A little project from which I have learnt a lot: Lily’s Learning Tower.

Putting screws into the ‘end grain’ of plywood does not make for the strongest joint – the risk is that the plywood will split under load along the glue lines of the laminate.

To make this simple piece, made from 18mm birch ply, I used dowels to provide a cross grain hold for the screws.

I used the same sized dowel to plug the counterbored screw holes. With hindsight, smaller plugs would have been better, I think.

Anyway, here it is:

I have a few coats of clear varnish to apply, and then I am looking forward very much to seeing some photos of Lily trying this out.

In 2001, I bought a Tela Dayboat from Greg Dalrymple at Salterns Boatbuilders in Old Bursledon. We named her Buccaneer.

Greg had set up Salterns Boatbuilders in 1996. The yard had originally been built in the early years of the last Century by the Admiralty as a base for experimental boom defence systems. It then became the operational base of the Secret Service (MI5), founded by Mansfield Smith-Cummings, whose spies included Erskine Childers, Compton MacKenzie, and John Buchan. Used as a base for the construction of experimental hydroplanes in the 1930s, it was then taken over by British Aerospace, initially as a place to store drawings and plans away from their main Hamble site in case of bombings. However, its quiet secluded location soon led to it being used to build midget submarines in WW2. It seems that it was abandoned after the war, and was eventually bought in the 1980s by a private owner. The site is designated as an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).

Greg ran Salterns as a small traditional boatbuilding outfit. Working alone or with one assistant boatbuilder, he specialised in producing classic gaff-rigged boats, with GRP hulls moulded from old original boats: the Memory 19, the Tela Dayboat, and the Wagtail Dinghy. He also turned out some one-offs – I remember a catboat being launched with her owner during one of my visits to the boatyard in Salterns Lane.

Situated on a small creek, off the Hamble river, Salterns Boatyard was an idyllic spot. I loved the Boathouse too: boats in the process of being built, the smell of wood and varnish, the tools, and the solid fuel burner in the corner, complete with the kettle. Indeed, I wonder if my desire to learn boatbuilding comes at least in part from my visits to that yard, and to seeing Greg’s work.

The original Tela was a ‘seeking’ boat from the Bristol Channel, built in 1911 on the Barry Docks in South Wales. Whereas the better-known Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters would race to the Scillies to meet incoming ships and provide a pilot, the little ‘seeking’ boats provided the same service for hopeful pilots, but did so in the vicinity of the docks themselves. These working boats had to be both seaworthy for their year-round work, and fast – the first to arrive got the pilotage job.

Apparently, Tela was built by an out-of-work Norwegian shipwright/sea captain, Gustav ‘George’ Helstrom, with the intention to outclass the current fastest ‘seeking’ boat, Stranger. Whether or not she did become the fastest boat at that time, is unknown, but she certainly proved her worth, later racing successfully in the Barry Yacht Club.

It was Chris Libby who designed the ‘modern day’ Tela at Penryn Bridge Boatyard. During a slack winter, he decided to build a GRP gaff-rigged dayboat. Finding the 16′ 6” Tela, rotting away on a beach up the river Fal, he decided that she would provide the ideal mould for his new boat.

Chris built about a dozen Tela Dayboats. In the late 1990s, Greg Dalrymple bought the moulds, made some amendments, and started production. Buccaneer is the fourth Tela built by Greg. At Salterns, he amended Tela’s design by changing the shallow L-shaped centre-plate to a higher-aspect ratio casting, that weighs in at 80lb (36kg). This increased the draught from 2ft 10in to 4ft with the centre plate down – just 1ft 2in (0.36m) with it raised.

Her LOA is 16′ 6″” (5.03m) – extended to 18′ 9″” with bowsprit (5.7m). Her beam is 5′ 6″ (1.68m).

With 550lb (250kg) of lead ballast, Tela now had a 50% ballast ratio, allowing Greg to increase the size of the rig by 30% to 150sq ft (14sq m). A topsail can also be rigged. I have one, but I find it more awkward than useful.

She is very stable indeed, and can usually be sailed without needing to sit out on the side decks; yet she is responsive, and easy to handle single-handedly if necessary.

