| Herkimer
&
Perkins
Welcome
to Our Corner!
Index:
The
Log Pond
|
My
Backyard Boats:
ArcAngel
building log, Part One
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|
02
March 04: Part
One of the boatbuilding log for the ArcAngel,
or Church
Mouse,
follows the process from the cutting of the strips to the
completion of the hull and the beginning of a lengthy fairing
process, in and out.
I'm
finding that I like to post building logs in larger pieces
like this and the log for the Flats Rat that I built for
myself.
This way, I can produce a log that will be of greater value
for anyone who decides to build the same sort of boat.
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The
strongback sits atop a workbench.
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14
September 03: After consulting various authorities, I
designed a strongback made from 2 x 4 x 8-foot planks with fiberboard
– MDF – 8 inches wide on top and 1 ½ x 1 3/4-inch
cleats underneath. I nailed this structure to a 2-foot by 5-foot
workbench, being as accurate as I could at all points. The cleats
are wider than the table to support the hull and to give points
for levelness.
I’ll
work off the strongback since my basement floor is sloped and
uneven.
I’ll put the transoms at the ends of the strongback,
and positioned so that I can use 8-foot strips or longer. The
Flats
Rat allows use of 8-foot planks with about
an inch to play with. I’ll check this with battens.
Time:
2 hours.
Cost:
$10 for wood.
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Bulkhead
dimensions from the Flats Rat design are rounded up for
the ArcAngel variation.
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15
September 03: I’ve been hoarding sheets of ½-inch
fiberboard in preparation for this project. In the course of the
summer, I snuck in four sheets of 2-foot by 4-foot MDF (medium-density
fiberboard). This stuff is dimensionally stable, easy to cut on
the bandsaw, and quick to sand true with the belt sander. It’s
like working with paper, almost.
I scribed the dimensions of the forward and aft bulkheads of the
Flats
Rat as my point of departure and added freehand
curves to the sides, with some tumblehome, and gave the chines
a soft transition to a gentle vee-bottom. I let myself work intuitively,
with a minimum of erasing, directly onto the MDF. After cutting
to the lines, I used one off-cut to check the balance side to
side. After some work with the belt sander, following up with
a sanding drum on the drill press, I drew parallel lines two inches
apart on the MDF. I picked one side and transferred the station
measurements to the other side, then connected the dots and faired
some more with the sanders.
I wanted a mockup that was reasonably close to true so I can spring
battens and see the shape that is emerging. I could do this with
half-forms, and skip the steps of truing up both sides, but this
time I want to see the entire hull, not half. My method brought
the design into fairness in about three passes.
I used the same process on the forward bulkhead, then nailed 1
½ x 1 ½-inch cleats of soft wood to the strongback
and screwed the forms to the cleats with deck screws.
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Aft
bulkhead template goes up-side down on the strongback
after the first attempt to establish curves on the sides
of the bulkhead.
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I
had intended to rip a few ½ x 11/16 strips to use as battens
– and wanted the battens to be of the same dimensions as
the strips will be, so I could not only check the shape of the
hull but also check the ability of strips of the intended dimensions
to make the curves being asked of them without braking or distorting
from fair. I had decided that I would make the bulkheads, then
spring battens, then pick up the shape of the transoms, then cut
out the transoms and check everything again. The bulkheads and
transoms will be plywood with frame pieces of 3/4-inch wood.
It seemed like a good idea to rip the strips before going any
further, so I did that. I discovered that the No. 2 boards will
serve for the boat if I do a lot of scarfing. I stopped before
being done with all the ripping of boards but could see that I
had few strips of ½ x 1 ½ that were without knots,
parts of knots, or other defects (the initial rip of ½
x 1 ½ will be ripped again to yield two strips of ½
x 11/16). When I rip these in half, I hope to get some good strips.
Scarfs are OK by me. I’ll scarf on the frame instead of
the bench, using the chop saw to make simple scarfs of 22.5 degrees.
Butt joints are fine, too, but I used angled scarfs on the Harmonica
and liked them – on trim pieces around the window openings.
