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So I bought a simple metal-cutting blade (no teeth, no raised edges), and a stick-on sanding disk (80 grit, I think). Its held up well for two years of intermittent use with both softwoods and hardwoods, and I don't use this blade for anything else -- I just change out the blade when I need the disk.
I wouldn't try this with a regular woodcutting blade. I like my fingers too much.
"Sometimes it goes out to a 1/8" sometimes down to 0. I then try to sand it true with an orbital sander and a rasp"
Use your orbital sander on flat surfaces. For an edge like on the molds, use a belt sander. If you have to sand by hand, clamp a piece of wood at 90 degrees to the long side of your sanding block. This way you'll end up with a true edge.
In most canoe designs, except for the center mold, the hull will contact only the stem side edge of each station mold. If you make sure that one edge of the mold is on the line, the back side is not so important if cut just short of the line.
My method to transfer the form lines to a complete form is a little bit of work but is worth the effort. I fold the original line sheet on the center line and trace the lines onto a second folded sheet under the original. There I place carbon paper (carbon side up and down) so that you can trace out the lines on the inside sheet. When you open up the folded sheet you have a perfect outline of a form (left and right side exactly the same).
Glue this to the plywood, I use 5/8th particle core with a veneer finish, and use a good spray-on contact glue. I use a bandsaw and sanding machine to get the edges as clean as a CNC router can.
After the form is up and ready to go , I use a air tool with a rotary sanding rasp to chamfer the bow and stern forms. Use Welbond glue to seal the edges with three coats. This will plasticize the edge for better staple holding power.
This might seem a lot of work but the result is a nearly symetrical form and a very nice foundation to start the stripping process. 90 percent of the work in stripping a canoe or a kayak is cutting and setting up the form. If this is done right the rest is easy.
It is very important that you sand corresponding molds together. That way you keep the canoe looking symetrical front to back, even if you miss the cutting line here and there. If you should happen to gouge or cut way too much off of any mold, don't panic. Repair the area by gluing a thin strip onto the edge and reshape.
Don't hesitate to drive a couple of drywall screws through the molds to secure them together for shapng and sanding. Having chosen 3/4" stock will make the job a bit harder, 3/8" to 1/2" is plenty thick for a mold. As a result, you will be cutting into the stem mold pretty significantly when shaping your inner stem. Also, if you are using station 8, it is designed for a 1/2 thick stem mold. You'll have to reduce its width by 1/8".
When mounting these station on the stem and stern molds do you cut them down the centreline or do you have to take into account the thickness of the stem/stern forms.