Buccaneer is rather too heavy to launch and recover for a day’s sailing. She needs a mooring, and that has been the only real drawback. For a couple of seasons, I kept her in the creek by Salterns Boatyard, but was beginning to outstay my welcome. I moved her to a pontoon birth in Haslar Marina for a couple of years, which was very convenient, but costly. (Marinas usually charge by the length – including the bowsprit!!) I just wasn’t getting out enough to justify the fees. Since then, she has given us fun on the Norfolk Broads during a holiday in 2008 but, I am ashamed to say, has otherwise sat ‘berthed’ in our garage.

Now that I am working just a little, and have finished the Boatbuilding Course at IBTC, I hope that she will get a new lease of life. I have found her a berth at Fareham Marina. What it lacks in terms of ready access to the Solent, it makes up for in accessibility … and has cheaper fees than Haslar.

So, it’s time for a quick refurb. The sails have been checked, the spars have been prepped and varnished, the floorboards removed and re-oiled, and a split in the mast step has been fixed. I just need to service the outboard, scrape her hull and give her a couple of coats of antifouling.

The Tela really is a beauty, and Buccaneer always draws attention and admiring remarks and questions. It will be great to see her back in her element once again!

I have held off updating this blog, wanting to be able to report that Sylvia’s laptop desk is finished. And it is!

It is a Paul Sellers design, made of Oak. The desktop, bin lids and vertical veneers are quarter sawn – the medullary ray patterning is really lovely.

After a bit of a wait for some ‘stop hinges,’ which duly arrived this week, I started fitting them, straightaway.

With the hinges fitted, I did a final sand and de-nibbing of the bins and lids; and applied four coats of Peacock oil yesterday evening.

It was great to finish the assembly today. Here is the final result:

I shall do a final de-nibbing with ‘0000’ wire wool in a couple of days, apply the very final coat of Peacock Oil, and then enjoy watching Sylvia’s impatient wait for a week or so, before I can wax it and let her loose!

Just as the numbers of coronavirus cases are reported to be declining, I have finally managed to get all the ducks in a row, and to be fully signed up for the Covid Clinical Assessment Service. This is part of the 111 NHS calls system – the service that retired doctors are being asked to volunteer to work in. My first shift was 2000-2400 last night. I enjoyed it – the hardest thing is getting the IT right – the medicine is much easier. Just like getting back on the bike, really!

Not quite a joiners rod, but I set out the leg frame angles on a piece of ply, and transferred the tapers and joint markings to the components of each leg frame.

These mortice and tenon joints went pretty well, especially as it’s at least nine months since I last did any at IBTC.

Before glueing up, there was still a lot to do. The lower rail is curved and rounded, and the legs are rounded too. Out with the spokeshave, and the floor was soon strewn with heaps of shavings!

After cutting mortices to take the transverse rails, I glued up the frames.

A mitre is formed on the legs where the lower rail meets them, giving a more ‘naturalistic’ branching effect. A new style and technique to me, but I enjoyed the process and am pleased with the resulting two leg frames:

The cross rails required straightforward 90 degree tenons but the lower back rail is also curved and rounded.

Here is the completed frame … so far, so good!

This project has not quite been all consuming – I have laid the composted bark mulch on the garden beds, and it looks great – better still, the blackbirds aren’t scattering it everywhere, which is a bonus. So, it’s good to pause come evening time, and to enjoy the fruits of my gardening labours, a book and. glass of wine!

Cheers!!

Well, that went well!

This afternoon, it was out with the mortise gauge. Soon, the components of Sylvia’s desk frame were dimensioned, using the bandsaw to remove the bulk of the waste, followed by a final finish with my jointer plane.

All thicknessed, and ready to be cut to final length. Tomorrow, after a morning at the local surgery, I will draw out the joiners rod and start work on the joints.

A couple of hours work, and the excitement builds!

While waiting for my new thicknesser machine, I decided to take the plunge and order another machine – a new band saw. I need a decent one for my boatbuilding anyway.

Half the fun with these purchases is the time spent researching the different machines, comparing their specs, looking at You Tube videos, and reading the reviews. Having made my choice, and found the best price, I rang to make an order. I was very surprised to be told: “Yes, we have it in stock, and can deliver the day after tomorrow.”

