UNE Student Echo Bay Dory Skiff Build

[ShanefromMaine]

The 2017 Spring Semester crew of UNE boatbuilders has hit the ground running on their Clint Chase designed, Echo Bay Dory Skiff. Each student will contribute a weekly documentation/reflection post. This is an art elective course offered through the University of New England Biddeford, Maine, each semester. In addition to the collaborative boatbuilding project, students will plan independent shop projects and research and present on New England artists and artisans inspired by the maritime world.

[kbowen]

Cool, I took 6 high-school students through that boat in a week of 6-7 hr days last year. It is very pretty. we chose to glass the whole bottom and 2" up past the chine rather than just the chine. My students and I got very confused by the plans at times because the set of plans we got has all the building options in one set of plans. IE Rowing only, mast step, daggerboard, rudder, thwart options, etc. And one side of the kit was scored by the CNC machine for the position of the forward buoyancy tank and the other side wasn't. I also took the stock that was provided for thwart supports and made a two piece stem, and used other wood for the thwart supports.

Have fun!

Ken

[Clinton B Chase]

Ken and his students did a great job doing a lot of work in one week. I was able to stop in and see their Echo Bay in person while in Chicago.

I now have two sets of plans, a rowing version plan and a sailing version plan for the EBDS. I even have two sets of manuals. That seems to be going well for builders. Also there are not as many options for construction!

Regarding the planks...the CNC cannot make all the marks on one side because of the way the planks are mirrored. But I've built a work around into the kits.

One thing to watch for is the bevel on the stem..it does not take much to get it off and make the planks develop a hollow in the sheer. 1/16" makes a big difference in how well the planks fair into the stem. Accuracy counts!

[1JenniL1]

Midship Frame:

This past week we worked on the base of the boat. Three groups worked on the side planks, transom, and midship frame. I worked on the midship frame with another girl. To do this we used three pieces of Oak wood that we traced the shape and design of the frame onto them. The pieces were 3/4" thick and we had to plane down one of them to match and be even with the other two. It's important that they all are the same thickness so the boat has equal balance. To cut out the shape of the frame, we used the bandsaw, which is a line cutting technique that is very effective when used just on the outside of the lines, to keep the measurements accurate on the good side of the wood. Once the pieces were cut, we made a jig that would hold them in place while we drilled them together.

Week 2 was everything I expected and more. I was so excited to get back into a wood shop and build something. I think an 11 1/2' rowboat will be a great project. The time really seamed to fly by while I was working. I never used a jig before so that was really cool and useful. It really helped with keeping the pieces steady and if the right position for drilling them together. Watching the other groups work was interesting as well because I could see how things were being done. The boat plans were pretty easy to follow which made making the midship frame easier. I can't wait for this coming week to keep working.

[rlinc]

Slide Plank for Echo Bay Dory Skiff
Photo Documentation:
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Written Documentation:
This past week myself and two other group members worked on the side plank of the Echo Bay Dory Skiff. During the same class period, two other groups were working on the transom and the midship frame to comprise the major parts of the boat. In the three hour class period we were able to finish the two sides planks of the boat. My group was working from a layout so we knew the precise units we had to measure and cut with the jigsaw. We measured from the baseline and practiced cutting to the line with the jigsaw. Cutting to the line is a technique we learned the first day of class. We cut just outside the line of pencil to leave margin for error.
Reflection:
I was assigned the project of measuring and cutting out the side plank for the UNE Echo Bay Dory Skiff. My first thought about this project was that it was going to be very easy. Once submerged into the task, I realized that as an educated college student, following a layout was a lot harder than I expected it to be. At first attempt we measured the side plank wrong and had to redo it. By the end of the class period, we were able to figure it out and finish the project. I also wasn't aware that using a jigsaw used a lot of strength to hold it in place. I am very excited to see what we are going to be working on during week 3.

