Tommy Chen and Loren Hart pose by Burmese teak that will be milled and used to build Lord Nelsons.
Our tugs are fortunate to be gilded with teak. This functional, stable, beautiful and now incredibly expensive wood has been used aboard for centuries.
Deck cross section.
Here's a cross section view of an LNVT'S teak deck. A close examination reveals some interesting things. First, the majority of the caulk joint doesn't penetrate all the way through to the underlying fiberglass, but rather rides in a 1/4" square groove. Second, the boards weren't pressed tightly together but rather were spaced 1/32" apart. Third, the black polysulfide caulk was applied into the joint under pressure as the caulk also filled the 1/32" gap between the boards. Forth, the deck boards were quarter sawn (the grain of the wood is perpendicular to the width of the board). Fifth, the teak deck is not a structural part of the boat. Its primary purpose is to act as a non-skid surface.
Growth rings are perpendicular to the board's face in quarter sawn teak. Note the difference in width between winter and summer growth rings.
Side note: Have you ever wondered why some teak boards wear unevenly and become runneled? Teak trees grow year round. As such they have both winter and summer growth rings. Summer growth rings are generally wider and a little softer--meaning they'll erode quicker. In quarter sawn teak, the alternating hard and soft rings run the length of the board. The runneled look along a board's length is simply the result of erosion in the softer wood. This also explains why teak should never be scrubbed along its grain.
No comments:
Post a Comment