cutting molds with battens and a router

[mike hanyi]

I do recall a WB article describing this method.

I dont recall which issue it was.

lofted lines on the floor
tack down battens exactly on the lines

use a copybit to transfer the lines to the molds.

anyone used this method? or better yet refined it?

got 2 boats to built starting this summer, a 36ft S&S and my jersey girl at 20 ft.

mike

[Simmons18]

Mike,
I've used the method to cut side and bottom panels. I screw the batten down, close enough with the screws that there's no movement. Sharp bit, sloooow feed, multi-passes, as needed. You can't tolerate any chatter, or something will become firewood.
Good luck,
Simmons18

[Bob Cleek]

Funny how the router fans always want to figure a way to do everything with a router. "I've used mine to pound nails" say some. Seems to me it would be a lot easier and less messy to just strike a line against the batten with a pencil and cut to the line with a jig saw. Now, on the other hand, if somebody could figure out a way to rig a jig to cut a rolling bevel on the edge of a sawn frame with a router, I'd be all ears.

[mike hanyi]

well I want to figure out how to carve the rabbet with a machine,

I saw a pic that is in the correct thinking, and angle grinder with a blade in it with a long handle bolted to something, then jig the handle to control height,and length and depth, it is possible, the same thing could do the bevels.

but can it be done for a boatbuilders pocket?

[dstreck]

No 151 has the article you're looking for: "Cutting Station Molds: A New Way" by Bud Ingraham.

I used that method to do molds for a 6-Meter. Works well, but takes some getting used to. Also loud and messy. All in all, I prefer the nail-head transfer method.

[Bob Cleek]

Same problem doing rabets. It is actually easier to lay it out and chisel with a fid stick and clean it up with a rabbet plane. I can see how it could be done, and I know some production setups actually use a shaper for the purpose. But, boy, it's easy to have a router get ahead of you unless you've really figured out the jig. I'd hate to blow a big divot in a garboard rabet. You'd pay hell to caulk the thing and the boat would leak from the day she was launched.

[Carlsson Boats]

This might be a little different than what you are thinking, but it worked for me. I am almost done with a 20' barrelback runabout.
To cut the frames exactly I first transferred the full size plans to tempered masonite. Then I cut the masonite exactly to shape (vertical centerline, so the masonite was only 1/2 of the full frame shape). I then cut my frames a little oversized, glued and assembled them. Then I screwed the masonite pattern to the frame and used the router (with a top pilot bearing) to cut the frame to shape. Remove screws, flip pattern over, align to centerline, screw down and cut the other half. Presto! frame that is symetrical and accurate.
Lots of work, but I plan on reusing my patterns on a second boat.

Chris