tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57365964809658291102024-03-12T18:16:09.996-07:00From Stem to Stern: A Boatbuilder's AdventureThe voyage of two Canadian boatwrights as they build their first craft.JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-79774768504226906612013-11-09T22:29:00.002-08:002013-11-09T22:29:51.244-08:00Many thanks for your great patience with our lack of blogging. The good news is that instead of writing we have been building and sailing :)!!!!!<br />
<br />
Here's a few photos of the finished craft to whet your appetite until we can get to the rest of the writing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sHg0KhFGPPDo0cehsSUxrSU_Baff7Q-OLyNgPRXhSzjqst8dbEb3kbKu4P3BbdO4uEmBt7Nb6ROMPbdcWouJ67BuIKnrQ1913-w8nc-p09y9IFwEpx-drA9-R8ydLCwB5waI6mHAID8/s1600/Oct+8+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sHg0KhFGPPDo0cehsSUxrSU_Baff7Q-OLyNgPRXhSzjqst8dbEb3kbKu4P3BbdO4uEmBt7Nb6ROMPbdcWouJ67BuIKnrQ1913-w8nc-p09y9IFwEpx-drA9-R8ydLCwB5waI6mHAID8/s1600/Oct+8+031.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfHHenVlByO1pWi69hq4NeW6DgrRh_6q55vO6lJ6dKp05FfGa2cFHxqad9cTdr3v2Yzhc3q5lkFG5roDDOgS69OeuYhF6eTgvQ4cm3g73XmtRbg446FakhXTgfozV3TNVn7ZVerSJJ3Q/s1600/Oct+8+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfHHenVlByO1pWi69hq4NeW6DgrRh_6q55vO6lJ6dKp05FfGa2cFHxqad9cTdr3v2Yzhc3q5lkFG5roDDOgS69OeuYhF6eTgvQ4cm3g73XmtRbg446FakhXTgfozV3TNVn7ZVerSJJ3Q/s1600/Oct+8+046.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-67419716184006640462012-01-23T15:48:00.002-08:002012-02-23T19:04:11.246-08:00Commiserating With SisyphusWithin the context of archaic Greek mythology, a mortal was allegedly condemned by the deities to a perpetuating, onerous task as a result of his arrogant tendencies. This man, Sisyphus, was compelled to roll a monolithic stone upwards towards the Acropolis' summit, but the rock's gravitational propensity would invariably thwart his efforts, necessitating reinitiation of the task interminably. Today, we employ the term "sisyphean" to denote an engagement of unavailing nature, characterized by alternating forwards progress and subsequent retraction. Infelicitously, a similar nature routinely appears evident within boat construction. Recently, our experiences generated contemplation of Sisyphus and his commensurable plight.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, it comprised one of those instances where you knew in your heart that something wasn’t quite right but staidly refused to reconcile yourself to such. Irrespective of adopted mentality or viewing perspective, that disconcerting impression of undesirability persisted. Conveyed briefly, the transition from the gunwale to the breasthook seemed to deviate from an aesthetically appealing (or "fair", as termed within the boatbuilding community) appearance. To further complicate matters, as we started to plane the gunwales smooth (both across the inner and outer pieces, the intersections to the quarter knees, and the tops of the frames) it rapidly became apparent that a section at the convergence of gunwale and breasthook where between the inner and outer gunwales there would harbor an irreparable divot wherein the surface would descend locally, inducing substantial consternation.<br />
<br />
<br />
We attempted fervently to formulate a solution, but, in the end, the sole viable approach comprised that which we acknowledged to entail the most substantial labor and associated difficulty. Inauspiciously, the breasthook necessitated replacement with a surrogate that conformed to the angular inclinations of the hull sides (which incant port-starboard, as depicted within the below representation) instead of the horizontally planar component we had originally installed. In other words, we required to fabricate a breasthook that was "vee-formed".<br />
<br />
Respectively, eventual acceptance of this revelation required temporary detachment of both the inwale and outwale and removal of the gunwale blocking upon port and starboard polarities. At this juncture, we embraced our previous decision to anchor these structural elements via mechanical fasteners, as utilization of adhesive would have rendered the erroneous breasthook shape irreparable. However, as a function of incomplete foresight, we had predominantly completed the screwhole plugging process, compelling extraction of those meticulously selected, hue corresponded plugs prior to screw access.<br />
<br />
As a bit of an aside, I really enjoyed the plugging process. We purchased a plugger from Lee Valley Tools that creates a tapered plug--intentioned to preclude marginal deviances from the desired diameter that invariably result from drill press imperfections--and it constitutes a really impressive tool! To produce the superlative plugs (and ensure essential indiscernibility from the surrounding wood), it is salient to locate scrap stock that corresponds within coloration, texturation, and grain character to the piece being plugged and carefully inserting it into the void in grain orientation congruent with the encompassing material. Employing this stratagem, we efficaciously generated plugs capable of satisfying our discerning perceptions of permissible quality. Our superlative efforts are visually imperceptible at one foot and the majority cannot be seen from three feet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZOREISiTFbBGXwNgDc3iXrm8KSkTHaEYQw0uDS2pgy92vq-yzAarcorYaieoNe3BPXLD8jH2MxJcZaFPrZeN-RqtQLaaoxWJODrdbhbTadrMjwepAB1QGZM-nIbtdLUwbJGd-306wd4/s1600/snug+plug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ZOREISiTFbBGXwNgDc3iXrm8KSkTHaEYQw0uDS2pgy92vq-yzAarcorYaieoNe3BPXLD8jH2MxJcZaFPrZeN-RqtQLaaoxWJODrdbhbTadrMjwepAB1QGZM-nIbtdLUwbJGd-306wd4/s1600/snug+plug.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljWbhqXurhkpPI3iKmajxyQZ_aLyIivCvIRngYWFt0Kzljxss1liNBv9XrdOYGrwQ2tfd_5zzKlKZ6HC9hQI8j0jH0ps7D8i-bRguTIRM8XiI-fjKAgLIa1Eg9y4jXZOFqvOoXtMYDI8/s1600/snug+plug+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljWbhqXurhkpPI3iKmajxyQZ_aLyIivCvIRngYWFt0Kzljxss1liNBv9XrdOYGrwQ2tfd_5zzKlKZ6HC9hQI8j0jH0ps7D8i-bRguTIRM8XiI-fjKAgLIa1Eg9y4jXZOFqvOoXtMYDI8/s1600/snug+plug+2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
The process entailed within fabricating the second breasthook was virtually identical to that of its predecessor. The sole substantial differences were that the angle situated at the intersection of the two breasthook components (measured across the boat) required ascertainment and the curve necessitated inscribing within each piece independently and subsequently hand-executed smoothing processes to ensure attainment of an aesthetically-compelling appearance. To facilitate realization of intent, discerning the precise positioning of lateral craft centrality was imperative, as this permitted conception of two symmetrical constituent components that, within summation, would comprise the structural breasthook. In this altered arrangment, the breasthook possesses edges that touches the planking is at 90 degrees and the convergence of these portions is angular in relation to the oak members, whereas the initial design entailed planarity of the hook itself and impartment of exterior angles to accommodate the hull's contours.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYcsx_nHocnETNWg4YLoVDYQy4fZbeaf88ccWl2u1qSYCXNH__PIAufhEPjNn2hETTwQHR9kzZrIbIIu_hfontIW0n1n6hsmxFwggsIH5XbmF0Ai9dXylqaihjv3VHAEiVpNbgyczBIo/s1600/untitled.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYcsx_nHocnETNWg4YLoVDYQy4fZbeaf88ccWl2u1qSYCXNH__PIAufhEPjNn2hETTwQHR9kzZrIbIIu_hfontIW0n1n6hsmxFwggsIH5XbmF0Ai9dXylqaihjv3VHAEiVpNbgyczBIo/s400/untitled.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Within the second instance, emergent perturbation with the construction process begat a degree of impatience, catalyzing an election to employ a simplistic epoxy joint within the 'hook. Enabling this approach was a super quick and easy jig that held the two sides of the breasthook tightly adjacent during epoxy adhesive solidification. To form this, I simply screwed a piece of scrap to a plywood base and then pushed the two sides together by hand prior to positioning a second piece of scrap tight to the initial's edge. Then, using a clamp, I lightly imposed downward pressure upon the center joint and left the breasthook to dry. In the end we were much happier with the results of the curved breasthook as the lines are measurably improved.....as visible below. Evidently, the primary distinction between our endeavours and Sisyphus' manifest futility is the ability to eventually realize intent (a prospect preferable to perpetual deity-imposed tormentation, assuredly). Now the prospect of paint application appears tantalizingly tangible, catalyzing additional efforts to effect forward progression upon the gradually-materializing craft. </div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccyDVFxKWEztUfs-THHZ1HodYbccrJFM6mRCWO1iI62Uyej2vC8Sc3ohplYCqq2Ry8AXaxjeNBKcjpQlmWmdQNr1SwSWJh5OsyeL-7YjxPAU48miZ6Em0B3ydWlb47nSxdOBYYvHZ2KE/s1600/Dec+29++2011+118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccyDVFxKWEztUfs-THHZ1HodYbccrJFM6mRCWO1iI62Uyej2vC8Sc3ohplYCqq2Ry8AXaxjeNBKcjpQlmWmdQNr1SwSWJh5OsyeL-7YjxPAU48miZ6Em0B3ydWlb47nSxdOBYYvHZ2KE/s320/Dec+29++2011+118.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smooth transition now from inner to outer gunwale</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVQ7kvKRWKq7wqs6IxjgMDBO_M8DbeSKn7TmJIfc30Nt5dd1z8ejYLuoo0e9y-6fbUP9tRTqzYd2khrXmaNH3hh6lgJULPIEmVweT2qcS-j4l1fLIO1_gJoaXx-lCTx4wwTpKmCpiskE/s1600/Dec+29++2011+121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVQ7kvKRWKq7wqs6IxjgMDBO_M8DbeSKn7TmJIfc30Nt5dd1z8ejYLuoo0e9y-6fbUP9tRTqzYd2khrXmaNH3hh6lgJULPIEmVweT2qcS-j4l1fLIO1_gJoaXx-lCTx4wwTpKmCpiskE/s320/Dec+29++2011+121.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still needs a little more smoothing on the underside</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqQMNdDAt7DeOK3BmEqoAXTL9wEWOL8bMBTcUhZuveN3BC3jQxefP8sFMUTCKpOpac6EcDu7CJCyJLXf4EHn987AmRRvQ6rWFdtuTp5wgx1w_wq7fNgZUk20EzGuOnhItdaYwfp48yB8/s1600/Dec+29++2011+124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqQMNdDAt7DeOK3BmEqoAXTL9wEWOL8bMBTcUhZuveN3BC3jQxefP8sFMUTCKpOpac6EcDu7CJCyJLXf4EHn987AmRRvQ6rWFdtuTp5wgx1w_wq7fNgZUk20EzGuOnhItdaYwfp48yB8/s320/Dec+29++2011+124.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-24452134973411699602011-11-08T20:10:00.000-08:002012-01-07T21:15:40.595-08:00Breasthook, Quarter Knees, & Gunwales<strong>Quarter Knees and Breasthook</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
Forewarning to aspiring boatwrights: Numerous complicated elements exist within this apparently innocuous phase. Thankfully, the challenges of this process are counteracted by the sheer aesthetic euphoria invariably resultant from proper completion.<br />
<br />
To complement the interior frames, the quarter knees and breasthook were fashioned from identical stock (white oak). Whether an individual starts with either the quarter knees or the breasthook does not appear to perceptibly influence the final result, as each approach entails formation of progressive, differentiable (a reference intended for the mathematically inclined) curvatures of natural aesthetic nature. Within our context, this morphology formulation was executed completely by visual instinct (employing the "if it appears correct, it is" adage). To commence, preliminary templates were fashioned from spruce before committing the finalized contours to oak. Predominantly, the curves for the quarter knees were inscribed freehand whereas on the breasthook the center portion of the curve was circumscribed with a trammel to ensure consistency, although the remaining portions accommodating convergence of this arc fluidly with the inside gunwale edge was completed unassisted.<br />
<br />
Optimally, these structurally augmenting members possess grain orientation perpendicular to predominating tensile shear forces, as material resilience is maximal within this axis. Traditionally, artisans employed specifically-obtained natural "crooks" derived from buttress roots or the confluence of a lateral branch with the primary trunk, as the lignin fibers contained therein intrinsically conform to required curvatures. However, the conspicuous absence of conducive natural stock was surmounted through usage of an alternative, modernized technique. <br />
<br />
Profoundly appreciating the convienience afforded by sophisticated polymer adhesives for the <em><span style="font-size: large;">n</span></em>th instance within construction, we elected to form each of these interior finishings out of two distinct pieces unified at contact by epoxy and a couple of associated tenons, acquiring the rarified perpendicular configuration of grain to stress imposition we sought to achieve. As depicted below, the resultant component entailed two constituents, exhibiting a neat acute angle between the respective pieces. For the breasthook, an assistive jig was constructed to immobilize the unfinished piece unwaveringly, permitting impartment of the center curve via a trammel and router arrangement to attain circularity. Although bandsaws are typically utilized to address extensively non-linear cuts, the absence of this (routinely indispensable) item within our shop catalyzed additional extemporaneous improvisation to address matters, ultimately yielding a functional alternative: enlistment of a hand held jigsaw in conjunction with a supportive apparatus to achieve commenurable outcomes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4erygSATVPSy6g40_RsLBOKoi6maKOvdyzi2QZlwt16V8I-bRt4CoOJTLHl2avan410Sbw4LYR0KYIZN5Buk9Ye_p6fAyACjR6AlEOguT3pkpCPRQ5QrhAidsG5KTBhfQsDg1i_NkepI/s1600/Photos+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4erygSATVPSy6g40_RsLBOKoi6maKOvdyzi2QZlwt16V8I-bRt4CoOJTLHl2avan410Sbw4LYR0KYIZN5Buk9Ye_p6fAyACjR6AlEOguT3pkpCPRQ5QrhAidsG5KTBhfQsDg1i_NkepI/s320/Photos+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Succeeding this, we had to deviate from familiar theoretical domains of arc-lengths, radii, and angular computations, commencing the daunting process of reconciling intangible theory with physical reality. This daunting task--entailing incremental, subjective fitting and gradual alteration--was repetitive, but yielded continual positive encouragement as the realized and intended forms progressively converged to congruity. For the breasthook, the first task entails hand cut excision of the center portion that will ultimately accommodate the stem. We performed this by inserting the breasthook into place (coaxing it as far forward as feasible) and then scribing the position of the stem's extremities onto the breasthook using a straight rule. Then, by transferring the depth of the stem (measured) and drawn across the two outside lines squarely, we obtained a reasonable representation of the stem's outline. Once this excess portion was eliminated, we started the process of manually trimming the angles of the sides to match the planks, as the hull's contours produce a compound angle and minute curvature that change as a function of precise position, defying the usage of mechanized techniques. Succeeding extensive trial and fitting, we achieved sufficient breasthook-hull congruity to placate our intrinsic propensities towards aesthetic perfection.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51Vhom_vkvFTPb3rNeeCdINFt23tAlZ-k5smtKLKTLjltUVv7ZxrQ2mv5p_mrTT9gcwBZiY2VG2fJ0KPMRoA1fdO0us2kjrKHMOeJP5ZB12YriDxPl7uHdEmKT2_L09r2YJ7s4WJRxOI/s1600/Photos+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51Vhom_vkvFTPb3rNeeCdINFt23tAlZ-k5smtKLKTLjltUVv7ZxrQ2mv5p_mrTT9gcwBZiY2VG2fJ0KPMRoA1fdO0us2kjrKHMOeJP5ZB12YriDxPl7uHdEmKT2_L09r2YJ7s4WJRxOI/s320/Photos+007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
With this shape defined, the next step encompassed elimination of surplus material to facilitate overlap for where the gunwale would rest. Again, this initially exhibited a deceiving simplicity that belied its true attributes. Intrinsically, there exist two factors collectively influencing matters within this element: correspondent incision depth is salient to ensure a smooth transition as the curve progresses naturally into the gunwale component, and the perpetual, inevasible notion of angle contemplation to facilitate congruency within contact surfaces. These aspects of function and associated implications were prognosticated upon considerably preceding the execution of irreversible cuts and angles. Conclusively, we ascertained that the plank incantation should be maintained such that the cut ran parallel to the planking.<br />
<br />
The knees proved to be much easier to fit as the back of the boat is mainly square and the planks are more upright than at the front. The process was essentially comparable to that employed for the breasthook--albeit appreciably expedited!<br />
<br />
Once the pieces were satisfactorily addressed, they were subsequently counterbored and definitively anchored with a couple of stainless steel screws on each side. The obstruction of these persistent voids will transpire at a future juncture.<br />
<br />
<strong>Gunwales</strong><br />
<br />
Superficially analyzed, fitting the gunwales seemed relatively straightforward. We took the gunwale (two pieces of oak were scarfed and glued up with epoxy to create a long board) and imposed a progressive taper (about half the thickness of the gunwale) at both extrema to alleviate the ocular abruptness of member truncation and impart aesthetic fluidity. Subsequently, we clamped one end onto the shear strake just short of the stem and transferred the angle of the stem on to the gunwale through utilization of a small piece of wood, estimating the approximate angle through the thickness of the gunwale. We then cut both angles and checked the fit of the gunwale, made slight alterations, and then proceeded to clamp the outer gunwale along the length of the boat, acknowledging that the extra length that protruded beyond the transom would be easy to cut off with a handsaw once the gunwales were all completed.<br />
