PeterP Posted March 20, 2008 Posted March 20, 2008 Stopped by B&B yesterday to pick up some plywood and excercise my freedom of speech a little bit.Graham and Karla are ever such gracious hosts -something that is only natural in Graham's case who happens to be as southern as you can possibly get. Anyhow, Graham ended up showing me his CAD/CAM machine and I have to tell you. I have built two houses and enough furniture to fill them both as well as four of Graham's boats. You could say I have a fair bit of wood working experience. I've also had enough compliments to make me feel comfortable about my skill. However,the stuff I saw Graham do with his machine yesterday is simply unbelievable. In the time it would take me to set up draw out and double check ONE plywood sheet he can just about cut out the entire CS 17. Where I normally shoot for 1/16"-1/8" with occasional 1/4" and the rare 3/8" his joints are so consistently tight you don't see daylight through them. I saw a pram on saw horses he is working on and a CS 17 kit getting ready to ship out that left me astonished. I vividly recall all those temporary cleats I had to use- drywall screws, clamps and wire with enough tension to hit high C to get stuff to fit together half decent. His pram fit all together with his brand of dovetails and a few wire ties. The fit is unbelievable. The kits are definitely the way to go. I AM IMPRESSED! PeterP Quote
Tom Lathrop Posted March 20, 2008 Posted March 20, 2008 Peter, Seeing those panel snap together and FIT the first time is a revelation. A result of having the designing/programing and cutting just right. Quote
Greg Luckett Posted March 21, 2008 Posted March 21, 2008 I still enjoy the thrill of lofting the lines, at least the first time I do a new design, and seeing how it lays out. This gives me a really good feel for the boat being built. If I were to start building the same design over and over, Grahams machined panels would be a great solution for me. I have a little CNC, the CarveWright, but am considering moving up to a ShopBot with a bed big enough to handle widths 48 inches or more. Lots of money that would tie up, but it allows the cut outs for sheds, small barns, and boats. If I am not careful I could get too busy playing with things like that to actually build boats. : Quote
PeterP Posted March 21, 2008 Author Posted March 21, 2008 Greg, I have the same tendency. Graham said he saved a lot of money by making his own bed and other parts. It's definitely a sweet set up. It would give Tim the Toolman goosebumps. PeterP Quote
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