plywood dashboard with veneer.

[deerhound]

Wonder if making a wooden dashboard from marine ply say 3mm thick and then adding a thin skin of veneer and using say sanding sealer and yacht varnish several deep coats to build it up and give it depth would be the correct way to go? would it be short lived and fall to pieces, any ideas advice would be great, I have discoverd some rotten wood 2 lengths about 2 inches deep by 1/2 inch thick, 18 inches long, should I encase it with fibre glass cloth and resin or remove it etc;? Thank you JBD

 

[flashback]

Re: plywood dashboard with veneer.

Lurcher, sunshine is the killer, If you can keep the sun off your woodwork, then varnish will look great for several years...if not, then paint it...

 

[deerhound]

Re: plywood dashboard with veneer.

Fine, only here in deepest darkest South of Scotland we very rarely see the sun!! it's the rain here, yes I can understand ideas may seem great but just creating problems for myself that are not practible, my dashboard has never been touched is bare and would look nice with couple of instruments, just the basics, so probably matt black for reflection might be way to go? thanks for help JBD

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: plywood dashboard with veneer.

There have been a few wooden dasboards made here in the past that turned out nice. Epoxy encapsulation for waterproofing and UV varnish for sunlight. The varnish will need periodic maintenance if the boat sees a lot of use and abuse, but it should hold up pretty well. Unless the dash is angled up pretty high glare shouldn't be an issue except for times when the sun is very low.

 

[deerhound]

Re: plywood dashboard with veneer.

does the epoxy get laid on like glass fibre or resin? I have heard of it but never seen it done? JBD

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: plywood dashboard with veneer.

Epoxy resin would be painted on, no glass. It can be thinned some for better penetration. It ends up looking like varnish. Epoxy is not UV resistant though and would need a top coat of varnish.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: plywood dashboard with veneer.

You should have Interlux products available since they're made in the UK. Their "Epiglass" epoxy is very thin & penetrates wood really well even without thining. Applies easily (any epoxy really) with a cheap foam roller, but you've got to knock the bubbles out by dragging a foam brush over it after you roll it out. Two coats will make the varnishing easier.<br />Like CalicoKid said, the UV blocking spar varnish is the real protection - UV turns any wood grey. Lots of coats of the best spar varnish you can find is the way to go, but if it's out in the sun you'll have to sand and re-varnish every few years.<br />If you're going over a fiberglass dash, be forwarned that it may have a lot of subtle curve to it. Thin ply would be an asset.

 

[Solittle]

Re: plywood dashboard with veneer.

Maybe not the best comparison but we have a 13 year old mahogany front door that I did with marine spar varnish (several coats). I sanded and put another couple of coats a couple of years ago. It is beautiful.

 

[deerhound]

Re: plywood dashboard with veneer.

Many thanks to all for advice,would this epoxy also be usefull to protect any wood under the floor and at the rear at transom, or I was wondering if I should encapsulate the wood in glassfibre matting, again thanks for advice to all, J.B.D.

 

[Richard Petersen]

Re: plywood dashboard with veneer.

Use the old dash to cut out the new dash using EXTERIOR plywood in the same thickness. Glue the veneer piece down with any water resistant glue. DO NOT use that Gorillia Glue !! It foams and is a mess to control. Stain, light, even, very fine 200 grit, give or take, paper, 3 or more VERY light coats of UV PROTECTED varnish. Done, done. Looks perfect. Any epoxy is a waste of time and money.------Forgot, coat all the dash wood surfaces, including the edges of the holes to prevents water lifting and splitting the veneer.