<br />
In effectual dichotomy to its exterior counterpart, inwale conception constitutes a redoubtable prospect! Innately instransigent within linear rigidity, this structural oak component tenaciously resisted numerous valiant attempts to forcibly impose morphological congruency, generating resultant consternation. In conjunction, implications arose from origins within the inflexibility of gunwale elements, as the inherent immalleable resistivity impeded efficacious measurement and trial insertion. Emergent hesitation catalyzed by cognizance of such notions was subsequently exacerbated by a suffusive consciousness of aesthetic prominence ascribed to these boat constituents upon predication of evident visibility.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZQF1sUwfQkrNko43fNeojS12KOyIOu9kAUKjpTgaxGibFGD25_ZsYla7Cw2nXeyv6q171uuKIOUbHjjkOLAInaDMxjjklE7h5LoDdl2qDeMBj9oxujQEsSNZBAzW8vUVRmf1tykg0f4/s1600/Photos+131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZQF1sUwfQkrNko43fNeojS12KOyIOu9kAUKjpTgaxGibFGD25_ZsYla7Cw2nXeyv6q171uuKIOUbHjjkOLAInaDMxjjklE7h5LoDdl2qDeMBj9oxujQEsSNZBAzW8vUVRmf1tykg0f4/s320/Photos+131.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Consequently, a rational prudence and circumspection characterized our general approach to inwale confrontment, entailing a progressive truncation protocol to incrementally abbreviate an initially-excessive length to hull correspondence. Demonstrating an atypically blasé confidence attributable to rarified perceptions of process infallability, the gradualized advancement commenced: eliminate a near-indiscernible quantity of wood, analyze length comparatively with existent dimensions, repeat tautologically. Inauspiciously, however, a minute threshold appears to differentiate between length acuity (permitting successful insertion) and excessive shortness (a concept manifest within our initial attempt, wherein we were about a 1/4" short and experienced the elicitment of unbridled, indignant expressions!!!!) Fortuitiously, marginal craft asymmetry generated sufficient differentiation between the proportionality of repective lateral polarities, permitting utilization of the initial member within the alternative location. Evidently, the didactic lesson portrayed within this salvaged debacle indicates the salience of executing construction within a descending magnitude fashion to facilitate employment of erred stock within functional surrogate capacities. However, retrospective analysis affirms the ideality of a tertiary approach: composing an emulative gunwale from inexpensive stock to obtain optimal dimensions preceding transferrence to consequential material, as this proposition minimizes inherent risk and yields incomparable expediency. Indisputably, the first-time nature of this construction attempt invokes affliction with tribulations evaded by inveterate participants, but our intrinsic ebullience persists undaunted.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGH6FmhrE9y3r7rMo4lCHh78BVtGh4FHAwFCMZeRjVIPA9eMqgHl2lq_X5NYY2fkNmbiVpuwJJIYy_sOaI97P58Uih76nNqVGij31_5bxgYiCmJEnOk04v120xFZoaa8pQED07Ao7THpg/s1600/Photos+134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGH6FmhrE9y3r7rMo4lCHh78BVtGh4FHAwFCMZeRjVIPA9eMqgHl2lq_X5NYY2fkNmbiVpuwJJIYy_sOaI97P58Uih76nNqVGij31_5bxgYiCmJEnOk04v120xFZoaa8pQED07Ao7THpg/s320/Photos+134.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Once the two gunwales fabricated and conducively situated, the subsequent component necessitated within progressive advencement comprised integration of the structurally-supportive blocking elements that reinforce the internal gunwale. Despite our prevailing orientation towards retention of accordance with specified dimensional and design aspects adumbrated within Atkin's templates, subjective aversion to the visual appearance of prescribed blocking configurations stimulated an election to deviate from the intended arrangement. The books on many matters concerning boat building are missing the many details that the amateur builder invariably deliberates extensively upon: "Should the blocks retain invariant magnitude while interim voids differ in proportions, or vice-versa?" , and "What effective approach to distinct inter-frame spacing should be utilized to maintain visual appeal?". Succeeding appreciable analysis, tentative positioning, and conceptual visualization, a viable permutation of blocking attributes surfaced, encompassing a constant quantity of blocks within respective positions intervening between structural knees and marginal isolation magnitude alteration in compensatory accommodation for differing inter-frame dimensions. In conjunction, conclusive decisive dictation entailed employment of square entities in contrast to archetypal canoe-indicative cambered blocks upon predication of traditionalism and subjective perceptions of pulchritude.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJY2tlF5Xp5dQ_rbW9zcY4hUDpLAKPzJFcK_L8uQniqC7ZqWULBL2A0SyLu2hujXzzd_WWQyqKKEdlrVUaoqu08CxiKSbdm4RBukg7AXkttEKrI7NZf_ZtX-Tozcxrrre9ziZH7YzZBdQ/s1600/Photos+138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJY2tlF5Xp5dQ_rbW9zcY4hUDpLAKPzJFcK_L8uQniqC7ZqWULBL2A0SyLu2hujXzzd_WWQyqKKEdlrVUaoqu08CxiKSbdm4RBukg7AXkttEKrI7NZf_ZtX-Tozcxrrre9ziZH7YzZBdQ/s320/Photos+138.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Once everything was decided upon it was a relatively straightforward task to counterbore and screw the inner and outer gunwales together and to screw the frames to the gunwales.<br />
<br />
<strong>Still more adjustments</strong><br />
<br />
After getting everything into place we started looking at the gunwales and decided that the placement of the quarter knees and breast hook was slightly too low. So we elected to remove them and shift them up so that they are about a ¼” proud of the side planks and transom. This way we can plane/sand them down to create a nice rounded appearance. This work was straightforward and the extra holes we drilled to reposition them will be covered by the gunwales.<br />
<br />
Although the advent of cold weather has compelled temporal aberration within construction, we intend to conclude interior components and execute finish application succeeding the emergence of springtime. Presuming the obligations associated with education/occupation are conducive to boat labor, the intentioned launch timeframe of May appears persistently feasible, generating substantial anticipation! <br />
<br />
Joe LapstrakeJoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-11335962322745619222011-10-30T20:49:00.000-07:002011-10-30T20:49:49.477-07:00The knees AKA the FramesOkay, its been way too long since the last post--too much living not enough blogging!<br />
<br />
The boat has really been moving along since last winter and there is much to report here--I will try to get a bunch of posts together here quickly, so those of you who have been following along will have much to read and see....<br />
<br />
I started out calling these side knees as defined on the plans and was subsequently informed that they are often referred to as the frames. But regardless of what you want to call them, they were really difficult to make and to install.<br />
<br />
<br />
Our plans called for all of the frames with the exception of the two at the front of the boat to be parallel with the bottom planking and the transom. To do this each of the frames must be canted such that it is not perpendicular to the side planking. As a result there are lots of bevels to plane and cut. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeMpN9y-qidR9-RcC1d5kEwTzLQKGHGzUIxhWwuSD2tPAXv3GoEeVxEJfADKcAL8cpoQLGLQoJGpw6lGEzoQP_gyPQyfE-OSlS8rZm6dijQZQ-ayKgMLiwaxpEWs2i39Mm5gbwzqSwT4/s1600/Photos+053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeMpN9y-qidR9-RcC1d5kEwTzLQKGHGzUIxhWwuSD2tPAXv3GoEeVxEJfADKcAL8cpoQLGLQoJGpw6lGEzoQP_gyPQyfE-OSlS8rZm6dijQZQ-ayKgMLiwaxpEWs2i39Mm5gbwzqSwT4/s320/Photos+053.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trial and error fitting</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
I started by making rough models of each frame prior to committing the angles to oak. But even so each frame went back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth many more times between the bench vise and the boat for custom fitting—hand planning the angle on the plank side, hand cutting out the notch for the chine, and chiseling out the curve for the quarter round. After much work and when I thought that I finally had each frame looking good I cut the final bottom angle on each frame in two directions, across the boat and front to back (a compound cut). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg774U6xlknRgcT-xxfJotCuRKCrGM6akjReU6iREh8uRG5BvHcUjmDWX0QaCp_vLiEsrnnxVjeJzhmaZimFPx2JRrHOuSEOq5bGblqkFKjyvqvZWaMGN13KgFWBNbDsFvel5UQRYT6Km0/s1600/Photos+055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg774U6xlknRgcT-xxfJotCuRKCrGM6akjReU6iREh8uRG5BvHcUjmDWX0QaCp_vLiEsrnnxVjeJzhmaZimFPx2JRrHOuSEOq5bGblqkFKjyvqvZWaMGN13KgFWBNbDsFvel5UQRYT6Km0/s320/Photos+055.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marking Gunwale position</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Installation would have happened much sooner than it did but, it was a two person job, one to hold the frame in place and the other to drill the pilot holes for the screws. In fact the whole installation of the frames was the subject of much debate on the Wooden Boat Forum when I posted about attaching the planks to the frames. It seems that Atkins has drawn the frames in this boat somewhat uniquely in comparison to what other designer do. Atkins’ frame is narrow at the top and quite wide at the bottom, whereas most frames tend to be more or less the same width throughout their entire length. Consequently the traditional method of securing the planks to the frames is to use copper rivets. But in my case that would necessitate having a 6-7” rivet for the bottom plank. Since I didn’t have rivets that long nor a small diameter drill bit that long this was not an option for me. Instead, I choose to run a couple of 3” screws up through the planking into the bottom of each frame. The concern here of course is that the end grain of the frames is not very strong and will fail over time. I had speculated that Atkins must have drawn the frames the way he did (wide at the bottom and touching the bottom planks) to add additional strength to the craft. This belief was confirmed by another member of the Wooden Boat Forum who noted that the plans he had to another Atkin’s design had a note that indicated the frames were to be attached to the bottom planking. Regardless one of the keys to making a chined boat strong is to ensure that the chine is screwed into the frames (note all the grain is perpendicular to the screws and that is very strong). <br />
<br />
<br />
I did not however want to screw every plank to the each frame as this would mean that I would have to fill each of these holes and I was concerned about the holding strength of our thin planks once they were counterbored to hold a screw. So I settled on a plan to use ringed copper nails to attach the planks and made the arrangements to procure enough to secure each plank to each of the frames. However, I experienced nothing but grief with the installation of the first nail. I must not have drilled the hole deep enough (although I was at the extent of my drill bit) and as soon as the copper nail struck the oak without a pilot hole it promptly bent over. Extraction of a ringed nail is virtually impossible, so I cut it off close to the surface and went away wondering what to do now.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3iY7MF7ugHY509H7vidz6wBCgCh-d3UW9gt3obVHcqiejQe4YGoWIjRohmlYdxcHX4lLwPgtbPFyfCTv-iUIrv0MnKcntVErNtes8icEvTlFXenhVCJ1OsDeetlDxiAbAQACwuRrKDI/s1600/August+25+2011+136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3iY7MF7ugHY509H7vidz6wBCgCh-d3UW9gt3obVHcqiejQe4YGoWIjRohmlYdxcHX4lLwPgtbPFyfCTv-iUIrv0MnKcntVErNtes8icEvTlFXenhVCJ1OsDeetlDxiAbAQACwuRrKDI/s320/August+25+2011+136.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plugs already in place</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Eventually, a light blub went off and made me wonder what I was thinking all along. What I realized was that because I would be putting the screw through a strake lap my wood thickness was actually doubled. I would have lots of wood to countersink the screws and plug them. So I merrily proceeded to drill and fasten each plank to the frames. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-56190965760956979342010-12-21T15:58:00.000-08:002010-12-21T15:58:57.782-08:00CenterboardThe centerboard was probably one of the more interesting challenges in building the boat so far. Getting the basic shape was just a matter of taking the measurements off the plans and marking it out on a piece of plywood. Again, I used my router trammel setup to cut the big curve at the one end and the jigsaw for the smaller curves. <br />
<br />
The plans did not have any information on how to shape the centerboard though so it was off to the Internet for another lesson and to solicit advice. A big thanks to everyone who is willing to share and help, it is invaluable to first timers like us. We learned that a good rule of thumb is to shape the centerboard with the trailing edge being half the width of the leading edge. And that the bottom 6-8” of the centerboard should be shaped to a thin edge (we went with ~1/4”). Shaping was done by hand with a plane and basically the shape was determined by “eye balling” it. Plywood really is easy to work with in this way as you can see exactly how many “plys” you have cut through all the way along. The leading edge was rounded over using a router and lightly sanded smooth. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nJWZBuSZMlUzrWqtSDvsXJn4_sJv2rGM6ya8krYVoUvCNF932L0Y_zoTza9F5a9w1KU2QtlRqYDJ97YBJSfXaGhBMVG4iieu5zNoSvYg80tlLlQTt0DoPje1xpbkS0Y7CrXgwybpuQQ/s1600/July+06+2010+109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nJWZBuSZMlUzrWqtSDvsXJn4_sJv2rGM6ya8krYVoUvCNF932L0Y_zoTza9F5a9w1KU2QtlRqYDJ97YBJSfXaGhBMVG4iieu5zNoSvYg80tlLlQTt0DoPje1xpbkS0Y7CrXgwybpuQQ/s320/July+06+2010+109.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roughed out centerboard</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFAj-3s6Bi9qRZzkJGftkbbf1ocijpM8WjJOZXnfMDCUZxYFZGqQ4GDTpCZ8CjCD9Ofy0jeChS8v5sCyMIELfaNrQN5AhHkOTSOlMLYTtugNpnctizFonbYj7EareL1rKma0odMNUY6U/s1600/July+06+2010+112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFAj-3s6Bi9qRZzkJGftkbbf1ocijpM8WjJOZXnfMDCUZxYFZGqQ4GDTpCZ8CjCD9Ofy0jeChS8v5sCyMIELfaNrQN5AhHkOTSOlMLYTtugNpnctizFonbYj7EareL1rKma0odMNUY6U/s320/July+06+2010+112.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taper on bottom edge</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
With the final shape determined it was on to addressing the two lead weights that keep the centerboard in the water during sailing. We made the holes with a small trammel jig that I have for my router—a vintage original Black & Decker jig from the 60’s? that has only seen service a handful of times. Screws were then drilled on the inside of the holes and the heads left protruding by approximately 5/8”. The molten lead will form around these and keep the lead from falling out as it cools and contracts. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-jIjD8ODs2Vzi5Fd2E9F7s4oYQRBadOveRgqV8abMvewgTQdkU99yZohydLzew3VBfSgffiOhpqaedQvPzIjq2kYjAlmdYS_kIBadFGNFZjihu4BZZrPNf-bJ74wiKJpCgPlKEdIT1c/s1600/July+06+2010+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-jIjD8ODs2Vzi5Fd2E9F7s4oYQRBadOveRgqV8abMvewgTQdkU99yZohydLzew3VBfSgffiOhpqaedQvPzIjq2kYjAlmdYS_kIBadFGNFZjihu4BZZrPNf-bJ74wiKJpCgPlKEdIT1c/s320/July+06+2010+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All set to pour the molten lead</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZ5AhC-8nicKlrchbIFi6yqkkOX6hrppzJh-rdLQexk5srYmgHj9fTPvmMsDIck_LC91Qfd9rJjRIGrUKMNI-BVdLa3pAvqFjU_Vrh0WmYjEFnDN0qTf0b-go_aTpwuiFb-7k9TeVLoo/s1600/July+06+2010+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZ5AhC-8nicKlrchbIFi6yqkkOX6hrppzJh-rdLQexk5srYmgHj9fTPvmMsDIck_LC91Qfd9rJjRIGrUKMNI-BVdLa3pAvqFjU_Vrh0WmYjEFnDN0qTf0b-go_aTpwuiFb-7k9TeVLoo/s320/July+06+2010+004.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the whole centerboard</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We had read on the Internet that some people have used old tire weights as a source of free lead. Being frugally minded this seemed like the best way to go, so off to my local Costco to ask them if they would help me out. The guy I spoke with was more than eager to help but a little apologetic that they didn’t have much old lead around that day. Still he filled a little bag for me and off I went as happy as can be. Once home we ran a few calculations to determine exactly how much lead we really needed. It was just a matter of a little geometry and specific weight calculations to determine that we needed almost twice as much as my little bag contained. No troubles though, I just stopped by Costco again the following week and got a little larger bag this time. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZ5AhC-8nicKlrchbIFi6yqkkOX6hrppzJh-rdLQexk5srYmgHj9fTPvmMsDIck_LC91Qfd9rJjRIGrUKMNI-BVdLa3pAvqFjU_Vrh0WmYjEFnDN0qTf0b-go_aTpwuiFb-7k9TeVLoo/s1600/July+06+2010+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZ5AhC-8nicKlrchbIFi6yqkkOX6hrppzJh-rdLQexk5srYmgHj9fTPvmMsDIck_LC91Qfd9rJjRIGrUKMNI-BVdLa3pAvqFjU_Vrh0WmYjEFnDN0qTf0b-go_aTpwuiFb-7k9TeVLoo/s320/July+06+2010+004.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Now on to the fun stuff, melting and pouring the lead. Everyone knows that lead isn’t good for you so some precautions are necessary to minimize your exposure to harmful lead fumes. Even though I did grow up in the era of leaded gasoline and the fact that this would be a one time job I decided to take no chances. The lead would be melted outside in a can on a propane burner and a large fan was positioned to blow the fumes downwind and away from me. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhAN9BzKGj0SS_pSF8PcvZDqx8QRrULZ2a2Jzwe1aast2Vv1PcY_HtA_Dt-MNgxEaBn6g6AN-uAjuAJnufq19-qg_GDCqrVU7VVp5cJCsEq6o8S6KOQtj5Dg857P1Dzy9RkC8RN3523E/s1600/July+06+2010+068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhAN9BzKGj0SS_pSF8PcvZDqx8QRrULZ2a2Jzwe1aast2Vv1PcY_HtA_Dt-MNgxEaBn6g6AN-uAjuAJnufq19-qg_GDCqrVU7VVp5cJCsEq6o8S6KOQtj5Dg857P1Dzy9RkC8RN3523E/s320/July+06+2010+068.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fan and melting pot setup</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>With everything set up properly I lit the burner and started the melting process. Not much happened at first but then some of the lead started to melt so I added more. Still some of the lead was clearly not melting. A little probing and I realized that some of the non-melted material was the steel section of the lead weights that is used to attach the weights to the tire rim. I started carefully removing these with a pair of pliers. Looking at the rest of the lead mass, some molten and some still in its original state I realized that there are two distinct types of lead weights, ones that are obviously lead and others that seem to be made of another type of material that will not easily melt (these weights are much harder and do not bend easily). <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdSbKZY17_sy0-vJJoL2Ee2h1sqjA0aJL9QwUUwlvnbyvKj4EF-9GAYZphIQI42Y6bp9yTLotqmGHmRWWX3Qqt1HqqxqjLOtB1Yyt2XHDOHEZ7qqilnY-C_iKbmt6dbis1mcGjb049tA/s1600/July+06+2010+072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdSbKZY17_sy0-vJJoL2Ee2h1sqjA0aJL9QwUUwlvnbyvKj4EF-9GAYZphIQI42Y6bp9yTLotqmGHmRWWX3Qqt1HqqxqjLOtB1Yyt2XHDOHEZ7qqilnY-C_iKbmt6dbis1mcGjb049tA/s320/July+06+2010+072.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cauldron of melting lead</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<br />
