Mast Beam Part II

My next step was to prepare two 6 foot lengths of red oak 1x4s. I sanded the surfaces, and wiped them down with acetone to remove all sanding debris. I mixed a small pot of “neat” epoxy, and painted the surfaces to be laminated. After the epoxy had ben applied, I placed the boards together under clamps, wiped off the excess epoxy oozing from the pressure clamps, and set the lamination aside to fully cure.

I waited a couple of days before proceeding with applying the template. My first step was to remove the clamps (non of the clamps were epoxied to the board), and run over the laminated board with my Dewalt VS ROS to form a “clean” surface onto which I could transfer the template. After sanding, I laid out the duct tape template and secured with the clamps after making sure that it was laying correctly. I then placed a pencil mark at each point of each dowell, and connected the dots.

I then took my Ryobi jigsaw to the laminated beam and cut out the template. After the excess material was removed, I ran my Dewalt VS sander over the entire surface area, as well as rounded all edges and corners. The new mast support will bascially replicate what the PO did, though mine will be glassed in and painted over. I will, again, sandwich the original forward mast beam between the red oak laminations, securing with recessed bolts and allowing for fiberglass to be applied.