Need some fish board help

[tvgordon]

Hi guys,

I've made a couple of fish boards where I screwed the metal rule to the board.  I've found that it doesn't take much wood movement to make the rule bow up from the board.  So I thought about cutting a small slot for the screws, but then the user would have to take a screwdriver and loosen the screws until the rule is flat to the board again.

Do any of you know of a fastener I could use that would hold the rule down on the board while not being so tight so that it will allow the rule to move slightly so it will not bow?  Of course they would have to be made out of a material that won't rust and can be countersunk flush to the rule or has rounded top as not to scratch the fish.  Also, ideally, the fasteners would not have to be frequently tightened or loosened to keep them working right.  I'm making them out of 3/4" thick wood and using both stainless steel and aluminum meter long rules.

Thanks for your help.
Tom

 

[Brice Burrell]

Do you have the rule screwed across the grain?  If it ran with the grain I wouldn't expect much wood movement in that direction.  You could try a flexible adhesive instead of screws.

 

[harry_]

or....... you could drill the holes over-sized and use a washer head screw to allow for the movement

 

[tvgordon]

No Brice, the rule runs parallel to the grain but it will still bow up sometimes.  The people using them want the rule to stay flat all the time.  I'm not sure how flexible tape would hold up the the water and the heat from being in the sun.  Many of the commercial fish boards are plastic but many users like wood, so I'm trying to make a durable wood board with minimal upkeep.

Harry, I thought about that but the people using them don't want a large washer/ screw combo sticking up from the rule.  The flatter the better since they are measuring small fish as well as large ones.

Thanks for the help guys!
Tom

 

[jmbfestool]

Couldnt you router a channel out and using like a dremel bit have very small slots on the edge for the tape to slide in.

[attachimg=#]

JMB

 

[tvgordon]

JMB, I'm using solid stainless steel and aluminum rules, not tapes.  I  thought about routing a channel but the wood overhang covers some of the markings and I was afraid that the wood overhangs might break off at some point, especially since they aren't handled gently.

If at all possible, I would like to try to keep the rule flush to the wood.  Thanks for the help (nice drawing by the way)!

I don't know if it even exists, but I'm thinking of a fastener kind of like a rivet that could be tight enough to hold down the rule but loose enough that it could slide in slots rather that bind and bow the rule. 

Tom.

 

[JEP]

What about using a washer head (truss head) screw in a slotted hole, placed every 6-8"?  Washer head screws are low profile, but have an enlarged head eliminating the need for a seperate washer.

Joe

 

[harry_]

What about using a washer head (truss head) screw in a slotted hole, placed every 6-8"?  Washer head screws are low profile, but have an enlarged head eliminating the need for a seperate washer.

Joe

that was reply #2 (well not the 6-8 inches part)

 

[jmbfestool]

Its pretty close to flush OPTION 1 and 2 but it eliminates the problem your saying about the wood breaking of easily.

Another option is get another metal plate wider then the Rules and get it spot welded. OPTION 3

EDITED:  The Word ''Thing'' in the picture is meant to say THIN*  (im rubbish at spelling)

[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]

 

[Rob-GB]

It reads to me that the movement is most likely heat expansion of the s/s rule rather than timber movement.

I am assuming(dangerous I know) that you have countersunk the screw holes in the rule as you want a flat surface.
How  about swapping the screws for countersunk machine screws and nuts? You can get them in s/s too.

One end a plain countersunk hole in the rule and a counterbored hole in the underside of the board for the nut and do up tight.
Other  end of rule plain countersink hole and a slotted counter bored hole and through slot for the screw thread, put some loctite on the thread and only do up finger tight so it can still move.

HTH Rob.

 

[tvgordon]

Joe & Harry, A washer head screw might work, but I would still have to tighten it down maybe to the point where it wouldn't allow the rule to move in the slot.  I used 5 screws in a meter long rule, so that's a screw every 9" or so.

JMB, I like the ideas but, right off the top of my head, a washer along the edge of the rule would cover the markings.  I know they measure in mm so they probably don't want to guess.  Welding would solve that problem but I don't have a welder and, from using a welder at work, wonder if the weld would begin to rust.  I will give it more thought.  Thanks.

Rob, I didn't look up the coefficient of expansion of stainless steel but you may be right about it expanding and not the wood (cypress).  I thought about using machine screws with a t-nut but didn't think of using loctite so I could leave them a little loose.  I'm on pretty good terms with the company I've sold the boards to (my wife works there ), maybe I'll make up a board and let them test it.  I know they didn't like having the rule bow.