This revelation meant that I would not have enough molten lead to pour the two weights in one pour…..so I decided to pack the holes with larger pieces of the non-lead weights and then pour my molten lead around these rather than going through the whole process of securing more lead weights and another pour. Thankfully it worked out perfectly, I used all of the molten lead and both of the holes were full. The actual pour was both rush and terrifying at the same time…I would do it again in a heart beat.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqypZTqmN0ZNxbrUuPkfQUE_iJjj8l363jQl_f3V1ZDZ436S83NvXrIf_15vUmrZ6GTeGwlRV5QpARtiv4krJamzM9SmkrlXbCy_FnlB7JhVQjRBm2igtpmackgRhJu4aoBOkq_mtaFc/s1600/July+06+2010+074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqypZTqmN0ZNxbrUuPkfQUE_iJjj8l363jQl_f3V1ZDZ436S83NvXrIf_15vUmrZ6GTeGwlRV5QpARtiv4krJamzM9SmkrlXbCy_FnlB7JhVQjRBm2igtpmackgRhJu4aoBOkq_mtaFc/s320/July+06+2010+074.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pour</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbG4agfRoZqEU-JXjNrwIWzuN8ETHiM3OvXi2QuB-GJ4l9xAA7kDwSHOIqto4uXYlOpK48NRdACPi1xir6xO2r9vquaiJQKqs5LtEYNIUFEYGrNqBw2GakYC3WIKxDel_jvlJztIGZUh0/s1600/Sept+21+2010+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbG4agfRoZqEU-JXjNrwIWzuN8ETHiM3OvXi2QuB-GJ4l9xAA7kDwSHOIqto4uXYlOpK48NRdACPi1xir6xO2r9vquaiJQKqs5LtEYNIUFEYGrNqBw2GakYC3WIKxDel_jvlJztIGZUh0/s320/Sept+21+2010+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished result</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
Once the lead was cold I filed the tops until they were smooth to the surface of the centerboard and then used a little bondo to fill in any imperfections on the whole centerboard. To add strength to the centerboard we decided to cover it with 4 oz fiberglass. However, before we could start the fiberglassing I drilled a hole for the centerboard pin and inserted a short section of ½” copper pipe and epoxied it in place. The pipe will serve as a sleeve for the pin and allow the centerboard to rotate freely if we can find the correct sized rod for the pin (I understand that a 9/16” bolt is a perfect match). But, that is a problem for later. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8bV06St4NCfGSUaNeJ3oOEOUqgS3PD7FZv2IymC-Wg8QSyBSLZ5mLSMl3c_eihBsimVkNvXeto3o-xEyhC2U-FcOvmZYa0zv5zXFqvu9OraDYFAYGTebGT-uyBj7bq7S1nnXsA2u720/s1600/Sept+21+2010+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8bV06St4NCfGSUaNeJ3oOEOUqgS3PD7FZv2IymC-Wg8QSyBSLZ5mLSMl3c_eihBsimVkNvXeto3o-xEyhC2U-FcOvmZYa0zv5zXFqvu9OraDYFAYGTebGT-uyBj7bq7S1nnXsA2u720/s320/Sept+21+2010+007.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Centerboard with copper pipe epoxied in place</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
First, we cut the fiberglass cloth to size by wrapping it around the centerboard and marking directly on cloth where to cut. With the cloth cut, we now had to decide how to proceed. Do we try to apply the fiberglass cloth to the entire centerboard in a single application, or do we tackle one side at a time? I could not see how it would be possible support the wet board to do the whole job in a single application so I decided to do one side at a time. With the glass in place, I wet out one side of the glass completely working from the middle to the edges. At the edges I just left them floating beyond the edge of the plywood. When the epoxy dried, I just trimmed off the overhanging hardened cloth with a sharp knife—very slick. The only difficulty I encountered glassing the second side was dealing with the leading edge. What I discovered was that you have to be really careful to keep the glass tight and not to apply too much epoxy or it will run onto the already hardened side. The final step will be to apply another one or two plies of glass cloth to the bottom edge (and maybe the leading edge too) to reinforce this area (note: after the initial glassing there is no fiberglass on the bottom edge). I haven’t finished this step yet but will get around to it in the near future. We also plan to paint the centerboard. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxZl2nCIDJ2aLBaRuPo2chPU-yXArh75URQPQ9k9dLvijgU65iyXXS5a209d3AgmtpHLvr9wJPQVpbOn6vzNHNPUaTdRcAOcWDRuzFbROPw3lClkdYCLexA2H1TGLskCUEbqxy2NjbAo/s1600/Sept+25+2010+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxZl2nCIDJ2aLBaRuPo2chPU-yXArh75URQPQ9k9dLvijgU65iyXXS5a209d3AgmtpHLvr9wJPQVpbOn6vzNHNPUaTdRcAOcWDRuzFbROPw3lClkdYCLexA2H1TGLskCUEbqxy2NjbAo/s320/Sept+25+2010+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First side glassed</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCfqkeddovc4o_LpqiLloYQOulzSyPwknozj0I3x5QAJj333ehVlElqgfkFeI1H_7wj66mgs16D-TpwxdURx2OMhlVfCkEgSQ6q_2h1vVIHVEWMfPK99UWnGmKmZ1D8vUhpkhJB8yOW4/s1600/Sept+25+2010+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCfqkeddovc4o_LpqiLloYQOulzSyPwknozj0I3x5QAJj333ehVlElqgfkFeI1H_7wj66mgs16D-TpwxdURx2OMhlVfCkEgSQ6q_2h1vVIHVEWMfPK99UWnGmKmZ1D8vUhpkhJB8yOW4/s320/Sept+25+2010+004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbR71n3Z5-_CTIxl6zxwPtEq7Q3nFkoch8IxM9RnOJUC0oLUkalwFGeqCspPClWF0qjWWmLBoip4nQetw9mQG2SkGs8P3i-gn2pKw8ygKEq8jQ3DGboo3aItPfvd_rm4d3MfPK5SxjxiE/s1600/Sept+25+2010+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbR71n3Z5-_CTIxl6zxwPtEq7Q3nFkoch8IxM9RnOJUC0oLUkalwFGeqCspPClWF0qjWWmLBoip4nQetw9mQG2SkGs8P3i-gn2pKw8ygKEq8jQ3DGboo3aItPfvd_rm4d3MfPK5SxjxiE/s320/Sept+25+2010+007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second side glassed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-15146323480078901942010-11-19T18:06:00.000-08:002010-11-19T18:06:00.582-08:00Centerboard CaseNo doubt you have noticed that during the finishing process time was flying by and little was getting done on the boat, to combat that I started work concurrently on the centerboard and the case. The plans called for a solid mahogany case and centerboard but, I didn’t have that much mahogany kicking around and I didn’t feel like buying another mahogany plank—too cheap I guess. So we elected to build everything out of plywood, cheap exterior grade plywood. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGU6ILdVZwxtWo6lDjOgoyX6bbJbkkhLdfly0p96cpkKu9_XVWCkQ0K1iWBxy8KAaww6DSxdfKkMLUrSQglUQ2vMp0vz5jlhneqksC1G-F6h7wtUp_6D40UsN6u6wVZ-dYD8PNyQ12yo/s1600/July+06+2010+071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGU6ILdVZwxtWo6lDjOgoyX6bbJbkkhLdfly0p96cpkKu9_XVWCkQ0K1iWBxy8KAaww6DSxdfKkMLUrSQglUQ2vMp0vz5jlhneqksC1G-F6h7wtUp_6D40UsN6u6wVZ-dYD8PNyQ12yo/s320/July+06+2010+071.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stern spacer and the two sides of the case</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For the case I glued a sheet of 1/8” mahogany plywood to the 5/8” ply so that the exterior of the case will match the mahogany on the inside of the boat. Cutting out the case was just a matter of following the plans. The stern end of our case is curved (following the shape of the centerboard) and was built up from two pieces of 5/8" ply epoxied together and cut using a router on a trammel. It was a little tricky to match the bottom curvature of the boat but with a trial and error approach the shape came together. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTP8Iuq0UBn_1AJ3G_-4QDoQLa1rRwtbMIswWLGb9uVzix1xkGliR2z0D68R-CM_p1lza2hrOFmiSlIdG-8E-oidjFkp80wv6nNNG2xwAfZFhenw1Aeyg3OO3QrsvnFWy41LOs0cXc_YQ/s1600/July+06+2010+064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTP8Iuq0UBn_1AJ3G_-4QDoQLa1rRwtbMIswWLGb9uVzix1xkGliR2z0D68R-CM_p1lza2hrOFmiSlIdG-8E-oidjFkp80wv6nNNG2xwAfZFhenw1Aeyg3OO3QrsvnFWy41LOs0cXc_YQ/s320/July+06+2010+064.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trial fitting the two sides</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Atkins has an interesting way of dealing with the centerboard pin though. In most boats that I have seen a hole is drilled through the centerboard case and then that hole is sealed off on each side of the case by some elaborate means. Atkins instead has you cut a channel in each side of the case that secures the centerboard pin on each side. The centerboard can move up and down vertically along this channel but is constrained from moving the other two dimensions; fore and aft and starboard and port (seemed like a good time to start using some nautical terms). I have elected to run a piece of UHMW (ultra-high molecular weight) plastic that I purchased from Lee Valley Tools in the channel and to drill a hole in that to position the centerboard pin. I believe that if I run a piece of UHMW the full length of the channel then the vertical movement will also to stopped. We plan to find a way to make the top of the centerboard case removable so that we can access the centerboard easily if needed. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>To make the case watertight we applied a few coats of epoxy to the interior surfaces prior to screwing the two halves together. A thin coat of Sika was applied to the joints and the whole case was screwed together with 2 ½ stainless steel screws. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_tm_qZo7AHStjwqdghxc70lRfhG6sun5trIKb7UrF_qnhNRLl-gGMqIp2QEMHXe4UchVaHICvxrOIv7XtLpKAYEZl7CU7iXYhfUZY9lRbHYo0rj37sETyqT0FlTWUpc8aHw-wt_4ySc/s1600/Photos+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_tm_qZo7AHStjwqdghxc70lRfhG6sun5trIKb7UrF_qnhNRLl-gGMqIp2QEMHXe4UchVaHICvxrOIv7XtLpKAYEZl7CU7iXYhfUZY9lRbHYo0rj37sETyqT0FlTWUpc8aHw-wt_4ySc/s320/Photos+023.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assembling the case note the Sika and the channel</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The scary bit: cutting the slot in the bottom planking for the centerboard to pass through. I must admit that this was a little intimidating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of hard work had gone into installing the bottom planking and some how it just didn’t seem right to start cutting a huge hole right down the middle of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also have to admit that it still doesn’t make sense to me that you can cut a board in half that is only supported on each end and not have it sag significantly in the middle—but it didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So after carefully measuring (twice at least) and marking its position it was time to take the plunge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First I drilled a hole at each end and then marked a line to each side of the hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then with jigsaw in hand I carefully cut at least a 1/8” to the inside of the marked line (what a chicken I am) all along thinking that I will finish cut it from the bottom with a router using a pilot bearing bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like most of our fears they are all between our ears and are never realized—everything went really smoothly.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8-SR6sVdbo8EpaKxoQhNLwGmdZ6G8flGy2az6UH61Ihnh2RdEGX9ikW5Efpad8gATdKmrkPqX3TcHaVVQ8801yF1xTPUEtQo-q-ZWZ_Wvm6pYR9TJ4JL7yXD8kzNBh8q4o-Kd0mGUUk/s1600/Photos+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8-SR6sVdbo8EpaKxoQhNLwGmdZ6G8flGy2az6UH61Ihnh2RdEGX9ikW5Efpad8gATdKmrkPqX3TcHaVVQ8801yF1xTPUEtQo-q-ZWZ_Wvm6pYR9TJ4JL7yXD8kzNBh8q4o-Kd0mGUUk/s320/Photos+012.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All marked and in the midst of cutting</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnPqnvSJ7V53dv8uIj_g3n_yXfGo-EgcIgiZ3c1F6IntiGQ8FvVwBLdZcCi6le-2Wqi6pwNpCdSVd-vQs77-11xdvZsg0ZhMV6mp0mhD3zB45gWLWeh-K45YBUYBFCZrt7Mt2_9QjJTk/s1600/Photos+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnPqnvSJ7V53dv8uIj_g3n_yXfGo-EgcIgiZ3c1F6IntiGQ8FvVwBLdZcCi6le-2Wqi6pwNpCdSVd-vQs77-11xdvZsg0ZhMV6mp0mhD3zB45gWLWeh-K45YBUYBFCZrt7Mt2_9QjJTk/s320/Photos+020.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's a hole in my boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Prior to installing the centerboard case we laid down a generous bead of Sikaflex and then carefully lowered the case into position (we pre-marked its location to facilitate this process). With the case in position a long clamp was dropped down through the case so that it made contact on both the exterior of the bottom planking and the top of the case. It was then lightly tightened before a second clamp was positioned at the opposite end and tightened. At this point we double checked to ensure that the case was square and then proceeded to apply a little more pressure to each of the clamps—not too much though as we did not want to squeeze out all of the Sika. We left the Sika to cure for a couple of days before screwing the case in from the bottom side through the planking. The case is approximately 48” long and on average our planks are 3”, so I expect that we will put over 32, 3” stainless steel screws into the case from the bottom—that ought to hold it!<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs7takw6pXpW9GmQPwER0C883zQbjRMbK3OGhcxqfQhAX2APvG5DgTWPx_zqo4Tss4k4AeFdwhELwlWmQlnoAIJP1H3kxtEVV4kw1GlZXAnXVk0ThQecCBH0lyO9CzbYea1Lbwx7H6Vw/s1600/Photos+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs7takw6pXpW9GmQPwER0C883zQbjRMbK3OGhcxqfQhAX2APvG5DgTWPx_zqo4Tss4k4AeFdwhELwlWmQlnoAIJP1H3kxtEVV4kw1GlZXAnXVk0ThQecCBH0lyO9CzbYea1Lbwx7H6Vw/s320/Photos+025.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJ5jhXEEp_FlxzwDmdXfCBflrEZJhHMMztdpdJkq7msu9rBiC6baGOsJkUN4tXu1OkdRy5ThGpXv_E2kyPhBS2fN6lt2cNfKwJkv0M3KJFfQF0ComvhxTQNeM6wDgl5CUZJvWm0llxHI/s1600/Photos+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJ5jhXEEp_FlxzwDmdXfCBflrEZJhHMMztdpdJkq7msu9rBiC6baGOsJkUN4tXu1OkdRy5ThGpXv_E2kyPhBS2fN6lt2cNfKwJkv0M3KJFfQF0ComvhxTQNeM6wDgl5CUZJvWm0llxHI/s320/Photos+030.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture that shows the centerpin channel from the top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-1429823646475231402010-11-02T16:26:00.000-07:002010-11-02T16:26:03.819-07:00Interior FinishFlipping the boat over resulted in several revelations. The first was that all of a sudden the boat seems really big, surprisingly big, much bigger than we had imagined it when it was upside down. The second was that our planking looked pretty good, both the bottom and side planking had turned up well. The third was that we had been quite generous with our use of Sika to seal the planks. While it is tremendous to know that the boat is well-sealed and shouldn’t leak we didn’t quite know what to expect the interior would look like once we cleaned up the excess Sika. If you decide to follow our approach be forewarned that cleaning up the squeeze-out can be quite time consuming. We went at it with a variety of tools, chisels, cabinet scraper, exacto knife, and paint scraper. Each has its application and we found that no one tool was successful in all situations. But slowly but surely we eventually removed the entire squeeze-out. Whoo-hoo!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZl6Q4AaXjx0xVVI-GuwtS6zaQUO-9N3Yg9P-tsiBuw7uTq3p9ba5jtHyOgkIHHXEsP5ycjvqFpgBC7lanYw4FHiUo82AVnQ2FgTdpypbyQRs2pLRwiufouGiqNj9jmgmjO7QrT_qShjQ/s1600/July+06+2010+075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZl6Q4AaXjx0xVVI-GuwtS6zaQUO-9N3Yg9P-tsiBuw7uTq3p9ba5jtHyOgkIHHXEsP5ycjvqFpgBC7lanYw4FHiUo82AVnQ2FgTdpypbyQRs2pLRwiufouGiqNj9jmgmjO7QrT_qShjQ/s320/July+06+2010+075.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transom prepped for staining</td></tr>
</tbody></table> And finally the fourth revelation was that we had over cut the width of the gains in some instances and while on the outside of the boat the planks were flush there was a small gap on the inside. To tidy this up we carefully selected gain and color matched mahogany planking cut-offs and cut and glued slivers of matching wood into the over cut gains. Another pain staking process that you just want to get over so that you can get on with the real work. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVOEMydpAVyKug9zpp365a0XQvOPSeb1AIIsy1jv5sb99VFFar0plyiOd0vP7dUggjz_uWVsfiqxc1gfcXldDB5YO38lnmH3S2iTaVfnbAM5P3PCAgO-lzAVu-qoMAggjRsrFkIf1hP8/s1600/July+06+2010+076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVOEMydpAVyKug9zpp365a0XQvOPSeb1AIIsy1jv5sb99VFFar0plyiOd0vP7dUggjz_uWVsfiqxc1gfcXldDB5YO38lnmH3S2iTaVfnbAM5P3PCAgO-lzAVu-qoMAggjRsrFkIf1hP8/s320/July+06+2010+076.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bow prepped for staining</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The real work was to set our hands to the construction of the centerboard and its case. But the more we thought about it the more set we became in our belief that now was also the time to finish the interior planking of the boat before it became cluttered up with side knees, and bench supports, and benches. Now was the last opportunity we would have to have complete and easy access to the side planks. <br />
