Wood Blocks

[N Wilkens]

When building new wood blocks, how important is it to use mechanical fasteners to secure the "sdandwiched" components? My blocks are not huge (2-3/4" x 4" for 1/2" dia rope shiv to match previous ones). I used gorilla glue, clamped them and will now drill the shiv pin hole and countersink for the holding plates, shape, dip in CPES, varnish....etc.

Oh, and where can one find spare bronze or other types of shivs?

Thanks in advance,

N

[paladin]

dunno about gorilla glue.....
I purchased Harken Sheaves from Boat-U.S. (before they were bought out by Waste Marine) and epoxied mine together....no pins or screws, rope stropped. If you are using stainless or bronze straps I personally see no need for other fasteners....
another thing to cosider.....
you can make brass or bronze covers for the axel pins or you can get creative. Thread the ends of the rod axels and you can purchase stainless or brass drawer hardware at a good cabinet/hardware store...that sells the buttons for the inside of drawers that have a nut in the middle and a solid cap with no hole....ya just gotta make the axel pins the right length or a little short.

[Ken Hutchins]

If you have the grain of the end pieces going opposite the grain of the side pieces, which you probably do, you would be better off with only mechanical fasteners and no glue. The threaded pins to hole everything together should have a clearance hole through the end spacers to allow for movement of the wood.

[NormMessinger]

Besides the pins add an authentic look to the blocks.

[almeyer]

There was an article in Duckworks Magazine on building wooden blocks; address is/was www.duckworksmagazine.com/articles/woodenblocks/woodenblocks.htm. (http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/articles/woodenblocks/woodenblocks.htm.) I tried to call it up again this evening but got a 404 error.
The shell is glued together, pins are added at the four corners of the block but it looks like this is more for appearance than purpose. I glued mine with epoxy and if that fails, I'll be carrying a lot more load than I anticipate. The author of the article recommends making the sheaves from UHMW polyethylene as it's soft enough to work with woodworking tools. For my sheaves I glued two pieces of 1/4" ash at right angles to each other and turned the sheaves from that. I'm using a simple brass pin (no rivets or mechanical fastners) to hold the sheave in the block, I think a friction fit should do the trip. The sheave has a brass bushing.
Haven't got the mast finished yet, so I don't know if my blocks will work, and they don't look quite as nice as those made by more experienced wood-butchers, but here's hoping.
Al
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid120/pb5dcc925aa6e18e19b3459858d8a0a0d/f85c7995.jpg

[htom]

http://web.archive.org/web/20021024010117/http://duckworksmagazine.com/articles/woodenblocks/woodenblocks.htm