[ewaterhouse]

During the second class we jumped right in to building the framework for our 11 ½ foot Echo Bay Dory Skiff. My group worked on building the transom. It took us a while to decipher the plans but once we did, there was no looking back. First, we marked all the measurements on the marine-grade plywood and then once that was cut out using the cutting to the line technique on the band saw it was easier to mark the top cleat, side bevels, and bottom bevel. Some of the measurements were more difficult than others because we had to use the 1:3 scale to then be able to mark them on the plywood. Next, we used the plywood outline to mark the top cleat, side bevels, and bottom bevel and the angles to which they connected to each other. Next class we will work on cutting it out and gluing it all together.



This was definitely a challenging class. The most challenging part was learning how to interpret the plans for the transom. It definitely helped that we got to work in groups and figure it out together. I am also still getting comfortable with using the different tools to make accurate measurements and cutting to the line, but this week helped me become more confident in these areas. I look forward to continue to work and get better at these skills.

[GabeValley]

This week we split into groups and began the building of our Echo Bay Dory Skiff. My group was assigned to the transom. After we took a few minutes to decipher the plans, we began by drawing the correct measurements onto a piece of plywood. Once the outline of the transom had been traced onto a piece of plywood, a bandsaw was used to cut it out. All of this together took the majority of our three hour class, which to an experienced boat builder may seem like a long time, but I was beyond satisfied with the amount of work we were able to accomplish, being only our second class in the shop.

Overall, this past week went extremely smooth. Our group worked phenomenally together through the problem solving we had to do. One thing that we struggled with at first was to follow the layout and convert the measurements from the paper to the wood, but with a little help from Shane, the transom is coming together very nicely. I am excited to see how our boat will progress after this week's class!

[bcass]

This week, my classmates and I started to build our Echo Bay Dory Skiff. We split up into three groups. The three groups worked on different parts of the boat. The three parts were the transom, the side planks, and the midship frame. I chose the transom group along with two of my other classmates. The transom is like a puzzle being put together. It required a lot of math and problem solving for us to measure out everything we needed. We are making it out of marine grade plywood and some regular timber. We used a bandsaw to cut all of the wood, but before we cut any wood we drew out everything on the plywood.

All in all it was a very successful class. I thought that we got a lot done as a class. More specifically in my group I thought we did an awesome job. Everyone was participating. We all worked together in solving the problems we were having with measurements. We all cut out our pieces well. i would say I personally messed up a bit on one cut but it is very minor and can be fixed with a little bit of smoothing. I am really looking forward to next class.

[Carly]

Week 1 of Building The Echo Bay Dory Skiff Is In The Books!
The second day of class, we got down to business. We all met as a group and discussed the 3 different projects for the day.


The eight of us split up into 3 groups- Ian, Paige, and Riana working on the side planks, 3 other classmates working on the Transom, and Jenni and I working on the Midship frame. To start, we looked at the blueprint and mutually decided to start measuring. We used various measuring tools:framing square, measuring tape, ruler for the frame. We didn’t need to measure anything for the two arm pieces because there was already a perfectly cut arm in the shop, so we just traced them. We then cut the plywood using a bandsaw and made sure the grain of the wood ran at an angle that’s almost perpendicular to the cut.

This gave us a great chance to practice cutting just along the pencil line, keeping the pencil still drawn on the piece we want.

After those were cut, because the two side arm pieces were different in their thickness(one being ¾” and the other being about an inch), we ran the 1 inch piece through the wood planer until it was ¾” thick. After cutting out our pieces, we ended up with 3 pieces, 2 side arms and one bottom frame. We then rounded the edges with a plane tool, being very careful to go with the grain, so the result was smooth.


This was my favorite part of the day because it was kind of soothing. It made me think of building a surfboard and grinding down a huge piece of wood until it’s something smooth and beautiful. The plane tool was a fun tool. After the edges were smoothed out so passengers don’t get splinters or cut themselves easily, we then made a jig, measuring many times so that they were perfectly aligned, and clamped down the pieces for screwing. After marking the targets and using 3/4” screws, Jenni was in charge of screwing the pieces together. She had some difficulty because the screws weren’t going in as far as planned, so we put the remaining screws in wax. After they were put through wax, it was as easy as cake to screw them in. After they were screwed together, our time was pretty much up and we cleaned up and united as a group to discuss each other’s progress.