<br />
Of course the question was how to finish the interior? From our investigations there are as many ways to finish a boat as there are ships in the water it seemed. At first we had decided to go with an oil based solution. Lee Valley Tools sells a couple of products that seemed like good candidates, Deftoil (Marine or Exterior Finish) or Tung oil. A couple of years ago we had used Tung oil on our outdoor cedar planters and had been reasonably happy with the results. The nice thing about this product is that it has a smooth finish and you can really still feel the wood. We also liked the Deftoil because it has some dye in it that we thought would be good for evening out the differences in the natural coloring (some light and some dark) of our mahogany planking. But further reading about oil type finishes revealed that they have a tendency to turn black over time. And I can see this taking place on the planters now that they are two years old. I just couldn’t imagine sanding down the whole interior every 2 years and refinishing!<br />
<br />
After considerable time spent investigating our other options we decided that we would first stain and then varnish the interior. Choosing the stain was pretty straightforward, a trip to the local big box lumber store provided us with all the ammo we needed to narrow the choice to a couple of stain colors. We bought both of them and stained both a light and dark plank to see how they would look. In the end we choose Minwax “Red Chestnut” for the stain. The process of staining the wood was really simple and quick—a quick application with a rag, wait, and then a light buff to pick any excess.<br />
<br />
The choice of varnish was another long drawn out process as we had read a lot about Behr Spar Varnish and how wonderful it is—apparently an original formulation that has been made for years and years, inexpensive, and easy to apply. It is available at Home Depot in Canada but no longer available in the US, I do not know why. Our local store had 1 litre cans of gloss (we wanted to use gloss vs. satin because it has more UV protection and had decided to follow that with satin if we found the gloss too reflective) but no 4 litre cans, the pricing was $15/ 1 litre can and $35/ 4 litre can so naturally I wanted to get my hands on the 4 litre can. So I had them do an inventory check of all the surrounding stores. What followed was totally comical, the sales clerk would first check availability on the in-store computer and then phone a store that according to the computer had inventory only to discover that the product wasn’t actually in the store. He repeated this process for at least three of their stores until eventually he came back and basically said that it wasn’t available. On a whim a couple of days later I decided to hit a couple of the stores that the sales clerk couldn’t get a phone verification from because the stores were just too busy. The first store was a bust but at the next store I hit the mother load, they had 10 cans of the stuff—hoarding it no doubt!<br />
<br />
By now I was all pumped up to start varnishing but needed to wait for the right weather, humidity below 60% and temperature above 60F as varnish can blush if the humidity is too high. And I needed a few consecutive days as the plan was to apply 8 coats and I needed at least 12 hours between coats but no more than 24 hours. In a perfect world 4 days would be sufficient. What followed was the coldest and wettest fall in ages. Every time it looked promising the forecast would change and the rain would come again—this went on for weeks. As it turned out I applied a couple of coats using a foam brush and then it rained. So I waited, then sanded. Sanding turned out to be a really time consuming process, each re-sand would take ~2.5 hours. All those copper roves look nice but really slow down sanding and the narrow planks make it difficult to use a powered sander so most of the work was done by hand. Here is how the work progressed, first I applied 2 coats then sanded, then another 2 coats and sanded, then another 2 coats and sanded, then I applied coat 7 and sanded and then finally coat 8. In the end I was happy with the way the finish looked and evened out the color differences in our boards—the scarf joints have all but disappeared. But in all honesty I can tell you the finish is not furniture smooth and silky but it should be functional—it is a boat after all! We still have bluff the transom with some really fine grit to smooth it out further but, that will have to wait for another day. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeAMWFmIF4rFoVZxIH-mHY1IBe9fwbzaCh4cxwzvPUJsHF5fnRHD_mGraWbr5LkGKr51qgtZBsNXDB56LfR2Ww_v1fxz7Z3idgN5AE3qAyLKRHxNPv095CFmW_hi0nqa07CHDM7ptwHU/s1600/Sept+25+2010+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeAMWFmIF4rFoVZxIH-mHY1IBe9fwbzaCh4cxwzvPUJsHF5fnRHD_mGraWbr5LkGKr51qgtZBsNXDB56LfR2Ww_v1fxz7Z3idgN5AE3qAyLKRHxNPv095CFmW_hi0nqa07CHDM7ptwHU/s320/Sept+25+2010+008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing done, starting work on side knees</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5j4RkGRDhptElFweYwQ9kI62t6nkT7uIDT3xZD6AmmZDYJeTd0PtMMvAostyIh2-tm5Bij22TYYCYo19bn4CizUVFbVseiQqa1cnyCxbvov16AoEoM-toZ6_3-sa5T4yAgiOJ2ATnaVU/s1600/Sept+25+2010+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5j4RkGRDhptElFweYwQ9kI62t6nkT7uIDT3xZD6AmmZDYJeTd0PtMMvAostyIh2-tm5Bij22TYYCYo19bn4CizUVFbVseiQqa1cnyCxbvov16AoEoM-toZ6_3-sa5T4yAgiOJ2ATnaVU/s320/Sept+25+2010+012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note marks for location of molds and centerboard on green tape</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Lessons learned:<br />
<br />
1. Finish sand your planks before installing them as sanding around the roves is slow and painstaking work.<br />
<br />
2. Mark location of molds on floor, chine, and top of planks (both sides or you will be wondering which is which).<br />
<br />
3. If you have access to a sprayer, use it, the varnish will go on smoother—although for the cost the foam brush did a great job. <br />
<br />
4. Get sand paper that will not load up quickly—I used 220 grit especially designed for sanding varnish.<br />
<br />
5. The roves like to hold vanish and will eventually start a small run—I wish I had some sage advise on how to address this problem but, I do not, good luck!<br />
<br />
<br />
The next post will cover the centerboard and its case, this work proceeded in conjunction with the finishing work.JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-76843169168141297542010-09-21T19:34:00.000-07:002010-09-23T18:48:20.164-07:00Bottoms Up!It was with some anticipation that we launched into planking the bottom as we would now be able to use those amazing clear fir boards that we had bought on Kijiji back in April. This was quite possibly the buy of the century. The ad read, “Clear Douglas Fir 3/4"x3'"x5' 0.10/linear foot Lumber” (~$0.50 per board foot). The material was off-cuts from a siding job and although the actual widths of the boards varied between 2-3.5” it was absolutely clear, straight grained, old growth fir. What a coup!<br />
<br />
At first the prospect of planking seemed quite straight forward, joint the two edges of each board dead flat, apply a thin bead of Sikaflex, clamp the over hanging ends of each board securely to the previous plank until the fit is tight, counter bore a screw hole through the plank and into the chine, and then drive home a 1 ¼” stainless steel screw. Repeat until you reach the front of the boat, then cut off the overhanging pieces flush to the garboard plank.<br />
<br />
Of course we agonized over planning a slight angle on each plank so that we would get a slight “v” between each set of planks. We understand that on many traditional boats this is standard practice and that these “v” joints would subsequently be chinked with cotton. But in the end we decided that a modern sealant like Sikaflex should provide similar performance characteristics to the old world methods, plus it would be a lot easier to implement.<br />
<br />
We started at the transom and worked our way forward. The first plank was really easy, just line it up parallel to the transom and screw it down all the way around. The work progressed quite quickly for the first couple of feet until we encountered our first challenge—clamping the boards together. As we approached the 2 foot mark we realized that our 2 foot quick grip clamps would soon on longer be long enough to clamp the board together. You are probably thinking, “just get longer clamps”, and while that would an acceptable solution for a while it would not be a fix all as our longest clamp is 6’. Instead, we started to stagger the amount of overlap from side to side so that we would always have a point of purchase on each side. Although there were a few occasions where we ended up drilling a hole in the overhanging plank so we could get a clamp in place. <br />
<br />
On the first day we decided to plank approximately 5 feet and then to put a couple of clamps on the whole set up to draw it up nice and tight as there were a few small gaps starting to form in the middle of the planks. To address any up/down crown or sagging in the planks we initially put light pressure on the clamps and then carefully knocked individual planks up/down until the whole area was generally quite flat. We left the clamps in place for several days to allow the Sika to set before proceeding with any further. <br />
<br />
The next 5 feet were straight forward as we had established a good routine that quickly allowed us to put the bottom planks on. In fact we spent more time prepping the boards and selecting which boards would go where than actually installing them. We did come up with a good trick for clamping the next 5 feet set up together to close any small gaps that may have formed. We clamped a couple of 2x4’s to our molds that had a groove cut in it the exact size of the end of our quick clamps. Then by reversing our clamps to make them into spreaders we fit the other end into another small groove that we cut into our caul. The picture is worth a thousand words….<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYCkQI64qp3A11iG5RPobmnof73gBEt4Px-umyXymKCtfFEGVLjJuYWAD_jVnfO1_-Z0JBK5I_ylu19MRJ9QiILsKau1uys7KliDGQFYtaPnzvdEz0ZDZM0xDyYkIrbhQAIA9_QbAp9k/s1600/CIMG0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYCkQI64qp3A11iG5RPobmnof73gBEt4Px-umyXymKCtfFEGVLjJuYWAD_jVnfO1_-Z0JBK5I_ylu19MRJ9QiILsKau1uys7KliDGQFYtaPnzvdEz0ZDZM0xDyYkIrbhQAIA9_QbAp9k/s320/CIMG0007.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvN6plftEofeXwTPWEw4ChM5fZzJ5d5aqX4F9DRP-Npt5GirYzlCRjV27u8yFVxjHwTYqYb-UYXIrXiROJr222R29LqpFXDZDGeA0_XGui3vziX1gZ-lZxtm6sVaCEFE0IjeIMNACUOe4/s1600/CIMG0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvN6plftEofeXwTPWEw4ChM5fZzJ5d5aqX4F9DRP-Npt5GirYzlCRjV27u8yFVxjHwTYqYb-UYXIrXiROJr222R29LqpFXDZDGeA0_XGui3vziX1gZ-lZxtm6sVaCEFE0IjeIMNACUOe4/s320/CIMG0008.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
As you can see from the photos we trimmed the overlap excess in between the 2nd and 3rd sections of planking and started the process of hand planning the bottom to a smooth finish while the Sika set. The sides were first roughly cut off with a circular saw (being very careful!) and then fine tuned with a block plane. This was slow and arduous work slicing through end grain—again a sharp plane is invaluable for this type of work. The last plank was interesting, it was cut to fit snuggly against the stem and was generously slathered with Sika to prevent water penetration before it was forced in with a mallet. This effectively closed up any possible gaps that may have existed between the middles of the last section of planking. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXFYU8Ekp9NYBF6U-KBNGgvicJWbgu3RpiJfkBvuwdXIuEs9YKjt4rC1LRXXzigvADCt_euLMRETTPkxk4mbOz3hs42UUPjOlwKWdYoO30uKET4mPCe-cavJnjRPUQESl8eKP1seOlmY/s1600/CIMG0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXFYU8Ekp9NYBF6U-KBNGgvicJWbgu3RpiJfkBvuwdXIuEs9YKjt4rC1LRXXzigvADCt_euLMRETTPkxk4mbOz3hs42UUPjOlwKWdYoO30uKET4mPCe-cavJnjRPUQESl8eKP1seOlmY/s320/CIMG0001.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ugB8dQ8P3FQrSne2Yluj2dUq06WwRtbYdyvHN6je0D_CjBeH4_1vTfJBS0Iiad4SVQ8-jMignGrqudqSpGmzYutj3eScHQQsHHL51Mq6ATliRPCWAr5UOcMRIxlt6xOHOpnrwqaaoA8/s1600/CIMG0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ugB8dQ8P3FQrSne2Yluj2dUq06WwRtbYdyvHN6je0D_CjBeH4_1vTfJBS0Iiad4SVQ8-jMignGrqudqSpGmzYutj3eScHQQsHHL51Mq6ATliRPCWAr5UOcMRIxlt6xOHOpnrwqaaoA8/s320/CIMG0006.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
We were extremely pleased with the final appearance of the bottom and were paid the highest of compliments when someone asked if the bottom was a single piece of wood. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLNYSjSgjn2ODzQ3ZUKPJOuLCR5OtYdgkwnpizaFfBdNI7h_2JLHtCO0R3jmzTtp3TagJEkJmVWtAOH85zGKS_m2d3ZBkDUTkqou7Uq3xlGodAH0dKlkelD_NamYU8pxIBiMjSyo16KM/s1600/CIMG0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLNYSjSgjn2ODzQ3ZUKPJOuLCR5OtYdgkwnpizaFfBdNI7h_2JLHtCO0R3jmzTtp3TagJEkJmVWtAOH85zGKS_m2d3ZBkDUTkqou7Uq3xlGodAH0dKlkelD_NamYU8pxIBiMjSyo16KM/s320/CIMG0009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxp5bF_mKPCO8C9iPeQs1wHvJD6PQXohPKCx3dc2MhjyuuII2N8P2Sr0GWxjRE9TraYisRqwGUsDmC7JSM9b-2HvQM4t2AaNi4jg_cJH4s8iKjSlCl5JOYkfATWPdIg37kfvohbhB_2io/s1600/CIMG0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxp5bF_mKPCO8C9iPeQs1wHvJD6PQXohPKCx3dc2MhjyuuII2N8P2Sr0GWxjRE9TraYisRqwGUsDmC7JSM9b-2HvQM4t2AaNi4jg_cJH4s8iKjSlCl5JOYkfATWPdIg37kfvohbhB_2io/s320/CIMG0017.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
With the bottom all done it was time to build the skeg—the sternward extension of the keel. The plans called for a piece of 7/8” softwood but now that we have it made I am considering building another out of hardwood as I am concerned about the durability of the softwood version. It was a little tricky to get the same curve on the bottom of the skeg as the bottom of the boat but after a little trial and error we managed a good fit. We elected to wait to install the skeg and the two bottom rub rails until after the bottom is painted. Hopefully, this will result a better layer of water protection than a bare wood to wood joint. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqj4k36CmatJMK2_OXdFr7sOEYTOVPmlXQIfNNyXwq3i5-QXjzwu1OBHIYTE-Z6LJC1AUnU5DHBtFCNBq-L7ek7YlOpB9eEkbdubNd83HMCb4KoGNnWHwaMMJ8uz2yShUbxJuj8dooeQ/s1600/Sept+21+2010+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqj4k36CmatJMK2_OXdFr7sOEYTOVPmlXQIfNNyXwq3i5-QXjzwu1OBHIYTE-Z6LJC1AUnU5DHBtFCNBq-L7ek7YlOpB9eEkbdubNd83HMCb4KoGNnWHwaMMJ8uz2yShUbxJuj8dooeQ/s320/Sept+21+2010+013.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can really see the curve in the bottom of the boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After a couple of days of letting the Sika dry on the last set of planks we were eager to turn the boat over so one night just after we returned from being out we gathered the family together—the four of us. The two boys took the stem and I lifted the stern. Straight up at first to clear the molds and then we slowly started to rotate the boat until it was right side up. About half way through my bad shoulder went crazy and it felt like I had dislocated it. As it turned out I was okay after about half an hour but, did it ever hurt at the time! Now we really had a sense that we are building a boat. We also incredibly taken by how big the boat seemed. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Wysrr7XRlJLNkGbvNRvFkajbU_62GWMqxBsnF1Kt-68jAtygPrd-tp8iGQV1jsCuyyLwE7GYX9_dC-L4M4VxwO-BLbK1XmIgxD8tOzBB6PIwkNx1IiBl3e-5YAHz2N4xNSrsmoKsjhA/s1600/CIMG0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Wysrr7XRlJLNkGbvNRvFkajbU_62GWMqxBsnF1Kt-68jAtygPrd-tp8iGQV1jsCuyyLwE7GYX9_dC-L4M4VxwO-BLbK1XmIgxD8tOzBB6PIwkNx1IiBl3e-5YAHz2N4xNSrsmoKsjhA/s320/CIMG0021.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1mN2rWXTafYZNYhC9-fCMx-XwN7T30o8f5D5rcYKNebtDF-7dExghZLc7WUEitPIU2fjW0AIzS50Fu3KZmXo5B5bCqT7wnkZRBUx5TvoziUN4lKhqSWztbPPk4KSoFIm8hxGlSDJkMY/s1600/CIMG0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1mN2rWXTafYZNYhC9-fCMx-XwN7T30o8f5D5rcYKNebtDF-7dExghZLc7WUEitPIU2fjW0AIzS50Fu3KZmXo5B5bCqT7wnkZRBUx5TvoziUN4lKhqSWztbPPk4KSoFIm8hxGlSDJkMY/s320/CIMG0019.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Joe LapstrakeJoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-30799915132430171482010-09-12T09:20:00.000-07:002010-09-12T15:28:36.958-07:00The Procession of The Strakes<div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">After completing all of the preparatory work, we finally had the opportunity to begin the process of planking the craft. Although, on most craft, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">garboard</span> is inherently difficult to shape and attach because of the tight curves that it must accept, Willy’s first planks were a simple matter. This can be largely attributed to the flat-bottomed construction of the hull, not our <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">boatbuilding</span> prowess. However, after completing these <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">strakes</span>, we were faced with a new challenge. Unlike the bottom boards, which are affixed to the chine using screws, the remainder of the planks (8 in total) are fastened to the previous <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">strake</span> with copper rivets. Being a non-ferrous metal, copper is fairly inert in moist environments, which makes it an ideal candidate for this application. Spaced at 3½-inch intervals along each lap, we had a total of almost 400 rivets to install over the entire craft. Needless to say, we were somewhat daunted by this prospect. Fortunately, although this process does require the builder to develop a certain rhythm, it is, in reality, quite simple. The most important resources in this procedure are a willing assistant and a surplus of time, as it can be rather lengthy. Below, the system is condensed into five steps. Please recognize that, while this is a brief overview of the process, more detailed information concerning this method is outlined in many <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">boatbuilding</span> books.