It has been a busy time in Docs Den, and I have at last completed the Navy Sword display case for a friend. It’s not perfect but, as one of my boatbuilding tutors Bob Forsyth says, “We seek perfection, but accept what God gives us.”
Certainly, varnishing is not my strongest suit, but I am improving, which is the most important thing – well that’s what I tell myself! The aim is to get it looking – to quote another tutor – Barnaby Sheppard, “like a sucked lozenge.”
Gavin’s display case, completed just in time for Christmas.
Just over a week ago, I did a two day woodturning course at the Wood Turning Shop, learning from Les Thorne how to do spindle work and bowls. Going back to basics, I learnt a lot about basic tool handling techniques, and now understand why the gouges kept digging in – not that I am never going to get ” catch” again … I just hope they’ll be a lot less frequent! Over the two days, we made a bud vase, a bowl and a lidded box:
Woodturning, like so many crafts, requires practice, practice, and then some more … practice. So, I have been working away at my dad’s old lathe, turning out (pun intended) some pieces, and trying to embed the learning.
Here are a few pieces from the last week:
Of course, the other thing required – in addition to lots of practice – is some more tools! Today is my birthday, and I have been given a new spindle gouge by Siobhan and David, which I look forward to using. Darryl and Libby gave me a super picture of our dayboat, and Sylvia continued the Gin theme.
First prize, for the stand-out birthday card of the year, goes to my brother, Darryl, who always excels at lowering the tone:
Well, I hope that made you smile as well as groan! And, I hope that, in these sad and difficult times, you can find things to smile and laugh about, and that things turn out well for all of us in 2021.
Last night, we heard an owl nearby, its soft hooting call was repeated over and over. Looking for company, perhaps.
I was transported by that haunting call to when, aged nine, I had to learn this poem, and recite it in our junior school class.
When Icles Hang by the Wall
When icicles hang by the wall, And Dick the shepherd blows his nail, And Tom bears logs into the hall, And milk comes frozen home in pail, When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul, Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit; Tu-who, a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
When all aloud the wind doth blow, And coughing drowns the parson’s saw, And birds sit brooding in the snow, And Marian’s nose looks red and raw, When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl, Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit; Tu-who, a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
From Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act V, Scene II, W Shakespeare.
Of course, back then, I little new any love of poetry, though the imagery certainly appealed!. But this, and Shelley’s Ozymandias which we also learnt by wrote, hold special memories and significance – and were the germ of my great fondness of poetry.
I recently completed and handed over a project to my woodturning mentor, Richard.
His father had been a very loyal and enthusiastic supporter of Gosport Borough Football Club. From the age of four, Richard accompanied his dad to home and away matches. He still attends matches, and sits in the seat that his father sat in for many years, from where he would swing his football rattle, ring his bell at cup matches, and cheer on the team with shouts of “Come on my lovelies!”
Richard had told me this story, and of how his dad, who had been injured in the war, would discharge himself from his rehab ward at Stoke Mandeville, in order to attend matches, and re-admit himself afterwards.
As he showed me the cup match bell, and the rattles he and his dad would use, an idea popped into my head: to make Richard a display case for the rattles that he and his dad used.
I had already started making a Navy Sword display case – a commissioned project for a friend. Unfortunately, I had a glue freeze during the making of this case, and ended up breaking one of the sides of the case. There had already been some minor mistakes, which were fixable, but this was the last straw. As I put the remaining pieces to one side, I decided they could be re-purposed for Richard’s case – a surprise gift
With the aid of his daughter, and without his knowledge, I got the dimensions of the rattles and set to work.
The wood is yellow cedar. It is relatively difficult to work, because the grain is so irregular, and tear outs happen very readily. However it smells lovely, and does look attractive.
Here are some pictures of the finished result, and of Richard with his surprise gift.
Dovetail joints for the box – through and mitred; and splined mitred joints for the door.I have had some wooden signature medallions made. They reference my old life, and the new.All ready for Richard to fit the rattles in place and hang the case.
I am now making that Navy Sword display case, which is going well so far – at least the joints are not too tight this time!
