How to clamp a surface with out vaccum bagging.

[davidpm]

I've got the pieces cut for laminating the transom on the sp10n.

1/8" by 1 1/8" maghony.

Any tips on holding it down till the epoxy sets?

Vaccum bagging is of course the best way but I'm not ready to buy a compressor for 2 square feet.

Maybe next week.

[Garry]

You might want to research the West System website.

I think the typical way of doing this would be similar to installing teak strips on decks - fasten the strips in place with bronze staples spaced as needed. The staples are either removed or sanded flush. Another way is to use staples with strapping tape under them so you can use the tape to remove the staples.

I don't know if you can arrange the surface horizontally and simply use weights.

Another way is to build a sandwich with plastic sheet and another layer of plywood to hold the strips down. But you probably need some kind of fasteners to hold things in place so you might as well go with the first idea.

The wonderful thing about trying new ideas is coming up with new solutions.

[Doug Cameron]

But you probably need some kind of fasteners to hold things in place

. . . or, you could lay the sandwich on the flat garage floor and add weights, like concrete blocks.  It worked for me.

[Tom Lathrop]

First we have to know whether the transom is on the boat or not.  Different solutions for each.

[davidpm]

Transom in on the boat

[Tom Lathrop]

Transom in on the boat

OK, the easiest way would be to use fasteners of some kind as suggested earlier.  Weights and normal clamping methods won't work when working on the assembled boat.  If you don't like the remains of fastener holes from small pins or screws or staples (which I hate), you can use fake screw plugs.  Or rather, plugs over fake screws.  Use a 3/8" forstner bit to drill through the veneer over the little hole and fill with a 3/8" plug.

Personally, I would do it like I install ceiling strips on boat interiors.  I use clamping cauls set in place about 1/2" or so above the veneer surface and drive in small wedges between the caul and veneer to hold the veneer in place until the glues sets.  Caul is just the name of a device or piece that exerts pressure on a glue-up laminate.  The caul can be made of 1 1/2" pine with a hook that fits over the top of the transom.  The lower end will need to be screwed to the transom with a spacer of about 3/4" to hold it off the transom face.  Four of these cauls spaced across the transom should be enough.  Wedges driven between the caul and veneer holds it in place.  I also use some scrap strips of wood under the wedges to help equalize the pressure on the veneer.  Like a lot of things, this sounds far more complicated than it really is.

The last piece of veneer which covers the spot where the caul screw was must be fastened with nails or such.  This is no big problem since most transoms have the perimeter painted about 1" or so inside the edge which will cover these holes as well as any other fastener holes along the edges.

I'm not sure how well this explains the method but it is not complicated.  If you were not ready for a bit of complication, you would not have chosen to veneer the transom in the first place. ;D.

[davidpm]

I ended up clamping the best I could then using a Stanley TR45 Stapler with 5/16" staples for the rest.

These staples are thinner than most so It looks like I will get away with it.

Just pull the staples and sand.

I did an inwale and figured out how to get the boat to nest anyway.

[John Burritt]

If you haven't already recoated the transom, try steaming the staple holes with an iron and a damp cloth.  This will cause the wood around the holes to swell a bit and make them less noticable.  Looks good.