<br /><br /><br />1. Bore a slightly undersized hole in the hull at the intended location of the rivet. After the nail is inserted, this will create compressive forces on the wood that effectively seal the joint from water penetration.<br /><br />2. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Counterbore</span> the hole on the outer face of the board to the dimensions of the nail head. Although this step is not necessary, it helps to seat the nails flush to the hull without scarring nearby wood through overzealous use of the hammer. In addition, we also found that some of our mahogany planks so hard that it would have been very difficult to sink the nail heads without <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">counterboring</span> them. If you are have softwood planking this step may not be necessary.<br /><br />3. Drive the nail ¾ of its length into the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">pre</span>-drilled hole. At this point, the assistant places the rove (in the rivet punch) on the opposite side of the plank. Proceed to drive the nail until level with the exterior surface of the hull. By this point, the rove should be snug to the plank’s interior. However, if this is not the case, a few taps on the punch with a hammer will remedy the situation.<br /><br />4. Cut the protruding nail off, leaving it about 1/8” proud of the apex of the conical rove. While the exterior individual braces the nail head, peen the excess metal into an even, symmetrical dome, preventing the nail from retracting the future.<br /><br />5. Repeat 399 times.</div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br />Although riveting is somewhat time-consuming, mundane work, if both workers are able to develop a sense of cadence, it is possible to affix a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">strake</span> in little over an hour.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516153228599290514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtI2QxNsDVQV1EG5hpquOMaykxBw6pKOOTcHzE-szmfTJ2QIt8LEgicMlmljPohKLC8XASdofaIylWEub3-vAXTYGIHHAbHvZJJFqQU4Ex-pYt-4prAXVMHINRNOyFsI6RUORGc0CDqdw/s320/CIMG0018.JPG" /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><em>Close up of exterior hull rivets</em></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">Seeing as the process used for each subsequent plank is identical to the system outlined above, it would seem overly repetitive to give a detailed account of each <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">strake</span>. Instead, we have consolidated this task into a series of photographs, allowing the reader to witness the accomplishment of hours of our labour in a convenient photographic form.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516152430493152946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRs-tnbvM91M-A4uumqFOJxSc48TVdO9LYGrdAP5qWgznOk4W9PBe-YXspHQIM_bwbUIkiY1JVhFUVCJPptGObwiiUDV0zTfW-wKrdjBxvSLuVnCqrj0BXLwRf9UUjPLhhtLrpJId-Oo/s320/Willy+041.jpg" /><em>One strake per side</em><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516150925189782418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXQ1cI_-16ILvEdR4V3nP9ROFMNkp0bzmarr2E3eVl3GB0yXPAjdNsQu21sxlolbsodwdxL6rAsbnzEn_eUhDwXziwn1JeF9Z8s-g4af8K4mFkSQN3a6Zonfwy6FCYe7ikdD7Gby0av4/s320/Sam's+Grad+019.jpg" /> <em>Two strakes per side</em></div><div align="center"> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516155428573136098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OCfqWG5bq4mt-S2qHM8Uu3umBajACz0yJmF5WBIXdxJ2KiApPeTzblVO9OdgcWm4TJ5F-UeJ3Q3NfDK00a6Q2Kj35qE_MGNy2zCOTr-iRPjI-gKxd-tIhzVplravTFRy3HjEntQsf9k/s320/July+02+2010+076.jpg" /><em>Three strakes per side</em></div><p align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516147092792081698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GCXO9xVEolJW5W4f-m77a-mA72IimmIpiDk29cJridaVJ5MGg_wd3YIbOi2FFpQgKWTCdcEEAR1GQyU1e2cAqA6ZSHxfDY__uTRDPkNK25_cRnb-FkJmS1DHY5X57SL4ZxpbFeTVQE4/s320/July+02+2010+105.jpg" /></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516147708357102706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfRP1H8Y6_cUKUyI6NwB7OSGRicZlwSsstr2uoGMFmpRTOVQEKSHVt-NSRR5vECS9KFP48Vb4qEouzhOqebi2Sw0GNi5Nc8h18FrMFP8gwP2nREzi0_9DpfKe9dPlWgk0Fxf06E2nCNE/s320/July+02+2010+102.jpg" /> <p align="center"><em>Three pictures of four strakes</em></p><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516146474268926482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixevKYnjF3siSkhWlt6PcpTDZgTwLPZKjVPlfct4fD4jdaWIO8eABSKjlwIXz_8OtjIjhgiTRq-XLf1KH9PtgYNjKVmk7pKErv1nlTdhA2WKt_eShpvDwNGhiVC_pBue4kJkhjLGQ4v8w/s320/July+02+2010+103.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516141873300668242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2n-q6EMtY6Wpq-Y_RyHTQqCNGnGf-u709xD88Pp3DCwsYS9vqgweakzizDHZuNDHC98A0yY3yklurHKOfq63UxXwaG6TbslU3c4pWlG9m2HO85LuTjxiEvTzWemGekn8mxZCHdR6c-4/s320/CIMG0011.JPG" /> <em>Done - Five strakes</em><br /><br /><br />Now that all of the constituent elements of the hull sides are completed, the next item on our agenda is that of bottom planking. Seeing that Willy is of flat-bottomed, cross-planked construction, we anticipate that this will be a fairly straightforward task. Tune in for the next installment soon!<br /><br />Joe Lap</div>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-21099282316034469822010-09-01T19:54:00.000-07:002010-09-12T10:10:01.260-07:00Preparing The StrakesAfter obtaining the strake shape, it is important to scribe the hood (forward) ends of the strakes to mimic the curve present in the stem rabbet. Ideally, the planks should converge neatly with the stem, without any gaps or differences in level. Although this is a simple concept, the builder must be careful to attain an accurate profile on the strake, as any discrepancies between the two components will become obvious later on. To shape these ends, we used the circular saw to make initial cuts and finalized the shape with a block plane, much like the process used on the strake edges. As is often the case, blade sharpness is essential here. Although a keen plane blade will make short work of the task, this step can be very frustrating if one is forced to contend with a dull blade. Because our strakes are mahogany, it was necessary to redress the blade several times during the process of forming all ten strakes. When this is complete, each plank must have “gains” cut into the ends. Usually about 14 inches in length and identical in width to the lap, these long, tapering rabbets effectively remove 50% of the board’s thickness at the stem and stern.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmt6z3OSiOkzECjS6crS86oPf-4TJo3sqWfjylrQn5BWiKy9WGMBrLVErUTaXT0QVppjd5OEO3M6Zr7ha7MVxMOR-5ZmrN3NcKcYJfmBLzYF4rfjmOyoqJEirAJ46H0P3o4oNFW8hqzs/s1600/Willy+047.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmt6z3OSiOkzECjS6crS86oPf-4TJo3sqWfjylrQn5BWiKy9WGMBrLVErUTaXT0QVppjd5OEO3M6Zr7ha7MVxMOR-5ZmrN3NcKcYJfmBLzYF4rfjmOyoqJEirAJ46H0P3o4oNFW8hqzs/s320/Willy+047.jpg" ox="true" /></a></p>When two gains mate at a lap, the result is a smooth transition from lapstrake to carvel-type planking at both ends of the hull. This allows the builder to form a watertight seal at the transom without going to the effort of coping the stern to accept the laps. Traditionally, this task would be completed with a rabbet plane. However, in the interest of efficiency and accuracy, we opted to design a gain jig for the router. Although it was a highly effective device, we found that it was still necessary to use the hand plane to fine-tune the gains, as, in reality, they must be cut on a slight curve, something that the jig could not provide. For this step, test fitting of the gains on the craft is essential to forming tight joints between the strakes. However, if the task is completed with care to detail, the effect formed by the laps swooping upwards as they taper away at each end of the craft is striking. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516071896951378866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DY0oHOtNZVBgyYp6cAgG1PVhHVYHAFEcxYl4DuYJ-iiBpfFBEm42LEgKsDAdGNHeb-rSI0Kf_GwgPRGh4wgO73rYGiL1X4m9OMDXMD7bgASCkGA9rqZmOXVmexZ3vGsqE7FmBQwK7do/s320/July+06+2010+005.jpg" /><br /><div align="justify"> Simple inclined plane rabbet jig</div><div align="justify"> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516072570081199058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3r0JFu_RbO9FD3uBI0sqDrUnF31YSvlcwgCvHtiFwyMGR_BcoVTbWPCLXkUlRMSpriKZojpY5xTg6cKfHUZB_nAERlu9bL6fqASdleFFPtP1SSFRhcwwhWGnTQ_zN_xjSK3hDevE5yR8/s320/July+06+2010+008.jpg" /> Jig in action with router<br /><br />Once satisfied with all aspects of the first two planks, we finally had the opportunity to begin attaching the strakes to the frame. At this stage, we were eager to begin the true “construction” of the craft, but still had some misgivings about the process. However, although this seemed to be a rather daunting task, it was, in reality, surprisingly simple. At both stem and stern, we secured the planks with 1¼” 316 stainless steel screws, which are purported to have superb corrosion resistance. The same screws were used to secure the garboard to the oak chine. It is truly at this stage that all of the effort exerted during the spiling becomes worthwhile. Because we were able to determine the proper strake shape earlier, we found that each plank readily conformed to the contours of the hull. If a builder neglects the task of spiling, however, he will find that a great amount of force is needed to coax the boards into their proper locations. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516070713831920690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnj2aAf708zlbq0Ed96diCp5TU1phGh-ZyJChw289mHkHdIj9sUEZXvc1j9Y4gtrU8FpiHRxWC6XpRQHNRmjoOjc_10-u7jqzKwthA04KWrNnI-EGyYc1pscuLhIgGgLLMRJaUVJAZ_U/s320/July+06+2010+011.jpg" /> Stern view of rabbets<br /><br />Although, by this point in time, we were eager to begin placing the strakes on the strongback, we had to address one final concern—how to seal our craft. In an ideal world, all joints would be perfectly seated against each other, eliminating the need for any sort of bedding compound. However, unless a builder is incredibly skilled and highly accurate, it is inevitable that a boat will have some voids in the joints. This issue can be addressed through two primary means. In traditional lapstrake construction, joints are caulked with textile fibres, such as jute, hemp, or cotton. This system acted upon a simple principle: all of these fibre types swell dramatically when in contact with water. In this way, a craft will “self-seal” due to the expansion of the caulking in its joints. Some builders also believe that this method helps to create pressure within the laps, which subsequently adds some rigidity to the hull. However, there is one major drawback to this approach: the boat will not seal immediately. As a general rule, the craft must be immersed in water for several hours before it will become watertight. In the context of our Willy Winship, a dry-storage daysailer, this means that we would be forced to pre-wet our boat before each sailing session in order to ensure a dry hull. Not only would this be inconvienient, but the retention of water in the caulk during storage would promote the growth of mold and fungi. Fortunately for us, the advent of 21st century technology brought myriad new marine sealants to the marketplace. Builders can now choose from a wide range of polyurethanes, polysulfides, and other petrochemical products that can be handled much like ordinary silicon caulk (note: never mention silicon caulk in the context of a boat, as most builders are vehemently opposed to this material. It is worthwhile to invest the extra $ in a marine sealant, if only to avoid the disapproving looks from other builders). Although some of these products, like 3m 5200, act as both an adhesive and a sealant, the general consensus among the masses is that bedding compounds should have very low adhesive properties and high elasticities in order to allow the wood to move on its own accord. After processing the overwhelming number of opinions that surround this topic (a task unto itself), we finally concluded that we would use Sikaflex 291 on all wood-to-wood joints around the craft. Being an all-purpose, low-strength marine sealant, Sikaflex has the durability and watertight characteristics of a synthetic caulk and the ability to allow wood to undergo seasonal changes unimpeded. </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516068260754650530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5VsCGBw5q_57x2EDe45tgX7w0cdI29poDFcLxwwhhKwTw5ADKYkAV1q8nGp40YinNq2uOsU-ZEyfMShyzUn9k82QPBNCs52udy8eibULeF165u3AOgtuGFNGMyNMkef6Ua1-79m5lUQ/s320/July+06+2010+009.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />The only drawback to this compound is that it may draw disapproving glances from the devout traditionalists. Fortunately, seeing as the Sika is concealed by the joints, the boat, when finished, will be nearly indistinguishable from a cottoned craft—except, of course, for the fact that Willy, unlike the ships of old, will be reliably watertight.<br /><br />Joe Lap<br /><br />COMING SOON: THE PROCESSION OF THE STRAKESJoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-59023215921527162082010-07-23T20:14:00.000-07:002010-07-23T20:14:23.817-07:00The Formation of a HullIt is a pleasure to be able to blog again! As has been the case many other times, recent building activity has conflicted with our ability to keep our readers updated. However, although our blog was silent, the boatshed was abuzz with activity. I am pleased to report that we have made significant headway since the previous post. As shown below, we have completed the side planking and have begun the process of laying the flat bottom. After our most recent efforts, our project is truly starting to take on the likeness of a ship. After such a significant lapse in reporting, it is probably most appropriate to recount the month of June in chronological order. Because the last post detailed the installation of the transom onto the strongback, the last step before planking, it seems appropriate to begin with the garboard.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
When constructing a lapstrake craft, the boards (strakes) overlap each other, much like the shingles of a house. Besides aesthetic appeal, the advantages of this system are twofold. Firstly, the overlapping areas are doubly thick, meaning that they act much like stabilizing stringers running from stem to stern. Because of this, it is possible to create a clinker craft using relatively light material. In addition to adding strength, lapstrake construction also aids in maintaining a dry interior, as the ridges on the outside of the hull serve to direct spray downwards. When sailing in adverse or cool conditions, this is incredibly valuable! Because of the craft’s design, The bottom board, or garboard, is the first plank to be laid, as it is the base on which all of the other strakes will rest. In all boatbuilding books, authors seem to regard the garboard as a formidable challenge. This is primarily because, on round-bilged boats, the first strake must accommodate for the compound curve present at the lower extent of the hull. However, because Willy Winship is a flat-bottomed craft, we were able to avoid many of the issues that generally plague the garboard. Still, we were faced with the difficulty of deriving the correct plank profile in order to minimize stresses exerted on the strake during assembly and use. Although it may appear that a correctly-spiled craft has planks that are slightly curved, or scimitar-shaped, in reality, strakes can be incredibly odd. For example, the sheer on this boat had to be distinctly “s” shaped in order to take the contours of the hull. Thus, it is important to devise a process through which the proper plank form can be determined. When faced with this challenge, the amateur boatbuilder may be tempted to panic, as some experts tout methods that entail the use of several spiling battens, dividers, and transfer marks. Fortunately, there is a simple method of establishing strake shape, sometimes called the “truss method”, consisting of three straightforward steps: <br />
<br />
1. After obtaining two flexible, true battens the width of the laps in question (Plywood seems to be the ideal material for this application, as it is not subject to the natural stresses found in natural woods), clamp one to the previous lap, or, in the case of the garboard, to the chine or keel. <br />
<br />
2. The second batten should be affixed to the molds at the positions predetermined through spiling the hull. It is important to remember to place the batten with the top edge aligned with the mark, as the width of the batten represents an area that will be covered by the following strake<br />
<br />
3. Using a few dozen short scraps of batten material, attach cross braces in a triangular fashion akin to that employed in truss bridges. This will result in the formation of a rigid replica of the plank that can be used to transfer the correct shape to the waiting board.<br />
