Teak Veneer Instrument Pod

[PangaRon]

I want to build an instrument pod and a cover it with a teak veneer and teak border.

Any advice would be appreciated!

How best to build the curved mold?

What cloth is best to build the part?

What epoxy to attach the veneer?

Any other concerns or cautions?

I plan on vacuum bagging and fairing the part very well in order to have good adhesion.

I'd like to build the part and then fiberglass into the dash.

Here's a few pics of what I have in mind.

[Cowbro]

Ron,

For something that small, you are probably better off sourcing solid teak to build it out of, use conventional wood working techniques, then coating in epoxy and varnish, or a tung oil of some sort.

Building the core, fairing it smooth and then applying the veneer is a lot of extra steps. You might save a little money in material, but it will be much more labor intensive, in my mind.

I wouldn't imagine that any cloth would be necessary for that area.

Phil

Edit: I went back and looked at the second picture you posted. I see the back side (or forward side?) of the dash being prepped for veneer, that shape may be tough from solid stock, I was originally thinking just the front face as seen in the first picture.

What about picking up some 4mm plywood with a teak veneer on it and kerfing the back to get the correct radius, then "stitch and gluing" the front face on and hiding the stitched joint with a small strip of solid stock? I could draw something up if that didn't make sense.

[fallguy1000]

Cowbro brings some good points.

We first need to understand the starting point. Do you have a console already with plywood?

Teak requires maintenance, so you first need to know the maintenance plans; moreso in Florida than Cali, but teak requires annual or biannual refinishing ftmp.

I am opting for wood only as a trim piece. This teak goes all the way around and can be removed for refinishing. The picture is prior to completing the cuts, but all done now.

teak is funny to varnish...you need to acetone wash it and it requires heavily thinned coats at the start

[Jaysen]

I’m teak maintenance…

There are products that extend the maintenance to a 3-5 year cycle if wood is prepped and product applied properly. The one I’ve used is “honey teak”. On the Shannon it makes 5yr. Boat is south East (SC to FL/Caribbean) and wood os NOT covered.

Most of these product are two part and require multiple coats similar to varnish.

[cape man]

Unless you fear heavy sharp objects hitting the surface I would skip the glass and just coat the veneer in epoxy and the use a good varnish or a uv protectant clear coat like the EMC Quantum. If you use glass, they sell a 2 or 4 ounce woven here for surf boards etc. that goes really clear when wetted in. Teak is oily by nature, so make sure you get good penetration with several light coats of epoxy and put multiple layers on.

I like the custom touch!

[PangaRon]

What do you think of this idea for the male mold?

I have a car windshield that has the curve I like so I might use it as a pattern. My idea is to cover the windshield in plastic wrap, thinly glass over it, pull it off the windshield and then shorten it to the right width. Then build up the glass for strength. Glass in a piece teak 1/2" ply across the instrument "face" and some perpendicular pieces for strength. Flip it over and fair the top and then cover it in 1/8" veneer. I think gluing the veneer onto the part in a longitudinal direction, like the picture, is possible with it's gentle curve. I would cover the seam at the top edge with a curved steamed or laminated edge piece.

I would like to glass the "pod" into an opening in the dash under the windshield on the inside of the opening so I end up with a clean edge.

Here's a few more example pictures. These are larger than I have room for, but you get the idea.

[Fuzz]

I sure wish Richard was still active here! He would be the man to know how its done.

[PangaRon]

Perhaps I just need to start with a flat piece of foam or ply for the dash and glass in perpendicular pieces for the oval top deck and then glass in between them? The dimensions are 32" wide by 16" high and 32" deep, big enough to fit a Garmin 12" display and some other gauges. This is my favorite example (without the pocket behind the wheel).

[fallguy1000]

Using your car windshield to get the curve is risky if you damage it or get epoxy on it or on the car. Covering the glass in plastic is not great, imo.

But a junkyard windshield is an interesting idea.

The way you are going about it is not ideal and the teak will be bumpy.


Here is what I'd try.

First, get the windshield from a junkyard.

Use partall green #2 wax on the glass.
Use partall #10 film over the wax.

Laminate 5 layers of 1708 onto the windshield. Make sure there is release film where the laminate goes. You can do it in a single go, but you should spend at least two hours laminating so it doesn't heat too fast. Vac is best, but not required.

Use fairing compound and create a fair surface for the teak to be bonded to. Try to not release the part from the glass. 5 layers of 1708 will probably hold shape, but 3 won't. Then bond the teak with thickened resins using a 1/16" vee trowel. I would precoat the inside of the teak with raw epoxy after acetone washing it about 30 minutes before applying thickened resins. Make surw the resins are thick enough they don't sag after vee troweled on.

Then you can use vac if you have to to hold the edges on. Course, you have to be ready with a bag and gum tape. If you use vac, you MUST use tape on the veneer edges and if you use breather media, you MUST use release film under it or the crap will all stick to your veneer edges.

Make sure to dryfit the veneer.

I would NOT bother with plywood. You are basically making it.

Consider this a dialogue.

Agreed t would be nice if AA were to comment.

I think the one caution here is the teak veneer will not compound. It can't. So, whatever curve you choose, it can't be two directions of curve.

[PangaRon]

Thanks Fall Guy! This is exactly the information I was looking for. I have a couple more questions:

The windshield mold would be too wide, I need 32" wide x 16" high x 32"+/- deep. How would you shorten the width? Perhaps cut out the center portion and glass the backside back together? Would this be strong enough?

How would you add the face or dash portion? Perhaps some glassed in coosa and then veneer over that?

If the windshield "mold" didn't work, would a plywood rib mold and strips of 3/16 ply across the ribs work okay? I could fair the mold before applying the 1708.

Thanks again for your help!