[VAL] Fitting my Gaucho (long)

[Glyn Judson <glynjudson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    All,      

As some of you might know, I launched into the scratch building of my 
Gaucho recently and still have a few more pieces to fit before I can begin 
the refinishing.        

I thought I'd take a few lines here to describe to you how I was able to get 
the square corners of the plywood for the seat into the rounded corners of 
the inner skin under the front window.      

Now I know there are many of you who probably know this so what I'm about to 
describe is for those of you who don't and want to know.      

The first piece I had to deal with was 30 1/2" X 74 1/2" and was to be the 
fixed piece over the front water tank that will become the seat for the Gaucho 
and one half or the pull out berth.  I laid the plywood (3/4" for rigidity when 
sitting or sleeping on) onto the 1X3's that spanned the water tank front to rear 
with the corners of the wood touching the rounded corner of the inner skin.  I 
then made sure that the front edge of the wood was parallel to the flat of the 
inner skin under the center front window.  As I recall, it was 6 1/2", measured 
at several points.      

So now I have a piece of wood laying flat, that's evenly positioned from the 
front of the inner skin with both corners touching the inner skin.      

I then made a measuring tool by cutting an 18" length of 1X3 to a point on one 
edge with a 300 cut.  Note, not like a picket that resembles a boat bow, a point 
that is formed by the edge of the 1X3 and the 300 cut.      

I took this measuring tool back to the Caravel along with a T-square and began my 
experiment.  By placing the T-square on the trailing edge of the 30 1/2" edge deep 
plywood and laying the 1X3 along its side, I slid the 1X3 forward until it touched 
the inner skin at a place where the skin was parallel to the front edge of the 
plywood but near the radius of the inner skin (somewhere under the front window).  
I marked the side of the 1X3 at the plywood edge (6 1/2") and proceeded to slide the 
1X3 and the T-square outboard toward the streetside a half inch or so at a time, the 
whole while making sure that the point of the 1X3 was in slight contact with the inner 
skin.  I'd then make a mark on the plywood where the pencil mark on the side of the 
1X3 was and then slide again, mark, slide, mark, etc. until reaching the street side 
of the plywood. The result was a series of tick marks on the plywood that coincided 
perfectly with the radius of the inner skin.  I joined the marks with a pencil line 
with the aid of a flexible steel ruler, took the plywood back to the garage and used 
my trusty sabre saw to cut the curve.  I repeated the exercise on the curb side, 
prayed to the measure-twice-and-cut-once Gods and slid the plywood into place like 
putting a hand into a glove.  Wow, it worked like magic!      

Anyhow, now that I've bored you with the details of how I cut my square corners round, 
I'll stand by for someone way smarter than me to suggest an easier way.  ; - )      

Later,      

Glyn