Index

Fabricate a Laminated Tiller.
INDEX - Construction, Gluing, Shaping, Coating, Fittings, Sleeve, Cracks, Knob, Tiller Tamer.

The new tiller is laminated from ash and American walnut.  The ash is for strength and the walnut is for colour contrast.  Both woods have excellent adhesion with WEST system epoxy.  The new tiller is the same length as the factory original but with a bit more upward curve to raise the grip to a comfortable height so it can sweep across the cockpit, above my knees.  The cockpit is tight enough without the tiller taking up a good portion of the room!  Besides, it is bad manners to swing a tiller into a crew's knees!  The gentle curve continues upward until the grip is level with the gunwale.  The pummel at the end of the tiller is formed with a teardrop to keep my cold hand from slipping off.  Its about the same diameter as a the grip of a baseball bat.  The new tiller has absolutely NO side bend to it.  I tested it by lifting a 300 lb. person standing 1' from the rudder end. 

CONSTRUCTION - Select solid lumber with straight grain and no knots.  Ensure that the lumber is at least 1/4" wider than the final width of the tiller so the outside of the tiller can be shaved off smooth to the final dimension.  I used a band saw to cut the wood stock into 1/4" thick strips of suitable length.  This was just thin enough to conform to the shape I wanted.  Plane and sand the cut sides smooth to avoid cracks or voids in the assembled stack.  If the band saw blade has sharp teeth with deep gullets and you feed the wood slowly, then the wood will cut smooth and straight and require only light sanding.  The edge of the stack will be finished after it is assembled in a later step. 

• If you want to duplicate the lines of your factory tiller then draw the outline of it on a section of 3/4" plywood, with at least 6" all around to install the stopper blocks.  See diagram below.  If you don't like the shape of your tiller, now is the time to alter it to your liking. 
• Spread waxed paper over the plywood to prevent the epoxy from sticking. 
• Screw some small stopper bocks of wood along the top of the rudder outline.  These blocks MUST be fastened very well with a single screw so they can rotate to align to the stack of wood strips. 
• Dry fit the stack of wood strips, clamping the stack to each stopper block with a C clamp.  Clamp in the middle first, working to the ends, alternating left and right till you reach each end.  If everything fits OK then use a Sharpie to scribe the side of the laminated stack with a single thick line for later alignment when you apply epoxy in the final assembly.  Extend the scribe line to the paper to mark the stack relative to the stoppers. 
• Disassemble the stack keeping the strips in order for assembly. 
  

• GLUING - Use a disposable brush and lightly but thoroughly paint unthickened epoxy over both sides of all the strips.  Let soak.  You should see air bubbles coming to the surface of the wood as a sign that epoxy is replacing air as it penetrates.  If you have applied too much thin epoxy, it is OK to scrape the excess off with a spatula, pouring it into the plastic mixing container for later use.  The WEST web site explains laminating wood, epoxy application and safety in good detail. 
  - While the first coat is soaking in, thicken some epoxy in your plastic mixing container to the consistency of mayonnaise and coat the top and bottom of each strip. 
  - As each strip is coated, set it in against the stopper blocks, aligning the strips to each other and the paper on the plywood using the previously drawn scribe mark. 
  - Once the stack is complete, tighten it with C-clamps (center outwards) until the epoxy starts to ooze out. 
  - While you must clamp the stack hard enough for the strips to contact each other, do NOT over tighten them so you squeeze all the epoxy out.  You must leave some epoxy between the strips.  It should ooze out the full length of the each crack to ensure there are no voids inside. 
  - Leave clamped to cure for 24 hours, not any sooner, and remove from the jig only when hard.  Remember the strips are under sheer stress and any relaxing of the clamps when the epoxy is still green will ensure a stack of fire wood. 
  - I left Panache's tiller clamped for 48 hours after which it sprung back ever so slightly as I removed the clamps.

• SHAPING - Now file, sand or plane each side till smooth.  I used a belt sander to start and an assortment of other shaping tools to finish. 
  - Shape the corners, the pummel and the stack of laminates to fit inside the rudder head. 
  - You may find a void in the epoxy if you were frugal during the application.  Although sometimes air bubbles are trapped and you end up with a void even if you weren't frugal!  Anyway, fill them with thickened epoxy till flush with the surface. 
  - Once the desired shape is achieved, sand the entire surface with 200 grit paper in preparation for the finish coating.

• COATING - Epoxy cannot stand up to ultraviolet light.  To protect it, coat the tiller with a UV blocking finish.  I used Sikkens Cetol Marine (original version) right over the epoxy.  Five coats of this stuff blocks 100% of UV and is tough as nails.  I have also applied several annual maintenance coats over the years.  See Tech Tips G02 & G05 for further info.