<br />
Okay, enough theory....here is what really happened: <br />
<br />
1. We took one of our scrap planks that we made while we were practising scarfing and bent it around the molds and marked the chine and battens on the inside with pencil lines. We cut the plank to the lines and put it back on the molds. A total failure--it needed about 6" of edge setting to get it to lie properly on the molds. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dW-_TdTBcpa1XJ5sQqoI50PANdlPlnhBomu2BHUXe04FEIgtToVIrX7A0aWTdzNSYupj-It8w7VvkD6tW-YrPaB_UoRrRbgAjvZrCArzzpJ2JOIh9aX-ZHOanbJnMiqZB1pNrUEkU2M/s1600/Willy+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dW-_TdTBcpa1XJ5sQqoI50PANdlPlnhBomu2BHUXe04FEIgtToVIrX7A0aWTdzNSYupj-It8w7VvkD6tW-YrPaB_UoRrRbgAjvZrCArzzpJ2JOIh9aX-ZHOanbJnMiqZB1pNrUEkU2M/s320/Willy+026.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. Having already been burned once we were too chicken to just jump straight into cutting a valuable plank so we decided to cut up a piece of plywood first to see if we could put the theory into practise. Here is our first truss.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsF96X67ykDFxCwgIX2WFtEKJCL9uocxM5gv8sBAvLugRj8gcKNI_109bEbmO3BjDUHrvBuQKbzwwwWchfHEvZdmadoujHLD-doW4ec6ZhkU0-dYUMZE75z8sRRSRlPs66rqk4Uv7Ygd8/s1600/Willy+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsF96X67ykDFxCwgIX2WFtEKJCL9uocxM5gv8sBAvLugRj8gcKNI_109bEbmO3BjDUHrvBuQKbzwwwWchfHEvZdmadoujHLD-doW4ec6ZhkU0-dYUMZE75z8sRRSRlPs66rqk4Uv7Ygd8/s320/Willy+023.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: small;">3. Laying out the truss on the plywood.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_a8nIaLThj4mzrjo7BrSTSpaSJUbh-tQ1B_23E-t3W6-aw9q5phyoKKEBLicm2aBhlCPmu7E44t8uuCsuj4qaP2OTPpdhdncZLT1Wj2HXt4G4jX4HJvBpRafaes1X2uj1FNYMG83HNY/s1600/Willy+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_a8nIaLThj4mzrjo7BrSTSpaSJUbh-tQ1B_23E-t3W6-aw9q5phyoKKEBLicm2aBhlCPmu7E44t8uuCsuj4qaP2OTPpdhdncZLT1Wj2HXt4G4jX4HJvBpRafaes1X2uj1FNYMG83HNY/s320/Willy+030.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">4 . Plywood plank being fitted to the boat. Success!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCf2kqxWyQsAEbdKLzZDI_pg6heqn8rPYMvxUHfvkwBVy5b8gg3Bh97m6lIzYn0MU9cA-1eO-xdo9NRlcMFUrTY7mAwRrZ2-R1DwVbiSaWmMcqTqM0IUmEvhUvY1fcbIi9mGL_TH1cI6E/s1600/Willy+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCf2kqxWyQsAEbdKLzZDI_pg6heqn8rPYMvxUHfvkwBVy5b8gg3Bh97m6lIzYn0MU9cA-1eO-xdo9NRlcMFUrTY7mAwRrZ2-R1DwVbiSaWmMcqTqM0IUmEvhUvY1fcbIi9mGL_TH1cI6E/s320/Willy+032.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">5. Transferring to the mahogany plank.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;">By using this process, we found that it was possible to obtain board form quickly. After reviewing the lines on the completed craft, we concluded that they closely followed the initial spiling batten locations that we had deemed to be fair earlier—the objective of any spiling technique. No aspect of this method is difficult to master, and, as such, it is ideal for any first-time builder. Despite its simplicity, however, the accuracy of the above system rivals any of the other spiling methods presented by experts.</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoBA0YbIGaogeGR1x2mSGabBF0G55Vrf1Ztq5FKcyJiake11EY3v7UBeBaDJxF77iPRAy3juLwLdfWreDR37nMm7A688_4gtblDHPKUTecXeMdmKtgCup6hyphenhyphen54s6KM8YcmvHIpc-irwM/s1600/Willy+038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoBA0YbIGaogeGR1x2mSGabBF0G55Vrf1Ztq5FKcyJiake11EY3v7UBeBaDJxF77iPRAy3juLwLdfWreDR37nMm7A688_4gtblDHPKUTecXeMdmKtgCup6hyphenhyphen54s6KM8YcmvHIpc-irwM/s320/Willy+038.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">6. Lines on the plank, ready to be cut to shape.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="left"><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JFOPA4pKFH8thyq_D_aL8yD0ieE-p90jzB3030vT3VI1gqRZLcg9mPNJIxmj2Q3ByUdybUBArgPGZ8usvSS0AMUPKn9fsjhz4tB3cbo0KBS4C41yMwA8nLKFZiQIG7apDhvGea1bBU8/s1600/Willy+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JFOPA4pKFH8thyq_D_aL8yD0ieE-p90jzB3030vT3VI1gqRZLcg9mPNJIxmj2Q3ByUdybUBArgPGZ8usvSS0AMUPKn9fsjhz4tB3cbo0KBS4C41yMwA8nLKFZiQIG7apDhvGea1bBU8/s320/Willy+040.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">7. Planning to the line after rough cutting with the circular saw.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;">After transferring the proper dimensions of the plank to the scarfed boards using the assembled truss, it was relatively easy to shape the strakes. In most books, authors recommend using a circular saw for this step, as most planks have too much curve to be cut using a tablesaw. Initially, we were somewhat apprehensive about this prospect, as, for us, the circular saw has been a tool usually reserved for basic cuts requiring little accuracy, or for jobsite construction. It seemed to have no application in the fine craft of boatbuilding. However, having now cut ten boards with this tool, we can attest to the fact that it is effective in this use. By using the saw for rough cuts and reaching our final shape using the hand plane, we were able to combine accuracy and efficiency. Although the saw was useful for this task, we were reminded of the sheer versatility of the hand plane. Although it appears a simple tool, we have reached for the plane countless times for tasks no other tool could do in the construction of Willy. From leveling the chines to squaring the planks at the transom, our two planes have been indispensable in this undertaking. In addition, they are a sheer joy to use! There is something about the rhythmic motion and the whisper of the blade in use that has an entirely unique sensation. Unlike with power tools, where all senses are obscured by the incessant vibration and din of the motor, the user is able to wield a plane purely through feel. Although one could write extensively upon this topic (and that shall probably come), it will suffice to say that any shop that lacks planes is inadequately equipped.</span> </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbauPBgw0Md7CsZFlBaezPFlYDtNcf_hl08nQekth-Tl3KgeVrqeKWYCebaBL2zXt87mZtEp-ZkNwXVlih2mUQo4-LlFqlRFsUZcDRKIJhPF5nixWXvueuaopttlmxz2b2nMUig5qrM5k/s1600/Willy+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbauPBgw0Md7CsZFlBaezPFlYDtNcf_hl08nQekth-Tl3KgeVrqeKWYCebaBL2zXt87mZtEp-ZkNwXVlih2mUQo4-LlFqlRFsUZcDRKIJhPF5nixWXvueuaopttlmxz2b2nMUig5qrM5k/s320/Willy+046.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">8. Hood end cut to shape (trial and error to fit) and the gain cut.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGAIckoFBTUXoH9jjY8LRiArqiTHl3tJKVWCAwQDz1eMWXP2Viv87y-1wdv9YgWZ6R8u0o5HTEWAD230ySE_L5l5iDRUR0bb3iUlX3I8XhhpOGjh_kdqon9FfJlyJe47GrklhV08FWI8/s1600/Willy+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGAIckoFBTUXoH9jjY8LRiArqiTHl3tJKVWCAwQDz1eMWXP2Viv87y-1wdv9YgWZ6R8u0o5HTEWAD230ySE_L5l5iDRUR0bb3iUlX3I8XhhpOGjh_kdqon9FfJlyJe47GrklhV08FWI8/s320/Willy+050.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">9. First plank in place and the spiling battens positioned and ready for the truss webs to be added.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-91768222508764038272010-05-17T07:37:00.000-07:002010-05-17T07:37:45.283-07:00A Hunk of Mahogany -- AKA the TransomFinally, time to blog—this weeks exciting episode is about the transom. Our transom started life as a piece of rough sawn 4/4 African Mahogany 10” wide and 16’ long. After planning our board was reduced to ~7/8” and was cut into 2 pieces each about 44” long. The two pieces were then matched together to get the best looking grain with the hope that it would look like a single board once we glued it up. <br />
<br />
<br />
The process we used is as follows:<br />
<br />
• Joint the edges of the two boards<br />
<br />
• Position and use the router to place 4 biscuits (extra strength)<br />
<br />
• Dry fit to ensure that everything is right (expand the size of a couple biscuit slots because they are too small)<br />
<br />
• Mix and apply epoxy<br />
<br />
• Slather biscuits with epoxy and slide them into one side of the board<br />
<br />
• Apply epoxy to the rest of the board edge<br />
<br />
• Push the boards together and gently lay them down on the top of the table saw (with wax paper under the joint)<br />
<br />
• Clamp the boards to each other and also down to the table saw top (nice and flat)<br />
<br />
• Wait<br />
<br />
Once the epoxy was dry we unclamped it and had the good fortune to take it to my son’s shop class to run it through a brand new General thickness sander. Tam, if you are following along on our blog, thanks again for this kindness, it really saved us a bunch of time and the end result was far superior to anything we could have done with our tools. <br />
<br />
Here is a picture of the end product. Can you see the line? Or is it one board?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0_i-udVrZ9X1FYgbxg1QWI8RsCFkG-zS7gs5khRuH46jLEtvS6EN6GVTlfU8XYIG5J4KOpeCqM_B5mGIYKxzShqwKAtMQRX70Ez9AIETtMXs6vxfWTNM0W-U2urio0vYDz1NXxCM1mY/s1600/Willy+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0_i-udVrZ9X1FYgbxg1QWI8RsCFkG-zS7gs5khRuH46jLEtvS6EN6GVTlfU8XYIG5J4KOpeCqM_B5mGIYKxzShqwKAtMQRX70Ez9AIETtMXs6vxfWTNM0W-U2urio0vYDz1NXxCM1mY/s320/Willy+005.jpg" wt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZMKOT0YpKBuLtnrFt5pNHdZL3nAdND6DkL9hscwccLA1dl8Qn3QPyMefl5_D0hx0Rt6T-CwuZmHeBZqcWStalmBfLV8zEB87sJi45HJ2F7HBopH1HPrefRcOCyDKLCrQdnsdHQYYd7Y/s1600/Willy+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZMKOT0YpKBuLtnrFt5pNHdZL3nAdND6DkL9hscwccLA1dl8Qn3QPyMefl5_D0hx0Rt6T-CwuZmHeBZqcWStalmBfLV8zEB87sJi45HJ2F7HBopH1HPrefRcOCyDKLCrQdnsdHQYYd7Y/s320/Willy+007.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Now the real fun gets started. Willy calls for a top curve on the transom, but the plans do not show the radius of this curve only that the center will be 2” higher than the side height. Scaling the curve of the plans showed a radius of 84” so I knew that a large trammel would be in order. Working with scrap pieces of plywood for the trammel I gradually worked my way up to a radius of ~120” before the center was 2 ¼” higher than the middle and that is where I decided to stop the madness. <br />
<br />
Hereare the pictures of the trammel jig for my router.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVwEZDjv2eQEzAOk7R-1iqKP6nGofFCgebuz9XD1q5bj9wZY_VYqy1nba0cBm8zc0JoJoQ7IP6x7rqTlp52wfAZJRTPws_dS7-GEFeE_tYuoRFkSKS2rNrLswPCtlsiXTsYJwTriqY1c/s1600/Willy+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVwEZDjv2eQEzAOk7R-1iqKP6nGofFCgebuz9XD1q5bj9wZY_VYqy1nba0cBm8zc0JoJoQ7IP6x7rqTlp52wfAZJRTPws_dS7-GEFeE_tYuoRFkSKS2rNrLswPCtlsiXTsYJwTriqY1c/s320/Willy+001.jpg" wt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LnLBaVn6XS3rfS8Vdq7FHf-d36VzB2XOrbXxkB8vhaADuwX0AZsqk-5I42PjRsdnNu32FOwkyE91dCXqEFZ5iI-Sz_Ixstaz4kqA7U8N_5n8Qln1ugA1FQymL-aInEA-dsjWej2Car8/s1600/Willy+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LnLBaVn6XS3rfS8Vdq7FHf-d36VzB2XOrbXxkB8vhaADuwX0AZsqk-5I42PjRsdnNu32FOwkyE91dCXqEFZ5iI-Sz_Ixstaz4kqA7U8N_5n8Qln1ugA1FQymL-aInEA-dsjWej2Car8/s320/Willy+003.jpg" wt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JqerGp959daS7phgXtOkQgVuBL7ypUqQCnfM1Ke-o4BgNfw6BHy15I2pQ58_tWV7-kG7E6zCws0DArqVvBTpchJ1PMMmtZXSCNZgcJBCUbSC7AXL0TsATNXU4pA7xwLltcsHM12kde0/s1600/Willy+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JqerGp959daS7phgXtOkQgVuBL7ypUqQCnfM1Ke-o4BgNfw6BHy15I2pQ58_tWV7-kG7E6zCws0DArqVvBTpchJ1PMMmtZXSCNZgcJBCUbSC7AXL0TsATNXU4pA7xwLltcsHM12kde0/s320/Willy+008.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>I cut a pattern in a piece of MDF and then used that to cut the actual transom. I decided that the two step method was safer than directly cutting the transom on the trammel since I do not have enough mahogany to make another transom with should I accidentally wreck this one. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnglFcVFzv9Ez7kaqeGdYaEqJKj2OUXTh4FlOZfjvpGb_WulODb8hkTswC9gPpJ39cERwJzG-46Pk9v4wlzjSKQ2iqRPrzyTzZgoQv8jxPQ5fCGMpjN8FRUjN_Kmc5g8YtdBOlaT4Ln4/s1600/Willy+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnglFcVFzv9Ez7kaqeGdYaEqJKj2OUXTh4FlOZfjvpGb_WulODb8hkTswC9gPpJ39cERwJzG-46Pk9v4wlzjSKQ2iqRPrzyTzZgoQv8jxPQ5fCGMpjN8FRUjN_Kmc5g8YtdBOlaT4Ln4/s320/Willy+010.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYHkJU9Mtw5ND963BLx5DaUOekMPQhnjjcZ9DLXt4LuPQWTbMltu_hgpsTBkXxM7_dhvE4plspjkS-ozBL2B-1CTzTVTz6mmH34sfRk8NJ_ZG376L7GCpGmTedUAsPQyfQf5bBsW9ncY/s1600/Willy+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYHkJU9Mtw5ND963BLx5DaUOekMPQhnjjcZ9DLXt4LuPQWTbMltu_hgpsTBkXxM7_dhvE4plspjkS-ozBL2B-1CTzTVTz6mmH34sfRk8NJ_ZG376L7GCpGmTedUAsPQyfQf5bBsW9ncY/s320/Willy+013.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The transom is a complex board with many angles that have to be cut. On Willy the transom is slightly angled backwards from the stem of the boat and of course it is significantly wider at the top than the bottom. All of which means that the sides of the transom are complex angles (up and down--height, and front to back--thickness). To determine these angle we went back to the lofted plan to determine the side angles and to the plans to get the front to back angle. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Using the table saw the blade was set at the correct angle 10 degrees, and the transom was held down on the sliding table at an angle. Lots of care needs to be taken at this step or you will end up with one of the beveled angles going the wrong way. I wish I had taken a picture at this stage to help you visualize.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Cut the board without problems and then trial fit it to the boat. It was clear that the front to back angle was wrong, thankfully we could just remove more material. So back to the table saw, change the angle ( a bit of a guess now) and re-cut. Whew, it all worked out.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Lots of steps to get to this point but it was nice to finish up and to screw the transom to the chines on the boat. Next up planking.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-58755321428715792162010-05-04T18:09:00.000-07:002010-05-04T18:13:15.798-07:00Lining OffWith the stem in place and a full head of steam, we are excited to be thinking about moving into the planking. But first, we have to line off the boat…a job that everyone says is more feel than science. <br />
<br />
Willy calls for five planks and although they are drawn onto the plan on the front page we realize upon inspection that the lines shown have no reference to reality. We think that the planks will look best if they appear to all be about the same size. For the middle planks that will be no problem. But the garboard and sheer strake planks present their own issues. Optically the garboard plank will include the thickness of the flooring, so this plank needs to be a little smaller than the others to appear the same size. Whereas the sheer strake plank will be partially covered by the outwale so this plank needs to be a little bigger than the middle ones. <br />
<br />
So there you have the theory, in reality we ended up making all the middle planks the same width, the garboard about ½” smaller and the sheer strake about ¼” bigger. As it turned out our planks are not wide enough to accommodate a sheer any wider so we compromised. <br />
<br />