The traditional wisdom about scarfing is a 1-to-7 scarf. This
is not necessary in a boat that will be covered in and out with
epoxy. Elmer’s glue is stronger than wood at the glue line
and epoxy is even stronger. I’ll probably use boat nails
at the scarf to add strength.
The implication of all this is that I don’t mind that the
hull may go together slowly.
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Using
four battens, I established four critical points of the
bow transom.
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16
September 03: I sprung four battens onto the bulkheads.
To begin defining the pram ends, or transoms, I put strips of
wood in place to keep the sheer flat from end to end. To set the
17.5-degree angle of the bow transom, I cut a piece of 2 x 6 to
that angle and braced it on the centerline. I cut the 2 x 6 to
the depth of the bow and put a strip at right angles on top. I
clamped the four battens in place.
Next time I’ll do a similar thing for the stern transom.
Then I’ll put the shapes of the transoms and notch in a
keel strip. I’ll make the transoms out of MDF to check the
fairness of my lines and will adjust some to make the stripping
easier. The MDF forms will be the templates for the permanent
plywood bulkheads and frames for the transoms, which will be made
of wood joined with plywood gussets. After the hull is done, plywood
will seal the ends and cover the end grain of the strips.
Time:
4 hours.
Cost:
$15 for MDF.
|
After
picking up the shapes of the bow and stern transoms, I tacked
battens in place to check the hull lines for fairness. |
19 September 03: I finished picking up the shapes
of the bow and stern transoms by springing battens. After the
initial shapes were in place, I refined them some and will need
to do some more. I’m pleased with the general shapes, and
the boat is looking well overall.
I’m
going to remove the four forms and stack them, keying on their
centerlines. That will reveal any problems with the sides especially.
Then I’ll re-attach the forms and spring battens again.
I also need to begin picking up bevel angles so I can cut bevels
before assembling the forms on the strongback. I’ve decided
to record these details, too, in case I want to develop plans
for this design.
Time:
3 hours.
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The
four forms, stacked on their centerlines, show common
arc on the sides. In order, top to bottom, are the bow,
stern, forward bulkhead, and aft bulkhead.
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|
Aft
bulkhead template, shown upright, has a notch for the
keel strip. This is the first attempt at fair lines. The
parallel lines are two inches apart and give a way to
transfer dimensions from plans to templates. This is a
method that Mac McCarthy uses in his book on building
the Wee Lassie. Notice the gentle vee bottom that slides
into the side arcs. Vee bottom canoe is another hallmark
of McCarthy's canoes. He does not, however, use a keel
strip because of the swamps in which that he uses his
boats. He says hat a keel strip would make it jarring
to ride over submerged logs and stumps compared to a smooth
centerline.
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20 September 03: I re-faired the transoms and
bulkheads and liked the results. I’m getting closer to the
shape that seems right.
I had an odd thing happen. The shaft on my bandsaw broke. It’s
going to be a pain to get that fixed. The saw is almost brand-new,
too.
I decided that I’m not going to try for a set of plans for
this boat – at least not yet. I’ll probably make a
few of these before I get the thing just right. As far as plans
go, it seems too esoteric an approach to have much appeal. Strip-built
boats respond especially well to power tools. I’m thinking
that a plywood design is more suited to plans, as far as marketability
goes.
I also began thinking that it might be a good idea to put a temporary
form at the midpoint, which bisects the four feet of the cockpit.
That is at least twice the recommended distance between forms
for strip-built boats. I don’t think I could fabricate an
accurate form, but I can take the dimensions off the finished
boat if I find that a center form would be helpful. I plan to
edge-nail each strip every six or eight inches. If I use a plywood
centering jig, too, I should be able to stay true and fair. Since
the four forms will stay, I can nail into them as I go. Having
one odd form that I cannot nail into, or that I would nail into
but with washers made of plywood so I could remove the nails when
the hull is finished would give me fits. At this point, I’m
planning to use one-inch ringed boat nails at each form as well
as edge-nailing with one-inch boat nails. I want all the strength
that I can build in, since I won’t be using fiberglass cloth.
I could devise a center mold frame that would stay, though it
would be hard to fabricate out front and might get in the way.