[rlinc]

Side Plank Week 3
Photo Documentation:
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Written Documentation:
In the third week of building the Echo Bay Dory Skiff, my team and I did some finishing touches on the side plank we were working on last week. Before jumping into the main project we were practicing using drill and drive bits properly so we would not split the wood or cause any damage to it. After that introduction, my group participated in planing the edges of the planks so everything was shaved to the line and smooth. Following that, we labeled each side plank with specific locations for other attachments, along with identifying certain sections of the boat like the stern and the bow. When the other two groups finished the midship frame and the transom, we matched up all the parts and everything fit precisely. Towards the very end of the class, our group and two other gals were assigned the task of making the bulkheads which we will start on next week.
Reflection:
Week two went by very quickly. It seemed like planing the boat was taking forever because of our beginner-like cuts with the saw. We worked on it for almost 45 minutes and by the end it was smooth and even which made it worth it. It was exciting to see that the parts from each group fit perfectly to our side plank. I believe this whole project is going to be very rewarding and week by week we are getting closer to the goal.

[1JenniL1]

Week 3 Touch-Ups

This was our third week of class and second week of really working on the boat. Last week we split up into three groups to work on the transom, midship frame, and side planks. This week we finished up those projects and put the final touches on them. My partner and I completed the midship frame by drilling a piece of wood across the top for support when we put the side planks on, and gluing the pieces together. To do this we took a piece of wood that was long enough to reach both sides of the frame, marked it at 90 degrees from the bottom, and drilled it to the frame (this is temporary so the frame doesn't warp when we apply the side planks). Then we marked where the bottom piece of wood was drilled, removed it, applied glue to all the spots where the pieces overlapped, and drilled it back in. This is to ensure that there are no air bubbles and the structure is secure.

This week was a little slower than last but still fun and educational as it was. In the beginning we learned the proper way to pre-drill holes with a countersink and then put the actual screw in it. We also learned how to use a plainer to get a smooth edge. It was cool to learn how the plainer worked and functioned. Towards the end of class once all the parts were finished, we were able to put them all together and start to visualize what the boat will look like when it's done.

[Clinton B Chase]

Isn't this fun!!! I am jealous, wish I could build, too.

I do have two Echo Bay's in my shop right now that I am finishing. Come over for a field trip.

[IanScheuerman]

Side Planks for an Echo Bay Dory Skiff

During this past week’s class. The students were broken into three groups to work on various parts of the Skiff. One group worked on the transom, another on the midship frame and my group worked on the side planks. First, we reviewed the blueprints for the side planks. We made sure that we understood the scale, ratio, and baseline. Then using a framing square and the blueprint we measured and drew lines on 6mm marine grade plywood. This was so we knew where to cut with a jigsaw. I found this to be an extremely time consuming, but necessary to make sure that our cuts would be perfect. We chose to cut slightly outside our line marks to leave margin for error. This we will need to clean up to make more exact in our next session in the word shop.

During this whole process my point of view changed about this project. I went into it believing that I would be able to handle in with ease. However, there were some challenges to it. First, at one point my group mismeasured an important point and we needed to we redo some measuring. Second, Using a jigsaw for an extended point of time is tiring. I plan on using the experience I gained from this last class to prepare for the next part of the boat building process.

[kbowen]

One thing to watch for is the bevel on the stem..it does not take much to get it off and make the planks develop a hollow in the sheer. 1/16" makes a big difference in how well the planks fair into the stem. Accuracy counts!

this is apparently what happened to us, it might even be that the kids cut the stem well, but installed it upside down. It didn't kill the thing, but it wasn't ideal.

