![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Canoe Update
Mar. 21st, 2011 10:40 pmSo, today I took down the aligning string, attached two gluing jigs to the canoe-lifter and put the first two strips on with drywall screws.
The first two strips are always screwed to the forms to provide a really solid attachment for the rest of the strips to be forced down against. It's necessary to press the strips together pretty hard to get a good glue bond between them, and as each strip adds a little pressure to the previous ones, it's possible to rip the gunwale level strips right off the forms if they aren't solidly attached. When the hull is fully planked I will take the screws out and patch the holes they leave by drilling them out straight and smooth with a forstner bit, then using a plug cutter to cut a matching piece of wood to glue into the hole.
It's just for thoroughness sake--I could just as well patch the holes with dookie schmutz--they will be completely hidden under the gunwales anyway. But I enjoy doing it that way and it's practice for patching the screw holes at the stems, which will show.
Then I started working with the hot glue, putting a little dot of hot glue between the white pine strips and the plywood forms, forcing the strip down against the previous strip and into the hot glue simultaneously, and clamping things in place with the other hand. I got another strip in place just as Steve from the hardware store stopped by. I had invited him to come see the form earlier in the day. He offered to help, and we put three more strips on. I can do it alone, but I think it goes faster with two. I was going to stop at that point but Steve wanted to put another pair of strips on--I think he found the process fascinating and was enjoying watching how the strips fit together and curved around the forms--, so we did.
So I am ahead of schedule--I was thinking I would put on six strips per day this week. But that's okay--I don't mind being ahead of schedule.
And the next strips that will go on will be a cedar strip on each side, then a white pine ditto, then a cedar ditto, for a racing-stripe look. Steve and I even poked through my white pine planks until we found the two with the least pink in them for the best contrast with the cedar.
I like it when the forms get aligned and you can see the shape of the boat... but I really like it when you can see the boat start to cover that shape.
Also I practiced some more this morning and some of the difficult details I put in yesterday are starting to become a little bit less difficult. On the other hand I discovered that when I don't play a particular song for a few days because I'm practicing something else, I have a harder time with that song. I'm not sure how I'm going to get them all practiced up to speed at the same time. Which doesn't matter for recording, I guess but might matter if I ever wanted to perform them in public.
The first two strips are always screwed to the forms to provide a really solid attachment for the rest of the strips to be forced down against. It's necessary to press the strips together pretty hard to get a good glue bond between them, and as each strip adds a little pressure to the previous ones, it's possible to rip the gunwale level strips right off the forms if they aren't solidly attached. When the hull is fully planked I will take the screws out and patch the holes they leave by drilling them out straight and smooth with a forstner bit, then using a plug cutter to cut a matching piece of wood to glue into the hole.
It's just for thoroughness sake--I could just as well patch the holes with dookie schmutz--they will be completely hidden under the gunwales anyway. But I enjoy doing it that way and it's practice for patching the screw holes at the stems, which will show.
Then I started working with the hot glue, putting a little dot of hot glue between the white pine strips and the plywood forms, forcing the strip down against the previous strip and into the hot glue simultaneously, and clamping things in place with the other hand. I got another strip in place just as Steve from the hardware store stopped by. I had invited him to come see the form earlier in the day. He offered to help, and we put three more strips on. I can do it alone, but I think it goes faster with two. I was going to stop at that point but Steve wanted to put another pair of strips on--I think he found the process fascinating and was enjoying watching how the strips fit together and curved around the forms--, so we did.
So I am ahead of schedule--I was thinking I would put on six strips per day this week. But that's okay--I don't mind being ahead of schedule.
And the next strips that will go on will be a cedar strip on each side, then a white pine ditto, then a cedar ditto, for a racing-stripe look. Steve and I even poked through my white pine planks until we found the two with the least pink in them for the best contrast with the cedar.
I like it when the forms get aligned and you can see the shape of the boat... but I really like it when you can see the boat start to cover that shape.
Also I practiced some more this morning and some of the difficult details I put in yesterday are starting to become a little bit less difficult. On the other hand I discovered that when I don't play a particular song for a few days because I'm practicing something else, I have a harder time with that song. I'm not sure how I'm going to get them all practiced up to speed at the same time. Which doesn't matter for recording, I guess but might matter if I ever wanted to perform them in public.
