must say I think it works fine.

Im using #12 1 1/2" brass wood screw to fasten all the plywood. I have a Fuller tapered drill set that does a nice job countersinking for the screw and boring for the wood bung all in one pass. Ive used some cheaper tools for this type of work, and in my opinion the cheaper stuff is junk and not worth ones time messing with. If Id have to guess, Id guess Ive used 150 screws to install the master cabin panels, and most of those will have to be plugged with bungs. Ill cut the bungs from scrap Cherry lumber, then part them on the table saw. Ill probably use a sharp chisel to pare the bung down close, then finish sand the bung with a DA sander to get it flush. Im a little worried about glue stains, but I think if I wipe each bung after tapping it home with a damp cloth, I should keep glue staining to a minimum. Im using a 1/4" x 1 1/4" batten to cover all the butt joints, so I wont have to bung those screws.

I scribed then I belt sanded to the scribe line on all the panels are perpendicular to another panel. Im happy with how the fit and finish has turned out as a playing card wont fit in any of those perpendicular joints.

I used a lower grad plywood where the bed is going because I thought I might be a sheet short. Turns out I was fine on how much material I used, but Im not complaining as you wont see any of the cheaper plywood as its behind the headboard of the bed.

Now that the master cabin space is defined, and the foam is disappearing behind that nice Cherry plywood I will now start laying out for the bed, and the various cabinets Im going to have in the cabin. I chose to have a sink in each cabin, vs a one sink in the head. The size of the master cabin and the size of the bed make installing the cabinet for the sink the next order of business. I started looking at some layout tonight, and I might end up moving the bed aft a few inches to make the pathway between the bed and the sink more comfortable. Either way, Ill buy a sink this week and mock up a cabinet install to see how it fits in relation to the bed and being able to walk past the bed. Its important for me to feel comfortable as I walk around the cabin, and two or three inches in the right spot can make all the difference in how the room feels ( in my amateur opinion).

I think Im going to do some cabinet building in the master cabin before I begin paneling the rest of the hull ( kids bunk room, head, and hallway). I had thought Id not be able to bung one panel on the engine room bulkhead as I might have had to remove it to get my engine control cables from the wheel house to the engine. Now I think Ill route the cables a little different than planned and wont have to remove the panel.