We had real problems with getting good battens for the lining out. At first we ripped up a spruce 2 x 4 in to 3/8” strips and even though the board was straight to start out with it had some incredible internal forces that warped these thin strip something fierce. For stability we decided to use plywood. The 3/8” ply was ripped into ¾” wide strips (the width of our overlap) and scarfed together to make 16’ battens. We encountered some difficulties with battens where there was a gap in the 3 ply, plywood—this was solved quickly by brad nailing a section of reinforcing plywood over the bad piece. It was amazing how visual this task really is, there is lots of looking at the battens from different angles in order to determine what a “fair line” really is. Here is was we have decided to run with:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezISoTBViQOq4114quBwilkK0T5XW5BBHcY3CT6242xoWdEFMBX6AgmESuPiWzwZX7SnfWO7mYBl4ZP_SohoD7kHE2GWc2II2SxPVjSavLtbfWg5Qluwqm6t3CoTHuS4t-tsnfrR3puw/s1600/Willy+198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezISoTBViQOq4114quBwilkK0T5XW5BBHcY3CT6242xoWdEFMBX6AgmESuPiWzwZX7SnfWO7mYBl4ZP_SohoD7kHE2GWc2II2SxPVjSavLtbfWg5Qluwqm6t3CoTHuS4t-tsnfrR3puw/s320/Willy+198.jpg" tt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NAQeaF0xfCbETbhYLOl5RH29sHJ4bojGLLLpkBk_1k4_CaO4F3ni-mzH58Z5mawQtI8lzuOGUTsaCNKi7S6zeSZfeYTscTQOAQvx4mKtoIWt_1AxY2hLoUoSaLUFxbyFQ8wuyQkjhm8/s1600/Willy+194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NAQeaF0xfCbETbhYLOl5RH29sHJ4bojGLLLpkBk_1k4_CaO4F3ni-mzH58Z5mawQtI8lzuOGUTsaCNKi7S6zeSZfeYTscTQOAQvx4mKtoIWt_1AxY2hLoUoSaLUFxbyFQ8wuyQkjhm8/s320/Willy+194.jpg" tt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiar7Pa1J-aRpB-RxQY_7qOb3JYz2YNRblw4l0t43390cQP3nU0e5iE5spSkdwVDKCo5ynoBv2jsEqo4Rcl6_6XlrQal09k-pMI2IeheL2v3oGOIbrp3JtytQuduWpMUVcsRRvCwpA1iV0/s1600/Willy+193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiar7Pa1J-aRpB-RxQY_7qOb3JYz2YNRblw4l0t43390cQP3nU0e5iE5spSkdwVDKCo5ynoBv2jsEqo4Rcl6_6XlrQal09k-pMI2IeheL2v3oGOIbrp3JtytQuduWpMUVcsRRvCwpA1iV0/s320/Willy+193.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssoNmr90U7uvTCDtjmLSbhJ-w4rz_m2AVUaY-RsPIzyDw-8KEdwVMFG0rqbQmptEnguB3LK3KZFvvt_Wo5y3-1IkHKGu1RRm1c9M9-j21hqhlfaPnhWPJymZKHR576gaPoIOuX3w20rs/s1600/Willy+185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssoNmr90U7uvTCDtjmLSbhJ-w4rz_m2AVUaY-RsPIzyDw-8KEdwVMFG0rqbQmptEnguB3LK3KZFvvt_Wo5y3-1IkHKGu1RRm1c9M9-j21hqhlfaPnhWPJymZKHR576gaPoIOuX3w20rs/s320/Willy+185.jpg" tt="true" /></a>Oh, and did I mention that we needed to plane off the chines before lining off? Probably not so here is a short of that process using old fashioned hand tools--a delightful job actually until you get right up tight to the stem where the whole process gets a little more trying. Simply plane until a board laid across the chines lies flat on both chines. Here is junior at work:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our planks were purchased off a Kijiji listing for “magogany boards”. The mahogany boards are approximately 8’ long and 5 ½” wide and were used to panel a rec room for the past 20 years or so. Willy is ~14’ long and since we couldn’t find an inexpensive board stretcher we decided to scarf the boards to get the desired lengths. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjO0xlTUWj-0Jt-olJVEiLL5sI_VWxd92oGe5jBd6oMAwiBWjhQvr3dEGpKJGMIbQZaisnBlsVhLQcvUARBEacCDinvKIAIx44K0hL1jbMMlfUl3aj-UppTE5ZqhvXhSV_fLTK5z43XE/s1600/Willy+200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjO0xlTUWj-0Jt-olJVEiLL5sI_VWxd92oGe5jBd6oMAwiBWjhQvr3dEGpKJGMIbQZaisnBlsVhLQcvUARBEacCDinvKIAIx44K0hL1jbMMlfUl3aj-UppTE5ZqhvXhSV_fLTK5z43XE/s320/Willy+200.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Scarfing has been a huge pain in the neck, first we built a scarfing jig for a router—basically a ramp at a 12:1 ratio. Unhappy with the resulting feathered edges of the scarf we experimented with a table saw scarfing jig. This jig worked really well for the narrow chines but it is limited by the height of the blade to about 2 ½”. I tried to come up with a fool-proof way to run the board through a 2nd time to get the other half of the cut but eventually decided to wasn’t very repeatable or accurate. So I went back to the router jig and played around until I started getting nice square looking edges on the scarfs. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsbUi50WElouH_J6P70EnYPDhawKsYerK4yGBTv15m8gVz1NghpHtTtCP2e3bbret83OoYObYPHlebfDWp1wV38moqda4TRYuhXVal1KBVCeC70fC8jgU3jL7Legu6rVNXSC7I5AfOhA/s1600/Willy+208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsbUi50WElouH_J6P70EnYPDhawKsYerK4yGBTv15m8gVz1NghpHtTtCP2e3bbret83OoYObYPHlebfDWp1wV38moqda4TRYuhXVal1KBVCeC70fC8jgU3jL7Legu6rVNXSC7I5AfOhA/s320/Willy+208.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Router Scarfing Jig Tricks<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1. As the wood gets thinner and thinner it has a tendency to start to lift up at the leading edge. Clamping it more aggressively will not stop this from happening. The result is a ragged leading edge if you just continue to finish the scarf. The trick is to elevate the back end of the board, this will keep downward pressure on the leading edge so that you can get a nice square finished edge.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2. Slowly advance the board along the scarfing jig taking medium depth passes at the beginning and lighter passes as you get close to finishing up.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3. Draw a line across the jig base to indicate the intersection between the base and the router bit. By doing this you will finish all of your scarfs in the same position and of course know when to stop (note: if you move the board beyond this point you will probably get a ragged edge cut again).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4. Another advantage of elevating the back end of the board is that you don’t need to clamp the board into position—instead I just used a small anvil as a weight to secure the board and had no troubles with the board moving during routering. Tip – check the location of the anvil by looking at the front edge of the plank, if it is too far back the leading edge of the plank will start to rise up off the base of the jig.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEChJtnwP0o4laszUH1NK6rxU9Uq-uNj5WFvuVULqaYURTN24gfilDND8Cv8jNB3fwP0onDXvTK0XwO6oB84SM7ejsmt3-ths9lhABajRcp6HibNmTMNkmrZgauHpoRFwKWz9kp0FEJBI/s1600/Willy+205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEChJtnwP0o4laszUH1NK6rxU9Uq-uNj5WFvuVULqaYURTN24gfilDND8Cv8jNB3fwP0onDXvTK0XwO6oB84SM7ejsmt3-ths9lhABajRcp6HibNmTMNkmrZgauHpoRFwKWz9kp0FEJBI/s320/Willy+205.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Using this method I found that scarfing can be a very rewarding and easy task with highly repeatable results. Although I will continue to use the table saw jig for smaller pieces of wood as it is much quicker and yields excellent results.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Gluing up the scarfed boards has been a long process that has been dictated by the speed at which our epoxy hardens. We purchased Industrial Formulators G-2 epoxy because it will cure in colder temperatures which has been a real blessing as there have been very few days so far this year when our “boat shed” (read garage here) has been above 70 F for much time. The downside to this epoxy is that it takes a long time to set up, generally 24 hrs. Consequently we have been gluing up 3-4 boards every day for the past few days and are just now ready to start the process of planking. But first we need to finish up the transom and get it installed—stay tuned!!!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZPqoLmSyTHjhWHlikoRxROpIMtT9cSOCjFwlGS6xMqwbhikN7lJesKBwk6R7w7XjR44igHJM3x9k4SKkMUcHYj8gx5m6_j88mscMyy9_CDRhrfp-GEy83nRKNu90Kjk1c8FZcFDG3vA/s1600/Willy+210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZPqoLmSyTHjhWHlikoRxROpIMtT9cSOCjFwlGS6xMqwbhikN7lJesKBwk6R7w7XjR44igHJM3x9k4SKkMUcHYj8gx5m6_j88mscMyy9_CDRhrfp-GEy83nRKNu90Kjk1c8FZcFDG3vA/s320/Willy+210.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-20032256578946901122010-04-22T18:31:00.000-07:002010-04-23T16:35:05.807-07:00The Journey of the StemHi,<br />
<br />
Sorry about the delay in postings. Although we endeavour to keep our followers informed, it sometimes seems like building can come to occupy blogging time. As we are tentatively planning to finish this craft by Summer, it seems as though we need every opportunity to work that we can. Anyways, significant progress has been made since the purchase of materials, and the stem is now completed. <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqfwWBHN3C_weWcZ2Qk0QNyp4m14PRJG1iWptq69SrjzplnL_Ip5tbtDkTG08MHNS8eZbfRorBVPX8spcYywUhw3aakknyl4m4wp_9LyhPzuwynyWH6roOTDZoj_tsD6D1SyODxbMOfw/s1600/Willy+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqfwWBHN3C_weWcZ2Qk0QNyp4m14PRJG1iWptq69SrjzplnL_Ip5tbtDkTG08MHNS8eZbfRorBVPX8spcYywUhw3aakknyl4m4wp_9LyhPzuwynyWH6roOTDZoj_tsD6D1SyODxbMOfw/s320/Willy+008.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Stem Pieces and Templates</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7Ys3MX-xb6ENBqFKfh4ta8N1SD6wgl8S3xsA7AZ-548uPXx-BB7hx8YdbsBsYR41VcWfxbITo3_mhzWykDhQ1AhaY1U37hWJXlemhTBkTnk0X74LA9XsvEA-kgLIPxYZm0AHEZJLb58/s1600/Willy+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7Ys3MX-xb6ENBqFKfh4ta8N1SD6wgl8S3xsA7AZ-548uPXx-BB7hx8YdbsBsYR41VcWfxbITo3_mhzWykDhQ1AhaY1U37hWJXlemhTBkTnk0X74LA9XsvEA-kgLIPxYZm0AHEZJLb58/s320/Willy+011.jpg" tt="true" /></a>As mentioned previously, we decided to build the stem out of three laminated mahogany layers. By doing this, we hoped to achieve the required 2.5" while still keeping weight (and costs) down. The adhesive of choice for this task was System 3's G2. Originally used to construct aircraft, and designed to have superior joint strength and flexibility, we figured that it would be ideal for the task. Anything that can be trusted to keep a plane in the air is definitely good enough for a little knockabout sailboat. In addition, this stuff has incredible open time--it will remain workable for up to 4 hours after preparation! This is extremely useful when one needs to glue several joints (eg all of the scarfs for the planking), as it does not place pressure on expedience, which ultimately leads to mistakes. Because Atkin specifies a 2-piece stem in the drawings, we had a total of 6 pieces to cut out and keep track of. After roughing components to size with a jigsaw and finishing with a router and template, we epoxied them to form the finished stem. A 2.5" thick stem is truly formidable when completed! As the mahogany we selected is fairly hard, we are confident that the stem will handle any abuse it might face. Another step in the journey of building a boat!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5Cy947IvTPgJYZp24H6MIzNrW2UyC_HKGS3VcgJD_1h438uOfxtk8M8xC0t1rAspqUSnXnUAicTOcpbTRLGdi2TjKqKtezCrOvcjol4Xq_eQlvxY0bugQ7lU7qljeZLzoU1Ti8so4W8/s1600/Willy+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5Cy947IvTPgJYZp24H6MIzNrW2UyC_HKGS3VcgJD_1h438uOfxtk8M8xC0t1rAspqUSnXnUAicTOcpbTRLGdi2TjKqKtezCrOvcjol4Xq_eQlvxY0bugQ7lU7qljeZLzoU1Ti8so4W8/s320/Willy+009.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Glue-up of the Stem</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9zB9vyyEMjbg3tOrV5l1ql2ozDpnW62bjKMNTpOIJQdM_X3wqdkKf56zTYYltB-kzPgHdS-jyJBa7-yNqHnM4tuy8mOc02kWqo1u66giHAdu-AA_vgAyX01WYC0-96orXNDA-51iZ8E/s1600/Willy+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9zB9vyyEMjbg3tOrV5l1ql2ozDpnW62bjKMNTpOIJQdM_X3wqdkKf56zTYYltB-kzPgHdS-jyJBa7-yNqHnM4tuy8mOc02kWqo1u66giHAdu-AA_vgAyX01WYC0-96orXNDA-51iZ8E/s320/Willy+021.jpg" tt="true" width="240" /></a>The next challenge was that of the stem rabbet--a daunting task to first time builders, as a mistake here can tarnish a beautiful piece of wood. Problematically, the plans do not illustrate the rear delineation of the rabbet-the bearding line. Although we had a general idea of the position of the stem line (the front boundary of the rabbet), the bearding line was a bit of a mystery. However, after some puzzling over the plans and reading others' accounts of this step, we found that, in fact, the process used to determine this line is fairly straightforward. From the overhead view of the craft in the plans, which defines the angle at which the planking meets the stem, it is possible to use trig to complete the calculation. Knowing the width of the planking and the angle, one can find the hypoteneuse (the distance between the bearding and stem lines) at both the top and bottom of the craft. From here, a batten between the lines lends the shape the rabbet must take. For a more in depth account of this process, I highly reccommend the Unlikely Boatbuilder's blog. Finally, our preparations for the build have paid off! Using a mallet, a few sharp chisels and a fid (a small piece of wood the same dimensions as the planking), the stem rabbet can be cut. I know that it's frustrating that all the books leave it at this, but it is a process that is much easier to experience than to explain. Being sure to make careful, conservative cuts and checking progress with the fid often will ensure a tight fitting rabbet. It truly is not as difficult as it may seem.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_MsQqX0XDBQB0RXv142aAg-ILzr_WDqanLnD3jEDJ46e7fGcTdQvOFfy34em2ZOTPvhzG7KRKJxy9Cl2XG2RLLyH7fQLNVwvFkh4FIQlMf9uVxoAneqgoSVz1VUKpLnQGrgEumAyzGQ/s1600/Willy+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_MsQqX0XDBQB0RXv142aAg-ILzr_WDqanLnD3jEDJ46e7fGcTdQvOFfy34em2ZOTPvhzG7KRKJxy9Cl2XG2RLLyH7fQLNVwvFkh4FIQlMf9uVxoAneqgoSVz1VUKpLnQGrgEumAyzGQ/s320/Willy+004.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Rivets and Roves for the Hull</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1_K8lDAVX1RTJlMCmvRUMIMUrGcqvQKyyDlocSgCNAGMv33KsEirSK4prY_NbH3cblPp0Q0eclGbXmk7OhDT6v6oq4c-E09WPTNt1UG2jiUjEtj_sgatrEACJhOUKKRpXO-WGZETQyQ/s1600/Willy+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1_K8lDAVX1RTJlMCmvRUMIMUrGcqvQKyyDlocSgCNAGMv33KsEirSK4prY_NbH3cblPp0Q0eclGbXmk7OhDT6v6oq4c-E09WPTNt1UG2jiUjEtj_sgatrEACJhOUKKRpXO-WGZETQyQ/s320/Willy+001.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">316 Stainless--Pricey Stuff!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Lastly, while on vacation, we obtained our required hardware from Jamestown. With this and a completed stem, there is little that still stands between us and planking. Dauntless, we shall press forward into the realm of spiling battens, lap bevels, gains, and much more. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">JoeLapstrake </div><img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9zB9vyyEMjbg3tOrV5l1ql2ozDpnW62bjKMNTpOIJQdM_X3wqdkKf56zTYYltB-kzPgHdS-jyJBa7-yNqHnM4tuy8mOc02kWqo1u66giHAdu-AA_vgAyX01WYC0-96orXNDA-51iZ8E/s320/Willy+021.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 460px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 449px; visibility: hidden;" width="72" /><img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9zB9vyyEMjbg3tOrV5l1ql2ozDpnW62bjKMNTpOIJQdM_X3wqdkKf56zTYYltB-kzPgHdS-jyJBa7-yNqHnM4tuy8mOc02kWqo1u66giHAdu-AA_vgAyX01WYC0-96orXNDA-51iZ8E/s320/Willy+021.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 363px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 1717px; visibility: hidden;" width="72" />JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-84104308264601105912010-04-12T20:20:00.000-07:002010-04-12T20:20:15.827-07:00Spinning my WheelsThe frames are built, the strongback is assembled, the chines are 80% done, and now I need a bunch of things to move forward. <br />
<br />
First on the list is wood for the stem and transom. The plans call for white oak for the stem and mahogany for the transom. The stem is 2 1/4" wide, or 10/4 material....a look at the local hardwood vendors proves to be fruitless for anything that thick as a single piece, some guys have some 8/4 but that just won't do. So the only choice is to glue up two or three pieces to get what I need, the problem is that oak is not a good candidate for gluing with expoxy because of the high tannins levels. This leads to a long investigation into the merits of the various glues that are appropriate for below the water line useage. Turns out that the choices are limited to epoxy and resorcinol. <br />
<br />
Resorcinol is the glue that is used to make marine grade plywood and what everyone complains about is the dark glue that it leaves and the fact that it is not a gap filling glue, in fact the surfaces need to be well-mated and clamped for the glue to do its stuff. On the positive side it can be used with oak and no one has any horror stories to tell about failing joints--even after 20 years.<br />
<br />
Okay I'm in, resorcinol it is then. Here comes the spinning my wheels part...turns out that resorcinol is not easily available around here so now I'm back to square one. But a little more knowledgable on glue!<br />
<br />
Decided to try out a local hardwood wholesaler called PJ White that I had heard will sell retail also. Turned out to be a good move, as I was pulling up to the yard I see a guy driving a fork lift with 8-10pcs of mahogany out to a contractor's truck. Beautiful looking boards all between 10 & 14" wide, 4/4 material each board 16' long. They carry two types of mahogany, african and honduras, african is about 1/2 the price of honduras. Ended up buying a single 11" wide plank, 16' long with nice figure (thought it will look nice if left bright on the stern of Willy) that I cut in two with a handsaw in the yard before loading it into my Volvo wagon.<br />
<br />
The 4/4 material turned out to be closer to 5/4 so my plan is to plane a little off one side, glue them together with epoxy and use one of the 8' mahogany boards for the stem. I will have to find a use for the remainder of this board. But, the price was so good from PJ's that I can't go wrong--about 30% cheaper than the other local suppliers.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFk2gYnSvW9-fxtLQVNrGBpQ8Vh1I7ok31BEF1Hdu9EYsmyy4ZteZN_9JYM2EU4CPu9JAJdLAENTc2hY_rSKDPndshehaYU8hjlXOC-zf45yM1LYi-cEFWPHUD1KttA_DRKkD4l3f9cI/s1600/Willy+Strongback+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFk2gYnSvW9-fxtLQVNrGBpQ8Vh1I7ok31BEF1Hdu9EYsmyy4ZteZN_9JYM2EU4CPu9JAJdLAENTc2hY_rSKDPndshehaYU8hjlXOC-zf45yM1LYi-cEFWPHUD1KttA_DRKkD4l3f9cI/s320/Willy+Strongback+032.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Feeling pretty good about getting the wood and glue issues all resolved but then started thinking about that mahogany and wondering what the moisture content of that wood might be??? Don't have a moisture meter so I am a little resistant to start cutting it to size and thickness right away. Besides, there are still more problems that I need to solve before I can go much further.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">First on the list is to order fasteners. The original plan was to use copper nails and burrs and silicone bronze screws. Jamestown Distributors was the vendor of choice (seem to have the best prices) but when we went to place our order we discovered that the price of silicone bronze screws went up 80% (we were stunned!!!). </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This led to a massive internet search on the pros and cons of using either bronze or stainless steel. Both seem to have there place in wooden boat building but the clincher for us was a post by a boat builder on Vancouver Island who was replacing the hull on his boat that spent the last 15 years in salt water and said that the stainless steel screws he was removing were all in excellent shape. That is more than enough proof for us prairie boys that only have some fleeting hopes that our boat will get into the salt off Vancouver Island some year. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I also changed my mind and decided to use roves instead of burrs. The nails for the roves are smaller in diameter than the nails I would have to use with the burrs and since our planking is 3/8" I was concerned that the larger holes would impact the structural integrity of the plank edges.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">With all this time on my hands I decided to would be a good idea to mock up the stem and see if we really understand how to create the rabbet. So we took a piece of spruce 2x10 and laid out the stem from our lofted pattern. Really quite simple, we drew the stem up on a piece of 1/4" ply so we just put some nails through the key points along the perimeter and then using a batten re-drew the stem on the 2 by. