Search found 209 matches

by AlanWS
Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:35 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: scarf cut strips / glue joint
Replies: 4
Views: 3793

I don't have experience with Gorilla glue, but from what I've read in tests, it is much more dependent on tight clamping for strength than other glues. It is not easy to clamp the scarf joint tightly. Epoxy works well. One way to clamp is to use 3 clamps for each scarf joint. One on each side clamps...
by AlanWS
Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:32 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Bottom of hull didn't hold its shape
Replies: 5
Views: 2211

I would bet that it's humidity. You have glass on the outside that does not expand, and the wood has taken up more water now than it had when the outside was glassed. That causes it to swell, and will tend to flatten out the bottom. If you can warm and dry the air, it may return to its previous shap...
by AlanWS
Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:25 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: New Tool from Lee Valley
Replies: 6
Views: 3882

If you do look at all the April Fool's Day tools (item search for AFD) make sure you click on the "view" button near the product code for the pouchless tool belt. That photo is the best.
by AlanWS
Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:42 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: chipping (tear out)
Replies: 12
Views: 3416

Climb cutting means running the stock past the router in what is usually considered the wrong direction, so the cutter pushes the stock in the same direction you are moving it, rather than opposing that motion. It is usually considered quite dangerous, particularly on a router table because the stoc...
by AlanWS
Fri Mar 27, 2009 11:18 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Advice on removing outwales?
Replies: 13
Views: 7074

I think there may be a problem either with your epoxy, or with your prep for it. The scarf joints should not fail, and the gunwale should be better attached than that. In this instance it was convenient to help you get the old outwale off, but you might want to glue a few test blocks to find how to ...
by AlanWS
Fri Mar 27, 2009 11:01 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Plywood Bottom???
Replies: 6
Views: 2183

One of the main features of a strip boat is that you can easily create hulls with compound curves -- those that curve in two directions at the same time. Plywood is used in stitch and glue hulls, which consist of several different simple curves -- those curved in one direction but straight in a perp...
by AlanWS
Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:39 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: another scraping question
Replies: 7
Views: 3013

A gooseneck (rounded) scraper is helpful and cheap. Another useful tool is a surform plane with a half-round blade. Be careful with that one not to take off too much. The best way to use it is to not press too hard, but to skim it quickly over the surface and it will shear off the glue spots. In the...
by AlanWS
Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:25 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Sikkens Auto Clear Instead of Varnish
Replies: 8
Views: 7106

I don't know if it's the same thing or not, but I've used System Three WR-LPU, which is a two-part topcoat designed for marine use. I used the clear gloss, but the same product number is used for their paints. I used a painting pad to apply it. It seems very durable, and there's been no peeling in t...
by AlanWS
Wed Dec 10, 2008 8:29 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Bear Mountain Magic Build
Replies: 2
Views: 2418

It looks great! Maddie should be proud of her boat, and you should be proud of Maddie. I like that she's making it exactly as she wants it, including the glitter that is not something I would have thought of.
by AlanWS
Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:12 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Scuppers, Seats, Yoke, Calculations? Help? Nomad!
Replies: 11
Views: 6281

I think the most important reason for or against scuppers is whether you like the way they look. I like them. But there are engineering reasons as well. If you use solid inwales and outwales, usually they will be thinner and more flexible. If you consider the stiffness of a beam, it's the depth of t...
by AlanWS
Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:19 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Building a canoe outside
Replies: 5
Views: 2098

I built one outside in Minnesota in 1972 or so. I remember spending a lot of time covering it carefully with plastic as I finished working, and waiting for it to stop raining. If you can find someplace with a roof, that would be much preferable. But the roof is the important part, except for your co...
by AlanWS
Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:23 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Gift Ideas for husband building a canoe
Replies: 23
Views: 9476

Don't wait too long on letting him know about the plaque because he may want to design a good spot for it. He is not likely to have the router bits for cutting bead and flute edges on the strips might be useful, and those who use them do so early in the building process.
by AlanWS
Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:07 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Removing fibreglass from a cedar stripper
Replies: 7
Views: 2349

Most likely a boat that age will have polyester resin in the fiberglass, rather than the epoxy used primarily today. While I have not stripped a boat this way either, it is supposed to work much better when removing polyester resin than epoxy. The challenge will be to make sure the shape of the boat...
by AlanWS
Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:27 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Advice on removing outwales?
Replies: 13
Views: 7074

Could you drill around the plugs with a self-centering plug cutter, then break out the plugs and remove the screws? A circular saw could be fitted with a base and a fence to guide it, and a kerf cut along the outwale, partway through. This kerf will make it a lot easier to chisel off the waste. I wo...
by AlanWS
Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:25 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Build in a tent?
Replies: 6
Views: 5828

It sounds better than the way I built my first canoe: outside. I remember spending a lot of time covering it with plastic after every work session, and waiting for rain to stop. I built in the summer though. The challenge in the winter will be comfort, and epoxy hardening. I have used an oil-filled ...