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NorthHighlander

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  1. NorthHighlander
    .... it's been a long time since the last update and, as ever, progress has been slower than planned.

    (Board 1 in progress - 25 of the 2 turnouts now completed, so much easier when you don't have to worry about crossing polarity or insulated tie bars! Basic coat of Humbrol Track Colour which will be weathered in due course, as will the Bachmann Mogul)
    Over the winter and with the help of a local craftsman (he runs the local tractor club and I give them lectures on railways, so he helps me in return) I built all the baseboard supports, which I'll describe in the next blog. These now give a datum for the baseboards so that I can measure the gradients with respect to each other and drill and fix the alignment dowels in place.
    I also built the weighhouse shown in the photo. (Don't look at the roof too carefully - it isn't finished yet and only laid down briefly to take the photo. It has to have the edge slates straightened out and barge boards fitted). This was constructed from a carcase of some rather dense 3mm foamboard I had left over from an exhibition posterboard years ago. It's supremely solid and warpfree and I'd love to know what it is. It cuts well with a VERY fresh and sharp scalpel.
    A number of plasticard layers were copydexed to it and I used a piece of frosted 500micron sheet in front of which I have placed clear glazing. You could never see into the weighhouse so the frosting represents this very well.
    The window frames were laser cut for me by Jonathan Buckie from dxf drawings I supplied him.
    Once again the generous folk who put their photos up on the internet are to be applauded because there's no way otherwise I could have worked out the dimensions. Unfortunately I got them wrong. I used Evergreen V grooved planking for the wood face, assuming the planks to be 7.5" on the prototype. A mock up in paper just didn't look right. It was far too long and far too wide, leaving very little room between the weighhouse and the sleepers. I decided they must be 6" and scaled down accordingly. Sure enough, the model now fitted correctly. This would have been tedious had I not used CAD.
    Lastly, the second board has now been aligned to the first and the current job (between Protocab testing - I give myself an hour's break each day to get on with Brighton) is to dig our and fit the four long inspection pits on the four roads outside the shed. One day, I'll find out what these roads are called!
     
    Happy modelling
     
    Tony Hagon
  2. NorthHighlander
    I see that I haven't updated the blog since last year so here's an update on progress.
    (Image created with Templot Sketchboard - completely impossible to have progressed this far without Templot!). Green track is completed, yellow is work in progress. Basboard outlines in red, magenta shapes are the baseboard supports - an 'H' gateleg arrangement.
    6 of the 11 boards are now constructed. I won't complete the others (3, 6, 7 and 8 and particularly the turntable board 5C), until the shed board (2A) is completed. I will make a start on board 6 as soon as board 5C is completed. Board 3 and 7 are only backscene boards and board 8 will probably start life as a temporary fiddle yard.
    The trackwork on board 1 is nearing completion.

    In the background (above, foreground below) is the partly completed Bulleid pacific 34019 'Bideford' - a regular at Brighton in the 1950s and early 60s. The reason that the tender is lower than the loco is that I've removed the chassis from the tender so it's resting on its axle horns. The loco is also an 0-6-0 as I haven't completed the bogie and pony trucks yet!

    The white space to the right of Bideford in the upper photo is for the weighhouse which is in progress and almost complete.
    I made a bit of a guppy with this and originally drew it 20% too large, but thanks to CAD, I was able to reduce it to the correct size before too much progress had been made.
    The next stage is to complete the baseboard supports so that I can connect board 2A to board 1 to progress with the shed roads. I won't be able to complete the shed roads until the induction charging system has been completed, which should be sometime in 2015.
    I'm also having problems with the flat bottom track that makes up most of the West Coast running lines. Because of the third rail, the baseplates for this era were the very specific type BR3, so I might have to end up making my own. I'm not keen on using copper clad so I am going to have to create a system for flat bottom third rail. Suggestions gratefully received!
     
    Tony Hagon
  3. NorthHighlander
    This is how I launched into the making of the first baseboard(s). The first stage was to load the Templot templates on to an 8x4 sheet of 6mm ply for a repeat of a previously abortive effort. This time I followed Martin's advice and printed the templates on 160gsm card on an inkjet (i.e. not laser) printer. I used 3M spray mount to fix the templates to the board. The spray mount allows repositioning and does not distort the templates.

