Wordless Wednesday

Thanks, MoMan!

The New Challenge.

Well, I've started in on a new challenge.  I'm making a change for a semester of teaching from cedar-strip canoe building to paddle making.  I'm going to be offering a class in how to build you own single-bladed canoe paddle, double-bladed canoe or kayak paddle, Greenland style "stick" paddle or, for those adventurous sorts, oars.  I've built them all before, but haven't taught a class on the subject, so this should be an interesting challenge.

Sign-up for classes was last Saturday morning and I was amazed to not only fill the class, but wind up with two more students for a total of 12. 

I've got a bit of teaching material to put together before next weekend, but otherwise I'm prepared. 

Here's looking forward to the mayhem and posting on paddles for a bit!

Wordless Wednesday

Tech Tip Tuesday

 

 Boatbuilders are peculiar creatures.  They tend to be very picky about the things they use to build their boats and will go to the ends of the earth to get them.  One of these items (obviously) is wood screws.  First of all, it should be recognized that there are myriad sizes, types and materials of screws.  The choice is really endless.  However, for boatbuilders, the list tends to narrow considerably.  

We'll work with material first.  Typical materials are brass, stainless steel and bronze.  Brass tends to be a bit lower on the list because of it's softness and it's zinc erosion in salt water.  Brass also tarnishes to a greenish color.   Stainless steel is nice for corrosion resistance, is harder than the brass and doesn't tend to discolor.  Bronze is very nice because of it's hardness and good corrosion resistance and weathers to a brownish patina.

Screw driving types are next.   Allen (hex) drive, tend to be rarely found (except on machine screws and some flat-head screws) and there are those traditionalists who will use Robertson (square drive) screws - mostly on Canadian canoes to keep them "original".  Philips screw drive is also found but rarely.  The reason these three types tend to lag is that they can fill with finish and then be difficult to remove or replace.  Slotted or "straight" drive tends to be the screw drive of preference as they can be cleaned out relatively easily and if not, a piece of hacksaw blade can generate a slot quickly where one didn't exist.  

 

As far as driving screws goes, I like to use a taper-drill bit set.  The one below is from Fuller.  While they aren't the only supplier of these bits, they are one of the better ones - and made in the USA!   With this set you can set up the counter-sink to drive the screws flush with the wood, or counter-bore it so the screw head us beneath the surface.  Also in the kit are stop collars to set the depth and tapered plug cutters to make plugs to fit the counter-bores.  A very nice kit, indeed.

On the lid of the box is beeswax.  I use beeswax to lubricate the screws as they are being driven.  I prefer this to soap or other lubricants as the pH of the soap and some other lubes can cause corrosion of the screws - this doesn't seem to be the case with the beeswax.  One good tip here is that if I'm driving brass screws I tend to use a steel screw of the same size to create the threads in the wood for the brass screw and remove it.  This way, I'm reducing the torque applied to the brass screw to drive it, and reducing the chances of twisting off the screw or stripping the head.

Below the box is one of my favorite driving tools - a reversible, ratcheting screwdriver (with interchangeable tips)  I really prefer to drive screws by hand.  The feel lets you know if the screw is biting or if you're over-torquing the screw and are about to twist it off.  A bit-brace works well, also.  I tend to avoid using my electric drill to drive screws (even with the clutch), but I've gotten a nice small Bosch power driver that I'm trying out.  So far, it doesn't seem to be over-torquing the screws, but I'm still skeptical and prefer hand-driving to power driving.

 

There are times, no matter how careful you are, when you will be "screwed".  The head will strip,  or even snap off and you want to remove the remainder of the screw.  There are two good options.  The first is a tubular screw extractor like the one below:

 

They go in a drill and remove a cylindrical piece of wood which you can then plug with a dowel.  I've seen home-made versions of these ground from large roll pins using a Dremel tool.

If you've just stripped the head, or think there is enough material, another alternative is the Alden Grabit.  The Grabit is a combination of center drill and screw thread made from hardened material.  You chuck it in your drill and drive it in reverse to create a pocket with the center drill and then turn the bit around and drive it in reverse to set the screw thread in the pocket and un-screw the damaged hardware.  It really has to be tried to be believed.  It works really well - better than an Easy-out, in my opinion.

Happy screwing!

Monday again?

Isn't it great to get that pesky weekend out of the way?

Wordless Wednesday

Tech Tip Tuesday

While the above video may seem to be a bit out of place for a Tech Tip Tuesday, I assure you that it is not.  We all manage to get by with a little help from our friends.  This is especially true of boat builders of all kinds - and it makes life a whole lot easier and cheaper.

When building a boat you will require a lot of skills, a lot of materials, and a lot of tools.  Generally, unless you've been building boats for quite some time, you will not have accumulated all of these.  Reading books only goes so far. 

Let's start with skills.  Boat building uses a wide variety of skills - chief among them wood working. (because we're talking about wooden boats, here!) Because many people have had at least a little exposure to wood working or know someone who does, finding some of those basic skills is not hard.  Working alongside an experienced woodworker or boat builder is a fantastic way to learn if they're willing to share.  Even if they may not know much about boatbuilding, they may have networked and can introduce you to someone who does.  Alternatively, many classes are available in your community - either via night school classes or a technical school.   Last but not least, there are online communities such as the WoodenBoat Forum, the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, and Yahoo! Groups, just to name a few where you can run into skilled people, make friends, learn and network.  Just remember : none of us are as smart as all of us.

Materials can be hard to come by - some are pretty unique.  Friends are a good starting point to find vendors for bronze hardware, wood and other marine supplies and hardware.  Sometimes, they even have a stash of these items that they are willing to part with for little or no money - that item you're looking for that they were saving for that boat that they were planning to build "sometime".  Wood workers who build furniture for a hobby are fairly common (we are - really!) and usually have a handle on good sources for the type of wood that you're looking for or, as I've previously mentioned, they may have a stash of wood.

It also takes a variety of tools to build a boat.  Hand tools are relatively easy to find and most people have some of them.  Power tools - and in particular, stationary power tools are less common.   This is where you find out who your real friends are.  They're the ones who will let you use or help you to mill stock with their power tools.  They are also the ones who will loan tools to you.  When that type of friend comes along, realize that they are a "keeper".  They are few and far between.  To loan out your tools is putting serious faith in the person that they are being loaned to.  Never betray that trust.  Always treat those tools like they were your own and return them in a timely manner.  You never know when you might need a tool again!

We all do a little bit better with some help from our friends!