I am going to use a few ribbands on the interior of the hull from
gunwale to gunwale in the cockpit to add transversal strength
– probably 1/8-inch-thick off-cuts. I don’t plan to
do any steaming, so I’ll be laminating to get some thickness,
say ½ inch by 1 ½ inches wide. That’s three
of four laminated strips of 1/8 inch.
I have one more form to re-fair, then I’ll put them all
back onto the strongback and do some more checking and eyeballing.
I may pick up some of the bevels for the step of making the wood-strip
backing for the bulkheads and the transoms (the transoms will
be wood strips only until the strips are on. Then I’ll put
plywood on to cover the edges and seal the ends of the hull. My
original idea for this project was to use plywood on the ends,
but I have the option of making four frames, then use more strips
to seal the bulkheads and ends, and to make the decks. Working
on the idea that this is the first of several boats on this design,
I may opt for plywood – lauan, too, not marine – though
it is tempting to get a sheet of 1/4-inch marine plywood for about
$50 from ClarkCraft.
I’m curious to see how I like it, never having used marine
plywood.
Another argument in favor of plywood as the choice for covering
the ends is that plywood would add a lot of strength and not as
much weight as wood strips would. I could even paint the plywood
for a striking effect that would be different from any strip-built
boat I’ve ever seen. Painted vertical faces of the transoms
and bulkheads could be nicely balanced with painted hatch covers.
Or these surfaces could be varnished and still give a pleasing
contrast to the spruce hull.
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Four
forms are notched for the keel strip, which is attached
temporarily to check the bottom curve.
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21
September 03: I put the four framers back on the strongback.
I’m getting nervous about how I’m going to strip this
hull. Most canoes that are strip-built have almost no rocker,
and because of that the stripping is straight-forward. My design
has some rocker in the back and a lot of rocker forward. This
not only will require a lot of tapered strips; it also will possibly
move the pivot point of the hull aft – which would move
the paddler forward to compensate; this would be OK, and in a
boat this short the difference would not be great, and five pounds
of ballast would probably even things out – say, a water
jug.
I’m
going to remove the forms again and stack them on their centerlines
to make sure that the sides all have the same arc. This is a standard
feature of every round-bottom boat in H.I. Chapelle’s books,
and others that I have. There is a flat spot on my side arcs in
the bulkheads. I want to re-fair that so the transoms, which are
smaller, and rounder, correspond.
To this point, my plan has been to strip up from the sheer (the
boat will be built upside down) and down from the keel strip.
When I run out of full-length runs, I’ll be able to see
what the remainder will require. I can’t visualize it, but
after rereading the section in Rabl’s Building
Boats in Your Own Backyard that talks about
strip-built boats, not only just canoes. I have a different set
of challenges than a canoe or kayak presents, but most of the
books that I have deal with canoes and kayaks, except for the
classics – Rabl, Chapelle, and Steward. I took notes on
all this during the summer and need to review them.
**********
I
just had a look at the forms. They look close to perfect. I can
fair some more when I take them off the strongback and when I
transfer the lines to the wood and plywood that I’ll be
using.
I’m at a stopping point until I get the bandsaw fixed. I
called the service phone number; they’re mailing me the
shaft that I need. This will give me a few days to catch up on
website things.
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Pine
pieces are clamped in place for the aft bulkhead with
deck screws in place to clamp the assembly while glue
dries.
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|
After
the glue set up, the deck screws were removed.
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|
Other
side of finished aft bulkhead; this is the inboard side.
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29 September 03: I got the part that I needed
in order to repair my bandsaw, so I’ve been able to resume
this project.
I bought four pieces of 1 x 6 x 6-foot Select-grade pine. I’m
scribing the forms onto the pine and cutting the curves for the
sides then sandwiching them and fairing with the belt sander.
After changing from a ½-inch-wide bandsaw blade to a 3/8-inch
blade, I was able to cut out shapes that worked.
