Steve Downs

Merry Christmas Fintan, I think we all have a lot to be grateful for this holiday season. Friends and family around, a boat coming together, what more could you ask for?

I want to second the notion that there is a lot of good help here on the furum and I appreciate it as well Jack. I only look forward to the day I can get my boat in the water and have some sailing experiences to talk about. I was able to work on my keel this weekend. I got one outside piece cut out and faired. I'm ready now to trace that piece onto the other planks and get them cut out as well. I got my rudder cut out and the edges shaped. I found a blade in an old Craftsman moulding cutter set someone gave me awhile back that worked out perfect. It was a nice 1" radius cove cutter. I just put the end of it under a sacrificial fence on the table saw and cut the straight parts first then sort of pushed the round parts through little at a time and finished it up with a wood rasp. Worked out great. I also discovered something else. Ever since I made my rope stropped blocks I wanted to try making a grommet out of 1/2 rope. I finally got some and tried it. I wrapped it around a can of Chun King Chow mein (about 4" diameter) 3 times and cut it off. I then had enough material for 3 rings. I'm thinking of using them for mast hoops. They look pretty salty, they're cheap and they should be pretty strong and not scrape up the mast. They could also be replaced without taking the whole sail off the mast. I'll be thinking about it some more. I have a long way to go till I'm ready for mast hoops. Happy holidays everyone.

Just a wish for a great holiday season to everyone. How about a little cowboy poetry for the season? This one is written by Waddie Mitchell. A Cowboy Night Before Christmas T'was the night before Christmas and out on the spread, We had finished our chores and was going to bed, T'wern't much Yuletide spirit, no stockings was hung, No tree was fixed up and no carols was sung. In fact none of the cowboys was sayin' a lot As I tidied the bedroll that lay on my cot. Been nearly three weeks without sugar or mail, Since the wind blew in drifts that had closed off the trail. Which meant that we wouldn't see Christmas in town, And I was fixin' to lay my weary bones down, When out in the yard we heard hoof beats and traces, And strange looks came over the cowpunchers faces. There was the straining of harness and the soft muffled sound, Of steel runners gliding over snow covered ground. I pulls on my boots and quits my warm bed And peered out the window to see team and sled. I yelled back to the boys, "Better build a fresh pot, Got a guest who'll appreciate a cup of it hot, I opened the door and in came from the night A pot bellied man, frosted whiskers turned white. He seemed in a hurry, he never once tarried, And he gave each man something from the sack that he carried, Drank down his coffee and headed back out, Took hold of the lines, gave a whoop and a shout. "On Spic and on Span, on Tom and on Jerry, Is Christmas amigo, hope I help make it merry". We all yelled in unison back from the door, "You have, and Merry Christmas to you too senior". With a shout and a flash he was gone in the night, But his coming made every man's attitude bright. T'was a Christmas I'll remember each year without fail, When Santos, on contract got through with the mail. Merry Christmas everyone.

Money, lots of money. I've heard that a boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into. Tools aren't bad either. Time though is a pretty precious gift. :wink:

I spent Saturday splicing timbers together to make up 1x12x14' planks. I used gorilla glue and pocket screws to edge join everything. Now that they are dry I will take out the screws, plug the holes and start lofting this Saturday. I'm planning on a similar process in doing the laminations; gorilla glue and screws then removing the screws when it is dry. It's getting there even with all the interruptions - company parties to both attend and to perform at, Messiah rehersals, grandkids Christmas gifts and so forth. I'm a pretty busy guy. :shock:

Actually the posts are two 2x4 with a 2x2 sandwiched in between so they wrap around the header and there are footings under there with the posts sitting in a steel anchor to keep them out of the water. Thanks, it is coming together.

Tom, when I was a Boy Scout leader we used to make what we called a "buddy burner" with an empty tuna can. Cut some strips of corregated cardboard the same height as the inside of the can. Roll them up to fill the unside of the can then pour melted wax over it. If you leave a piece of the cardboard sticking up on the edge it acts as a wick to help in lighting. Just add a piece of wax as it burns to keep it fueled and as an added bonus, it's waterproof when cold. It was fun too, and cheap. :wink:

Jan, you have nothing to be ashamed of. That's beautiful work. You're coming along nicely. There's no jig involved in cutting the recess on the deadeye. I just set the fence at the proper distance from the edge, hold the disc on its edge and push it through carefully. Hold tight and don't panic. Rotate it and push it through again. Do the other side while you have your fence set up then move the fence out another 1/8" and do it again until all the material is gone. It takes awhile but I couldn't figure out another way to do it other than with a rasp and a lot of elbow grease. You might want to place a piece of 1/8" masonite over the blade and run the blade up through the masonite to the correct depth so that there are no gaps to fall through on the sides of the blade. I don't know if I'm making myself clear, it's easier to show you than tell you.