    Once laid out properly (and it is amazing that, no matter how careful you are in positioning the templates, when you have a large area to lay, you get out of line fairly rapidly!) the board positions were drawn on. I could have done this using Sketchpad in Templot, but I wanted to assess the board positions in the whole to get the boards of broadly similar sizes. This proved to be difficult in the event so there are some large boards (none longer than 6 feet) and some small. Clearly the fewer boards the better to avoid baseboard joins and alignment problems, but needs must given the requirement to transport the layout to various exhibitions.
    I used a green fine point felt pen to mark the outer edges of the baseboard units and a red line 6mm either side of the green to show the cutting line (the baseboard unit has a framework of 2 x 6mm ply, the baseboard top fits inside the outer plywood uprights).
    I make absolutely no claim to this baseboard design. Chris Yates, who should take the credit as mentioned in earlier blogs, has shown a large flat table he has constructed to assemble the boards, laying the baseboard top on the table and holding the side members upright with a series of clamps. I discovered these are called 'toggle clamps' and come in vertical or horizontal versions. I purchased horizontal ones as I figured that these would be screwed to the top of a solid vertical piece of wood. Following an episode with a Chinese vendor on eBay (actually positive!) which would fill another blog, I ended up purchasing four horizontal and eight vertical clamps.
    Because of the very irregular shapes of the board, rather than screwing them to one long piece of wood, I decided to fix each clamp to a 110mm long piece of 100mmx50mm timber which itself is screwed to a 100mm square piece of MDF. Some years ago I built a jig to construct baseboards using the geodesic principle and I have used this substantial jig that comprises two long pieces of 100x50 to which are screwed parallel pieces of 45x20mm strips at 50mm centres. The toggle clamp mountings were designed to be able to form curved side members to the baseboard top and these will be fixed to the 45x20mm members with M8 bolts. In practice, there is a slight deflection in the 45x20mm lengths and this is compensated with clamps to make sure that the table is flat.
    Using Chris' dimensions, a friend used his table saw to cut up half the sheets of 8x4 (2440mmx1220mm) 6mm ply from the six sheets obtained and delivered from an excellent and traditional woodyard in Wick into a series of strips 114mm wide (for the outer side members) and 108mm (for the inside).

    This photo shows the assembly using the toggle clamps. I have taken it slowly, fixing one side member at a time and letting the glue set for 24 hours. Already, the board is rigid and that is before the second 6mm side member is fixed to the first for final rigidity. The clamps work well, but alignment is assured by using other sorts of clamps to hold the whole thing together and flat while the glue sets.

    This next photo shows the vertical clamps in action securing a curved side member in place. It also shows that I have strengthened the top sheet with some strips of 6mm ply at approximately 300mm centres. They are fixed to avoid point motor positions, hence not being parallel to each other.
    In the next blog I will show how the construction progressed.
    Regards
    Tony Hagon
  4. NorthHighlander
    I have always wanted to play jazz piano like Oscar Petersen or Dudley Moore and somehow never managed to, for two good reasons: I am too lazy and too impatient to practise! And the same goes for modelling - too impatient and expecting instant results. But with the will to get Brighton right I realise that I have to put the time in and this weekend and past few days I have had to face the inevitable - learn how to use Templot properly so that the trackwork bears some resemblance to the actual layout. And guess what? I've done it!

    The double slips were a doddle following the excellent tutorials and members' write ups (I can't attribute them as they don't seem to have put their names on their guidenotes . You know who you are, so my thanks for your efforts!).
    I got the scissors crossover at the end of platform 2 absolutely right on the 1:2500 plan (which, unfortunately I can't show here for copyright reasons) and when I printed out the templates, the curves through it are sensuous and look just right. It took me three attempts, though. The two sets of three way points to the shed were another matter. After ten attempts, carefully following Martin's video tutorial, I succeeded! And they too form the graceful curves that are just begging for a couple of West Countries and Maunsell moguls to sit on, tender outwards, of course! As I mentioned on the Templot forum, the trackwork at the bottom right corner isn't complete as it isn't needed in this first phase.
    So now all that is needed is to
    clear out unwanted templates from the storage box,
    rename unnamed templates,
    make sure all the switches at the slips are later in the storage box than the stock rails and crossings
    make sure all the track joints line up
    shove timbers where needed (i.e. where Templot has done the job already) at the track joints
    change all the platform running rails from bullhead to 109lb flat bottom
    shove and extend/shorten sleepers where necessary
    ............what have I forgotten??

