Sampson Boat Covideo

Finishing the Cap Rails

August 26, 2023 · 22 min · 421K views

What this video covers

Leo Goolden fabricates and shapes teak cap rails for a wooden sailing vessel, utilizing a multi-step process to achieve an organic, tapered profile. After dry-fitting the teak sections to the stanchions using mortise-and-tenon joints, he uses a router to round over the bottom edges.7:23 To create the top profile, he draws a scale design and planes the wood into a series of flat facets, increasing the number of faces to nine to approximate a curve.9:38 He applies chalk to the wood surface as a visual guide while planing freehand to ensure symmetry and fairness.15:44 He finishes the shaping by planing diagonally across the grain and sanding with 80-grit paper.16:23 The cap rails feature a wider section to serve as a pin rail for belaying lines.3:53 The teak will remain unfinished to provide better grip for crew and to avoid the high maintenance of varnish in an area prone to impact.19:27

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