[ewaterhouse]

During the third week of class my group and I continued working on the transom. Before getting started, we worked on drilling and planing skills as a class which was very helpful because we used both of these techniques while working on the transom. This week we finished marking the cleats with the different angles at which the fit together and used the band saw and the cutting to the line technique to cut them out. After cutting we used the block plane to smooth out the edges. Then we were able to screw the cleats onto the marine-grade plywood. Next week we will work on glueing the cleats to the plywood and cutting the bottom and side bevels.

This was an exciting class because we were able to fit all the pieces of the transom together. I also learned a lot this week, especially in the areas of drilling and planing. It was very interesting to learn about all the different pieces of the block plane and how they fit together to be used properly. I think the best part of the class was at the end when each group brought what they were working on and we got to see how all the pieces fit together.

[jellyfish]

i used a planer to cut the wood in a precise way. this was done so that all the pieces would be able to fit together

[bcass]

This week we finished up cutting all of the pieces of wood. The two smaller pieces were the hardest to cut because we had to figure out the angle, but once we got that figured out all that was left was to cut it. We used the band saw to cut it. Next we used a drill and screwed all the pieces on to the plywood. We used clamps to hold down one side of the wood while we screwed the pieces together.
I thought we did a good job getting everything cut and screwing it all together. After looking at the plans we figured out how to do our next cuts that we have to do. I also want to try and smoothen the edges of our transom that we have built. All in all I think we are doing really well and I think its coming out tremendously.

[Clinton B Chase]

During the third week of class my group and I continued working on the transom. Before getting started, we worked on drilling and planing skills as a class which was very helpful because we used both of these techniques while working on the transom. This week we finished marking the cleats with the different angles at which the fit together and used the band saw and the cutting to the line technique to cut them out. After cutting we used the block plane to smooth out the edges. Then we were able to screw the cleats onto the marine-grade plywood. Next week we will work on glueing the cleats to the plywood and cutting the bottom and side bevels.

This was an exciting class because we were able to fit all the pieces of the transom together. I also learned a lot this week, especially in the areas of drilling and planing. It was very interesting to learn about all the different pieces of the block plane and how they fit together to be used properly. I think the best part of the class was at the end when each group brought what they were working on and we got to see how all the pieces fit together.

You guys are doing great. The transom is a great project to learn the important stuff: cutting to the line, cutting basic angles, drilling and driving screws, gluing and epoxy use, and planing surfaces smooth and flush as well as making bevels. Enjoy!

[newboatgal]

From my viewpoint, this is the most interesting thing on this forum at this time. Especially since I've been looking for a sail boat bigger than a PDR but smaller than a GIS.I think I've found it.

[Carly]

Week Two With Some Glue

The highlight of week 2 was the challenge to find an awesome boat joke. Challenge accepted, as Barney Stinson would say. I found this one at http://www.joke-db.com/c/boat/clean/page:3
after perusing the internet for 20 minutes laughing by myself at a bunch of jokes.

Two ships were at sea, a British one and a German one. Suddenly the British ship malfunctioned and they were going down.
The Brits radioed the Germans -- "mayday mayday. We're sinking!!"

Some time lapsed and the Germans replied, "what are you s-thinking about?"


Also during week two, another classmate and I finished the Midship frame. Jenni and I basically just had to sand it, using block planes and sand paper, then glue the pieces together. Gluing it was trickier than I had anticipated. I thought we could just put the glue down and stick them together while lining them up perfectly. To be sure it was more precise, we did something quite different than that. We screwed a piece of wood at the top of the frame to keep the arms aligned. We then unscrewed the bottom screws, with the exception of one screw. We left this one screw in place because in the previous week, while drilling, it snapped and half of the screw remained in the wood. Thankfully it was placed in-between the pieces of wood and not in one or the other. After the rest of the screws were unscrewed, where the pieces would touch, we lathered the wood with glue. We then placed them together making sure the glue oozed out of the edges. We then screwed the screws back in and we were done with the midship frame for that day.
The two other groups weren’t done with their projects, so we went to help with the side planks. We chose this group because they lost one of their members because she was given the project of the making the stem. They were pretty much done, so we helped measure where the midship frame would be located when attached to the side planks and we marked it, as seen in pictures below. That concluded week two.

