Laminating two layer of 3/16" IPE

[Allen Bosely]

Want to see if my plan is reasonably sound. :-)

Will be making several boat hatches & covers. The hatch comings & covers will be made with ½” IPE. The covers will 2-½” high, ½” thick IPE frame, that part I'm ok on.

Want to use two layers of 3/16" thick, 3-½” wide IPE laminated with bottom layer 90 deg to top layer. The two layer panel will sit inside frame flush with top of frame. Will have a ⅜” thick 1-½” wide 'ledge' around insideof frame that panel will glue to.

Will use resorcinol glue with serious clamping pressure, probably will make a press with couple of bottle jacks to apply uniform pressure while resorcinol glue cures.

First crude not to scale drawing is top 2-½” x ½” frame and the two layer panel recessed flush with top of frame. The dotted lines indicate the 1-½” x ⅜” 'ledge' under panel to give more support to panel in frame.


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This is side view, showing 3/16" pieces laminated 90 degrees to each other. Will use quarter sawn for at least the top layer and most likely the bottom layer also.

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Will 3/16" thick layers of IPE laminated together at 90 deg to each other work without issues? I know resorcinol glue glue will bond well when properly prepped, but wasn't sure about laminating 3/16" pieces into panel. Figure they will, but thought I world ask to see if any unexpected things to look out for.

Cheers, Allen

[Brian Tymchak]

It's not clear to me what advantage you are hoping to achieve by laminating cross grain. If your stock is QS, or even RS, I would think laminating with grain will give you far more stable stock.

[Warren Lake]

laminations are odd numbers not even 3. 5 7 whatever 15. I have offshore baltic at the moment. Its made wrong some cores are not the same thickness and think with the outskin its 14. argh. some kind of glue in it sticks to my saw blade like ive never seen before.

[Edward Weber]

You will end up with a more ridged and "stable" panel. Especially using resorcinol glue, it should keep movement to a minimum (if any) in the hatch.

[Cameron Wood]

If the pieces are laid up tight, then at 24" and 28" wide will swell and break the frame, and probably warp as well, when one side is wet more than the other.

If the pieces are gapped, might be OK but I don't see the point.

[Kevin Jenness]

What Warren said. 2 layers crossgrain will want to cup. If stability is your goal make it 3 or 5 layers with thinner face plies, or start with a marine ply core. You may have low seasonal movement in a marine environment, but the exterior of the hatch cover will probably be wet and dry depending on the weather, putting stress on the glueline and the frame joints.

[scott lipscomb]

I have been surprised by how much ipe shrinks from green to dry when installed on the many decks that I have constructed of it. In fact, its expansion/contraction from moisture variation is pretty high. That coupled with its extreme density indicates to me that trying to laminate two panels together with grain running at 90 degrees to each other is likely to be a complete failure.

With all that said, Ipe is an amazing material, and has some very unique and great qualities. Gluability and stability do not seem to be among those qualities.