Action Tiger

40 odd years worth of those days, but I'm too dumb to learn. Keep on keeping on, brother. Your are almost done with the horrible stuff.

I think ours is mostly the high being pushed over us by the tropical storm, because we got wind, too, but it is HOT. Not unusual, mind, but here. In two or three days we should be back to 60s at night. Then it can be as hot as it wants during the day. Not too hot to do stuff, mind, but not what you want to be sticking down yards of 60" cloth in, either.

These are very little mess to build, and all pretty harmless mess. Sawdust ain't no joke, but it ain't plutonium, either. If you just spread newspaper/tarp/sheet under the area you are creating dust, you can clean up less. I built more than a few boats inside. Built a little lapstrake canoe once. We used the shavings from the plank laps and gains to start our fire. I annealed the copper tacks on the wood stove. That is also a method that involves nearly zero sanding... Keep it up!

Pete, It was 75 degrees at 0600, the time I can reasonably bang and whatnot. Overnight low,is projected to be 83. I'm outside under the tree with a fan and mist until about 1300. I'll try to go back out about 1800, but it'll still be a gallon of water an hour. I'm thinking I may take a nap tomorrow, wake up and start glassing my boat around 2000-2100... Boat is looking good, brother. The more I pore over my plans, the more I like those cockpit seat hatches. They are slick.

I will absolutely second the support. I backed into "the family" and Graham welcomed me like the prodigal son. The forum, too, and they welcomed me when I was just wandering around looking for no good reason. And, yes, there is a ton of FRIENDLY practical knowledge here. I would maybe swing the bow more toward the corner and go for it. Then again, I am the moron with two sailboats going in the garage right now. Lots of tiptoeing! Whatever you do, don't look outside under the trees. They are EVERYWHERE... Peace, Robert

This stuff is fun, eh, Paul. I showed the dude on the forum how simple they are. The half body picture is the one I showed him for a quick and dirty rabbet plane. Just wedge a chisel in there, and go. I used to have a real neat shoulder plane I made form some oak off our old farm and a wagon box spring. I'm generous to a fault, though, so someone has it. Hope they use it... It's been super hot, so this has been my entertainment. Seriously, at 0600 it was 74 already. Projected 107-110, overnight low of 83. Think I'll wait on that big glass job, just keep fairing for a day or two. Next week we should be back to high 60s overnight. Ha!

Thanks, Frank. I like doing goofy, useful stuff like this. I think Judge Judy did fine without me today. Is she still a thing? I actually started it jokingly because of a conversation on the kudzu forum about rounding stringers. The stupid UPS guy beat me, though, because one of the other guys found a neat little chamfer plane and had it delivered. His isn't made from a broken kayak coaming, though... Something like this is super easy, because it doesn't need to be too precise, and the sole doesn't have to be flat! I'll post a few more pics of it finished. I'm going to embellish it, through rivet and oil the body, and really hone the blade well. I think I may actually cut down the body a bit to,make adjusting the blade easier, too. Meh. My indoor "hot time" project for tomorrow...

I think I have a problem with making little tools, eh? When you decide to reject a bunch of potential coaming stock, do you throw it away? I make a little plane to round over edges, particularly SOF stringers. It's rough, yet. It needs to have the bed and blade interface tuned a bit, and a real wedge as this is just temporary to use as a template. It do cut, though... Peace, Robert

Stupid UPS man. Okay, so the bed ain't perfect, yet (ain't done my trick), and the wedge is temporary, but she do cut...

Man, you are crazy awesome! I hope I can shake your hand one day. I so much enjoy your thread, because we are so different about our methodology, and I learn a lot of neat stuff from your process. You are great at documenting, too, which is something I've been studying for my own upcoming build thread here. Have fun with the flip!

Whoo-hoo! Congrats.

Okay, nobody flip out, but the last layer of coaming is being glued on right now. This long-suffering and often shoved aside boat is in danger of finally living! I'm going to finish it all nice, paint it, and stitch it in. Quick and easy.

Whoo! Last little blobs of filler are in the little dips and p holes what were left, and it's almost time to glass! I'll scrape this goop off green, and glass it later if the gloop is hard, or tomorrow evening. 17-1800 is the peak heat, so evening glassing...