Thanks to all for taking your time to help,
Tom.

 

[tbellemare]

Couldnt you router a channel out and using like a dremel bit have very small slots on the edge for the tape to slide in.

[attachimg=#]

JMB

I would offer a variation of JMB's suggestion...

Cut a rabbet, use a slot cutter, cut two pieces to desired length (plus a little), join with Domino. Attach the tape at only the start.

If either the tape or the wood move, so what?

Tom

Also: you might want to change the order of the rabbet and slot.

 

[Rob-GB]

Rob, I didn't look up the coefficient of expansion of stainless steel but you may be right about it expanding and not the wood (cypress).  I thought about using machine screws with a t-nut but didn't think of using loctite so I could leave them a little loose.  I'm on pretty good terms with the company I've sold the boards to (my wife works there ), maybe I'll make up a board and let them test it.  I know they didn't like having the rule bow.

Thanks to all for taking your time to help,
Tom.

Depends on the quality of the s/s rule, most have an "accurate at 20*c" stamp on them (or similar), I,d post a pic of one of mine but I am currently in the middle of a field in Gloucestershire on holiday.  [big grin] Slotting the Cypress is going to be easier than the s/s and you may even be able to use nyloc nuts depending on the thickness of the wood.
atb
Rob.

 

[jmbfestool]

Well dont rules have scales on both sides some with inches and mm some have both mm  now dont you need only one side?!?!?  so you could use the other side for fixing and could be covered up seen as you still have one side exposed for measuring?  Just a thought?!?! Dont know.

Jmb

 

[tvgordon]

Tom,
Right now I'm using solid rules and although simply fastening the rule at one point would solve the bowing problem it would create a problem of the other end of the rule being loose from the board.  Maybe not a problem with a shorter rule but I think it would be a problem with a meter long rule.  Joining the board together is a good idea though.

Rob,
Slotting the cypress would be much easier than slotting stainless steel (it took what seemed like forever just to drill a hole in the stuff).  I bought several Starrett aluminum rules and was going to buy a cross slide vise for the drill press to cut slots in the rules.  I haven't tried yet but the aluminum shouldn't be too difficult to cut.

JMB,
You're right, one side of the rule is inches and the other metric so I could simply hold down one side with washers.  I was thinking of placing them of both sides of the rule.

Thanks guys,
Tom.

 

[tbellemare]

it would create a problem of the other end of the rule being loose from the board.

I was thinking of an easy way to make a t-slot without needing a t-slot bit that fit. Wouldn't the slot hold it sufficiently if anchored at the zero end?

I guess I'm remembering my days surf fishing on the Gulf coast. We would measure fish against marks we had made on the ice chest. Later, they started molding graduations in the top of ice chests.

Tom

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

How about countersinking a couple or a few rare earth magnets into the board, held with epoxy or to a metal screw head in the board for each magnet.  The rule would then be held in place by the magnets.  May not work with stainless steel though...

Best,
Todd

 

[mhoy]

  May not work with stainless steel though...

Best,
Todd

It will work with some stainless steel, you basically have to test it to figure it out. My induction cooktop works with all my current stainless steel pots/pans. 

Mark

 

[jmbfestool]

  May not work with stainless steel though...

Best,
Todd

It will work with some stainless steel, you basically have to test it to figure it out. My induction cooktop works with all my current stainless steel pots/pans. 

Mark

They are the best  induction hops. 

Much quicker than gas and normal hops.

I did a test once with my induction  got a pan same amount of water  did it on my gas hob it took 9 mins to boil and it took just over 1 min to boil on the induction hop they are rapid and more energy efficient and best off all they are much much safer than anything els.

Gas is dangerous if boiling water puts the gas out and your gas is still going.  Normal hobs are hard to control because they stay hot and are dangerous because they can look cold but can be very hot and burn.  Induction dont heat up them selfs so they dont get hot only get hot because the pan heats them so they quickly cool down and easy to control the temperature!

Any way went of topic their! Just I think they are brilliant and many many people in the UK dont know about induction hobs. Have had mine for many many years.

What I was going to get at is its the same as Aluminium  the induction hob wont work with Aluminium but you can get pans made out of aluminium and still work with a induction hob dont know why couldnt be bothered to research but I know you can.

JMB

 

[jonny round boy]

Some types of stainless steel are magnetic, others aren't - it depends on the exact composition.

Many pans made from 'non-magnetic' metals (aluminium, copper, stainless etc.) will work with induction hobs, because they are manufactured with a ferrous metal disk within the base of the pan.