How many boards for "Prospector"

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firefightered
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Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:39 am
Location: NW Alabama

How many boards for "Prospector"

Post by firefightered »

If I were to buy 1x8x17' boards to cut into strips for the Prospector, how many boards would it take using a 1/8" blade? I know it's suppose to take about 70 board ft. I just don't know the formula to figure it out.
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Herby
sedges
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calculations

Post by sedges »

A 1x8 is really 7.5. It is easier to do this in decimal. 1/4 inch strip is 0.25 the 1/8 inch kerf is 0.125.

Total width for strip plus kerf 0.375.

7.5/0.375=20 strips per board.

You ought to be able to find a narrower kerf blade than 1/8"

I use a band saw with a 3/4 inch chisel tooth blade and get 24-25 strips from a 1x8.

I think your 70 board feet is way too much. It would be over 6 17 foot 1x8s making 120 or more strips. I don't think you will need more than 80 strips for your build.

Don't forget that as you get into the bottom of the hull the strips get shorter real fast. You'll be getting two strips on the hull from one of those 17 footers.
Rick
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Post by Rick »

I agree that 70 board-feet may be too much... IIRC, a Prospector's hull measures about 5 feet around at the widest point (this could be wrong, measure to find the actual circumference for yours)

Rough calculation:

5' x 12 = 60"

60" covered in 3/4 inch strips.... 60 divided by .75 = 80 strips

If twenty strips are possible per board then four boards will be needed.



For number of board-feet...

A board-foot is 1' x 1' x 1" or 12" x 12" x 1" = 144 cubic inches

So a 1x8'x17' board becomes 1" x 7.5" x 204" = 1530 cubic inches

Or 1530 divided by 144 = 10.62 board-feet per board


If the first part is right, then 10.62 x 4 equals 42.48 board-feet needed.



PS... Maybe buy five boards for some margin of error and color choice.
firefightered
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Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:39 am
Location: NW Alabama

Post by firefightered »

Thanks for the replies guys!!!!!!! Now all I have to do is figure out if I want Poplar or Cypress. Any suggestions? I plan on having Walnut and maybe some small Orange Osage for acsents.
Big Woody
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Post by Big Woody »

I think it is a good idea to have enough wood to make more strips than you think you will need. Because it can be difficult to find long boards that are free of knots and other defects, I ended up not using about 1/3 of the strips I cut because they had "issues". In retrospect I wish I had not used any strips with knots in them. I thought they would add a nice bit of character, but they now just seem to make my canoe look like it was made from cheap lumber.(which it was)
I also would not have used any scarfed strips if I were to do things over. I'd have just bought an extra board or two.
My favorite board I used was a redwood board. Not a single knot. It cut like hot butter. The growth rings were about 3/8ths of an inch apart, so it must have been new growth timber, the color was a beautiful red and completely uniform. it also seemed very light and flexible. I had a great experience with it so far.
I'm sure you won't find any 17 foot Osage Orange boards. It is also incredibly heavy. It tears up my chainsaw blades every time I have to cut some. I have it growing all around where I live, but I don't think I'd use it on a boat you plan on carrying, unless it is as you say for some small accents or seat frames or thwarts or yoke.
firefightered
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Location: NW Alabama

Post by firefightered »

The Orange Osage will be used if used for small acsents only. I have a good supplier for poplar in all differant colors. I'm going to try and stick with the lightest colors for the most part.
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Jim Dodd
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Post by Jim Dodd »

You must be using a tablesaw to cut your strips.

I use a skillsaw with a fence, and a thin kerf blade. It's a lot thinner blade.

I can get by with three 1x8s for a solo, and four would be a great plenty.

The skillsaw does a great job! Even with a thin kerf, I figure a fourth of the plank ends up in saw dust.

I bead and cove. And the uniformity of my strips is very important !

Good luck

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
firefightered
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Location: NW Alabama

Post by firefightered »

I plan to use a table saw with a 7 1/4 blade. I found som basswood for $2.36 a board ft. Is this a pretty good price? It's clear too.
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Davesbuild
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Post by Davesbuild »

Big Woody
In retrospect I wish I had not used any strips with knots in them. I thought they would add a nice bit of character, but they now just seem to make my canoe look like it was made from cheap lumber.(which it was)

IMHO - beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I like the look of having the knots in. Wood is wood.. it's a natural substance.. not all is "pure" and clear!

But.. Just my opinion!

Thanks,
Davesbuild
http://home.cogeco.ca/~hotrods/Canoebuild/
Big Woody
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Post by Big Woody »

Part of my dislike of the knots stems from their workability. I had a strip with a knot in it bust apart at the knot as I was gluing it in. And the knot material is so much harder than the softer surrounding wood that it made for a lot more block sanding to fair it smoothly. It kind of makes a brittle spot in your strip. I thought I would like the authentic look they added. But in retrospect I don't. Below is a sample of some knots in my canoe. I think the pin knots are fine, but the larger knots I don't like.
Image
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frugal
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Post by frugal »

We had a lot of knots in the wood that we used. Even though we also had some strips break at the knot this happened during the dry fit and we just cut the end and used a butt joint to finish the row. The knots and irregular grain give our boat an interesting look.

I can see your point though since you really only have these two knots in the boat. We have so many knots that they all look like they belong.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm90 ... oe/005.jpg
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Davesbuild
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Post by Davesbuild »

Big Woody - Having "a couple" of knots that stand out may not be quite as appealing as having "many sporatic" knots throughout. Also agree with the "workability" issue... extremely noticable when carving a paddle! Must work from every which direction to follow the grain and get a good cut. I really don't like the idea of burning wood because it has a few knots in it though. Maybe I'm just cheap! :laughing

Cut the knots out and butt joint or scarf the strips together if you want to make the most of your wood and don't like the knots! Make as little waste as possible! Just my 2 cents worth.

Sorry, a bit off-topic here.

Davesbuild
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