Teak & Holly Plywood piece needed

[bhartley]

Just in case someone has extra 1/2 teak & holly plywood lying around...

I am looking for a small piece 14" x 18" (with some fudge on the 14" number for matching holly) of 1/2" teak and holly plywood. I can provide exact matching dimensions if you have one.

OR someone with a 68"x 16" and matching 14" x 18" piece of teak and holly 1/2" ply leftover from a project.

I found a source at a reasonable price out of Florida only to find out they didn't have it in stock after spending a good bit of time with them on the phone optimizing shipping!

I have several pieces of 1/4" ply, but the holly doesn't match up with the 68" portion which means replacing both pieces of the sole.

Don't even bother with "you don't need teak & holly". My husband is a teak and holly man and won't be happy with anything else including putting the rotted out crappy piece back down again! :)

Thanks.

Bly

[Hirilondë]

Matching teak and holly ply can be really frustrating. There are so many different width holly strips and spacings between them out there and so few variations made/sold today. I have had to inlay my own holly into teak ply to match the patterns on the boat I repair. I finished such a job just a few weeks ago on a Sabre 36. You may very well have to replace all or do the same. Good luck.

[bhartley]

Dave,

I hadn't thought about just making the small piece! I was getting to the point that I was going to replace the entire sole just to get the short piece to match. I've got an adjustable dado head cutter and a surface plane which should make short order of such a small piece.

What do you use for the "holly"? Can I use something simple like white oak (which I happen to have lots of)?

Thanks for such great advice,

Bly

[Summersdawn]

You could use white oak, or maple, or any other light coloured wood. The oak has a much more distinct grain than holly. You can test the colouring of the wood by planing it smooth, then rubbing it with minereal spirits. This will give you a good indication of what the finished colour will be.

The other option is to go to a lumberyard, and see if they have any holly shorts. Hardwood isn't sold in the same standard sizes as softwoods, so you might be able to pick up a rather small chunk that will work for you.

I've always wondered why they use holly with the teak. I like the contrast of the light wood and the dark wood, but was never sure why holly is specifically used, as opposed to another light coloured wood. Is it a similar hardness to the teak, extra rot resistant, or is it that the colouring is "just right"?

[Hirilondë]

Oak stains grey to black if it gets the slightest bit wet. I don't recommend it. Many cabin soles are done with maple for the light wood. The reason holly was chosen when the stripe idea first came about was it is the absolutely whitest wood. It therefore resulted in the greatest contrast. It is quite hard, a probably part of why it was chosen as well. It is not particularly rot resistant, but that shouldn't matter for a cabin sole.

I use real holly except when the sole was done with maple as some boats were. I even found that Little Harbour uses Honduras Mahogany with teak. So go figure.

The other option is to go to a lumberyard, and see if they have any holly shorts. Hardwood isn't sold in the same standard sizes as softwoods, so you might be able to pick up a rather small chunk that will work for you.

Good idea. That is what I recommend as well. Maybe even bring a piece of cabin sole with you. Try to get the varnish scraped off a section to make the color match more accurate. Most clear finishes, and definitely varnish tend to yellow the holly.

If you use teak plywood and whatever light wood be careful dressing the light stuff down to flush. The veneer of teak is very thin. Even a little excess sanding will wear through it. I tape off the teak on either side of the holly strips before I hand plane them down and do the initial sanding. As soon as the tape starts to show wear I know I am at the point of taking great care in finishing. It won't help if you slip or go seriously askew with your plane, but it does protect against some goofs.

[Summersdawn]

The reason holly was chosen when the stripe idea first came about was it is the absolutely whitest wood. It therefore resulted in the greatest contrast. It is quite hard, a probably part of why it was chosen as well. It is not particularly rot resistant, but that shouldn't matter for a cabin sole.

Thanks Dave. I was always curious why holly was the wood of choice.

[Dan H]

With regards to what Hirilond? said, I would varnish the teak plywood with a few coats first. This helps with the tearout of the grain. It also helps as you level the holly down to the teak surface. I plane the insert wood very close so there is very little to remove. Then I use the cabinet scraper. You can do a perfect job varnishing the wood first and then scraping. Varnishing the teak first really helps keep the edge protected. You might get away with using willow, maybe?
Johnson's Workbench has holly for sale at $18.30 bd ft but that's 1" thick. They may have small pieces. They are in Michigan which is not very convienent for you but they will cut and ship you one foot.

On a side note, if you end up with a little gap alongside the teak and holly inlay, sharpen a thin piece of the insert wood so it is like a kinfe, and tap it into the gap. Scrape flush, and no one will ever know.