    One little knotty problem is the question of timber lengths to accommodate the third rail insulators (which I have also raised on the Templot forum (http://85a.co.uk/forum/view_topic.php?id=2232&forum_id=1)). Any guidance would be gratefully received.
     
    Although I'd already printed out the templates in existing state to get an idea of the size and shape of the baseboards, I knew I had to tidy them up for trackbuilding/laying sometime. I hope I've got them right by now!
    Hopefully by the end of the week, it's back on the baseboards!
     
    TH
  5. NorthHighlander
    Stimulated by seeing the layout by Robin Whittle and the Glevum group at Scalefour North, I came home and dusted off the papers, maps, plans and photos built up over 30 years for the time when '75A' would come to life... that time, I have decided, has come!
    I was impressed by Chris' (??) baseboards. He took the time and trouble to describe to me the construction of the baseboards which he produced. He uses 6mm beech ply in two laminated layers to construct the edges of the board, the inner layer being recessed to take a single 6mm sheet for the trackbed. The resulting box is strengthened by intermediate members but no diagonals. Up to now I have used a geodesic plan based on 9mm plywood, but I have decided to give Chris' method a go for 75A.
     
    OK, so what's the plot? Well, Templot, actually. There's no way I could achieve the required diagram without it. Yes, it's a devil of a learning curve and I still only know about 1% of it, but for anything approaching realism, I can't imagine a simpler and more reliable way of planning such a complex track layout. I still think that Martin Wynne studied at Hogwarts!
     
    Unfortunately, copyright laws prevent me from showing the Ordnance Survey map (which I bought!!) at 1:2500 which shows the 1956 track plan in enough detail for effective use. I used it in Templot as a background image and am midway through version 3.0. Why version 3? Because I'm still learning! Templot is very flexible and you can go back and revise, correct and amend and that's what I've done. The templates are still far from perfect but they will be refined over time. I have attached the current track plan from Templot to show the extent of the layout.
     
    The baseboards (as currently envisaged) are shown in red outline. I say "currently envisaged" as these are very irregular shaped boards and joining them together is an important consideration for e.g. exhibitions. The location of track, point motors etc will have a dependency that results in the final shape. Not being a carpenter my results won't be nearly as neat as Chris'. As with Barrow Road, I hope to have the first two boards in place very soon and these (the East sidings) can provide some running without the other boards being finished.
     
    I have plenty of photos of 75A as it was. The problem is that I only have one of my own (I don't own the copyright for the others) and it isn't very good, having been taken in the snows of January 1963.
     
    However, to conclude this introductory, I attach photos of the first board top cut out from 6mm Far Eastern ply this weekend. The templates were only stuck on temporarily to determine the shape of the board and will be soaked off shortly. Using the templates to map out the shape of the board is better, I find, that relying on the background shapes that you can add to Templot. (btw I don't have any commercial connection to 85A!)
     
    Wiring? Not on 75A. It is being built not only as my own layout but also to demonstrate Acc+Ess Protocab in action. Visitors will be able to control locos from their own handsets at exhibitions so we hopefully won't be short of 'demonstrators'! Referring to my photo and the plot, the viewing position will be from the curved edge on the south west side of the plan. This is actually a very high roadway (Howard Place) from where the photo was taken looking down on the site. Brighton station was constructed on a shelf cut into the chalk hill and there is a sheer cliff face between the road and the railway. in 4mm this is around 350mm at its highest point so dictates the layout datum height for reasonable viewing. On the other hand, I might omit the cliff altogether! Viewing from the other (i.e. north east) side is less attractive as I plan to build the main line at some time in the future.
     
    You can see from the plan that the whole site as modelled is not that huge, and two fiddle yards (one disappearing under a bridge to the left of the layout and the other disappearing under the station canopy ) the overall length is around 30 feet and 6 feet at maximum width. Hopefully this will be an Exhibition Manager's delight to fill that awkward corner!
     
    When will it be finished, ready for display? There are very few buildings, except for the engine shed itself and the iconic water tower and three softening tanks that seem to appear in every photo ever taken of 75A! With no wiring and thus no need to insulate any of the points and crossings, a lot of time will be saved compared to my experiences with dc and DCC. There is a considerable quantity of track and some fiendish pointwork (scissors, 3 ways and several irregular slips). I'm planning to be ready to lay the underlay at around the time we have the induction charging mats ready for Acc+Ess Protocab, so that these will be incorporated in the layout, preferably within the underlay itself.
     