[GabeValley]

This past week we finished making measurements and cuts based off of our blueprints. One of the most difficult parts was to cut the plywood to the exact curve of the top of the transom. To perfect this cut, we used a flexible piece of wood held at three different measured marks on the plywood to draw our line. Once the line was drawn, we used a bandsaw to cut to the line. The majority of this class period was spent clamping all of our pieces together and placing screws in the correct places. This week went very smoothly, with just a couple of bumps in the road. Next week will be spent glueing our transom together and then coming together with the other groups and putting our skiff together piece by piece. I am excited to see what this class holds for us.

[IanScheuerman]

During our last session at the Compass Project, my group mates and I continued to work on the side planks of the echo bay dory skiff that the class was working on. We had already finished using the jigsaw to cut out the side planks. So we used block planes to refine and shape the side planks down to the desired dimensions. This was a very tedious process and took up most of our class period, but it was very relaxing work.

After we finished using the block planks, we worked with the group working on the midship frame. We then mapped out and marked where the midship frame would attach to the side planks. This was pretty exciting to do because you can really start to visualize the boat coming together.

After we finished marking the side planks and the midship frame. We started to look at the blueprints for the BHD’s and began to plan how we would make them.

[1JenniL1]

Screw & Glue

Due to weather last weeks class was cancelled. So we picked up this week with finishing the transom and starting the for and aft bulkheads (BHD). To build the BHD's we first used plywood to make the layout of where the actual pieces of support wood will go. It was a little tricky figuring out the measurements from the boat plans, but three of us managed to figure it out. Once we got the plans drawn, we set up the table saw to cut to the line of the platform. I've used one before so I got to use and put my skills to use. We did this for both the for and aft BHD. The transom group finished and at the end of class, we were able to screw the side planks, transom, miship frame, and front of the boat together so we could see what it was going to look like.

This week was fun. It was rough to miss a week of class due to the snow day, but I feel like we made up for it today. It felt good to get back in the shop and use the table saw again. We even got to use the bandsaw to cut out some edges and curves on the plywood outline. Next week we'll be able to cut out blocks of wood to fit the outline, which we will then glue and screw together. We'll also be starting our individual shop projects soon and that's something to look forward to.

[ewaterhouse]

This week my group worked on marking and cutting the bevels on the transom. At first it was hard to figure out the angles the bevels needed to be cut at, but with help from Shane we figured out a method for marking the angles on the Transom. We marked the angles out on another piece of wood and then used a bevel gauge to mark the angle so we could adjust the band saw to cut at that angle. Then we used the band saw and the cutting to the line technique to cut out the side and bottom bevels. After cutting the bevels, we worked on dry fitting the stem, midship frame, and transom to the side planks. To do this we used the drilling and driving techniques we learned last class.


This week was very exciting. It was interesting to learn how to measure and cut the bevels on the transom. It was also very rewarding to see all of the pieces be dry fitted together. Next week I look forward to glueing and finishing up the transom.

[jellyfish]

This week in class we finished the transom. We also were able to attach all the side parts of the boat together; were going to use a method called screw and glue. This is where we screw the wood together and then we also glue the parts together. We used many tools to achieve this, some of those tools being the band saw to cut the wood, planner to shave the wood, and drills to drive the screws into the boat.

[jim_cricket]

This is fun to watch. Great work gals and guys! I wish I would have had this kind of project in high school. Might have stayed out of some trouble.

