The jig (some call it a strongback I think?) was built last fall and is currently serving as a sort of workbench to hold the plywood as I measure and cut out the parts with my trusty black and decker jigsaw. You can see part of the jig in the middle picture. You can also see my bright green metric tape measure and a couple sheets of the plans which I bought from Duckworks. I also used a level and right angle to help keep the lines straight. Also note the flat pencil...one of the greatest inventions mankind has produced yet (second only to beer in a bottle.....brilliant!) The bow transum seemed like the most obvious place to start. After wasting at least half an hour trying to figure out how to bend and hold a batten in place to make the small curve at the top, I gave up and just used a piece of string wrapped around my pencil. Holding the string on the centerline and adjusting the length, I quickly found the correct radius that intersected the three measured points. I may not be able to get away with this quick and dirty technique on other parts, but it worked very well for this one. For long gentle curves on other pieces I'll probably have to temporarily nail the batten in place. After cutting out the bow transum I rotated it 90 degrees and used it to trace out the doubler. I'm not sure that rotating is necessary, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I will cut out the notches for the stringers later. I haven't purchased the lumber for the stringers yet and want to have it handy when I make the notches. |
Tread Lightly 2/20/2005 |
Fockler Outpost Life is a journey, not a destination |
The jig (some call it a strongback I think?) was built last fall and is currently serving as a sort of workbench to hold the plywood as I measure and cut out the parts with my trusty black and decker jigsaw. You can see part of the jig in the middle picture. You can also see my bright green metric tape measure and a couple sheets of the plans which I bought from Duckworks. I also used a level and right angle to help keep the lines straight. Also note the flat pencil...one of the greatest inventions mankind has produced yet (second only to beer in a bottle.....brilliant!) The bow transum seemed like the most obvious place to start. After wasting at least half an hour trying to figure out how to bend and hold a batten in place to make the small curve at the top, I gave up and just used a piece of string wrapped around my pencil. Holding the string on the centerline and adjusting the length, I quickly found the correct radius that intersected the three measured points. I may not be able to get away with this quick and dirty technique on other parts, but it worked very well for this one. For long gentle curves on other pieces I'll probably have to temporarily nail the batten in place. After cutting out the bow transum I rotated it 90 degrees and used it to trace out the doubler. I'm not sure that rotating is necessary, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I will cut out the notches for the stringers later. I haven't purchased the lumber for the stringers yet and want to have it handy when I make the notches. |
And so it begins. Yesterday I made the 2 hour drive to Homestead Hardwoods to pick up their last 4 sheets of 9mm Okoume BS1099 marine plywood. I was thrown a bit off balance when I learned that it's pronounced oh-ka-MAY and not OH-kum. Fortunately, being off balance is something I'm familiar with. No problem. Precious oh-ka-MAY loaded on board the family minivan, I made the long trip home and began hacking... |
Taking pictures of yourself is trickier than it would seem. Here is a pic of the author and the result of about an hours work. Note that the nose is red because of the near freezing temperatures and not because of the beer. Note the facial expression...a combination of excitement and terror. My daughter is quite the helper. She just loves to "work on the boat." While I hacked out the bow transum, she collected the scraps and got some practice with the hammer, nails, handsaw, and sander. She's quite proud of her work. |
