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Cold molding with thin strips
Hi,
A number of weeks ago, I posted a question on this group about building a composite hot tub by "borrowing" some boatbuilding methods. I've been looking at cold-molding vs sheathed strip (is this synonymous with wood cored glass?). If I used sheathed strip (with 1/4"-1/2" or greater core), I might not be able to obtain the desired curvature. I could probably obtain the desired shape with cold-molding using veneers, but I think I that I would have to make a decent mold to support the veneers during construction, and it would still be awkward. I read some posts about people using multiple layers of thin wood strips for cold molding, instead of using veneers. I'm going to have some exterior framing surrounding the tub, and I think that I could simply attach the first layer of wood strips directly to this frame (probably via staples). Then add a second layer of strips, diagonally oriented from the first, working from the inside. Then a third diagonal layer, with the opposite orientation. The strips would probably be 1/8" each. I'm not sure exactly how many layers I would use, I would gauge the stiffness of the structure after 3 layers and go from there. My question is this: If you are planning on using this type of "cold molding", and plan on encasing everything in glass in the end, what type of glue/epoxy can you get away with for the layers of wood in between? I've read that a lot of the sheathed strip kayak builders get away with using yellow wood glue (some even say they've used hot glue), knowing that the fiberglass is going to provide a moisture barrier. Keep in mind that I would be edge gluing the strips together, and also gluing each layer to the previous one. Thanks for the help. Shamus |