Welcome, I think you're going to love your boat. The first fish you catch in a boat you built is like the first fish you caught. Only better. The stands should put the boat at a comfortable height for you. All my stuff, for example, needs to be at least 36" high. I'm real tall and goofy looking, see. Just make the height good for you. You'll spend a lot of time futzing around, so you don't want to stoop or reach too high. You might could even go super low and work on a roll around stool... Whatever you do, be careful, and have fun. Peace, Robert

They are fun. And a good way to make a little pocket change on the side. Mine is almost done. A little trimming and shaping of the body, finishing the sole and blade grind and cutting a wedge. The wedge on mine will actually fill part of the mouth, because I caved and flipped the blade. I also plan to make a perfectly true interface between the bed and the blade, but that has to wait for a wedge. Another 20 minutes of work, after the glue dries. I'm in it for about an hour, so far, including scaring up the scrap wood and blade blank. Ah, shoot. I'm probably going to embellish it a bit and through rivet the body with some copper wire. I think I'll give this to a buddy I know what makes guitars and don't build his own planes. Careful. Planes and knives are 17x10^458900000000000000 times more addictive to make than boats.

Whew! If you are contemplating a rabbet plane, this is a good place to stop. You can even just wedge a chisel in it, at this point, too, to make a passable rabbet plane. If you just make some saw cuts and chisel out the waste, you can be rabbetting in half hour. And, yes, I see the blade isn't flat on the bed, but it's hard to hold, and I haven't done my magic trick to ensure a perfectly mated bed and blade, yet. I'll do that with the blade and wedge after the plane body is done...

Jokingly, yes. Sorry for the intrusion, I'm dumb like that. Glad you found a cool plane. I certainly enjoy tools and making things. Peace, Robet

I like the chevron effect of the red stripes. It will look cool with some stars. Also, glad you don't have a brake pedal. Brakes only slow you down...

It may not be apparent, but I aim to ease the cove out to the shoulder once the sides are on. I didn't want to risk tThe fragile feather edges...

Well, the finger is slowing me a bit, but I have 9 others... Body and blade are rough shaped. The wedge I cut out will be used as a rough guide for cutting the blade wedge, but I cut them in two pieces so I could adjust the throat, in case I made an imperfect cut. Well, so I could clean up my imperfect cuts. I'll use the flatter stock to make sides to finish the blade throat. No fuss... I'm going bevel up, to give the blade the most support, with the least fuss, and to maybe help cut cleaner. The angle is pretty low. After the body is all glued together straight, I can finish truing the sole and blade and futz around adjusting it. I hope I can beat the UPS man. I will condense more photos and steps on a thread, if anyone feels the need for more of the same. Instructions are, after all, all over the net. My hope is to inspire you to try... Peace, Robert

Great. Now I can't get in the garage to work today. My head is too big to fit through the door! It only took me about 8 or 10 boats, Paul, before I realized it was much easier to smooth wood than glass. The funny part is prep, prep, prep was drummed into my head when I learned the painting trade. You can't put smooth paint on a rough surface, either, but the leap of logic escaped me for years. Part of the reason I prefer skin on frame is the lack of surface prep and sanding needed. I used 1/4 of a painter folded sheet on my freeb, and none on my firefly, so far...

Oops, forgot a sanded one.

Long boarding in flip flops? Cmon, this is California, dude... Seriously, much easier to rinse sanding dust off bare feet, and this is "just" wood and well cured epoxy. Yes, Virginia, I still wore mask and goggles. No shirt, though, because its hot and I'm inside, out of the sun. I actually slowed myself WAAAY down on this part. Just because I'm doing this boat on a shoestring, doesn't mean I need to do it half cocked. It can still look nice. Besides, with these big old chines sticking all out there like that, they'd better be pretty smooth. This is all surform, rasp, and 80 grit paper on the board. I'm using a stiff board, because I can use it like a long plane, or a spokeshave. And a diagonal rolling motion does wonders to round a chine... Also, I'm not in such an all fire hurry to get the other boat's outer seams taped, so I can relax a bit, and do it right. I'd much rather get this right, than have to sand and fill after glass.

Chuck, I don't know, but I really like that livery! The botto paint complements the topsides well. And, gosh, that blue up against the white really accentuate that lovely swoopy break in the sheer line. It's easy (hah!) to draw a pretty boat, much harder to actualize one. Nice work all around, everybody. Peace, Robert

If you have a model to work from, and dimensions for the "slices" you mention, those ARE offsets. I don't use computers (this is a smartphone thing) for anything, though, so I'm not sure if what you're doing will work. I just think it is an unnecessary step if you already have a model or diagram to work from. Good luck. Robert P.S. I really hope your are not borrowing lines from a living, working designer, but maybe rather recreating a historic model.