In remembrance of those lost at sea in wartime … and of those who loved the sea and are no longer with us:
IN WATERS DEEP
In ocean wastes no poppies blow, No crosses stand in ordered row, Their young hearts sleep… beneath the wave… The spirited, the good, the brave, But stars a constant vigil keep, For them who lie beneath the deep.
‘Tis true you cannot kneel in prayer On certain spot and think. “He’s there.” But you can to the ocean go… See whitecaps marching row on row; Know one for him will always ride… In and out… with every tide.
And when your span of life is passed, He’ll meet you at the “Captain’s Mast.” And they who mourn on distant shore For sailors who’ll come home no more, Can dry their tears and pray for these Who rest beneath the heaving seas…
For stars that shine and winds that blow And whitecaps marching row on row. And they can never lonely be For when they lived… they chose the sea…
Two and a half years ago, I was off work, having hit the buffers … burnt out. A colleague, Sarah, knowing about my fondness of poetry, had recommended the book “The Poetry of Presence.”
The book arrived on the eve of a visit I had arranged to attend an Open Day at the IBTC. That evening, as I picked up the book, it fell open at Judy Brown’s poem ‘Wooden Boats’
WOODEN BOATS
I have a brother who builds wooden boats, Who knows precisely how a board Can bend or turn, steamed just exactly Soft enough so he, with help of friends, Can shape it to the hull.
The knowledge lies as much Within his sure hands on the plane As in his head; It lies in love of wood and grain, A rough hand resting on the satin Of the finished deck.
Is there within us each Such artistry forgotten In the cruder tasks The world requires of us, The faster modern work That we have Turned our life to do?
Could we return to more of craft Within our lives, And feel the way the grain of wood runs true, By letting our hands linger On the product of our artistry? Could we recall what we have known But have forgotten, The gifts within ourselves, Each other too, And thus transform a world As he and friends do, Shaping steaming oak boards Upon the hulls of wooden boats?
That poem … that timing, struck a chord in me. It resonated with all that I envisaged in the art and skill of boatbuilding, working with wood, and developing skills to use hand tools. The Open Day affirmed my decision, to make a change in my life that I had previously seen as an option after retirement, but now one that I should take as soon as practicable.
I contacted Judy, asking if I could use her poem in my Blog, and she kindly agreed. We exchanged a few emails and in one of those she told me that she and her husband were visiting England, and would be staying in a place that they had been visiting each year for several years: The Sawmill in Beaminster. Looking up the details, I could see why visiting this tiny quaint little property had become an annual treat. I made a note that we should visit when we had the opportunity.
Having finished the course this February, I set to, with various woodworking projects, and Sylvia started working from home due to the ‘The Lockdown.’ This period became for us, as with many others, a time of loss of social contact … a loss of human touch; and too, a time for reflection, and taking stock.
Sylvia was weighing up the pros and cons of returning to work in the office, or of finishing work altogether. One day, as she was struggling with this dilemma, I reminded her that when I was off work, she had told our financial advisor in 2018 that there was no point retiring with me, because I would be doing a full-time boatbuilding course.
“Yes, that’s right,” she replied. After a pause, I asked: “And now?”
That question “And now?” seemed to unlock the tangle of emotions and practical considerations. Sylvia handed in her notice a few days later.
Last week we managed, at last, to get away for a week’s break at The Sawmill.
Having settled in, I sent an email to Judy, to tell her we were there, and she was thrilled. After an exchange of emails, I suggested a Zoom meeting so that we could ‘meet’ for the first time, and so that I could show her around the cottage. Judy readily agreed.
So it was, that on Friday, we had a virtual meeting, and shared news and stories. Judy read us a poem she had written about a walk to nearby Netherbury, and we told her how, only that very morning, we had visited the place she described in this poem:
AND IT TURNED OUT LIKE THIS
All those poems
written when
I didn’t know
how it would
all turn out –
written from
my fear and
my anxiety.
And it turned out like this – a day
in England
hiking hills,
the brilliant sun
carving sharp shadows
underneath the trees,
the church bell ringing,
and a picnic
in the
shelter of a
vast old tree,
its trunk serving as
back rest as we
eat our cheese and apple.
It all turned out
like this.
