"Bill" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Sep 7, 2:02 pm, "Toller" wrote:
The rudder/tiller on my Potter 15 is disintigrating, so I will be asking
a
few questions on rebuilding it in the next few weeks.

The tiller handle is laminated wood, in a very slight S curve. It has
delaminated; and while I am now gluing it up with polyurethane glue, I
think
it will have to be replaced in the long run.
It doesn't go over or under anything, so I don't see that the S curve is
for
anything but maybe style. Can I make the new one straight? Is there
anycompelling reason it has to be laminated? I have a nice piece of very
old white oak I can use to cut a new one; will a solid white oak tiller
handle be inappropriate for any reason? Thanks. (I have a bandsaw, so
duplicating the curve would be easy enough, but I think it will weaken
the
handle, unless there is a good reason for the curve.)

I'm not sure about the curve but making it a laminate will allow you
to vary the grain pattern so that if and when it begins to warp it
will pull against itself and stay relatively straighter. You would
want to keep the grain going long ways but because it is still in a
circular pattern you flip one board over as compared to the previous.
I am sorry about the bad description on this. Someone else may have a
better one or even some wort of diagram to show you.

White oak is pretty stable, and this piece is about 40 years old. I hope it
will not warp, at least not much.
But it wouldn't be all that much work to cut it up and glue it back
together, reversing the pieces, if that will give better results.
Hopefully it won't delaminate like the current one.