Non-Bear Mountain Designs

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Jim Dodd
Posts: 1359
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:08 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Jim Dodd »

Jim Dodd wrote:After finishing my Nokomis, I was back helping Ben with his Traveler.

Right now we are working in a pivoting backrest. Our first attempt at steam bending. The 1/4" Walnut was a breeze.
The backrest will be mounted in walnut blocks, attached to the inwhales. So far we are planning on friction to keep the backrest in the desired position.
Any better ideas out there ?
Here's some pics.
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Jim
Finished Ben's Iowa Traveler.
pics.Image
Seat detail.
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Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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Cruiser
Posts: 867
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:21 am
Location: Bowmanville, Ontario

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Cruiser »

Awesome looking solo, I see the backrest and a note saying seat detail, did I miss the seat?


Brian
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Jim Dodd
Posts: 1359
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:08 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Jim Dodd »

The back rest pivots, and is strong enough to use as a seat, but the center of gravity would be too high. As a kneeling thwart it should work. I just used a seat cushion to set on. Perfect height.
I paddled the Traveler today and love it !
It belongs to my oldest son, and grand daughter. So looks like I have another project ! Build one for Me !

It tracks great, and is dry. I didn't bother with a double blade, as I'm a pretty dedicated single blade guy.
Love the backrest, it's at a perfect height for me. Soo comfortable.
My Awesome Wife snapped a few pics at the take out. I wanted to see how it trimmed. Love it !
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Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
Rehd Brown
Posts: 148
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:23 pm
Location: Fresno, California

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Rehd Brown »

Looks good Jim.
Just got word today that the company I'm building the Sairy Gamp for decided not to carry our wood at this time, and no longer needs the canoe. So, guess the grandkids scored a boat to play with.
We have several logs to slice up and we'll be offering wood to some of the local Surfboard and Paddleboard builders on the coast here as well as any local canoe/kayak builders. And I'll be using a bunch of it myself.


Rehd
Rehd Brown
Posts: 148
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:23 pm
Location: Fresno, California

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Rehd Brown »

Been busy at the ranch the past few days, but kept pluggin away, in the evenings, and got the accent strips glued up. Now to plane them, as well as all the other strips, down to 3/16" thickness. Then it's back to the shed to start in.

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Been spending the late evenings drawing up the forms for the Prospector. I may make up two sets of forms, one for the stripper and one to do a S.o F. version. Got a question to ask about that, but, will drop it into the prospector subject

Rehd
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Jim Dodd
Posts: 1359
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:08 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Jim Dodd »

Looking forward to seeing the color variation of your Paulonia wood strips !
Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
Rehd Brown
Posts: 148
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:23 pm
Location: Fresno, California

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Rehd Brown »

Well, I was hoping to get a good start on routing strips and setting up my stem molds, but had to play taxi for my grandkids, so didn’t get to that.
I did have time to put up my stem molds and cut the laminated inner stems to size.


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Rehd
Rehd Brown
Posts: 148
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:23 pm
Location: Fresno, California

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Rehd Brown »

Well, got out the router table to do my B & C, but, it needed some upgrading and a new fence to be able to use my bits. Got out the die-grinder and made short work on the plastic plate, then picked out some scrap plywood from another project ( fish tank base ), and got it all finished. Just didn't have time to do my strips.
This week is ground prep and hay seeding to beat the rain.
Rain in California..? Who ever heard of it.

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Going to be a busy week at the ranch, so strips will probably have to wait till this next weekend.

Rehd
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Jim Dodd
Posts: 1359
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:08 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Jim Dodd »

Trick ! Run your strips BETWEEN the fence and the bit, on your router.
No need to plane planks before cutting strips. The router will do that for you. Plus you get very uniform strips !

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
Rehd Brown
Posts: 148
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:23 pm
Location: Fresno, California

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Rehd Brown »

Confusion.. ?

Planing is what I did to bring my strips to 3/16" thickness, while the bits put the B&C on the edges.
Not sure exactly what you mean Jim.

Rehd
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Jim Dodd
Posts: 1359
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:08 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Jim Dodd »

Sorry I should have been more clear !
My post refers to bead and coving your strips
I don't own a planer, frankly I don't see the need.