I’m at the point of clamping the pine to the form for the
aft bulkhead, the first form I’m working with. I’ll
use deck screws to set all the angles by screwing the pine to
the MDF forms. Then I’ll fair the MDF to conform as much
as possible to the pine. Then I’ll use the sandwiched form
to scribe 1/4-inch plywood. Then I’ll transfer the pine
pieces to the plywood. This will be the final product.
With the pine, I now can make both sides of the form the same.
On this first one the variation is 1/8-inch or less, generally
between the pine and the MDF.
Later:
I am pleased with the finished aft bulkhead. It looks right now.
I used some lauan plywood that I had lying around.
Time:
4 hours.
Cost:
$25 for the four pine boards and $15 for boat nails (enough for
the entire project).
30 September 03: I made the forward bulkhead
– the same way that I used to make the aft bulkhead. The
job went well. The next pieces – the bow and stern transoms
– will be made of pine with plywood gussets on the joints
and probably some temporary braces, too, since I won’t put
on the outer covering of plywood until the hull is stripped. The
outer covering of plywood will cover the end grain of the wood
strips.
The
other possibility is to attach the pine to the MDF forms that
I’ve already made, then strip the hull, then remove the
MDF and put on plywood. This would keep the pine frame from flexing
or even breaking under the impact of the hammer. I still would
use plywood gussets over the pine joints on the inside face. They
only thing to watch would be avoiding putting nails into the MDF
when fastening the strips to the bow and stern transoms. Also,
I need to put wax paper between the pine and MDF to keep from
gluing them together.
Later:
I cut out the pine for the stern transom, and did a dry-fit. Then
I cut a piece of plywood for the inside of the transom. I’m
going to leave it in one piece. I can either trim it or leave
it as is when the hull is done. It weighs almost nothing so I’m
inclined to leave it in one piece.
|
The
four forms are finished. The first and third, which are
the bow and forward bulkhead, have the same side arc; the
second and fourth, the stern and the aft bulkhead, also
are similar on the sides. |
01
October 03: I finished the bow and stern transoms. They
are looking good. Tomorrow I’ll mount the four finished
forms back on the strongback. Then I’ll cut the bevels with
the help of a straight-edge board. Since I’m lofting full
size, I don’t know the bevels out front.
The last step in fairing brought the forms up another level of
finish or two. The side curves are good now – they are fair.
|
Two
keel strips are in place, glued, and clamped.
|
02 October 03: I screwed the four frames to the
strongback with deck screws. I also beveled the vee on each form
and checked my work with a batten. Next steps are to make a flat
3/4-inch wide on the centerline of each form for the keel strip.
I think it would be good to build up the keel strip with three
pieces, for an overall depth of 1 ½ inches.
I recessed the keel strip 1/4-inch and will laminate one or two
more strips to the first one to go down.
I beveled the sides. The bulkheads went better than the ends –
I took too much from the ends. I’ll key on the edge of the
plywood and putty the gaps with thickened epoxy when I’m
done with stripping the hull. That will increase the strength,
and the plywood will cover it all. I’m sure there will be
some surprises, but I’m ready to lay on some strips tomorrow.
I’ll put down the keel strip with a strip on each side to
set the keel strip on the centerline. Then I’ll lay on strips
beginning at the sheer and working toward the keel strip. There
will be some twist in the ends of the strips. That may build in
some hollows at the ends, too. An alternative is to taper strips
on the sides.
I will check the form to make sure that the transoms and bulkheads
are perpendicular to the strongback before and after I attach
the first keel strip.
There will be a significant gap along the two lateral edges of
the keel strip; that will test my planing skill right away. If
the bevel is constant, I can cut the bevels with the table saw.
**********
I sent ahead and installed the first keel
strip and glued and clamped a second strip on top of it. We’re
rollin’ now!
Time:
4 hours.
|
Three
keel strips, stacked, are flanked by strips.
|
|
Different
view of the same result as above.
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|
A
longer view of the progress with the keel strips. |
03 October 03: I put a strip on each side of
the keel strip, but I decided not to bevel the edges. I fussed
for a long time with clamps and glue thickened with wood flour.
When I edge-nailed the strip with 1 ½-inch finish nails
(4d), I was more pleased. I also laid on a third keel strip.
