Progress 7/30

Today was another day of excellent progress.  We:

• Cut the galley partition
• Routed a rabbet into the galley partition to receive the galley countertop
• Sorted through the front rib halves to pick out the two best, to be used as interior ribs
• Cut the three pieces for the main yoke, which will run from side-to-side in front of the galley partition and receive ribs from the front and the rear

The photos below are of the main yoke, resting on the freshly-cut galley partition:

 

The yoke consists of three pieces as shown above.  The main beam is the center piece.  It acts as a flange that will run through both walls and be bolted into them.  On either side of that main beam is a yoke, notched to receive the various ribs, which will be interrupted at the yoke.  The tops of the three boards are beveled to match the curvature of the roof where the yoke will be installed.

This is a closeup of the port side end.  The trailer front is to the left.  The front rib that is attached to the port wall will key into the notch on the left, while the short rib that runs between the yoke and the galley opening will key into the notch on the right.  The rib sections in question will only be as thick as the notch shown.  The balance of the main beam will protrude through the wall in the cutout seen in the photos of the walls in the previous post.

 

This photo shows the notches to receive one of the interior ribs.  Note that the two yokes and the main beam have not yet been aligned vertically in this shot.

This is the starboard end of the assembly.

This yoke assembly will be a key component in the overall structure of the cabin, working with the galley partition to provide lateral rigidity.  The next step is to pre-drill for the screws that will unite the three pieces, then glue and affix them together with screws.