splice on a strip plank haul.

[WayneW]

I don't know if splice is the right terminology.
I have a boat thats been out of the water for
5 yrs. and some of the joints are to wide to swell
up and close.I sanded the underwater and notice
several previous patches are only splices that go
about 3/8" deep into the strip.I called the
local boat builder over to ask his advice on how
to go about fixing some of the seams.The question
that came up was should the splice along the seam
be the depth of the strip it self or should it
be okay to just go 3/8" deep.In reading Trefethen's
"WoodBoat Renovation" he only talks about
repairing a hole in the side.
My plan was to go the depth of the strip, think
that as the wood swells it would do it uniformally.Then I thought about the nails. I then
thought about using a saw-all, but how would I
keep the splice the same width for the length
of the splice? Any ideas?
Wayne

[WayneW]

I have a friend that owns a machine shop and
explaind to him what I was trying to do and
what would he recommend.He gave me a carbon
end mill bit and told me that it would
cut the nails with no problem.I have a D handle
prota-cable router that will hold 1/2" shank
size.The bit my friend gave is a 1/2" shank
with a cut of a 1/2". Do you folks see anything
wrong with this plan?
Wayne

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

Wayne,
The end mill is CARBIDE. Carbide is much harder than heat treated steel but it is also brittle. I think the carbide end mill will break when it hits a nail. You don't have enough controll when using a power source that is hand held. Carbide will easily cut thru' a soft nail if it is fed slowly enough and run at the proper speed.Your router spins about 8-10 times too fast and your strength is not enough to keep the mill from digging in and breaking.
Repairing edge-nailed strippers is a bitch. I've never done it but comments I've read suggest that the Sawzall is the common choice. There is also a special handle that has a short piece of unsupported hacksaw blade sticking out of the end. It's cheap, a little difficult to use but can reach into tight places to cut metal.
If you are new at this don't be in a hurry. The trick is to think ahead so as to not make additional work for yourself.
Charlie

[RonW]

I would suggest that it is very easy to use a circular saw. You need a high quality, very multi tooth carbide blade, set the depth about a 1/4in. deeper then the thickness of the planking, wear a face shield and saw slowly, it will cut the nails just fine. This is cutting from the outside of the hull. Then use wedges to spread the planking and help shove the strips tighter together, then put in strips using a thin glue, probably epoxy. You may have to do this several places and it should tighten the planking up with no problem.

[Tom Hoffman]

Wayne, Ron's suggestion of a circular saw is a good one, but I would get a nail cutter blade, they make such a thing, and it is used in flooring applications as well as home remodeling. It will cut through nails easily, and not make schrapnel of the carbide plus they are cheap.

[RonW]

I have never used a nail cutting blade. When I say multi tooth, I am talking like a 36 or better yet 40 tooth carbide tipped blade in a 7&1/4 in. standard circular saw. They will cost you about $35, not cheap but worth every penny and will last 3 times as long as a $15. blade.

I have cut steel siding, cultured marble sills, thin wall stainless tubing, aluminum channel and even wood. They are not a fast ripping blade for wood, but they also cut very smooth even on thin plywood. They do cut a 1/4 inch wide slot and are a basic do it all blade. Great wood working blades and the only blade to use on a miter saw for trim work.They will easily cut through the nails if you cut slowly and smoothly. DO wear a face mask.

[Tom Hoffman]

The 7 1/4 blades I have used called a nail cutter are pretty smooth, with at most 4-6 teeth, a multi tooth blade if carbide in my experience will end up sending pieces of carbide in every direction. I have never used a carbide blade that will hold up to anything but wood. It is just to easily chipped, or broken off completly. The nail cutter blades that I have used sell for around $7.00.

[WayneW]

Tom,
Where do I buy these blades for $7.00?
I guess now I'll go to plan "D".If I use a saw
should I cut-out the whole strip; I'm just
trying to fix the seam.My biggest concern
is how to keep a straight line of cut for
any distance and still have a good seal when
I replace the cut out piece. If I cut the strip
out, then I'm not worried, but if I cut a strip
that is only 1/2" wide, I'm worried that I'll
have a bad fit.
Thanks for the help All.

[pjwalsh]

You might try cutting the strip out with a circular saw and a guide batten fastened to the hull surface, then, if the cut is too rough, set any edge fasteners you have cut through below the surface and finish the edges with your router. I have found that smaller routers are easier to get a nice cut with - my preference is one of the old 7/8 HP porter cable models with a top bearing flush cutting bit of 3/8" diameter and again a guide batten - worked fine for 3/4" cedar plank riddled with ss ring nails.

I have not found cutting out edge nailed strip planks to be much of a problem, just need a can-do attitude, gloves, eye protection and a sacrificial blade or two. A sawzawl might be usefull in places, and a chisel.

[pjwalsh]

WayneW Re-reading you post I am not sure just what you are dealing with - is is a carvel planked hull with wide seams that you want to make small again? Or an edge nailed strip planked hull?

[WayneW]

pjwalsh,
It's a strip plank haul, a Disckerson construction.
Would you cut the whole strip out or just enough
material to fill the seam in? Each strip is about
1 1/2" wide.

[Tom Hoffman]

The last nail cutter/flooring blades I bought were from Home Depot. My favorite circular saw blade is an Irwin Marathon, and they are multi tooth thin kerf carbide and only sell for $8-9.00.

Tom..

[pjwalsh]

WayneW,

Can't really say with much conviction as I am not on the scene, but my instinct would be to remove the whole strip and replace it. But, then I don't know how many of these seams you are dealing with.

My first boatbuilding job was at the Dickerson yard in Trappe - we were building the D-37, but saw quite a few of the old strip planked 40' boats and even v-botom crossplanked 35' hulls come through.

Try contacting the folks at:

http://dickersonowners.org/index.htm

[WayneW]

pjwalsh
I have about 20 strips to replace, some will
be at lease 5 ft. long. After I replace the
old strips, how will the new wood effect
the haul swelling when I put here in the water?

[WayneW]

Hi Tom,
I'm going to Home Depot tomorrow and
pick up some Irwin Marathon blades.
Thanks for the info.