I have some 1 1/4-inch (3d) finish nails that I’ll also
use for edge-nailing, plus boat nails for special problems.
I
put on sheer-line strips and a second strip on one side, which
was the first strip that I used the block plane on. One pass was
enough!
I’m
getting closer to deciding on the way to proceed with the stripping.
One approach would be to spring a strip on the chine transition
point on each form, and bisect the sides with a strip at the half-way
point of the smaller forms, the transom bisecting strip would
be tapered to fill the space.
Another approach would be to attach the same strip at the chine
transition line, then fill in with strips parallel to the sheer
until the bow transom side is filled in, then taper the rest of
the strips that fill in to the chine strip.
On the bottom, the approach in either case would be to follow
the curve of the chine until I reached the keel strip. Then I'
d fill in with strips tapered on the ends.
Time:
5 hours.
04 October 03: I put on two more strips on each
side and a strip at the chine on each side. The strips below will
have a changing bevel, I think.
I’m
running low of first-sort strips. I’ll need to cut some
more an also do some scarfing, probably on the bottom, where it
will be less apparent. I’m considering scarfing twice and
landing the scarfs inside the air chambers at the ends.
At some point, I’ll need to land some strips in thin air,
with little possibility of edge-nailing. And that doesn't’t
take into account a few shutter pieces, too.
I may relocate the chine strip, or not. I know more when I get
there.
Time:
3 hours.
|
Hem
fir and spruce sit side by side at the chine. The hem
fir is the lower of the two.
|
05
October 03: I ripped two good 2x4s that I had in the
rafters of the workshop outside. Two pieces I ripped at a 25-degree
angle to mate with the chine strips. It was some kind of hem fir
with no knots and fairly good grain. These transition strips mated
well with the chine strips. There is enough color difference to
use these hem fir strips as a feature at the sheer, too.
Time:
3 hours.
|
Eight
strips on each side, beginning at the sheer, and the strips
that bisect the sides, all in place. And four strips on
each side at the chine. The bow is in the foreground. |
06 October 03: I nailed and glued eight strips
today. That brought me to a decision about the sides. I bisected
the spaces with a strip and for now it will be tapering of each
strip for the sides.
I
seem to be about halfway done with the hull.
I’m
hoping that I can use the bandsaw to taper strips.
Time:
4 hours.
|
Strips
fill in the space below the bisecting strip on the port
side of the hull.
|
|
Longer
view after the shutter strip is in place just below the
bisecting strip. |
07 October 03: I finished half of the tapering
of strips on one side. Nailing was hard to do, so I’ve been
accepting some nails that pop out into the interior of the hull.
I’ll grind them down later.
To
cut the tapers, I used the bandsaw, then finished with the belt
sander. The shutter strip was the hardest.
Time:
4 hours.
08 October 03: I buttoned
up the other side and so far tonight have one strip on toward
finishing that side. I used more shims on the side that I’ve
been working on tonight.
Time:
3 ½ hours.
|
Shutter
sits in placed; clamps keep shutter in place while the glue
sets. |
09 October 03: I finished one side. The shutter
was a strip laid on top of another at the chine. I’ll fair
it in, and a bit of extra wood on that line will be welcome. I’ll
be done with the stripping in three more work sessions.
Time:
3 hours.
Cost:
$7 for more spruce.
|
Both
sides are stripped. Only the bottom remains to be done. |
12 October 03: I finished the second side. In
some ways, I did a better job – and less well in others.
I could have done without the extra strip at the chine but had
to match the other side. And the bevels at the aft end opened
up, necessitating a bunch of shims – no sweat using the
bandsaw to cut as many shims as needed.
One
more work session will finish the hull.
To
match the other side, I need to double the shutter strip on the
second side. I allowed the shutter to bulge out on the first side;
the shutter on the second side is slightly concave. I’ll
fair the hull anyway.
Time:
3 hours.
|
Four
more strips on each side of the bottom. |
13
October 03: I had time today to put on four strips toward
stripping the bottom of the hull. It’s easy to fit the strips
but hard to edge-nail them. I may need to do some clamping on
the last ones. Wedges would work.