Judy went on to ask: “What about you, Sylvia? Are you working?” We recounted the story. That question “And now?” sparked a long discussion about questions that challenge us, and which set me thinking.
So here is my reflection, and a poem that I would like to dedicate and give to Judy, to reciprocate and thank her for her work’s impact upon my life:
I received a call from the IBTC: “Could you help out – our joinery instructor is off and we need some cover?” “Starting when?” I asked. “How about this coming Monday?” came the reply.
We settled on a two week stint, as I was not wanting to get tied in for too long – after all, I have some projects to complete, and a boat to build!
So, two weeks ago, Sylvia dropped me off at Victory Gate after my Monday morning GP surgery, with the tool chest I had made just over a year ago, and I walked in to my alma mater, excited and just a little apprehensive.
Nine students, who had done three weeks of joinery before ‘lockdown’ and had now been back a week … a quick round of introductions, and it’s back to work!
It was lovely to be back in Boathouse 4, and I had a great time. I think the students gained some benefit from my limited experience and modest knowledge, which I managed to spread over the two weeks!
I even practiced and demonstrated some saw sharpening.
Bob is taking over for a while now, and I gave him a list of the topics I had covered in my daily tutorials – a surprisingly long one:
Planes Uses (flattening, smoothing, and removing wood) Bench planes: numbering and names:- smoothing, jack, fore and jointer Setting up; Adjustment of frog; Refurb Block planes, shoulder (incl. Record 311) Router, rebate (incl. side-rebate) and combination/plough planes Bollow Scrub, including how to convert Stanley 4 to scrub plane and use Wooden: coffin, scrub, shoulder, moulding, plough, jointer etc … how to adjust/use Lubrication wax/oil-rag-in-a-can
Spokeshave Metal: curved/flat soled Wooden spokeshave – not sharpening
Rasps General advice; Shinto saw-rasp; (Auriou rasps)
Buying tools Websites; Suppliers, Tips on choosing/buying
Marking out Marking knife, knife wall, squaring off
Using tools Planes; Chisels; Saws
Sharpening Freehand, use of honing guide, stropping (hand (!), leather on wood paddle with buffing compound) Plane blades, chisels, and a brief intro to sharpening rip saws, more as an encouragement to try and have a go!
Tips Removal of broken screws using rolling pin Sprigging holes Dovetail joints: Marking out; Cutting; Easing
Controlling and targets for moisture reduction Conversion Through & through; Quarter/Rift sawn; Wagenschot (a la Triss Stone) Quarter-sawn vs vertical grain Wane Characteristics to identify species: grain (incl. medullary rays), density, colour, smell Choice of species for boatbuilding – ‘backbone’, planking, spars … etc. (Intro. only)
With some help from a shipwright friend, I have finished lofting the 10ft Gartside dinghy, and am pausing to tackle another, rather nautical, project.
The last couple of lines – the Diagonals – were plotted, but I just could not get the required ‘fair line’. The lines just looked too flat amidships. After checking, double checking, even triple checking the coordinates, I was stumped. So, I phoned a friend.
With him giving me a firm nudge, I grasped the nettle and, by moving one nail on each of the diagonal lines – one by several millimetres – we soon had two pleasingly fair lines.
Now, all of the views, with all of their intersections, must correlate with each other. So, I had to use the changes made to the Diagonals to re fair the lines on the other three views. I think I had been reluctant to boldly change those points, because of a dread of having to go through this process of ‘lofting to agreement.’ Happily, with just a couple of points to change, the process went pretty well.
So, here are some pictures of the final result:
The Half Breadth view, on the left hand side, shows the curve of waterlines (which include curve inwards towards the bow, where the lower planks will need to be pulled in to create a ‘tuck’). The right side shows those demanding diagonals, which are looking nicely fair!The stem detail on the Profile View.The Body plan, gives the end-on view with the front half shown on the right, and the rear half on the left.The transom is raked, so I had to do a transom expansion, to get its proper size – both fore and aft faces of the transom have been drawn in.The final result.
And now for something completely different.
I have been asked by a friend to make a display case for his Navy sword. I had already made a start, a few weeks ago, preparing some yellow cedar from the ‘Winchester wood haul.’