Thanks Jan, yes that is my shop such as it is. It's small but it will be nice to work in during the cold months. The deadeyes were really very simple to make. I used a hole saw on a fir 2x4 and cut the recess on the table saw carefully nibbling away the material. The upper deadeye was just cut away with a round file by hand. I then used a 1/4" roundover bit on the outside and holes. The bit didn't have a ball bearing so it fit inside the holes just fine. The ironic part is that I did those and cut out and turned the wheel parts 15 years ago. Not that I'm a procrastinator. I got my keel lumber planed down to 3/4" so this Saturday I can start piecing the planks together to the right size. Can't wait, but I have other commitments till then. How's your yacht coming along?

Great story Frank. I was very touched. Reminds me a lot of my Dad, such a great builder (brick layer and stone mason) but now is a shadow of his former self, struggling to breathe, hanging on to life and there's nothing I can do to help. Thank goodness for memories.

Ditto from the frozen mountains of Southern Utah. Fintan, I already celebrate St. Patricks Day. I lived over there for a couple of years from 1964-1966 and I have a lot of fond memories of the emerald isle. We're planning on going back in June and visit the old haunts as well as the rest of the British Isles. Can't wait.

Just thought I'd try to post a couple of pictures just to see if I can do it. Bear with me, I've never done this before. The first one is what I have been working on so far while waiting to get the keel underway. I do have my lumber now and after Thanksgiving I can get serious about it. The secone one is my workshop I just completed so I can move my operation out of the garage and make my wife happy. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

Go for the clubfoot. Phi Gowans made a nice jam cleat for his mainsheet that seems to work well. Check out his site.

Try soaking in laquer thinner overnight to remove the laquer finish then polish up with Brasso metal polish. Works for me.

Sorry to hear about your having to stop work on your boat. How far along are you Denis? I just want to give you a big THANK YOU for your service. All the best to you and your family while you're away.

Glad you are through with the court system for awhile Jake. We had our own problems a few years ago when we lost our daughter in an automobile accident. She left behind two daughters and we were appointed the guardians. Their father signed over his parental rights to us because he had abandoned them a year earlier. What a mess. Our other two kids eventually adopted the two girls and everything is fine again. Thank heavens there are legal types to help you along the way.

I found a post that gave a formula for figuring oar length. 1/2 the beam at the oar locks in feet X 25/7.

Well, after burning up the phone for that past few days I finally found a great deal. I can get random width, 12' long, 4/4 white oak from a wholesaler in St. George for $3.28/Bd. Ft. and I' figuring I'll need around 78 board feet allowing for scrap. I'll go get it Monday and I have a friend who owns a cabinet shop who will let me mill it down to 3/4" thick so then I'll be on my way, to infinity and beyond! :shock:

Thanks Arnie, this is just the way I have chosen to keep track of my progress. An incentive maybe. We'll see.

It all started when I was just a kid, Full of vim, vigor and voom, I assembled a model of an old pirate ship And displayed it in my room. Through the years that old plastic model Spoke to me of freedom and fun, I had to build my own pirate ship Because, well, I wanted one. When I saw the "Weekender" article In Popular Science years ago, I knew I'd found what I wanted, But money was short and so... Now I'm older and wiser (??) Better off and softer hearted (headed?) It's time for the Black Falcon to be built at last, Now, if I can just get started. :wink:

Well Jan, it's not exactly a boat shed. It's just a place to keep my tools dry and get them out of the garage. I'll still have to assemble the boat in the garage but at least I won't be tracking saw dust into the house. I'd like to post a picture but I need to get with Frank and have him tell me how I can do that. I've never done anything like that so he's going to have to walk me through it. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience.

Congratulations Jake, so how many does that make for you? Grandkids are a lot of fun though. We have a granddaughter that spends every weekend with us. She's 7 years old and just loves hanging out with us for some reason. Not that we do anything special, I'm usually working in the workshop on something and my wife takes her to yard sales. No big deal but she loves it. Good luck on your cradle. I really like the one Simon built. That one is going to be long remembered.

Thanks for your suggestions, it really helps. I tend to agree with Arnie. I cannot get white oak here in the west. I can get red oak and I know there's a difference especially when it comes to boat building. I'll probably end using douglas fir. I can get that locally. Maybe put an oak shoe on that although the places I'll be sailing have sandy beaches mostly. Anyway, it sure helps to get a variety of opinions. Now I just have to start. I guess Peter Stevenson was right about first cut-itis. Thanks again.

OK, here's the deal. I've been reading what a lot have had to say about keels, I even talked to Dave R1 about it but I'm still up in the air. Someone once said that if they had it to do over again they would build their keel out of plywood. I've been considering this seriously and would like to get a a few more opinions about plywood keels. Are they too fragile? What if I put an oak "shoe" on it. I'm ready to get started now, the workshop is done and I'm raring to go. I'm just hung up on this keel thing. Thanks in advance for any input.

Hey Jan, I am really impressed. You have made such great progress in the past little while. Congratulations. My boat is getting closer to getting started. I finished my workshop (exterior) and will start soon. I know what you mean about that precious heat in the garage. Keep at it.