Making sawdust

[Charlie Jones]

Garry- I just yesterday posted a description of how I cut the tapers- in the thread on CS 20 Hull # 102. Really doesn't take long to do and you don't risk destroying a stave OR a finger, or worse.

I've made over a dozen spars now using BirdsMouth and the whole process of cutting staves for two masts, plus tapering can be done in a single morning.

Should be the last post in the thread.

http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=5967.msg50895#msg50895

OH- and that paddle shaft WAS tapered afterwards

[Greg Luckett]

Charlie is right about the danger.  I had a kickback so bad that it shot a 12 inch x 3/4 square cedar into my garage wall and broke my wooden push stick, and jolted the heck out of my hand and arm.  That was the old table saw that always had problems staying tuned and the fence parrallel to the blade.  My new saw is much better but I am very skittish when ripping, especially small pieces.  I added anti-kickback rollers to the old saw and never made thin slats with it after that.  I never free hand except when cross cutting a piece when my fingers can be kept at a safe distance and release from the work piece is easy in case something catchs.  I do that very rarely on the table saw, using the miter or fence or building custom jigs for odd shapes.  Normally I will cross cut small pieces on the band saw or with a hand saw.  I will never trust a table saw to not kick back.

When building the lapstrake lobster boat a couple of years ago, the pattern sheets were ripped into 8 foot strips by just sliding over the table saw without fences.  It was quick and seemed safe with someone assisting, but I did not like doing it that way.  It was quick, which is why the pro liked it.  I would have taken more time and used the circular saw instead, which is how I do it in my shop.

[Howard]

I'll throw this out as Option B, as it's the one I used to make my birdsmouth mast. I used a special router blade to make the cut.

To run a tapered stave through, use very flexible feather boards:

They come out looking like this...

And once glued and planed down....like this:

I should point out this was for a 12 sided mast, and the angles on the router bit were 30 and 60 degrees. They also make one at 45 degrees for an eight sided mast.

To make the taper, you cut the staves out to the dimension you want, then line them up in a stack, with the curve for the taper on the outside two staves in the stack. Then plane the taper into them with hand plane or power planer. Then run them through the router table. Very long flexible featherboards will hold them in place. Cut the staves several inches long, as there is a tendency for the stock to jump going in and coming out of the featherboards, so a few inches of the ends can get boogered up.

The real trick in making BM masts is doing the math to figure the size of each stave to get the final diameter right, and thickness to get the right amount of flex in it.

[Garry]

Beautiful work Howard!

[Charlie Jones]

Agree Garry- Howard- VERY nice work.

[Norman Colter]

I appreciate your concerns. But well supported 20 and 24 foot pieces gave me pretty good leverage. At no time did I feel any danger. I'm a massage therapist most of the week, my hands are well cared for.

Sixteen staves without incident.  And a big box of sawdust too.

Norm

[Remod]

A friend of mine was building his house, and decided to side it with board and batten cyprus. He asked me to rip all the battens (3/4 x 1 1/2) for him on my table saw. He had gotten some of the most beautiful cypress I've ever seen, mostly clear, straight vertical grain wood. And the boards were random lengths from 12 to almost 16 feet!

I had to move my saw to the entrance of my shop to handle the length, and had an area about 30 feet behind me, with my 2 year old Datsun King Cab 4x4 parked there. To make a long story shorter, as I was ripping about a 12 foot board,,,about 5 feet from the end the board split the rest of the way,,,splitting a tad wider than the rip itself. Lemme see,, a ten inch blade,,,spinning at about 3250 rpm,,,I wonder what the FPS would be for that board,,which launched itself past me, and didn't stop till it made a dent about 2 inches deep in the drivers door of my truck!!!

                                            Remod

[Hirilonde]

And I thought I was good at using feather boards.  Finished product looks great Howard, and your set up has fingers in mind as well as results.  Some things justify a little thought and set up time.

[Norman Colter]

G'day All,

  A little cool to epoxy outside today. And I'd been away from these for a while. They're ready for paint and the sail track. Here's a pic.

Norm

[Norman Colter]

Finally done with the masts. The next pictures of these will be in the steps.

[Maria CS20 104]

Ray, SNOW is God's frosting on the world, some of us love it and some dispise it, usually with a vengence in the south.  Turns ugly to peaceful and beautiful, bet yer wife could proce with a painting, I have many times.  When it is 95 with 99% humidity, SONW LOOKS GREAT, for a moment.  You've just never been wintewr camping in the Rockies in 4 to 8 foot of snow, chasing Elk and Deer and Grouse for a week without kids and work to do, limited experiance in this are does not make it gawd awful, may seem like it, take yer bride to a secluded cabin in the woods for a three day pass with a few good book, some beer and wine with NO KIDS.  God send, stay indoors and burn wood instead of shaping it, just once every two or three years.  Fine stuff

Jim Atkinson

truely a Washington State  Mountian Boy come to the South (by the grace of God, tis true)

[Charlie Jones]

take yer bride to a secluded cabin in the woods for a three day pass with a few good book, some beer and wine with NO KIDS. 

Jim Atkinson

truely a Washington State  Mountian Boy come to the South (by the grace of God, tis true)

NO thank you. I'll take my bride out on the boat and anchor out for several days in the warmth. Anything under about 50 degrees and she doesn't want to BE there!!! and when it gets into the low 40s, forget it- she's staying by the heater.

With me right beside her

Snow SUX!!!

And yeah- I am familiar with the stuff- spent a year in Iceland. Enough for me, thank you very much.

[Maria CS20 104]

I guess Snow is for the crazy, in the south the feelings seem to be much the same, wife cannot stand anything below 50 either.  Just don't appreciate the finer things like solitude in the mountians I guess?  Best time in 6 foot of snow, no one else around, silence and peaceful, get a little fire going, walk a little heat a little, cook up a deer steak and potatoes, brandy and sound sleep.  Darned near like being rocked to sleep in the surf but without bugs, especially no-see-ums.

They have eaten me and my lunch a time or two, even with Avon lotion

Jim

[Norman Colter]

They fit!

[Greg Luckett]

Man!!!! I am envious.

I have delayed building the PS26 for several reasons, but based on your build time, taking too long to build is no longer one of them.

You do nice work!

[Norman Colter]

Thanks Greg, another couple weeks and she'll be wet

I'm just over two years since I scarfed the side panels. My biggest slow down has been the weather. Really wish I had an indoor space.

The 26 is a bunch more boat than the 22, how long had you figured it will take you?

Norm

[Greg Luckett]

I understand the weather problem.  I do not have a place large enough inside either and the city will not let me put up the big tent that was purchased for the project.  My wife and I are actively looking for a place out of town and closer to her job.