Time, Precious Time...

I must provide proof that the build is still proceeding...

I finished up the bottom panel by touching up the scarf joint. I found that using packing tape provides an excellent barrier for epoxy and can generate some nice lines.

 

I was then able to cut out the bottom panel using my jigsaw. This was a major milestone for me and was glad to have done a nice job on the joint. What great curves Summa has....

 

Some time passed.....

I then started working on the center case. I had cut out the side panels previously so I needed to complete the doublers. This only took a couple of days to complete and the end product looks great. I will have to wait on the forward and aft posts until I am able to obtain some hardwood. 

 

I still have to drill the hole for the swing keel attach. This will also have to wait until I purchase the hardware.

Some more time passed....

The next major milestone was the ripping the stringers and keel batton from the 1x6 Douglas Fir. As stated in one of my previous posts, I needed to purchase a table saw to complete this task. I ended up (after quite a bit of research) purchasing the Dewalt DW745 10" compact table saw. I do not have a lot of room within the garage so this made sense. Now I just needed to learn how to use it...having very little experience with table saws. Luckily, we now have a huge amount of informational data available to us in the form of videos...youtube...I instantly became an expert.

Since the Douglas ranged in length from 11 to 13 ft, I needed to make an infeed and outfeed table. Using some scrap 2x4's, plywood, screws and a little ingenuity, I turned the jig into a set of tables. The table saw was small enough to fit between the rails so I built a quick stand to raise it to the correct height. 

Now it was time to begin. I was a little nervous about trying to rip the stringers alone (considering their length) so I asked my Grandfather for help. He and I spent a good 4 hours ripping stringers. The saw and tables worked perfectly. I owe a lot to my Grandfather for his assistance because I would not have been able to complete this task on my own. 

 

Even more time passed....

I am now getting ready for some major installations. I have to scarf the keel batten because my Douglas was not long enough to span the length of the bottom panel. I started to scarf joint as shown. 

 

Once this is complete I can then ready the jig for frame installations...that is...when I get some more of that precious time. 

Timeout Life...I Have A Boat To Build

I had to take some time out from life to spend with Summa. She was becoming jealous and I honestly do not blame her. I picked up where I left off and I must say that after a few hours in the garage with Summa and Philip Glass, I was in bliss.

I had to finish the doublers for the transom and bulkhead 2. I mixed up some epoxy and quickly bonded on the doublers.

 

After bulkhead 2 had cured, I cut the remaining upper section of the access hole (matching the upper contour). I left a small step around the access hole with the doubler to help properly seat the hatch.

I also finished laying out the transom doubler for the tiller hole and was able to prep that for bonding. For this doubler, I bonded together two scrap pieces of the 6mm plywood sheet. I will show a picture later after it has been bonded to the transom.

I was then ready to start the bottom panel scarf joint. This is somewhat of a milestone for me. It is also somewhat intimidating considering I only have two remaining sheets of 9mm and thus no room for error. I decided to try and 'freehand' the joint using a hand plane instead of using a powertool with a tool. I have seen this joint completed using a hand plane on a couple of other Navigator blogs and it looked straight forward. This is my first time to use a hand plane and what better time to learn than with a little applied pressure. 

The recommended taper ratio was 8:1. I marked it out and clamped the sheets together with an additional two sheets of 6mm to provide some additional support/stiffness.

 

I adjusted the plane and went to work. It was actually quite easy and seemed to be easy to control. I was afraid I would somehow gouge the plywood but I proceeded slowly and was able to create a nice taper.

 

The nice thing about working with plywood is that the layers aid you in remaining straight when scarfing the joint. I had about 70 percent of it complete after about 20 minutes. 

 

I then noticed a small gap in the center of the panel between the two sheets. You can see the gap in the below image. This was due to the slight curvature that developed from the way the plywood sat on the jig.

 

To remedy this I used a couple of 2x4's and clamps and was able to finish off the joint. I then used a finishing sander to smooth the two surfaces. 

 

I was now ready to bond the two together. I used epoxy with a silica thickener. This made the epoxy almost like a paste and I applied one layer across the joint. I will go back after this has cured and apply another layer to both the upper and lower bond lines.  

 

I placed one sheet on top of the other and took a quick pic showing the upper bond line. Not bad for a novice.

 

I then quickly covered the joint in wax paper and then applied pressure using a couple of sets of 2x4's and clamps. I screwed the bottom 2x4 to the jig to keep it level. The diagonal 2x4's and clamps required a little help from the wife to set up. Looking back I wish I had used a slightly smaller angle relative to the board normal to apply more pressure across the middle of the joint...hindsight is always 20x20.

 

I will let this cure and then apply another layer of epoxy/silica mix to the upper and lower bond line. After a little touch up sanding I should be ready to go....bliss.