Before assembly, all the wooden components were given two coats of West Epoxy and then sanded with 80 followed by 120 Aluminium Oxide paper as a key to final varnishing (after assembly).

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The pilot hole can now be prepared for the size 8, 1" wood screw which, with the glue, locates and fastens the planks to the bearers. First of all, using a drill, the holes are widened to a diameter of 10 mm to a depth of 5 mm. This will eventuallly take a wooden plug which will cover the head of the screw.

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The bottom of the pilot hole in the planks can now be drilled to a diameter of 4 mm. This will take the shank of the locating wood screw.

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The boards can most easily be assembled by placing them across a bench so that the screw holes are accessible from beneath at both ends (see diagram)

The screws can now be inserted (from beneath) and driven home until just the tips are protruding from the top surfaces of the planks.

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Epoxy glue is applied to both mating surfaces of the bearers and planks. and the bearers are placed on top of the planks and moved until the screw tips have engaged with the corresponding holes in the bearers.

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Once the screw tips have been located in the corresponding holes in the bearers, they can be driven fully home.

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This picture shows the assembled planks and bearers after screwing and gluing them together. Some excess glue will ooze out along the joints when the screws are driven home. These oozings can be made into fillets by dragging the rounded end of a piece of dowel along the joints. Fillets ensure a very strong joint and also protect the join from any possible water ingress. It is important to remove all excess glue at this stage, with a piece of paper towel, as it is impossible to remove after it has cured.

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A 10 mm plug cutter was used for cutting plugs from off-cuts of the Western Red Cedar.

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The plugs were glued in position using Epoxy glue and ensuring the the grain of the plugs ran parallel with that of the planks.

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The plugs were sanded down flush with the surface of the planks, coated with Epoxy, and then varnished with the rest of the wooden components.

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The last components to glue in position on the starboard planks were the two locking pegs. These interlock with two corresponding sockets on the port boards and are most easily made from off-cuts of the same wood that the other components were made of. They were fastened in position using Epoxy glue (See drawings for dimensions).

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This picture of the underside of the boards shows in detail how the peg and socket arrangement holds the two sets of boards together.

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A top view of the completed boards, varnished, ready for installation.

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Bottom view of the completed boards, showing the front and back bearers.

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Here is a picture of the completed boards installed in the rear locker of the Lugger.

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Detail of the installed boards showing how the cut-out gives access to the scupper hole in the aft locker.

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