I would buy #3 grade 1x stock. 1x8 mostly.
They would vary in thickness, say 3/4"- 7/8". So when I bead and cove strips from these planks, I would set the gap BETWEEN the fence and the bit at 3/4".
Not only does this bead and cove my strips, they are all 3/4". Eliminating the need to plane my planks before hand. Saves a lot of time, and tool expense.

I cut my strips using the skilsaw method. It produces uniform, 1/4" thick strips.

Some pics, of my router setup, and strip cutting method. Image Image
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Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
Rehd Brown
Posts: 148
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:23 pm
Location: Fresno, California

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Rehd Brown »

Well, FINALLY able to sit down and write something...
Unfortunately, there's not much to write. Spent a whole week prepping ground and seeding our place for the winter hay crop. Then got a call from a neighbor down the road that we could use his horse ranch for hay as well, so went down and prepped and planted his place as well. Beat the rain by half a day or so.
Started back on the router table/fence project and ran into a couple of snags, and, of course, the Holiday, so that all went on hold. Today I'm back at it and have the router table/fence issue fixed and it's about to rain again. Sounds like it rains alot out here, but, we're in the grips of a 7 - 8 year drought.
Lakes are near dried up, rivers are a trickle, lawns are dead ( for those of us who obey the laws ), but, that's a topic for another forum, another time.
I just have to run a couple of test strips I've made up to be sure of my setting, and I can start any time.
However, do to lack of room, my strips run out of the garage around 7' or so, and if it rains, I have to wait it out. It says 80% chance, which, out here, means we may get light sprinkles off and on.
We shall see how it goes.. More soon...


Rehd
Rehd Brown
Posts: 148
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:23 pm
Location: Fresno, California

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Rehd Brown »

Well, finally got a chance to play with the strips, so I finished all of the beads and most of the coves. Here's a few of them going through my old rickety home made router table. It was a real pain trying to adjust the bits just right. They are 1/4" B&C and my strips are 3/16" x 5/8". Lots of back and forth, ups and downs until I got it all aligned. After putting the edges on them I got the sneaking suspicion that I'll be a couple strips short. Not a problem... I have another 2"x 8" x 10' board to work out a few more. Not sure yet, cause there's plenty to do the long strips, and depends on how many and much I will be cutting some down for the bottom/football. I may make it, but, it will be close. I figured it originally for 3/4" strips, then cut them to 5/8", then put the B&C on and now I'm thinking I'll be making more. Tomorrow I'll lay them out for color and see how far they'll go. Should have done my math... :sad
Done out there for the day, so now I can continue to ink my Prospector forms and listen to Sharks Hockey.

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Rehd
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Cruiser
Posts: 867
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:21 am
Location: Bowmanville, Ontario

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Cruiser »

ReHd

On my last build I did research on setting up the router for bead and cove. I found this little trick on the Guillemot website for getting a perfect setup on the router.
Use a marker to make the wood black (on your test piece), then adjust your height and depth till it is perfect, the black really helps get it nailed down.

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If you need to do more strips, this may be some use in checking the setup.


Brian
Rehd Brown
Posts: 148
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:23 pm
Location: Fresno, California

Re: Non-Bear Mountain Designs

Post by Rehd Brown »

Hi Brian

Yes, I've used that tip before and was using it on my strips here. For purposes of setting the bit, I have to take the fence off to see, then put it back on to run practice strips. Somehow, between one and the other it gets off just a smidge.. I try to adjust it and it goes too far the other way.. It's just this old wooden table and it's hard to tell where it could be off. I'm already looking at new router tables, but, don't know if they will work with my 30 year old routers. Before I start on the Prospector I'll have a new one, just a matter of figuring out which to get. I like the idea of top adjusting with the T-handle, but, I've seen comments from folks that say it's just as easy with the knob underneath. None of the Big Box stores or the local Sears have much of a selection to look at and NO tables to speak of, so I need to go elsewhere to look at what's available. I like the bosch tables, but, they are a bit pricey. Anyway, a topic for another place and time.

I'll be putting the first strips on the Sairy Gamp today, and I'll measure what I have cut and see how far they go up the hull, then while glue is drying, head back to the garage to run more. I have tons of poplar and redwood strips already cut, but in 1" widths, all cut by a friend who builds canoes, but moved to Arizona and left me a few he didn't want to haul. Probably could build two, maybe 3 boats with them, but, need to cut them down to 5/8" for this boat. All 1/4" also, so still have to plane them down.

Back to work for now.


Rehd
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