You don’t always need a tape measure!
Today Jerome showed us how to make a half and half stick with the compass. You use the points of the compass to mark the stick and then rotate one of the points to the other side to make another mark an equal distance from the first. Then use a straight edge to draw a line.
February 7th
I only took two photos on the 7th and it seems I didn’t take any notes either! We worked more on the moulds and established the sheer! That’s the “the line described by the upper edge of the hull of a boat” according to the excellent glossary contained in David Taylor’s book.
February 5th – Installing moulds
On the 5th, we finished making the midship mould and started making the frames. The frames are laminated, like the apron and stem, and shaped using a jig that’s rearranged for each frame, as they are all different shapes. Instead of making two pieces for each side, one laminated piece will be cut down the middle to make two pieces.
The mould for the midship bend, frame number 8
The moulds will have to be beveled to accommodate the planks and the shape of the boat. Because of the shape the moulds are arranged on different sides of the lines at the back and the front of the boat. I didn’t write it down right away, but I think for positions 0-8, the aft, the moulds go behind the lines, and positions 9-16, the fore, they go in front of the lines.
Jerome drew a diagram to show how the shape of the boat determines how the moulds will be shaped and positioned.
When positioning the mold, you have to make sure it is level and plumb. To do this you use a… level and a plumb(bob), hehe. It is then stabilized to the work area.
In the photos above you can see that some of the frames face a different direction that the others.
A video I found
I was just working on some things for my technical evaluation and I came across this video featuring David Taylor, who wrote about boat building in Winterton, and how his research lead to the Wooden Boat Museum.
Dr. David Taylor – Lifetime Membership Presentation from Wooden Boat Museum NL on Vimeo.
January 31st – Making moulds
Today we began by reviewing what the evening class had done.
They put the counter on the stern post and applied the marine caulking.
They also finished the rabbet lines and affixed the hog to the keel.
Continue reading January 31st – Making mouldsTuesday, January 29th – The Rabbet Lines
Today we worked on rabbet lines, which are lines that are cut into the backbone to accommodate the frames and planks.
The frames are what determine the shape of the boat. In order to get the right shape, you have to make room in the keel and hog to accommodate the frames. Because the boat has curves, the cut will be made at different angles, as determined by the rabbet line. To find the rabbet line, measurements have to be taken from the drawings that represent the frames. There are two different rabbet lines, one in the keel and one in the hog.
January 24th – The Counter
This is a drawing I did of the counter after the lesson, and it was very helpful. The edge is kind of similar to a wooden plaque that you might use for a tole painting, except much much larger.
The drawing classes I took in the past helped me try to achieve the depth of the bevel. I think I did pretty good! I don’t practice technical drawing very much, but it serves my purpose. I have a bit of a hard time visualizing things when they are being explained to me, so sometimes I will try to make a drawing to help myself see something better.
(This post was written on March the 20th)
January 24th – The Counter
I got into MUN early today and was excited to see how much Tuesday Night’s Class had done. They finished the sternpost and joined it with the keel and deadwood using glue and a temporary screw. The clamps and wooden blocks wrapped in tape keep it in place while the glue sets. Eventually, bolts will go in here.
January 22nd – The Counter
The pieces for the counter (or transom) will be put together using a biscuit joiner. The tool makes a little slot into the wood you want to join two pieces and then the “biscuit” fits them together.
Eventually the seams will be filled with marine caulking.
January 18th – Laminating the Apron
There was an opportunity for a bonus class on Friday the 18th to learn how to use lamination to make the apron. The evening class had previously used lamination to make the stem.
After getting filled in on what the evening class had worked on the night before (they cut the stern post and the scarf, and they put the stem through the thickness planer), we sanded more laths.
Continue reading January 18th – Laminating the Apron
Building a Traditional Newfoundland Punt 