Jump to content

Staples


Howard

Recommended Posts

The day is coming, and it won't be long, when I will begin installing the forward bottom planks on the Princess 26. These consist of overlapping layers of plywood strips. Basically, an outside layer overlapping and stapled to the inner plank.

 

At first glance, I did not think this would be a problem, since these go on as a convex or outside bend, so the ends will be pulling against the middle. However, it also appears they will have a bit of twist to them, so to get them to lay flat to each other, and not pucker up on the edges, is going to require staples to hold them down and probably lots of them.

 

Seems to me there might be three ways to go.

 

1. Raptor plastic staples with 1/2" crown seems to be the perfect choice. BUT, are these available for a standard T50 gun with 3/8" crown? If not, and you have to purchase one of those Omer guns at over $200, not a good option for a one time use. Is there an economical yet effective alternative driving solution?

 

2. Monel or Stainless staples. Drive them in deep, cover the heads with epoxy and leave them. Monel might be OK for this use more so than stainless, but overall, I'm not fond of leaving metal in the wood parts.

 

3. Standard T50 staples, knowing you will have to dig them all out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Most pros either use plastic or they'll staple over a pad or what I use is the plastic banding strap, used to hold down stuff on palettes. I staple over the strip, let everything cure, then the banding strap is used to help pull the staples afterward. If on a budget, use a manual or hammer style of stapler, such as the G-3PS or CT-6000P.

 

Both monel and stainless T-50's can be left in, with monel being less likely to cause issues. I've buried lots of stainless screws and staples over the years with no issues, under epoxy. Stainless needs moisture vapor to rust, so completely buried in goo, there's no air, so no rust.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It could be that in anticipation of the job, I am over thinking this, but my reason for doing it is to be ready with the right tools and process in the event it becomes necessary. After the epoxy is down and is starting to kick is not the time to be figuring this out.

 

Charlie.....once the panel strips transition from lying flat on the side panels to the more vertical butt joints toward the bow, how did you keep the edges of the first or inside layer of bottom panel strips aligned to the inside topside edges?

 

I also plan to cut and dry fit the entire assembly, so once I start, I'll do the whole front end in one session.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...

Time flies when you are having fun.

 

Looks like it has been a year since I first asked, but I'm now into it.........fitting in the diagonal panel strips.

 

After one run, what I found was that normal steel staples will get the job done, but are not tough enough to survive the extraction process. They break off, leaving the legs in the plywood.......which in my case is Meranti. On the other hand, monel staples are tough enough to survive extraction, but with upwards of 20 to 30 staples per panel, and with about 20 panels in all, pulling each and every one of those is going to be a big job. I'm still leery about leaving anything like that on the surface.....even below a glass coating.........where water could eventually wick into the plywood. Seems to be asking for trouble.

 

Then there are Raptor plastic staples, which in theory, can be left in. Or can they? They won't rust, but will they wick water? Or just trust it under the glass?

 

http://raptornails.com/product-catalog/staples.php

 

Anybody know if these can be run through a normal T50 staple gun? I have the Arrow pneumatic gun and it shoots monel staples fine. Not sure I would pop for the Omer gun just for this one job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the same concerns about the Raptor tool cost-  I ended up going with the Redhawk equivalent- the tools are significantly cheaper, and I ended up with an air stape gun, brad gun and hand stapler.  I use all three quite a bit and haven't had any troubles.  I really like the system for all sorts of things and I love not having to pull staples or brads-  as an example, when I was putting in the seat tops on the 17- and soon, the planking on a OB20-  I sure wish I had these tools for the previous boats.  One key thing to remember-  the fasteners have fairly good tensile strength, but very little in the way of shear-  

 

JP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guess is the fastener of choice for laminating the plywood panel strips on a convex of outside bend curvature remains the staples? The brads seem to have nominal heads along the lines of a finish nail, but not sure that is what a persons should use for laminating panels. In my case, it's 1/4" on top of 3/8".

 

I can see where a finish nailer or brad gun would help to hold seat tops or other flat panels down to the supporting cleats in areas where clamping would be awkward.

 

My point being if a person was only going to spring for one gun / system, which would it be?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

OK, I now have the staple gun sold by Duckworks as the Red Hawk.

 

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/tools/redhawk/20g-staplers/air.htm

 

I got the Raptor staples vs. the Red Hawk brand as they appeared to be a bit heavier (19 gauge vs. 20) Price was about the same.

 

First glance, gun will work, but with some concern. Gun has a safety lever on the trigger, but once you lift that, gun will fire. I shot a staple 20 feet or so to prove it. (My Arrow pneumatic will not fire unless the head is pressed down......that seems safer to me).

 

So which staple....the Raptor or 1/2" monel....... might hold better? I shot both through a long 2" wide strip of 1/4" plywood into a foot long piece of 3/8" ply, as is the case building the Princess, then bent the 1/4" ply over a fulcrum and started bending to see which staple would pull out first. It was always the monel. That surprised me. So I tried Raptors in both sides and it took nearly double the bending force to get either side to pull out. As noted, they are fragile in shear, but the legs appear to hold pretty well in tension, which is their main job. I got the 9/16" and will max PSI, the crowns remain slightly proud, so will shear off easily, leaving only the legs in the finished hull.

 

Anyway, these appear like they will do the job, which is to hold the plywood panels down and in place until the epoxy cures, then go away. Intending to try the next set of panels with them, and if all goes well, finish the boat with them.

 

Paul (PAR) is correct. The Raptors have 1/2" crown. The Arrow staples have a 3/8" or so crown and Raptors will not fit into the Arrow gun. The crown is too wide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

Supporting Members

Supporting Members can create Clubs, photo Galleries, don't see ads and make messing-about.com possible! Become a Supporting Member - only $12 for the next year. Pay by PayPal or credit card.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.