Meryl Grandy

Slow but sure progress

Still continuing with planking operations.  Progress has been slow, not least because my two helpers insist I play ball with them in the garden rather than helping me in the workshop..




I have been comparing results from spiling with  an articulating template and those from using the 2 batten and trellis method.  I made a test plank using the spiling method and overlaid these against the profile resulting from the trellis and batten method.

Here you can see the battens underneath the test plank, which shows a slight difference in dimensions, although not so much to really show whether one is unworkable.

I also started using my staple gun with small 15mm pins which hold the battens onto the boat and molds without piercing the planks.

Using hardboard as the trellis between the battens, I attached these with a hot glue gun, but this results in a slow clean up afterwards, so I will next try relying solely on the staple gun.

One aspect of using the trellis method is to ensure that the battens are quite supple and not too strong or springy as otherwise they tend to revert to their shape and reduce the arc required in the plank.  I have the process reasonably refined, as follows:-

1) Pin batten onto previous plank aligning it to the pencil line drawn on the plank at the top of the bevel.
2) Pin second batten onto the molds aligned on the marks for the lower edge of the plank.
3) Attach trellis between the batten, much like rungs of a ladder (using hot glue or staple gun)
4) Remove trellis from boat and set onto planking ply
5) Pin trellis battens onto planking ply
6) Remove trellis from battens, which act as guides for the next two steps
7) Cut planking play using circular skill saw with John Brooks jig
8) Finish edges with router armed with flush trim router, as per John Brooks directions in GLWB

One of my new home made tools has been invaluable in attempting to refine my dory gains at the transom.  Gluing 80 grit paper on a thin batten, allows me to run this between the plank lands at the dory gain and mate them together.

I say attempting because it is still not a very positive process but rather test and see, test and see...and repeat, until you get fed up and resort to thickened epoxy...I'm thinking of developing this approach my gluing some 120 grit paper on the blade of my Bosch multi tool.  While on the subject of multi tools, I was quite skeptical of these but on reading another Somes Sound blog by Dave in SFO, I picked up he had found these very useful, so I did some research and decided on the Bosch GOP SCE 300 Professional as a good compromise between quality and cost.  So far I have found it to be far more versatile than expected and I have found quite a number of uses for it.




Here's another product which I have been using to good effect recently - it's a 10 second glue which I have found invaluable for making quick jigs and gluing up templates and patterns in hardboard.  The bottle seem to be like a superglue formula while the aerosol is the catalyst.  You apply glue on one side and spray the aerosol on the other, press together for 10 seconds and you have a very strong joint.

I'm on my last three plank pairs, so hope to get the planking finished within the next 5 or so days and then plan to pour my lead keel.  Stay tuned!