this is the same strong back I made the first boat on. Needless to say I should have tossed it and started over. spent the past week trying to get things kosher again. I just plum give! There are 3 2x's laying on edge sandwhiched together. I found this strong back in a magazine called "the handy man" issues May June91, July August 91, and Sept Oct 91. I snatched these from a library in Jr High, hmm maybe I shouldn't be saying that. Well you can see how long I've had this dream. I finally have the space, money and most of the tools a guy could ask for even if half of them are elcheapo's, hey they work.
Gonna pick up a nice perfectly straight I beam tomorrow.... There is a local guy I recently met who has also stripped out a canoe from Ted's book. He used an I beam and the ladder style strong back with good success. Or should I go Teds route as per his old book? I don't have the new book yet, still waiting on them to get here, any day now. The main problem is I can't seem to find a board that is straight and will STAY that way.
Any other strongbacks that are not prone to warping and or how to deal with it?
http://community.webshots.com/user/lilhunter007
strongback is dead.....:(! pics, thoughts appreciated
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Pete in the Deep South
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Jeff in Pembroke
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 8:26 am
I built mine with two engineered flooring joists (similar to Pete, I think one company sells them under the brand 'silent floor') screwed side to side to make a box - the top surface of the two joists was about 4". I covered it with a top plate of 3/4" plywood, 10" wide.
The engineered joists are reliably straight and not nearly as susceptible to warping or twisting. I posted a picture on the project directory under Jeff's Redbird. There is a photo showing station 8 that also shows the strongback.
Hope this helps.
Jeff
The engineered joists are reliably straight and not nearly as susceptible to warping or twisting. I posted a picture on the project directory under Jeff's Redbird. There is a photo showing station 8 that also shows the strongback.
Hope this helps.
Jeff
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Rod Tait
strong backs
You can access some info on building a box beam at my web site on the "How To" page. If you are concerned about it not being straight, you can set up your forms just like we do for kayaks and align them with centerlines. (setting up risers and aligning forms on web site) This means that even if your beam is not straight, (curved or sagging), you can align your forms using all the centerlines on your plans. BTW, it also takes less plywood in the end to build the beam, risers and seperate forms.
http://www.orcaboats.ca
http://www.orcaboats.ca
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Jeff in Pembroke
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 8:26 am
Perhaps the 'Silent Floor' is not what I thought. The engineered floor joists I used are like a wooden I-Beam. Essentially they are 2 parallel 2X2's joined by a 6" wide panel of Oriented Stand Board (OSB) about 3/4" thick. When viewed from end on the 2X2 edges and centre OSB panel look like a capital letter I. This creates the equivalent of a 2X10 that is used as a floor joist. It's much less susceptible to warping or shrinking than a standard 2X10. I put 2 of these joists side by side and screwed the 2X2's together. The OSB panels were separated by about 2" and when viewed end on it looked a bit like the end of a box beam.
Jeff
Jeff
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Bernie in Illinois
Your current strongback looks sufficient but you will have to do one of the following:
a. To the top, add two 8' pieces of 3/4" plywood, at least 12" wide. Adjust/shim this new top so the two pieces are in line and perfectly level
b. Use your stronback as is but follow Rod Taits' suggestion. Though cheaper, this approach will take alot more time then "a" above. You'll have to plumb and level each mold separately as well as line them up in relation to each other. It's a tedious job even when you start with a perfectly leveled surface. Locate the highest point on your strongback and use that as your ground plane reference. Shim the base of all molds in reference to your established ground plane
Bernie
a. To the top, add two 8' pieces of 3/4" plywood, at least 12" wide. Adjust/shim this new top so the two pieces are in line and perfectly level
b. Use your stronback as is but follow Rod Taits' suggestion. Though cheaper, this approach will take alot more time then "a" above. You'll have to plumb and level each mold separately as well as line them up in relation to each other. It's a tedious job even when you start with a perfectly leveled surface. Locate the highest point on your strongback and use that as your ground plane reference. Shim the base of all molds in reference to your established ground plane
Bernie
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Erik, Belgium
- Posts: 344
- Joined: Fri May 14, 2004 5:31 am
- Location: Gierle, Belgium
- Contact:
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Jeff in Pembroke
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 8:26 am
To AkDan
You've got it right. By using two joists side by side I had a top surface about 4"wide.
I thought about using only one - essentially using it to replace the vertical 2X10 described in Canoecraft, and then using a 2X10 top plate as described in the book. However, good, straight, dry 2X10's that are 16' long aren't easy to come by and I didn't want the top plate to twist and warp while I was building the canoe. I opted for 10"wide plywood which is dimensionally stable. By using 2 joists, I was able to get a wider surface to attach the plywood to. It may have been over-engineered, but the strongback was dead-on straight and very stable.
Jeff
You've got it right. By using two joists side by side I had a top surface about 4"wide.
I thought about using only one - essentially using it to replace the vertical 2X10 described in Canoecraft, and then using a 2X10 top plate as described in the book. However, good, straight, dry 2X10's that are 16' long aren't easy to come by and I didn't want the top plate to twist and warp while I was building the canoe. I opted for 10"wide plywood which is dimensionally stable. By using 2 joists, I was able to get a wider surface to attach the plywood to. It may have been over-engineered, but the strongback was dead-on straight and very stable.
Jeff
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Pete in the Deep South
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David James
- Posts: 223
- Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 9:04 pm
- Location: Glenview, Illinois
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Pete in the Deep South
To Jeff: Where are you located? We have a Pembroke here in Ga.
To David: Why didn't I think of that? I like the idea of using the I-beam as infeed and outfeed table when ripping strips.
To Todd: It is easy to tell from the posts who the real professional is in the group....thanks Todd! I was just thinking that I need to get your book out and start a sailing rig for my Vaux Jr. instead of starting another canoe. It is similar to the Wee Lassie design with maybe a little more freeboard ..... I did put a shallow keel (3/4")on it.
I almost forgot to mention, I did use brass stem bands.
To David: Why didn't I think of that? I like the idea of using the I-beam as infeed and outfeed table when ripping strips.
To Todd: It is easy to tell from the posts who the real professional is in the group....thanks Todd! I was just thinking that I need to get your book out and start a sailing rig for my Vaux Jr. instead of starting another canoe. It is similar to the Wee Lassie design with maybe a little more freeboard ..... I did put a shallow keel (3/4")on it.
I almost forgot to mention, I did use brass stem bands.
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KARKAUAI
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 3:06 pm
- Location: Hickory, NC / Princeville, Kauai, HI
- Contact:
Aloha, Dan,
Lots of good advice above, you can make just about anything work, if you use Rod's advice. I'm a little concerned about the width of your supports at the floor. You'll be putting a good bit of pressure at times when sanding, planing, etc, and the last thing you want is to tip the thing over. Mine were 3 ft wide AND screwed down to the floor a la Canoecraft, and it couldn't go anywhere, even with a pretty good accidental bump. I'd engineer a little sturdier stand than what you've got so far.
Lots of good advice above, you can make just about anything work, if you use Rod's advice. I'm a little concerned about the width of your supports at the floor. You'll be putting a good bit of pressure at times when sanding, planing, etc, and the last thing you want is to tip the thing over. Mine were 3 ft wide AND screwed down to the floor a la Canoecraft, and it couldn't go anywhere, even with a pretty good accidental bump. I'd engineer a little sturdier stand than what you've got so far.
A hui ho,
Kent
Kent