hard to get strips to stay in place

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mike1227681
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hard to get strips to stay in place

Post by mike1227681 »

:crying talk bout getting discuraged, got 2 strips left to finish covering the stems and talk bout resistence. knew it was gonna be tough to get the strips to lay flat at the turn of the bilge, but wasnt quite ready for the last few strips ! was going great up till the last few and someone plzzz tell me it will get easier soooon. hoping the next few will fit easier now that they will be lying flater on the stems.. makes me want to go to staples next time :laughing
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Juneaudave
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Post by Juneaudave »

Say Mike...what are you building, and I assume your going stapleless? Lot's of good ways out there to get those strips in place...it takes some patience and thought. Here's some tricks...narrower strips for around the bilge make it easier, a heat gun does wonders to help with the twist and bend (be carefull not to burn the wood), one quote is to "do what it takes" to force it in place and that may mean extra braces, straps, bungee cords, clamps etc. My favorite is, if all else fails, go ahead and use a judiciously placed brad, staple or 16 penney nail to hold it in place. Whatever you use, make sure that the strip is in it's proper place and fits snugly to the mold...Good luck...Juneaudave
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Glen Smith
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Post by Glen Smith »

It will get easier once the stems are covered. In the meantime, have you tried a hot-air gun to heat and bend/twist the strips so they are easier to hold in place? Building with staples isn't the answer, some strips are very difficult even when using them. Heck, some builders have even put drywall screws through some strips to get them to hold in place! :shocked
mike1227681
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Post by mike1227681 »

hi dave, yes im building stapleless and it is a bobs special. didnt think bout the heat gun, sounds like a good idea, but with all the farting around now, im just getting everything in place and clamped and taped and taped and taped lol before the glue sets.standing with my heat gun would add plenty of time to my already legnthly process. would you heat the strip before or after putting up on mold. if before then wouldnt the wood just cool down long before if would be of any help?i currently have all the jigs ready and then put strip up under them ready to drop down onto existing stip(glue after i get it all ready on mold) thanx dave and glen.
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Glen Smith
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Post by Glen Smith »

Mike, you heat the strip and twist or bend to obtain the desired shape and hold it like that while it cools down. Once you have all the twists and bends you need for the strip to fit in place without requiring brute force, apply the glue and clamp the strip in place.
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ealger
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Bending strips

Post by ealger »

Mike, perhaps you've tried this but placing a large C-Clamp, on the end of the strip which extends past the stem, will give some twist to the strip while heating the strip with a heat gun. Use the weight of the clamp to twist the strip. You can add a bungee to the clamp to aid the twist.

For the life of me I can't find the URL where I first saw this technique.
Ed...
Ed Alger
mike1227681
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heat gun

Post by mike1227681 »

just fitted a strip while using the heat gun, what a diff, thx guys(it just got fun again lol) . now that you mention the weight solution, i do remember an earlier post mentioning it(dont know why it didnt show on my search) will certainly add that to the rest of my strips. what a great forum. thx for the help!
jfranck

Post by jfranck »

I had to twist a couple of my boards with a bar clamp and some weight such as a hammer on the end of the clamp to twist it further. I did have to use a nail on one stubborn board.

I didn't think of a heat gun. Wetting it a little might help too. Whatever works.
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pawistik
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Re: Bending strips

Post by pawistik »

ealger wrote:... placing a large C-Clamp, on the end of the strip which extends past the stem, will give some twist to the strip ...
That's what I did too. Except I used smallish ones and placed a bungee on the end to twist them in the required direction. I also used c-clamps before the twist (ie about 18" before the end of my kayak) and again used a bungee to pull the end of the clamp and create twist in the desired direction.

Mike, glad things are working better for you now with the heat gun.

Happy new year.
Bryan
David James
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Post by David James »

I took a small C clamp (3/4" with a thumb screw) and clamped a scrap strip (about a foot long) at a ninety degree angle near the end of the troublesome strip where it extends past the stems. To apply the twist I tied a piece of string (4 or 5 feet long) to both ends of the scrap strip and then secured one of the strings to a nail driven into the strongback and the other string to a nail in the garage ceiling or the nearby wall. I got all the twist in the strip I wanted and since the twisting force was ONLY twisting force (using just one string would tend to pull the strip where I didn't want it to go) I was able to lay the strip in real nicely and with control.
Anyway, it worked well for me.

Dave
"If given six hours to chop down a tree, spend the first four sharpening your ax." - Abraham Lincoln
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Moonman
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Post by Moonman »

The C clamp technique mentioned above is found on Martin Step's Green Valley website. Thats what I used and had no problems. With the clamp and the heat gun you should make out all right. Good luck, I'm starting a Bobs this spring.

Moonman.
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Ed Houston
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Post by Ed Houston »

Mike

I think a first boat teaches one of the most usefull wood working skill, "clamping" get creative I used a number of techniques including I made a goal post over every other mould frame to use wedges to hold the strips which I like to call planks down. The goal posts were from 2" strips of 3/4" ply and helped a bunch, I also used sugical tube to hold everything against the moulds and dogs and wedges (made from wast planks with bead to fit the cove) to hold them down into the groove (cove).

Good luck and when your finnished you will be so happy you did not go staple.

Ed
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