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Click on photos for larger view.
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Cold Molding |
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All battens are on, and I have started the 'large sheet' planking. I've done the transom,
and the full-sheet panels at the aft of the bottom.
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My plans for cold-molding are to have a 5/8" bottom and 1/2" sides. The bottom will be
three layers of 4mm ply plus one layer of 4 mm ply aft and mahogany veneer forward. The
sides will be two layers of 4mm ply, plus one layer of 4 mm mahogany veneer. I thought it
would simplify construction and minimize waste to do all cold molding with stock of the same
thickness.
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The first layer of diagonal is on. I used 6" wide planks on the bottom, and amidships on the
sides. I used 4" wide planks for the forward and aft third of each side.
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You can see that my plan
is to overlap the bottom layers to account for the difference in thickness between bottom and
side. After the second layer of the bottom, I will use a transition joint between the third bottom
layer and the second side layer. Stapling and staple pulling has been an adventure. Here's where
I've settled (after much experimenting). For reasonably flat sections, I use a standard manual
T50 stapler. I staple over a 1/8" nylon cord to facilitate staple lifting for easy removal with
pliers. These staples don't have the holding power for some of the more severe curves. In those
places I use my air stapler with 5/8" narrow crown staples. These really hold, but are difficult
(read impossible) to remove if they are fully seated. I've been using scrap plywood in 1/4" strips
to leave these staples proud, to that they can be removed with locking pliers.
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Here is a view of the first layer from the stern. Notice the marks to help me keep track of
where the battens and frames are located. I used a felt pen, so that the marks would bleed down
into the wood, and withstand some sanding.
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In this view, you can see where the chine needs some fairing to straighten out the lines.
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The aft solid sheets of the second lamination are attached. This provides a decent
view of how I use the string to facilitate T50 staple lifting.
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Here I am installing the diagonal planking for the side (layer 2 of 3 - the third will be
longitudinal veneer).
(17-JAN-2007)
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This layer was much more difficult than the first. In the first layer, I could clamp to
various frames and longitudinal members. For this layer, I could only clamp top and
bottom. It made it very difficult to fit (and then glue) working solo. For my second
side, I conscripted a second pair of hands, and that made things MUCH easier.
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I am dry-fitting layer 3 of 4 total for the bottom against layer 2 of 3 total for
the sides. These next few shots deal with the "transition joint" where we change
from overlapping the planks to butting them.
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On the right, the planks overlap. On the left, they butt. The butt on the
side planking was made by trimming it close with a router, then cleaning up the edge with a rabbet plane.
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A close-up of the last overlapping plank. I put the joint at the edge of a plank. I chose
a point on the chine where the angle between bottom and side was passing through about 45 degrees.
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Dry fitting of the first of the butting planks.
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Continuing the dry-fitting moving toward the bow. Though it looks like there are gaps
in my joints, they are actually quite tight.
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Because I only use two or three staples
for dry-fitting, there is some edge lift in areas of high bend and twist. When I glue,
I'll use more staples, and these edges will be fine. Overall, if the planks are well
jointed (both edges are true) before fitting, virtually no spiling is required. What
is required can be done by eye, with a few strokes of a block plane.
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I have started to keep an eye on ebay for some of the "bits and pieces" that I'll need. I got this
lot for a few hundred bucks... mostly for the windshield brackets. I should be able to use some of
the other bits, as well (if I can figure out what they allare). But the real work is to get the
final lamination on the bottom of the hull.
(12-FEB-2007)
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