| Circe
| Tuesday, November 3, 2009 I spent the day working on some of the final cabinets in the head. With the conceptual vanities meeting with approval, I pressed on with their construction. I began with some layout. I decided that the cabinet should begin 12" to either side of the passageway, so I made the appropriate marks on the bulkhead. Then, I used a level to transfer the height of the forward head bulkhead (the one defining the aft end of the tankage space) to the main bulkhead, since the vanities would be the same overall height, and marked a level line. I repeated this process on each side, and then cut and installed vertical cleats to support the vanity faces in their appropriate positions. |
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Next, I cut and fit the port vanity face. This took some time, since I first needed to determine its landing point on the forward bulkhead, which would be an unknown point perpendicular with the bulkhead (and also with the main bulkhead). Using the plywood blank, I eventually squared everything up and marked for a support cleat on the forward bulkhead, which I then cut and installed with glue and screws. |
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With the final position of the bulkhead determined, I could temporarily clamp the blank in place and scribe the lower edge; getting a good fit required several adjustments. Finally, I coated the lower edge of the plywood with epoxy, and then secured the bulkhead to the cleats with glue and screws, counterboring for bungs since these screws might be visible in the end (depending on final trim configurations, etc.). I applied an epoxy fillet between the inside of the bulkhead and the hull to help secure the lower edge and prepare it for eventual tabbing. At around this point, I realized I should have pre-cut an opening for a locker door (or two), and made a mental note to mark and cut the starboard side before installation. I should have made an actual note, since I managed to forget on the second side too. Fortunately, it'd not be a problem to cut these with the bulkheads in place, which I would do later. |
 
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First, though, I repeated the installation process on the starboard side. This side went more quickly than the first, but the fit was complicated by the fact that this side of the forward head bulkhead had ended up a bit out of plumb, which I hadn't noticed during installation, so square cuts on the plywood panel ends wouldn't work. I eventually fit the panel with success and installed it similarly to the first. |
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Finally, I cut sections of tabbing to fit, and tabbed each bulkhead in place on the inside--no tabbing on the outside since it wasn't necessary, and because this was a finished cherry surface that would be exposed in the end. |
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These two deceptively simple panels took up most of the day, but I had enough time to cut and fit 12mm plywood for the platform above the tankage space. I couldn't install these panels till the tanks were on hand and installed, but they were ready to go when the time came. |
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