I
removed the screws holding the bulkheads to the strongback. I
left the screws holding the transoms. They are accessible from
the outside.
Time:
1 ½ hours.
|
Half
of scarfed strip is in place. That's my dad's tack hammer,
useful for getting into tight places. |
16
October 03: I put on all the untapered strips on the
bottom of the hull. I had to scarf the last one because I ran
out of strips full length. I used the chopsaw to cut 45-degree
angles. It looks good. The nailing is hard from now on because
the gaps are small now.
I
ripped some 6-foot pine to use to make the last strips along the
chine. I cut for flat grain for easier bending of the scarfed
strips. The pine is a bit stronger than the spruce, so this will
work fine.
I
think the forward bulkhead has twisted some. I’ll check
again after I take the hull off of the strongback.
Time:
3 hours.
I
built up the aft section of the keel strip with a tapered piece
of pine. I’m going to continue with a few more tapered strips
until I develop a skeg. I used glue and temporary deck screws.
That way I can shape the bottom edge to have a fair curve with
the keel strip.
Later:
I shut one side. Had to use shims. Looks like crap. It’ll
be OK, though, after I work on it some more. On the other side,
I can use a wider board for the shutter.
Time:
2 ½ hours.
|
Last
shutter, ready to go in.
|
|
A
bit rough, perhaps, but the hull is stripped. |
18 October 03: The hull is stripped. The shutter
strip on the other side is better than the one that I did last
night.
I
flipped the hull to see what it looks like. I like the looks a
lot.
There
is a lot of work yet to do on the fairing inside and out.
My
new motto, which comes from the Mystic Seaport Small Boat Museum’s
John Gardner is, Let
the tools teach you. I’m depending on that
to fair the inside of the hull. The belt sander will be too big
and the random-orbit sander could take too long. Because of all
the edge nails, I won’t be able to use the block plane.
I have a 6-inch grinder with a variable-speed box added on. That
may be the ticket for the concave inner surfaces.
When
the boat was up-side down, I thought that its lines reminded me
of a sailboat. Right-side up, the tumblehome says paddle.
It’s going to be a beauty.
Time:
4 hours.
Cost
so far: $45 +/- . Cheap!
|
The
bow transom is ready for its plywood covering after work
with the pull saw and belt sander. I haven't decided whether
to cut out the plywood in place to same a bit of weight,
or to leave what is there and add a shutter piece, creating
a small dead-air space that would need coating with epoxy
on all the surfaces that would be sealed. |
19 October 03: I put the hull back on the strongback
and started fairing. First I trimmed the ends of the strips flush
with the transoms. I did a bit of work with the block plane, too,
since I could see that it would take a lot longer with the belt
sander.
Time:
1 ½ hours.
|
Although
it is going to be a beautiful hull, there is a lot of sanding
and planing to do yet. |
20 October 03: The more fairing that I do, the
more I realize that this part of the project will take a long
time. The combination of No. 2 spruce, with cross-grain, and the
nails that I used to hold the strips together while the glue set
promises to slow me down. Still, a 1/4-inch bead-and-cove strip
boat covered with fiberglass on both sides has little appeal for
me. I don’t know what I would do differently except for
using clear boats of pine or cedar, and I like the spruce.
I
glued on a doubling strip at the chine to match the other side.
The
combination of block plane and belt sander seems to be the best
approach to fairing.
22 October 03: Did more planing. Got a new whetstone,
so the cut is better.
Time:
1 ½ hours.
|
Starboard
side of bottom shows the difference that some planing and
sanding makes. |
24 October 03: I’m getting somewhere now
with the fairing of the hull. I got a jig to set the plane blade
angle for honing. Even though I’m still learning how to
use this new honing jig, the difference is dramatic. I’m
at just over 50 hours into this project, in just over a month.
Time:
3 hours.
27 October 03: I started fairing on the other
side of the hull.
I’m
going to spring a batten to establish the sheer chine transition
line since it does not seem to follow the strips.
Time:
1 ½ hours.
28 October 03: More fairing
with the block plane.