[Carly]

Week Three, Working With Trees to Make Thee

Round 3 of Boatbuilding was filled with different projects. Ian, Jenni and I resumed our work with the Bulkheads, while Paige worked on the stem and our other classmates finished the Transom. The three of us were given a piece of marine grade plywood from which we would cut out both bulkheads. Referencing the blueprint (shown below in picture 1) we measured them using framing squares, combination squares and regular rulers. As we checked our measurements many times over, we confused ourselves multiple times. It was frustrating and we actually had to erase and remeasure the complete aft bulkhead one time, but the measurements were finally perfect. Also notable about the measurements, there was a part of the aft bulkhead (shaded in picture 2) that definitely took the most time to understand. There were no measurements for the little area in the corners of the bulkheads where the chine logs would eventually be located. Because there were no measurements and the area was like a parallelogram, it took awhile to compute the measurements. We eventually figured out how to compute it efficiently, but it was difficult when we first tried to understand it.
After measuring was complete, it was onward to cutting. The horizontal pieces were long and we knew a bandsaw would be difficult to get accuracy with cutting to the line, so we used a table saw (shown in picture 3 by Jenni). For the other sides, almost 45 degree angles of the bulkheads, we used a chop saw (shown in picture 6) by Jenni. Lastly, for the spaces where the chine logs will go, we used the bandsaw (shown in picture 5 by Ian). Bulkhead #1 and the Aft bulkhead were complete.
While we were making the bulkheads, the stem and transom were finished and the transom and stem groups started putting the boat together. Using a drill, a pre drill bit, a phillips bit, and wax screws, the side planks were attached to the stem, the midship frame was measured for placement and attached in the middle of the boat, and finally the transom to the back. The three of us jumped in at about the time that the transom was being measured for placement on the back of the boat. Once both side planks were attached to the transom, class time was just about up. It was a great way to end class, starting to see what our awesome boat will look like (picture 8).



Picture 1Picture 2
Picture 3


Picture 5
Picture 6



Picture 8

[GabeValley]

We made great progress this week. My group finished putting the transom together with screws and then measured and cut bevels on three sides of the transom. This has been the most difficult thing my group has done so far. We used a bevel gauge to measure the correct angle and then a bandsaw to make the cut. After this we used a block plane to smooth and straighten the edges. With our transom complete we came together with the other groups and dry fit the skiff together by driving screws between each individual piece. Although it was very frustrating, I am very glad that I learned how to measure and cut a bevel. This is a useful skill that I can see myself using in future woodworking projects. We are getting closer to our final product each week and I am excited to see what next week has in store for us!

[IanScheuerman]

“Where’s the bottom?”........ “It Doesn’t Exist Yet”

Upon arriving at the Compass Project workshop, Professor Hall gathered us all together to recap what everyone was working on since we didn’t meet the week before do to the bad weather. Then discussed what we wanted to accomplish by the end of class and started working. Carly, Jenni, and I continued working on the two bulkheads for the skiff. Using the blueprints as a reference, we utilized a framing square, a combination ruler, and a standard ruler to transfer the design onto a sheet of marine grade plywood. This proved to be a challenging task for us, we went slow and still ending up making a few measurement mistakes. Eventually, we had the correct design on the plywood, allowing us to start cutting the bulkheads out using the chop saw and the bandsaw to cut to the line.
As we were finishing up with the bulkheads, two students started to dry fit the side planks to the the stem. I helped them by holding one of the side planks in position while they drilled holes and put in screws. Once this was done, we did the same thing with the midship frame. By the time the midship frame was in, the group working on the transom was finishing up and we were able to dry fit that to the side planks as well. Now that we know the major components dry fit well together, our next step we will disassemble the boat so that we can use screw and glue techniques to properly put it together. I was wonderful working together with everyone to accomplish something that we have been working so hard on. Although we aren’t done yet, we have made a lot of process and I look forward to continuing to work to a final product.

[ewaterhouse]

This week my group and I finally finished the transom. We used the screw and glue method to fasten all the cleats to the marine grade plywood. Last week as a class we dry fitted the stem, midship frame, and transom to the side planks. This week my group and I worked on gluing and using the screw and glue method to connect the stem, midship frame, and transom to the side planks. At first it was a little difficult lining up the pieces and gluing them in the correct spot, but with the help of some markings we had made to help us orient the pieces we were able to figure it out. Towards the end of class we started talking about cutting the chine logs. We used a bevel gauge to mark out the angles on the ends of the chine logs and started cutting them out with a hand saw.

