Galley Lid

[aggie79]

What kind of plywood do you guys use to make the hatch's ribs? Also, how many ribs should I make?

For the ribs, I used 3/4" plywood. The interior ribs are single widths of plywood. The outside ribs are doubled up. The ribs are only 1-1/2" deep. This has worked fine, but I would suggest going maybe a little deeper if it works with your design.

Take care,
Tom

[Javanino]

Have any of you here tried to steam and bend wood? It' looks great but have no idea how hard it is to do.

[bobhenry]

PLYWOOD OR SAWN LUMBER ????

An inexpensive childs wading pool and some black plastic on a hot sunny day is a great way to talk plywood into a bending mood. For thicked plys it may be necessary to form them out of thinner sheets and glue together.

For sawn lumber I have always cut and formed the needed profile with a router or jig saw from wider boards.

I am currently making a 10' radius top for my tiny house build and have set up a radius cutter to form the plywood truss pairs.

[Javanino]

Definitely talking about hardwood bends. that way one can have exposed ribs, nice touch I think.

[aggie79]

One thing to keep in mind on the hatch is spring back. This is the natural inclination of bent wood to straighten out over time. This happens whether you use wood glues or epoxy. If you constrain the bends - either adding extra framing to make a truss or having balanced skins (plywood both sides) - the bends will stay in place for the most part. Plywood ribs minimize spring back.

[Javanino]

One thing to keep in mind on the hatch is spring back. This is the natural inclination of bent wood to straighten out over time. This happens whether you use wood glues or epoxy. If you constrain the bends - either adding extra framing to make a truss or having balanced skins (plywood both sides) - the bends will stay in place for the most part. Plywood ribs minimize spring back.

That's my biggest concern with using them, I don't know how well they stay bent. This first build will be with plywood but I might play with wood bending down the road. Aesthetically speaking, they're really a nice touch.

[Javanino]

Has anyone tried this hinge? It looks like a really great design.

https://www.socalteardrops.com:444/part ... d=2&pid=31