The smell of the cut cedar is lovely, and the grain pattern is gorgeous – at least it is to look at – but it’s a devil to work, as the grain direction changes so much!
A lot of shavings were made to get to this stage!The waves in the grain seem most appropriate for this project.
Yesterday, I started on the joinery. Using a Paul Sellers technique, a simple jig ensures that the dovetails are cut square and true.
I’m aiming to use mitred dovetail joints, particularly at the back, where I need to cut a rebate for the back panel of the case. They are tricky joints, and that rebate may be a bit of a challenge with the wavy grain … fingers crossed!
After weeks of trying to make space in the garage, I finally cleared an area to loft the 10ft Paul Gartside dinghy.
I laid down two layers of 12mm plywood, glued and screwed them together, and added a few coats of paint. Once dry, I set out the grid – with a little help from my little helper!
Snapping a blue chalked string line, gives a long straight datum line, and the grid of waterlines, buttock lines, and station lines is built up from there.
In order to get accurate perpendicular lines, a set of trammels or a beam compass is used. Being able to use Dad’s beam compass was a joy.
It’s a bit hard on the knees, so a kneeling pad or knee-pads are invaluable.
By the way, no shoes allowed!
Next, it’s time to make some battens from an 11 ft length of straight grained, knot-free wood.
Yesterday, I spent the afternoon making a lot of shavings (!), to get the timber ‘faced and edged’ ready for ripping to 20mm wide battens. It was thirsty work, so a drink or two was in order, to celebrate progress made.
After a bicycle ride this morning, the thicknesser came into its own, and by lunchtime I had a selection of battens of varying thickness.
And now it’s time to put down some lines. Starting with the sheer line, I plotted the relevant points from the table of offsets, put some nails adjacent to my marks, and laid a batten around the nails.
Now, it is quite common that the coordinates set out in the table of offsets, don’t always form a curve that is ‘fair’ (no humps or straights, just smooth and … fair). However, I was a little surprised that the batten did not lie nicely against two of the seven nails – especially so, as the table of offsets notes that the sheer line were amended in 2005. Anyway, I think that I have a nice ‘fair’ sheer line – a good start.
And those ducks? Well, lofting ducks, or spline weights, were traditionally used for lofting as the picture below shows. They look like whales rather than ducks. Those weights on the loft floor (that used to be my Father’s) don’t look like ducks either, but they will fulfil the same purpose.
My progress towards building a 10 foot clinker dinghy is faltering somewhat. A case of one step forward, two steps back! The problem? Making space in the garage.
Buccaneer is out of the garage, and in Fareham Creek; and we have shared a couple of hire skips with our neighbours, and cleared out loads of stuff too.
But, in clearing out loft spaces, we have been left with several boxes that need to be gone through. The result? The garage is as full as it ever was!
But, it’s not just boxes of accumulated ‘stuff’ that is holding back my progress. Last Saturday, my friend Richard and I headed over to a place just north of Winchester to look at some wood that a man wanted to get rid of. As we drove down, Richard said: “I can’t really call this one – it might be nothing much, or it could be a gold mine.”
Well, gold mine it was!
In a metal clad barn, down a small leafy lane, was a stash of wood that would fill half a garage or more. The owner had got it about ten years ago, from a man who made long-case clocks. The wood was almost all hardwood, and generally of very good quality. I spied some boards that were about seven foot long, over two foot wide and varying from one to three inches in thickness. We took thirteen of these, leaving half a dozen that had rather too many shakes (splits).
Now, elm is rare these days, after Dutch Elm disease, though some survive in Brighton. In fact, I recently heard of some newly felled elm being available from there, which I had planned to have a look at this week. No need now, as we found several pieces of elm in the barn, and they are fully seasoned, not freshly felled. The size of council paving slabs, but thicker, they were duly added to the haul, together with a selection of the smaller hardwood stock.
Happy as a pig in poo! The boards are stacked up behind me. The slabs of elm are leaning up together on my right.
After two trips with a large trailer, we called it a day. This lot will keep me going for a good long time, and there is that small issue of storage!
