Bent Wood Boat Net

Bentwood handle total length around 4 ft with a "head: roughly 2 ft by 1ft oval

Materials

Titebond Polyurethane glue

Cypress plank 6ft long

Walnut plank 6ft long

Net I got mine from fishpond the Nomad 19" extra deep

Tools

Table saw

Router

Scroll saw (or other saw able to cut curves

clamps

assorted hand tools

Using the table saw rip a total of 6 strips 1/8 in wide each strip should be 6ft long, around 1in wide, and 1/8 inch thick. I used 4 cypress strips and 2 walnut strips

I used a large diameter pvc pipe with a cap to soak my strips. after filling the pipe with water I placed the strips in the pipe of water using an old hammer to keep the strips submerged. I left the strips submerged for 6 hrs while I made the bending mold.

Using the attached templates printed at a 1:1 scale (multiple sheets of paper and glued together with a glue stick) I cut individual pieces apart and attached them to an MDF sheet with spray glue. With the paper pattern attached I cut the MDF on a scroll saw.

I screwed the largest piece to a sheet of melamine and screwed that to a workbench top. Then I coated all mold pieces with poly coat so the MDF wouldn't absorb water.

WIthout gluing the strips together place strips in the mold and clamp. Leave the strips in the mold overnight.

Glue each strip with the polyurethane-based glue using a paintbrush to evenly spread glue over the entire surface of the strip. I put wax paper all over the mold to keep the project from sticking to the mold. Leave clamped in the mold as directed by glue. *the polyurethane glue will foam up filling a crack keeping water out.

After pulling off the mold I used the table saw fence working the bent "head portion" across the blade using the fence to keep the constant thickness.

No pics from making the handle basically find a shape that feels good in the hand and glue the head portion to the shape you have decided on. Once the handle is attached mix sawdust and wood glue to form a putty and fill any gaps you may have.

Use a round-over router bit remove the sharp corners around the outside and inside of the net. Next, use a rabbeting bit to cut a groove around the edge of the net. Based on your net drill holes to pass whatever line you choose to secure the net, I used 2 holes 1/2 inch apart every 2 and1/2 inches around the "head" of the net. Then sand I went from 60 up to 220 grit.

I finished mine with a clear deck finish making the figuring if it stands up to the rain and weather outside 24-7 it should work on a net that gets wet a few times every month. Then look at a youtube video to demo to see how your specific net is mounted.

Go Fishing be prepared to talk if you get this out at the boat ramp.