Re: Making of Walker Net Arms
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:15 pm
A little bit of a break since the last instalment on making the Walker net arms . It is now at the stage for gluing up the strips . With these I am only gluing up one set of arms at one time . The following photo shows the importance of having the internal pith side of the bamboo completely flat and smooth .It is these faces that will be glued together leaving the much harder enamel faces as the external walls .
Prior to gluing the two strips together it is a good idea to check that the two faces being glued together are free of any small fragments of wood that could be a problem when glued up , they can cause imperfections within the lamination of the two strips and show glue lines when the strips are finally sanded down to size . You want to maintain the two joints do not show a glue line as it looks untidy .
Once everything has been checked , the two strips are now ready to be cemented together . I use cascamite which I use for rod building and it is important that the mix is correct . You can do it by weight which I prefer or you can mix it by a 2-1 ratio .
The tools required for this is a simple timber built former , from a cross section it would look like an upside down "T" . The base of this was a simple strip of offcut pine board and a strip of hardwood screwed in and secured . This is what you will be gluing your cane arms up against . It is also important to say that you will need plenty of "G" clamps of which I have collected many over the years . Carboots are great for finding good quality ones especially those made here .
Above photo shows the former and the strips ready for gluing and below applying the glue to the cane strips.
I apply the glue by brush to both faces and leave for a few minutes and allow it to soak inwards .Once this is done the two strips are ready to be laminated together .Hopefully from the photo you can see the hardwood strip in the centre of the pine base and it is this hardwood strip that the arms are being clamped up against . It is also an idea to use an offcut strip of timber to use as a shield when using the clamps as they will be under pressure and the last thing you want is the clamps to leave indentation marks in the cane . Another point to remember is that the grain of the bamboo runs naturally lateral and if clamped against the bamboo without the timber cushion the bamboo can split along the grain leaving all that hardwork in ruins !
Once all the clamps are in place and tightened down you will see the glue squeezing out along the edges , this is a good sign proving ample glue has been applied .
At this stage it is now a waiting game for the glue to dry and be ready for the next instalment .
![Image](http://i60.tinypic.com/vra2o6.jpg)
Prior to gluing the two strips together it is a good idea to check that the two faces being glued together are free of any small fragments of wood that could be a problem when glued up , they can cause imperfections within the lamination of the two strips and show glue lines when the strips are finally sanded down to size . You want to maintain the two joints do not show a glue line as it looks untidy .
![Image](http://i61.tinypic.com/dqoifa.jpg)
Once everything has been checked , the two strips are now ready to be cemented together . I use cascamite which I use for rod building and it is important that the mix is correct . You can do it by weight which I prefer or you can mix it by a 2-1 ratio .
The tools required for this is a simple timber built former , from a cross section it would look like an upside down "T" . The base of this was a simple strip of offcut pine board and a strip of hardwood screwed in and secured . This is what you will be gluing your cane arms up against . It is also important to say that you will need plenty of "G" clamps of which I have collected many over the years . Carboots are great for finding good quality ones especially those made here .
![Image](http://i58.tinypic.com/t7ykba.jpg)
Above photo shows the former and the strips ready for gluing and below applying the glue to the cane strips.
![Image](http://i57.tinypic.com/i5xf69.jpg)
I apply the glue by brush to both faces and leave for a few minutes and allow it to soak inwards .Once this is done the two strips are ready to be laminated together .Hopefully from the photo you can see the hardwood strip in the centre of the pine base and it is this hardwood strip that the arms are being clamped up against . It is also an idea to use an offcut strip of timber to use as a shield when using the clamps as they will be under pressure and the last thing you want is the clamps to leave indentation marks in the cane . Another point to remember is that the grain of the bamboo runs naturally lateral and if clamped against the bamboo without the timber cushion the bamboo can split along the grain leaving all that hardwork in ruins !
![Image](http://i57.tinypic.com/2zgyw7k.jpg)
Once all the clamps are in place and tightened down you will see the glue squeezing out along the edges , this is a good sign proving ample glue has been applied .
![Image](http://i57.tinypic.com/1zf0oq8.jpg)
At this stage it is now a waiting game for the glue to dry and be ready for the next instalment .