    I'll keep the forum updated on progress and welcome any comments, criticisms and suggestions!
  6. NorthHighlander
    A somewhat frustrating point has been reached
    Here's the problem. In order to make the baseboards a) a manageable size b') have as few irregular or curved sides as possible c) fit each other precisely, I drew what I thought would be suitable shapes on the original 1:2500 OS plan. However, when I get to the actual model, I realise that, to avoid the point switches and crossings on what is a very tight track layout, the planned baseboard edges run through one or more switches or crossings, or don't provide enough clearance between tracks so that a converging pair of tracks would be touching the baseboard edge - not a clever idea.
    The other problem is that my original idea to use watered down PVA to stick the templates (printed on cheap 80gsm paper) was a VERY BAD IDEA. The water expanded the templates making alignment well nigh impossible. Owen's recommendation to use kiddy glue has been much more successful. Even then, laying the templates on the third board by aligning the first set to the edge of the ply sheet has resulted in misalignment further into the sheet.
    The lesson is simple: don't try to reinvent something that someone else (in this case Martin Wynne of Templot and other modellers who have gone before me) have already spent time inventing. Trying to save wood has been a false economy and I may well start again (fortunately I didn't spend a great deal of money on Beech ply), this time using the datum marks that Templot already provides for alignment.
    Here's the problem:

    The gaps between the boards (remember these are only the tops) allow for the 6mm end members.
    I already trimmed around 6cms off board 1 (on the left) and attached it (A) to board 2 to provide clearance for the converging tracks. Now I find that board 1 is around 6mm too thin, and the track plan doesn't align from board 2 to the plan for board 3.
     
    The conclusion is that this is a disaster as it stands. Get it wrong at this stage and all the problems will multiply later on, so I shall Start Again.
     
    Lastly today... Chris from the Glevum Group has been in touch and offered some excellent advice, for which I thank him.
  7. NorthHighlander
    Today's post...
    The first decision in constructing the baseboard using the laminate method described to me by Glevum Group's Chris, is to decide, as in the diagram, whether to put the top sheet on top of the side members ('B) or to let it sit on a recess formed by the two side members laminated together (A). Chris' method is A, and although this might be obvious, I don't think it's that clear cut (no pun!). The traditional (and awful) method of 2x1 framing is usually to screw the top to it and up to the edges. This means that, where more than one board is involved which are to be separate for storage and transport but joined together for running sessions, the top sheets are butted together. If recessing the top sheet inside the side members, this means that the side members must have very square top edges for effective alignment. Of course, one reason for recessing the top sheet is that the side members provide a cleaner edge, much less prone to damage. I suspect that Chris will tell me that this arrangement also makes the whole assembly very much stronger. Given that the sheet material is only 6mm, it's not a difficult decision, the top sheet is recessed inside the outside side members and the surfaces are to be sanded for flatness and continuity. My experience is to use sanding sealer (applied in the open air!) and rub down when dry. I shall probably apply it to the hidden inner faces too.
     
    Ok, progress today.... but before I report, some lessons learnt from the first board. Firstly, you'll note from the first set of photos that the templates buckled a lot and whilst these are only positioning templates to get an idea of the board size for cutting, the templates distorted considerably. This is because I applied a 3 to 1 mix of water to pva glue to the board and positioned the templates over it. The paper (standard 80gsm copy paper) soaked it up like a sponge with unpredictable results. Probably a poor idea but cheap!
     
    Today's activity is to draw out and cut the second board top before applying the side members to the first board. The reason for this is that I don't trust my background shapes outlining the board positions and in the event I was right, as I needed to move the boundary of the first board backa few inches to align with a track joint in the centre of a crossover rather than at the approach joint, making for a better shape of the third board (yet to be measured).
     

    I compensated on the templates for the 6mm side member by drawing the absolute outside of the assembled board with a red line and a green line 6mm inboard. I cut out the board along the green line.
     
    I laid out the templates for the second very irregularly shaped board to provide minimum wastage on the sheet and instead of soaking the templates, put down a spot of glue and dipped my finger in the water to thin it and, holding the template in place, spot glued it in place at the edge or centre only. The template dried exactly in place with no distortion.
     
    Sorry if this sounds long winded, but with a long and complex track diagram, accurate alignment even at this early stage is essential. I am sure others will comment on how wrong I have been and suggest a much better method! Please comment if I write too much unnecessary detail or if this narrative is useful.
     
