It has been a while since my last post. Fact is, there has not been much to show. There are but so many ways, that adding strips, can be made interesting to the casual observer.So if you are actually reading this, I have saved you all the boring details.
So where am I at on the construction of the Petrel? Well, I am questioning my sanity at this point. Working with the Maple is slow and painstaking. First there was choosing the boards, second was finding there was a flaw in my thought process. I thought there was enough in one board to strip the bow and one to build the stern. It was not, in fact. matching a couple of Quilted Maple boards, is very difficult.
The boards needed to be squared, the edges were anything but straight. I cut the boards into 3/4" sections and the tops marked with tape. I then turned the 3/4" sections on thier sides and cut the strip off the top. I had to put each board in order to mark and repeat the process. The strips were placed in order as well. Once all the strip were cut, they were labeled for reassembly on the boat. the grain structure of this wood is insane. I cant wait to see it stained red and buried under epoxy and 5 coats of varnish.
Well that's all for now. Hopefully steady progress will give me something more to talk about. Either I will have gone crazy, trying to work with the maple. Or I have found my groove working with a non-traditional wood for boat building. I was never good with following the rules.....
So where am I at on the construction of the Petrel? Well, I am questioning my sanity at this point. Working with the Maple is slow and painstaking. First there was choosing the boards, second was finding there was a flaw in my thought process. I thought there was enough in one board to strip the bow and one to build the stern. It was not, in fact. matching a couple of Quilted Maple boards, is very difficult.
The boards needed to be squared, the edges were anything but straight. I cut the boards into 3/4" sections and the tops marked with tape. I then turned the 3/4" sections on thier sides and cut the strip off the top. I had to put each board in order to mark and repeat the process. The strips were placed in order as well. Once all the strip were cut, they were labeled for reassembly on the boat. the grain structure of this wood is insane. I cant wait to see it stained red and buried under epoxy and 5 coats of varnish.
To create the space for the maple, I over stripped the sides. Getting the lines straight and even is very difficult. I used a ladder to get a better view, after several trips up and down to re-adjust, I was reasonable pleased with the results. I used my favorite saw and cut the excess off. Screwing up here would be a major setback, so I cut it proud to later be honed straight with a plane. A co-worker lent me his Lie Neilson rabbit plane. This allowed me to straighten the lines and cut all the way to the forms. The bad part is that I want one now, I guess I will purchase one very soon.
Another problem to solve was creating thin pieces for accent lines. the maple does not like being cut into 1/16" strips. The solution, I hope, is to glue up a lamination of dark cedar and a maple strip. I took a page out of the manual for joining veneers. I taped the back of the strips to hold them together and make gluing easier, by bending the strips open like a book. Once the excess glue was wiped off, I clamped them to the table to prevent the whole mess from buckling when squeezed. Spring clamps apply pressure for a tight fit. Will this work? I certainly hope so! The plan is to cut over sized and plane to a pencil thin line. If it works, you will see the results in the next installment. If not, this will be the last you see of it.
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