The boat is really starting to come together. It is exciting to see new pieces get added on each week, getting us closer and closer to the final product. This week I learned a lot about the gluing process and how to use epoxy. Next week I look forward to finishing the chine logs so that we can move closer to putting on the bottom.

[1JenniL1]

Building the Bulkhead

Last week we measured and cut out the plywood for the outline of the forward and aft bulkheads. This week we measured and cut out the cleats to make the support and give the outline structure. We did this by taking pieces of wood that were 3/4" thick (which matched the outline) and marking how long they needed to be. Then we used the chop saw to cut them to length. Once we did this we marked and pre-drilled the plywood, then we screwed the cleats and the plywood together. Then we used the bandsaw to cut an angle on these cleats. While we were doing this, three people worked on gluing the midship frame, transom, and side planks together. two others worked on making the bottom of the boat. Next week, we'll glue together the bulkheads.

This week was a lot of fun. Using the bandsaw to cut angles was difficult but really cool. I had never done that before. It was also really neat to see the boat get glued together. It feels like the boat is really coming along. I also went in on my own time this week to work on my own personal project, a clock. I always think it's fun to make things out of scraps, because it gives you the license of creativity.

[jellyfish]

This week in the compass project we started on the bottom plank of the boat, we used a block plane to create a gradual decline of two inches from the edge; in the two pieces of wood.We first had to cut the bottom plank to form the shape that we wanted we did this and left some extra room from when the boat expands; when we put the side frames. The decline on both pieces of wood had to be completely flat on both sides so that there would not be any bumps and the two pieces would fit together seamlessly. After the pieces were completely planed we lined them up and used the squeeze out method. This method included us putting epoxy on the one side and then lining and fitting the species together and using clamps to hold the two pieces together and create a tight hold.

[jellyfish]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/942326...posted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/942326...posted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/942326...posted-public/

[Carly]

More and More With Week Four

During class four, the other two groups worked on the bottom of the boat and glueing the pieces of the boat that we screwed together last week (using the epoxy shown in picture 1). Jenni, Ian and I continued to perfect our bulkheads. For almost the entirety of class, we put on the cleats. Each bulkhead consisted of four cleats, equaling eight in total. Four were ¾ inch thick, two were 3/16, and two were ¼ inch thick. We screwed each in using a drill, a pre drill bit, a phillips bit. The screws that were put through are to prevent wood cracks and screws snapping (as shown in picture 2). The 3/16 and ¼ one had to be cut at an angle on the edge that touches the side planks because the side planks would be at an angle. If they weren’t cut at an angle, it would be square and when the side planks met that square angle, it would be like a bump in the side of the boat. So cutting this angle was especially hard because the cleats were already screwed to the bulkheads. We decided to use a bandsaw to cut it because we could position the table. We used a bevel gauge to get the angle that we needed to cut, then set the bandsaw to this angle. As Jenni started cutting the first one, about a third of the length through, Ian realized that she started cutting the wrong cleat. We left it until we consulted with our teacher, but Ian cut the rest of the cleats (as seen in picture 3). We eventually just decided to cut another piece of wood and screw that instead of glueing the piece of wood back together. Because the bandsaw didn’t cut completely to the line, we decided to use block planes to shave the rest of the wood, so that it would be to the line. As we finished them up, class time was just about up and we started looking forward to next week.

Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3

[GabeValley]

This class, we split into groups and each took on a different task. My group spent the entire class period glueing together the pieces of the boat that we had already finished. We began by unscrewing the entire boat, which we had dry fit the week before. Next we used epoxy-based adhesive to glue the stem, midship frame, and transom to the side panels of the boat, and then driving the screws back into the pre-drilled holes. While we did this, the other two groups worked on building the bottom of the boat along with the bulkheads. Glueing the boat together was a fairly straightforward task, but extremely messy. For that reason, this was less enjoyable than measuring, cutting, and sanding the wooden pieces of the boat; although, learning the uses of different types of adhesives, along with solvents for cleaning up messes, is all valuable knowledge.