-- Build A Tiller For a few dollars and a bit of elbow grease, you can easily produce wooden components such as hatch frames, deck beams, bunk boards, a dinghy rudder, tiller, frames for a dodger and boom gallows. Multiple strips of hardwood, laminated with epoxy glue, are bent to shape in a custom form. Layers of wood and glue, much like plywood, make an extremely strong part, certainly much stronger than one made of solid wood.

Laminated wood and epoxy components will withstand most forces, except maybe an old willow tree that crash-lands during winter storage, which is exactly what prompted me to build a replacement tiller. The following assembly instructions are for a laminated tiller, but can be easily adapted to any woodworking project.

To make the tiller, you'll need five strips of hardwood, such as oak or mahogany, cut to the desired length and milled to a thickness of 12mm (1/2"). Working with wood that is ripped and milled to a finished size saves a lot of time and labor.

Make a pattern using the old tiller or customize a new shape; either way, you need to make a laminating form. Draw an outline of the desired shape onto a piece of heavy plywood. Cover with heavy, clear plastic or wax paper to prevent the glue from sticking to the wood. Fabricate seven or more square blocks from scrap wood 3.8cm (1-1/2") thick, and screw or nail them securely along the outside perimeter of the line drawn on the plywood.

Lay the hardwood strips face down and apply epoxy glue, thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise (see page 31 for mixing details), to one side (Figure A). Stack the pieces and tape the middle and ends to hold them in place (Figure B). It's a good idea at this stage to wrap the bundle in plastic or wax paper. This prevents bonding of the stock to the laminating form. Turn the bundle on its side, lay it on the laminating form and clamp it with C-clamps to the blocks, beginning with the center block and working out to each side. Attach additional C-clamps directly to the wood bundle to provide extra pressure (Figure C). Place scraps of wood or cardboard between the clamps and the stock to protect the wood from the clamps' jaws. Remove excess epoxy with a putty knife, then wipe with a clean rag.

Let the glue dry, remove the clamps, then scrape or sand off any excess epoxy. Use a belt sander or hand tool, such as a jack plane, spoke shave or block plane, to form the desired shape.

Now drill a hole for the tiller bolt, give the tiller a final sanding with 120-grit paper and apply three or four coats of epoxy to waterproof the wood, followed by seven to 10 coats of marine varnish that's compatible with epoxy. (TIP: Thread a piece of string through the bolt hole and suspend the tiller from the ceiling when coating.)

Attach stainless straps on the sides to provide lateral support for the tiller and prevent it from breaking at the rudder head (Figure D). Make a paper pattern of the finished profile of the tiller from the outboard end extending about 30cm (12") forward. Radius the forward edge and mark hole placements for the tiller bolt and a 1/4" bolt at the forward edge. Have a metal shop fabricate two 4mm- (3/16") thick stainless-steel pieces from your pattern. Thru-bolt these to the tiller with hex bolts and cap (or acorn) nuts, making sure to line up all outboard edges.

While you have everything set up, consider making a second tiller. You never know when you might need a spare.