    Best regards
    Tony
  8. NorthHighlander
    I'm in the great position of having the space to lay out 8 x 4 sheets of plywood and also lay out completed baseboard components and the even greater position of being able to 'come up for air' from the day's labours and spend the odd few minutes on the layout. In the mid morning break, I lined up all the templates on the curve of platform 2 (and near the edge of the board to minimise wastage) and spot glued the centre of each one to the board. Just before lunch, I finished off the remaining templates and let them dry until tea time, when I glued down the edges using a 50/100 pva water mix, rather than the whole template as I did earlier. By this evening the templates had dried with very little buckling and ready for the board to be cut out of the sheet.
     
    Another decision to be considered and made regards the dividing line between this board and the board which will ultimately hold the west sidings and cliff face. Originally, I had planned to divide the boards midway between the two tracks of platforms 1 and 2, but I came to wonder how the island platform between these two tracks would cover the divide. It would be impractical to have a separate platform to be laid after the baseboards are connected. A baseboard join up the centre of the platform would be silly. So, before cutting out this board, I made the late decision that the board join would be between the east face of the platform and the edge of the platform 2 track, and the join would be hidden from public view. With the 6mm width of the side member, the top sheet cut would be right up against the edge of the sleeper line.
     
    I've done it now, no going back! (Well, that isn't true, recutting a board is not a problem).
    I use this rather nice Exacta circular saw set to 9mm depth and with the 6mm sheet resting on a redundant piece of 12mm ply, the resulting cut is so neat, it needs very little cleaning up afterwards. The glued edge of the template helps to prevent splintering of the top edge.

    Having cut the second board, I then lined up the first board, allowing the 12mm gap where the end members will go to ensure that everything lines up. Straightaway I saw a problem with a notch in the second board that I might have to fill in with a small fillet. I originally planned the notch to be in the first board (shown by the green line at the top right corner of the first board). I will have to wait until the third board is cut to see if the track aligns over the notch.
     

    An ebay purchase of a Heljan Western and a couple of SR coaches arrived at lunchtime and I now have to find an excuse to run a Western out of Brighton - ok, here's the tale...it came up from Salisbury yesterday deputising for a failed West Country and, having stopped at 75A overnight is now returning to Salisbury on the morning's Plymouth train! Even putting this on the templates is exciting as it brings back so many memories of arriving for the morning's spotting just before the Plymouth was due to depart back in the early 1960s! The curve on platform 2 is exactly right! I can't wait to complete 34019 and have it lead the 11.00 Cardiff on its way! Incidentally, the Western is two minutes late departing, so an arriving Hornby 2BIL on the West Worthing is waiting at the home signal to cross over to platform 1...... ain't imagination a wonderful thing??!
  9. NorthHighlander
    Because I was wrong about the OS plan being in Crown Copyright (Martin W pointed out that the 50 year rule applies, so my 1953 plan is out of copyright), here is the track plan superimposed on the 1:2500 so that you can see the extent and where everything goes.

    I had got stuck yesterday with not knowing how BR(SR) organised the timbers under points and crossings, but again Martin came to the rescue with a definitive answer. The timbers are usually square to the main running line for a post 1920 layout like this with the exception being at diamond crossings and slips where the timbers are equalised to the crossing nose. So today in the spare time between Protocab testing (and believe me, after all the detailed testing and calculations a spell on Templot is very welcomed!) I have been shifting timbers and converting the remaining running lines to flat bottom. Again, I didn't know whether the Southern mounted its conductor rail insulators on extended sleepers but answers came thick and fast through the forum and from a lengthy and very comprehensive treatise by Russ Elliott http://homepage.ntlworld.com/russelliott/3rd-4th.html
    No excuse now for not getting on, just a lot of desk time to finish off the templates.
    .
  10. NorthHighlander
    No, not some coded message designed to get GCHQ buzzing, nor a plantiff cry that I spilt my orange.... the 'juice' referred to is the third rail and I have now completed adding it to the Templot plans for the two Hove branch tracks and the three West Sidings.

    The problem now is to work on which side of the track the rail was located in the various parts of the formation. I have quite a few photos but there are still gaps where it is not evident whether the third rail was on the left or the right. If anyone knows where I might be able to find an official CCE's rail allocation plan of the period, I'd be VERY interested to know! I would be pretty safe betting that the third rail positioning has changed dramatically by now so no good trekking the 740 miles to see it, despite the lure of a school reunion the week after next.

