gunnels.

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patrick
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gunnels.

Post by patrick »

Whooeeeee!!!!. W got the inner 'wales in and the seats made and glued this weekend. I hope somebody doesnt yell at us for being overproductive. I noticed that in the center where we left an unscuppered area for the yoke to attach to there is a flatish spot because that part didnt bend as well as the scuppered areas. Will this flatish spot come out when we put on the outer gunnles?
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mtpocket
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Post by mtpocket »

Patrick,

My guess is that it will conform to the curve of the outwale. The shorter this flat spot is the harder it will be to bend to the same curve. If it is a foot in length or more, I think it will bend fairly easily. The Redbird doesn't have much curve in that area anyway, so it may not be noticable even if it doesn't change much. Have you maintained the hull width? If not, this could be the reason for the straight spot. It seems like the flat spot would be much longer than you make it sound if this were the case. In any event, if the outwales are glued tightly to the hull, they will take on or change the shape of the inwales. They should not have an arch in them where the inwales have none. You will want to pay close attention to getting the clamps tight in that area and to the positioning of the outwales in relationship to the inwales. Make sure you don't have any gaps between the outwales and the hull and see to it that the upper surfaces are aligned.
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Patricks Dad
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Location: Warrenville, Illinois

Post by Patricks Dad »

The unscuppered mid portion of the inwales is 13.5" (wider than would be needed to accommodate the yoke but wide enough to bracket the (upsidedown) maple leaf just below the gunwale - per our asthetics consultant - mom). You have to look carefully to see the flat portion. I'm betting it will be reduced or eliminated with the installation of the outwale. We pondered taking a 1/16" off the hull side of the inwale just before the first scupper to minimize this issue but decided it wasn't necessary. If this is the biggest fluke in the canoe when we're done, I'll be a happy paddler.

The hull width has been maintained - but without any cross support, it flexes inward about 3/8".

Agree on the need to ensure that the outwales are well clamped to ensure the inwale and outwales have the same shape (we used 59 clamps on each inwale so should be in pretty good shape there).
Randy Pfeifer
(847) 341-0618
Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
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mtpocket
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Post by mtpocket »

Randy,

59 clamps should hold about anything. That's about one clamp per 3.5 inches. I didn't have that many and couldn't convince my wife that clamps would make her a nice birthday gift. Mine were about 6 inches apart and everything went fine. With 59 clamps, it should be even easier for you. Are you waiting until after the outwales are on before installing the decks? How did the coin turn out? Show pictures.
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Patricks Dad
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Post by Patricks Dad »

59 was plenty but we seemed to find narrow spots that "could use another one" and we just kept putting them on (but avoided cranking down on them too tightly to avoid starving the joints). Later I found 2 more clamps I had forgotten about (used to clamp our scraper sharpener to a bench). We have a pretty wide variety of misc. clamps laying around.

We'll put the decks on before the outwales so shaping the decks is the next job. There is a lot of recruve on the Redbird so we have lots of shaping to do on the decks. I was thinking of using the belt sander (other ideas would be welcomed).

Once they are shaped, we'll turn some cherry for an insert into a hole in the decks for the coins. Then we'll add the outwales (thinking it would be easier to clamp the decks on without the outwales in place)
Randy Pfeifer
(847) 341-0618
Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
marchmyres
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Location: Aberdeen, UK

Post by marchmyres »

I used a power plane for my decks, set on low (0.5-1mm) to rough out the shape, then a 1/3 sheet sander. The planer allowed me to build a crown just like the spine on a paddle.

Finally, I get to give someone else info! This sight is amazing, but I've always felt like I was taking and not giving... Hope the above helps.

Gordon
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Patricks Dad
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Post by Patricks Dad »

power planer. This idea is intriguing. I don't own a power planer and this might be an opportunity to buy a new tool (this project has been fantastic for generating excuses to buy new tools :smile ).

But the design of our decks and the amount of recurve on our Redbird make it difficult to see how we would be able to develop that much curve in our decks. I've never used a power planer before. Can you create a fairly deep concave curve with one?

Otherwise I'll stick with the belt sander and come up with something to do with lots of walnut sawdust (besides breath it).

Thanks for making me think...
Randy Pfeifer
(847) 341-0618
Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
marchmyres
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Post by marchmyres »

There isn't much curve on my Prospector decks admittedly, but don't let that stand in the way of buying tools!

If the tool gods are listening, I'd love a power block plane to be developed - something like a block plane size to fit in the hand, with a sole around 4-5" long...
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Glen Smith
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Post by Glen Smith »

Hi Randy, my Hiawatha decks have a fair amount of curve to them. I started with very thick blocks of walnut and did the initial shaping with a spokeshave and the final shaping with the ROS. The decks have a concave curve to them from front to back and a convex curve side to side. Much like the bicycle seat on my old ten speed. It really wasn't very difficult to achieve a pleasing shape.
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Patricks Dad
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Post by Patricks Dad »

Thanks Glen. Our decks as you know have lots of concave front to back. But we expect the side to side to be pretty flat so we prorably have more wood to take off but a bit easier job overall (skill-wise) to get it right.

I was assuming this would be another (of many) example where I need to apply some technology to over-come a lack of talent or skill.
Randy Pfeifer
(847) 341-0618
Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
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KARKAUAI
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Post by KARKAUAI »

Hi, Randy,
I used a belt sander to rough out the shape of my decks, and a ROS to finish it. Worked great.
A hui ho,
Kent
The Gutt Clan
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Post by The Gutt Clan »

You could always try a micro-plane... They hog off wood pretty quickly...
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