• FITTINGS - If you fasten anything to the tiller, using a screw or bolt, seal the exposed wood inside the hole with epoxy.  This helps to maintain the strength of the laminate.  In addition, seal the underside of each fitting with a flexible marine adhesive to inhibit marine growth.  This SS bracket is for my Tiller Pilot.

• PROTECTIVE SLEEVE (2008-03-20) - Over the years I have made several sleeves from Sunbrella to protect the finish of Panache's tiller.  The sleeve shown below was my second version that worked well until I added the tiller extension on top and the Tiller Pilot bracket on the bottom.  It no longer fits with these added attachments so I put it aside.  Not something I was happy about but I figured that a few extra coats of Cetol would protect the tiller.  Unfortunately I ran out of Cetol Marine and the tiller lost the wood grain appearance when it was coated with the opaque version of the milky Cetol.  A prime example of sacrificing appearance for performance.
  
                 
  There is a Velcro strap half way between the back of the sleeve and the twist fastener.  It tucks under the tiller to keep the sleeve secure and the tiller covered. 

• Filled Wood Cracks 2019-10-25 - My laminated tiller has served me well since I built it in 1997.  Over the years I applied several maintenance coats of Cetol when needed but lately a few cracks started to show along the glue lines, exposing open joints to the weather.  Time to get at it before the wood absorbs water.  So I gouged out the cracked sections with a Dremel Tool cutting wheel, dried the tiller in the warm furnace room and filled the cracks with WEST Gflex epoxy.  It took 4 applications to fill some of the cracks as the epoxy penetrated.  I like the way WEST epoxy penetrates and protects dry wood.  A light scraping removed the excess epoxy after which I roughened the surface to apply the Cetol.  The bare wood was stained where I scraped too deep (oops), following by 3 days of drying.  Lastly I applied 4 coats of Cetol and let it dry for a week at room temperature to harden.  The fittings were installed on the tiller with Marine Goop under each in the photo below.  The Tiller Tamer received a new control line and the stick shift knob got another coat of bee's wax to keep the leather supple.  Love the feel of that in my hand.  The tiller is good as new again, although I'm reluctantly accepting the uneven colouring of the surface.  Perhaps I'll fix this next year. 

• Secured Tiller Extension Knob 2023-10-13 - I had an accident with the tiller extension this summer when the stick shift knob fell off, landing in the cockpit.  Frankly the original installation was too weak for this job.  So this time I beefed it up by inserting a length of telescopic aluminum tubing inside the extension tube and to full depth in the knob.  It is secured with lots of Marine Goop for the entire length of the tube.  This stuff sticks to leather very well and the assembly is stronger than ever.  I also coated the leather knob with shoe polish to blacken it. 

       - PS: The stick shift knob belonged to my son's BMW318IS and is a lasting memory of him.

• UPDATE1 Restored Clear Coat 2024-11-04 - After 5 years of looking at the uneven colouring of the milky Cetol (above) it was high time the finish was restored.  While it was sealed, I never liked the opaque finish.  I removed all the hardware so the chemical peel could do a thorough job of stripping the old Cetol to bare wood.  Then while out shopping I was surprised to find 2 cans of Cetol Marine (old stock); so I bought both.  Two applications of EZ Strip and some elbow grease on a paint scraper removed ~90% of the old Cetol.  After that my belt sander stripped the sides bare and my palm sander stripped the top and bottom.  Left with dry bare wood I applied 4 light coats of Sikkens Cetol Marine with a light buffing between coats to remove the pointy things.  Its amazing how well the first coat soaked in, which speaks volumes for the chemical peel it just received.  3 more coats and it looked like the photo below.  I'm a happy sailor again.

• UPDATE2 Strengthened Tiller Tamer 2024-11-12 - When I reinstalled the Tiller Tamer I discovered the plastic back was cracked across the middle.  This was due to the strain of the line over the pulley during all the years of use.  I knew it would never stand up to another season so the fix was to strengthen the pulley mount.  The pulley bolt was replaced with a 2" long SS wood screw set deep into a predrilled hole in the tiller.  The strain of the line is now on the pulley and the screw instead of the back of the Tiller Tamer.  It is stronger than ever and will last another 20 years.

• UPDATE3 A New Tiller Sleeve (2024-11-16) - Years ago when I added the attachments to my tiller I knew the Sunbrella sleeve couldn't fit and the Cetol finish would eventually suffer for lack of a sleeve.  This time I was not about to repeat that, having just restored the tiller.  This is why I made a new sleeve that fits over the attachments.  In addition, I added 1.5" wide webbing inside, along the top, to protect the Sunbrella while resting on the bumpy tiller extension.  The webbing should do the trick.  
  
  
  
  The sides of the sleeve now extend below the Tiller Pilot bracket.  The plan this time is to have three SS twist fasteners to hold it securely.  They will be installed with the twisty portion pointed to port.  After all, I'm right handed and it matches the mainsail cover.  More to come in near future.  (update this photo)

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