    See if you can work out from this pretty poor photo that I took in about 1961 the above formation.
    Next - pushing and shoving in the yard (track timbers, that is). Adjusting the templates to prevent timber overlap and rotating timbers as necessary. Probably another week's work before we can start laying out templates and cutting boards again.
     
     
    TH
  11. NorthHighlander
    Here we are again after a few months away from the blogsphere! I've not been idle meanwhile and this is a report on latest developments.
    The track plan is now finished as far as the end of Phase 1 (the loco shed and platforms 1 - 3 as a fiddle yard) but not without the excellent help received from Martin Wynne, Templot creator. I struggled for a week or so to create a pair of curved tandem (3 way) turnouts and eventually had to turn to Martin for help. The result is on the Templot forum and now integrated into the overall layout plan.
    As mentioned in an earlier blog, the idea for Brighton came about after Scalefour North this year when watching Robin Whittle and the Glevum group's Bristol Barrow Road layout, including the novel approach (in my books at least) to baseboard construction. Following that blog, Chris Yates (who built the boards) has offered some very useful advice which I have followed as far as possible.

    Board 1 is the largest board on the layout. The curved nature of the West Coast platforms and the straight nature of the eastern side of the loco shed means that the baseboards are going to be somewhat irregular at some stage. The other issue with so much trackwork is where to break the track across board joints. Plain track is not an issue but on boards with so much pointwork, the consideration is to ensure that breaks don't cut through switches or crossings, but less obvious is not to have a board break near to a switch where a point motor might be fouled by the baseboard supports.
    I decided (I hope that time does not prove me wrong), that the way that Chris' boards are designed, all sorts of irregularities can be built into the shape of the board whilst preserving the necessary rigidity. You can see this in the photo. Alongside the larger board is the curved board containing platforms 1 and 2 and the buffer stop end of the west sidings. The Templot templates are only temporary and in place as guides for where to cut the board top and thus position the side members. They will be taken off the board when laying the trackwork so I don't care about them curling up at this stage.
    I have spent quite a lot of time perusing as many photos as I could find (thank you Google!) and this exercise threw up a lot of surprises. Firstly, the West Coast branch starts a 20 mile down gradient at 1 in 269 half way along the platform! Secondly, the whole loco shed trackwork is far from flat. The in road to the turntable is a foot and a half lower than the exit road. Three of the main roads from the sheds are progressively lower than the next by an appreciable amount.
    This is not a problem for these first two boards, but provision will need to be made in later boards.
    In the next blog, I will show you how I constructed this first board and lessons learnt for subsequent boards.
     
    Best regards
    Tony Hagon
  12. NorthHighlander
    We left yesterday's blog with the first of the side members clamped to the inverted baseboard for the PVA glue to stick. This was the inner of two pieces that together make up the 12mm thickness of the side pieces. I believe that Chris laminates the two pieces together first, makes up a carcase and then offers up the baseboard top. I decided that because the boards were to be irregular with a number of them having curved edges that I would stick one side member to the baseboard top, let it set for 24 hours and then add the second member. For the first board, I butted the baseboard top to the clamp blocks and stuck down the inner skin on to the baseboard top, on the basis of aligning the side member to the edge of the baseboard top. In practice it doesn't really matter which is stuck down first, and as will be seen later, sometimes sticking down the outer member first is inevitable to maintain alignment with an adjacent board.

    Before going any further though, I have to say that it would have been a much more difficult task to create the side members accurately cut and with the right angle of mitres without one of these. It cost me £400 and has proven to be one of my most used and versatile tools.Thoroughly recommended! However, it makes a lot of wood dust, so use a mask and I have shrouded mine in a plastic sheet carcase to enclose the dust. Back to the construction.
    When the inner skin of side member of the first board was set, I measured and fitted the outer skin to make up the 12mm required thickness. To spread the glue and allow it to seep into the grain, I lightly sprayed a mixture of water with a few drops of washing up liquid on to the mating surfaces of the inner and outer ply skins before being clamped together to set for 24 hours. While being clamped and after the 24 hours I used a steam spray over the curved members to relieve the stress inside the two curved skins. The risk of doing this is that it might weaken the glue. In future I will steam any curved members before glueing them.
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