Time:
1 hour.
|
The
vertical scars on the starboard side near the bow are from
nails that I had to remove after beginning the fairing process.
Next time, I use shock cord and wood blocks to draw the
strips together until the glue sets, working from side to
side. |
29
October 03: I ran into a lot of 4d nails that had to
be pulled. I should have used 3d only, and far less of them than
I did. Next time I’ll use nails at the form stations –
with pieces of cardboard, etc., under the heads, so I can pull
them. If nailing into bulkheads, I’ll use finish nails instead
of boat nails. Because of the variation in strip edges, I’ve
had to sand down the heads of almost all the boat nails that I
used. The place on the starboard bow that I’m fairing now
was where I began using 4d nails!
Time:
2 hours.
|
Since
the ash cap to the keel strips will fair into nothing at
the forward end, I used plywood scarps as washers so I can
pull the last two nails that I used to hold the end while
the glue set. |
30
October 03: For a change of pace, I put a 3/8-inch-thick
cap on the keel strip made of ash. I got a 1x8x8-foot ash board
at The Woodworker’s Store in the burbs. I’ll use the
ash for accents such as sheer clamps and hatch cover details.
Time:
2 hours.
|
Using
the belt sander in the basement requires hat, ear protectors,
safety glasses, and kick-ass respirator. Hand me the block
plane, please. |
|
Crack
18 inches long has opened in the aft quarter on each side
after aggressive fairing. Using epoxy and pieces of strip,
I'll lay new shutters on the inside with an initial shim
to bring the outside flush, too. |
02
November 03: I had a frustrating time with the random-orbit
sander. The after-market pad to accommodate hook-and-pile-backed
sanding disks pulled apart at the glue line. I bought the unit
for $30 and the after-market disk for $15, and I’m looking
at buying a better unit now.
I
faired the aft quarters more, exposing cracks that will need plugging.
To get the surface that I want, the strips are thinner there now.
Glad I started with ½-inch-thick strips.
I
faired in the ash cap on the keel strip at the bow. There is still
a hump in the aft section. The ash doesn’t work up as easily
as pine or spruce; the grain tears easily and is more brittle.
It does look marvelous, though.
Time:
3 hours.
|
Angle
grinder's metal wheel leaves a rippled surface behind that
I'll attack with a special curved hand plane that I ordered
over the Internet. |
08 November 03: I flipped the hull again so that
I could work on the inside. The first thing was to pull all the
nails that had broken through on the inside. I will need to use
the 6-inch angle grinder with variable-speed box to smooth the
strips on the inside of the hull. They are uneven. I’m practicing
on the part that the forward hatch cover will conceal.
Time:
1 ½ hours.
09 November 03: I used the block plane, random-orbit
sander, and variable-speed angle grinder to smooth the inside
of the hull at the forward end. I’m gaining speed slowly,
as I learn what the tools can do on this task.
Time:
3 hours.
10 November 03: I started
planing the bottom of the cockpit. One side is buckled some. I
may not be able to level that side without making the strips too
thin.
Time:
2 hours.
|
Nails
hold down shim on one side of the keep strip. |
12
November 03: I finished planing the bottom of the cockpit
and started with the belt sander. The strips next to the keel
strip were 1/4-inch off, so I added a shim on the low side.
Time:
2 hours.
12 November 03: I began
planing the topsides of the outside of the hull. It looks good
and will take some time. I set the block plane for a light cut
and planed diagonally and up.
Time:
1 hour.
****** ******
|
This
is what the hull looks like at the half-way point. |
15
January 04: It’s been two months since I worked
on this boat. First there came a cold – of the common sort.
Then tendonitis in my left wrist gained my attention, particularly
in the middle of the night. Then in-laws by the carload for Thanksgiving.
Then Christmas. And lately, a cold snap with sub-zero nights.
Buffalo usually doesn’t have lows much below to low teens.
Which
is all to say that I’m slowing down the pace so that I don’t
run out of boat like I’m running out of discretionary funds.
Let X mark the spot. I’ll post this much with photos and
finish the little beauty in good time. I'll be picking up the
project in a few days but will not post again until the boat is
finished.
|
