tomstock Posted October 12, 2003 Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 I think I may have enough wood left to laminate a bow spirit from two pieces of 2x4 red oak, cherry or mahogany (I'm not exactly sure which it is). My other option is to just laminate two nice clear fir 2x4's. I checked with the lumber yard and they have these nice and clear with a straight grain. Should I save the hardwood for other things? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave R1 Posted October 13, 2003 Report Share Posted October 13, 2003 I don't know. How are you planning to finish it? If bright, I'd go for it with either the mahogany or the oak. I think the cherry would turn really dark (maybe almost black) in the sunlight. If you'd like some help identifying it, maybe you could take some close up pictures of it and post them. The three woods you listed are considerably different and should be fairly simple to tell apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted October 13, 2003 Report Share Posted October 13, 2003 I would probably hang on to the hardwood for a special area or project. You can probably find a 4 x 4 for the bowsprit pretty easy and avoid laminating anyway. The hardwood could be used in conjunction with other woods to make something cool( and contrasting)...forward hatch...cabin hatch etc. Good hardwood is hard to come by, in my neighborhood, I'd hang onto it for something that I really wanted to show off. b. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hagan Posted October 13, 2003 Report Share Posted October 13, 2003 Douglas Fir takes on a "honey oak" color when it is finished with a clear spar varnish. My bowsprit, mast, gaff and boom are all Douglas Fir. I really like the way it looks. I would save the mahogany, red oak, etc. for small trim pieces, but its always "builder's choice" on this kind of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeaton Posted October 13, 2003 Report Share Posted October 13, 2003 Laminate would be stronger than solid wood and less likely to warp. Use the D.Fir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken connors Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 id prefer to have my bowsprit match my mast and boom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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