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Once we had the rabbet line and the bearding line (following the instructions from the "Boat Builders Apprentice") in place we made a fid (a fancy name for a piece of wood the same dimensions as your planking) we starting working away at chipping out the rabbet with our chisels. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When we put the stem into place we were pleased and a little surprised to see that our rabbet was good ( a little rough but passable). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQ2M2hOAOlD-UpkhSJYVHonWq_RlwCIClCDl6MaOJNy_sNi84wANWNUhS19WSRyWs0M9OXXT7FPjm7hrUCjOhyN6yRn0ZoN88gFhnixyh1qGqwJX0-o-uNUkw-Q8OrceejuBctdB-mLs/s1600/Willy+Strongback+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQ2M2hOAOlD-UpkhSJYVHonWq_RlwCIClCDl6MaOJNy_sNi84wANWNUhS19WSRyWs0M9OXXT7FPjm7hrUCjOhyN6yRn0ZoN88gFhnixyh1qGqwJX0-o-uNUkw-Q8OrceejuBctdB-mLs/s320/Willy+Strongback+034.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">All that chipping with a hammer led to another project--making a proper wooden mallet. Found a great plan by Diego de Assis that provides all the proper dimensions --http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/dAssis/art/mallet/mallet-1.asp</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I made mine from some scrap maple and consequently built the head up out of 3 layers rather than the single piece that Diego uses. If you decide to build yours this way here are a couple of pointers that will save you some head scratching. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1. Use an adjustable square to set the angle of the handle and the insides of the center mallet head pieces. Once you set this angle you can easily lay out all these pieces and then cut them.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2. Glue up the head in sections, position and glue center head pieces (2) to one of the side pieces and let it cure. Then glue the other outside piece in place. It is much easier to build it up in phases rather than dealing with a slimey, moving mess of all 4 pieces at once.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So far I have been really impressed with how well this tool works. At first I thought the angle on the head might we too much but after using it for a while I can tell you it is perfect!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaS07v6IY88Ef_0V8V2dpJXkdJJxulkkmyFEthNKga4iVx_wB2I9gtvqZ0qdK4e8GBDa152czvx9ib-iPEzIfQoxGvgAjZcs5nuuWhW9jMiHuLnfmKIHTxxvK5EgZ6EFMOUQ_roWGEjI/s1600/Willy+Strongback+035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaS07v6IY88Ef_0V8V2dpJXkdJJxulkkmyFEthNKga4iVx_wB2I9gtvqZ0qdK4e8GBDa152czvx9ib-iPEzIfQoxGvgAjZcs5nuuWhW9jMiHuLnfmKIHTxxvK5EgZ6EFMOUQ_roWGEjI/s320/Willy+Strongback+035.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div>Joe JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-59743930675763234662010-03-23T18:12:00.000-07:002010-03-23T18:12:46.151-07:00How to put a clamp on things<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Clamps are an essential part of any boatwright's arsenal. They find countless uses around the shop and are downright indispensable when laying laps. However, it always seems like one needs just a few more than he/she has. The boatwright is then faced with a question: "How shall I obtain more?". There are two options: buy some or build some. Unfortunately, the former is usually quite a costly affair, as clamps run anywhere from $7-$25 apiece. When you need to place one every foot on a 14' boat, it puts quite a dent in the project funding. Because of this, many people (including us) turn to the latter approach. Some design very elaborate bandsawn clamps, but, in our experience, it is much easier (and faster) to use a simpler approach. Using the method outlined below, it is possible to turn out clamps for under $2.50 each. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Firstly, it is important to determine what depth of reach is required. As we will be using 6" lap material, our clamps must have a deep throat. A 12" piece of 2x2 fits the bill perfectly. For pads, we used 1/4" material for the front part of the clamps, and 3/4" for the backs (ensure that the difference between widths is at least the same width as the joint to be clamped--otherwise the clamps will skew, reducing holding power). For hardware, we recommend 4-6" carriage bolts and 3-wing poly handles (available from Lee Valley). The plastic handles provide much more leverage than a wing nut, not to mention a lot more comfort. The photographs below should make it easy to copy our method</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0f8i_j0XAfzjP9xv9Y5UEvFJ9KwakF413mpEjOjSUq03_ieotjOso73z-V1qoGggO3z6Sfir3No0hWjTf-2xt9Xcs24WskyKM3ukAdKwVuvo1x91HFfhHGtQxMyd6xpW1fLKYGlAj64/s1600-h/Willy+Strongback+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0f8i_j0XAfzjP9xv9Y5UEvFJ9KwakF413mpEjOjSUq03_ieotjOso73z-V1qoGggO3z6Sfir3No0hWjTf-2xt9Xcs24WskyKM3ukAdKwVuvo1x91HFfhHGtQxMyd6xpW1fLKYGlAj64/s320/Willy+Strongback+021.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">All of the parts for one clamp cut out (mise en place, as the French would call it). The 5/16" hardware ensures sturdiness.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After drilling a hole in each of the clamp halves, thread the bolt through...</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Et voila, un clamp!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1dEtwNarZXPDTtoFCBJ6PNPlqKUqiV3LtcrdEl0Anx0-sPt3GQB5etCIXhC5H_ce0NOnkgJZ06QSf777jQHAB5d6VAhCTiiuQSkNfMCaxdhp5CIP_wWX35kjQelY9z3hVF8S1j8CGJ4/s1600-h/Willy+Strongback+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1dEtwNarZXPDTtoFCBJ6PNPlqKUqiV3LtcrdEl0Anx0-sPt3GQB5etCIXhC5H_ce0NOnkgJZ06QSf777jQHAB5d6VAhCTiiuQSkNfMCaxdhp5CIP_wWX35kjQelY9z3hVF8S1j8CGJ4/s320/Willy+Strongback+023.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Hope that this tutorial helps to clear up any confusion surrounding the creation of clamps (and keeps a few hundred $ out of the hands of those Jorgenson guys :)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Joe Lap</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-27095878757109751012010-03-11T19:17:00.000-08:002010-03-11T19:17:36.613-08:00Strongback - Adding the Transom SupportToday's boat building activities consisted of adding the transom support to the strongback and sharpening plane blades for the job ahead.<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I am sure that professional boat builders have a method of attaching the transom to the strongback without driving a fastener through the transom that would have to be plugged later. We were unable to figure out that method from either our readings or from the internet so we have elected to add a plywood sub-transom (a new boating term no doubt!!) frame to which we can clamp the real transom. To do this, we first attached a couple of sister joists to our strongback with the appropriate angle cut in them for the transom (Picture 1). The plywood sub-transom was leveled and screwed to the sister joists (Picture 2). </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1y3KwDszUNTNRfI9lC6SLYu2Z06ceJoxmyx6rgS2mTWiTtvqNs0lsf0DfrapQQYU5YguSDpkETGSPI35AAPb-ggfadwK1KprkbD1onHZNWKbIKSoz6RVDrmlD4o1zszrhtcNcNEu87v8/s1600-h/Willy+Strongback+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1y3KwDszUNTNRfI9lC6SLYu2Z06ceJoxmyx6rgS2mTWiTtvqNs0lsf0DfrapQQYU5YguSDpkETGSPI35AAPb-ggfadwK1KprkbD1onHZNWKbIKSoz6RVDrmlD4o1zszrhtcNcNEu87v8/s320/Willy+Strongback+010.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdecLRaVuvNEKtzMORst_l2iqsVhZkv09HEgELTDu4XOgAvll_kipEajpO3QAz0aJV8sN3nHLQDn3deTEYeKIUrubjUxqS7T8d5s8u6CQuuPi4zN-lEV2YBsfZ2PbBusAHl40PEjrmno/s1600-h/Willy+Strongback+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdecLRaVuvNEKtzMORst_l2iqsVhZkv09HEgELTDu4XOgAvll_kipEajpO3QAz0aJV8sN3nHLQDn3deTEYeKIUrubjUxqS7T8d5s8u6CQuuPi4zN-lEV2YBsfZ2PbBusAHl40PEjrmno/s320/Willy+Strongback+011.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Sharpening is an art form from simpler times when tradesman used hand tools--chisels and planes to fashion wood. Traditionally these tools were sharpened on oiled stones in the West (North America and Europe)and water stones in the East (Asia). It wasn't until recently that I learned how to really get my tools sharp from my son who learned from his woodworking shop teacher. Here is the process I now use;</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1. Use an electric wet stone to put a concave 25 degree bevel evenly across the whole blade. Even though this may sound hard it really isn't, you establish the angle between the tool rest and the wheel and then slowly move the blade across the stone (I find it is easier if the stone turns towards me). You can see your progress and the evenness of your cut after each pass and you adjust accordingly until you have ground the blade all the way up to the tip.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2. Turn the electric wet stone off and clean off the blade. Now you need to put a micro bevel on the blade. To do this I use adhesive backed silicon carbide 3M micro-abrasives (sandpaper) from Lee Valley Tools that I have attached to a flat piece of plate glass. It is easiest to use a jig to hold the blade but if you don't have one you can still apply the micro bevel by hand. All you do is increase the angle on the blade slightly and make several passes back and forth on the sandpaper until it is super sharp. I generally start with 15 micron and then finish up with 5 micron. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3. Go cut some wood by hand and enjoy the satisfaction of a sharp blade and the silence of non-electric motor cutting.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I sharpened blades for a block plane and an ancient jack plane today using this method and both planes will now cut long thin curls in both red oak and spruce. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Joe Lap </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-50830695612963778722010-03-08T17:32:00.000-08:002010-03-09T16:48:19.642-08:00The Great Rivet DebateIt appears that everyone has their own opinion regarding the use of rivets and burrs/roves on a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">lapstrake</span> craft. Although there is a general consensus that rivets are the go-to fastener for laps, that is where the agreement ends. Here we encounter two different schools of thought: Roves or Rivets. Those who use roves argue that these conical washers compress slightly upon <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">peening</span> the nail, increasing tension on the joint. According to some sources, they are also more traditional on European boats. However, roves are significantly more expensive than their counterparts, and they also leave unsightly lumps on the inside of the craft. Burrs have the advantage of being more streamlined, and, if used properly, can still create a sound joint. A "tight fit" burr allows a tightening of the joint similar to, if not quite as strong as the rove. As we learned from the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Woodenboat</span> Forum, some Icelandic <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">boatwrights</span> traditionally use copper coins in the place of burrs. Sounds crazy, but, hey, it works! There are boats still in the water to prove it. Burrs are also much more economical than roves (although not quite as cheap as pennies). So where does this leave us? Each has to make his/her own decision. We have decided, being a little cheap, that we will use burrs. In addition to their inexpensive nature, we are looking to avoid the lumps that roves would cause on the interior of Willy. Any other comments regarding the history and/or adequacy of each of these methods are welcome.<br /><br />Joe LapJoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-50054462250551944032010-03-08T16:26:00.000-08:002010-03-08T17:06:53.563-08:00Strongback Construction<div>As we mentioned yesterday, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">strongback</span> has recently been completed. After taking a few photos today, we figured that we should explain the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">strongback</span> in detail. We chose to go for a design that raised the molds high off the ground, as we will have to work inside the ship while riveting (and we are both over 6' tall). On a similar note, the stringers attaching the legs make a very convenient tool rest. Once the planks go on, they will also function as a seat for the man <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">peening</span> rivets inside the boat. This model allows the molds to sit at about chest height, a comfortable working position. The molds are 2 by construction, reinforced at the corners using ply. Although simple, they are very sturdy. The rocker in Willy's hull becomes more evident now that the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">strongback</span> is assembled. The second photo illustrates the method used to connect the molds to the back--a detail overlooked in most books. It also demonstrates the technique used to fit chines at each station. A basic positioning system allows the builder to quickly square and level each mold before attaching it. Chines will be made of 3/4 x 1 1/2 red oak. The spaces for chines to run over each mold were cut using a <a href="http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32936&cat=1,42884"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">dozuki</span> saw</a> and chiseled to fit the chine. That saw is perhaps one of the finest (and fastest) cutting handsaws that we have ever seen. As far as value in a general-purpose saw goes, this one can't be beat. For the woodworker, it also excels at cutting dovetails. The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">strongback still</span> needs to be modified to accept the stem and stern (both yet to be built--need to find suitable material). Any suggestions regarding stem/stern material choice? The sides will lapped with 3/8" mahogany (NOT ply), but we still need material for the cross-planked bottom (tentatively 3/4" cedar). As we approach the purchase of fasteners and bedding compounds, we will focus on a few common debates regarding choices for the next few days. Photos of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">strongback</span> are below.<br /><br />Joe Lap<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 253px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 194px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446425002421999522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4zx34zZP1eKwi8ztnwwUNKDj9UzH0gz952SdrnUV0DhTOLkKmPNLFOhIzvzrMuPnnNMheCN51Nd-s6DJIzwuKO4YvK6PgfUDY_qWSIfsQMhbSJoW-WOcDp_ABVKGWdAAZLo2ihq2Bd4/s200/Willy+Strongback+001.jpg" /></div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446433862678173330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12w2P5mp0-ot0TnoN-CRwtRoDYdkDCsyWKcrupldNd4MHdeF05ucx8hJBjkoUsXrO9TZwy5rGfXM6rRZF58rWpbp8ovA5yZgeDrZRa-sf3KBXv2Z_h5wp6M68PvwBSN5jir13tiWz0zg/s200/Willy+Strongback+007.jpg" />JoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5736596480965829110.post-57486182015856772332010-03-07T20:14:00.000-08:002010-03-07T20:38:44.196-08:00Introduction<div><br /><br /></div><div>Hello all;</div><div><br /><br /></div><div>This blog will document the building of a small wooden sailboat. As we are amateurs (this is our first boat), we hope that this will be an opportunity to share our knowledge and learn from others. </div><div></div><a href="http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Photos/WillyWinship/WW-01.jpg"></a><div><br /></div><div>We have chosen to build John Atkin's <em><a href="http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Sail/WillyWinship.html">Willy Winship</a></em>, a 13' 9'' flat-bottomed sailing skiff. </div><div> </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 449px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Photos/WillyWinship/WW-01.jpg" />We ordered the plans for Christmas from the Woodenboat Store in December and have been studying them and reading many boatbuilding books in preperation for the build. In fact, we highly recommend Greg Rossel's <em>The Boatbuilder's Apprentice</em>, as it is straightforward to understand and very applicable to any small boat.<br /><br />Excited about the build before us and anxious to get our hands dirty, we plunged right in and began the first mold (without lofting first). First lesson: Loft First! After some frustration with the inaccuracy of the unlofted mold, we decided to loft the next four. Although we had been somewhat anxious about the lofting process by the many complex explanations outlined in some books (including using multiple sheets of ply and/or the floor of a room), we discovered that, to our delight, it was a simple and enjoyable process. All that we needed was a square, a good rule, the back of a laminate desktop, and a few pencils. Because Willy is a flattie, she has relatively simple lines. After building four of the molds to the lofted plans, we found that the process was so superior that we lofted and rebuilt the first mold.<br /><br />Seeing that the weather here was so beautiful this weekend, we decided to construct our strongback--the spine on which the boat will be built. It is a rather simple affair, consisting of a couple 2x10's and the aforementioned molds, but it is rock-solid! Another word of advice: ensure that any strongback (and each mold) is level and square before moving on. After all, this is the platform on which the boat will be built--small mistakes here will translate to the finished project.<br /><br />So, that's about as far as we've gotten so far. Hope to post a few photos of the set-up and any new progress soon. Any advice is welcome.<br /><br /><br />Joe LapJoeLapstrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11108808945330981527noreply@blogger.com0