With some difficulty – it weighs 230kg – we managed to move it from the drive to Docs Den. Within an hour or so, I had it unpacked, set up, and had fitted a blade.

Over the last two or three days, I have been using it to prepare the stock for the desk project. Wow, it cuts through 4 inch thick oak like a knife through butter!

I now have all the frame components cut close to size, and have used my jointer and smoother planes to get them ‘faced and edged’. I’m ready to get them to the final dimensions in the thicknesser now, but that’s not due to arrive for a fortnight.

Rather than wait, I will probably resaw the wood on the bandsaw, and hand plane to the required thickness, in the traditional way. It’s good exercise, and I love to see thin shavings curl from the plane and to feel the smoothness of the planed surface.

A year ago, when starting out at IBTC, I found it so hard not to over-correct. Now, it seems altogether easier and more natural. I use my ‘winding sticks’ to check for twist/wind, take a few strokes with the plane, and then reassess.

As the sawn surface is planed, the grain becomes clearer, and I love to see the medullary rays appear, so prominent in oak.

Cross-cutting the planks has also been done by hand. I have had a go at sharpening one of my Dad’s old panel saws, which went better than I expected. It’s a useful skill, rarely used in these days of throwaway saws, so I will keep practising.

The shavings have been deposited on one of the garden beds. The garden is almost fully weeded now, and bark chippings are on the way to mulch and suppress further weed growth. Blackbirds love rootling though the bark for insects – it’s amazing how far they can throw chips of bark across the lawn in the process!

I have great respect for all who are working on the front line in healthcare and social care, and admiration for all who are contributing to the national effort. One of IBTC’s ex-students and her co-workers is making ventilators instead of boats – how’s that for transferable skills!

We celebrated our 35th Wedding Anniversary in lockdown, and this is our first Easter on our own. Still, we are all well, and I hope you all are too. All the best!

I am pleased to be able to report the successful completion of my first major home woodworking project: my new workbench.

The finishing stages went hand-in-hand with a major tidy up/reorganisation of Docs Den – the first week of the ‘lockdown’ went very quickly as a result.

There is still some reorganisation to do in the rest of the workshop – an extension would be good – but it’s exciting to be ‘ready to go.’

I have at least one project to get on with: a small desk for Sylvia. The wood is here, but I could really do with a thicknesses machine. One is on order but may take a few weeks to be delivered. I wish I had ordered it earlier!

Ah well, at least the garden is getting a lot of attention. I must get the beds cleared of weeds before new growth makes them impenetrable. I enjoy the flowers, trees and shrubs, but not the weeding. At least, with the longer days and some very welcome sun, the shrubs are covered in buds, and our fruit trees are in blossom.

Here’s hoping for the easing of restrictions, a glorious summer, and the end of this pandemic. And I hope that you are all keeping well and safe.

Tooltique is a small family business, selling refurbished traditional hand tools.
Their advantage over eBay, is that their wares are sold fully refurbished and sharpened – ready for use by those who appreciate fine tools for quality work. I regularly recommend them to fellow students.

Today, I received the following message from Tooltique:

Self Isolation And How Hobbies Can Help

March 18, 2020 by Tooltique

Those who already have hobbies will undoubtedly have more to keep their minds occupied and bodies active through what looks to be a torrid time ahead with the COVID-19 outbreak. I know that we are grateful to have a large workshop and plenty to do during this time. 

After the initial preparations are made, there are going to be a considerable amount of people out there that will refrain from their usual activities, due to social distancing or self isolation.

 All active people are going to need something meaningful to do with their time which can be done alone, creating space around the family.      

Many are active online but it’s very easy to become overwhelmed with negative information which causes anxiety and will undoubtedly cause considerable affects on people’s mental health. It doesn’t have to be like this, if you use the internet to learn new skills, people like Paul Sellers amongst others are a really good start. Expand your searches via YouTube and you will be amazed how encouraging others are with sharing their knowledge. If you lack space explore things like leather working, woodcarving, model making, etc. 

There have many been people who have started their woodworking hobbies in few past years and believe me they will all be glad they took these first steps. It’s probably a time to practice things like saw sharpening, you only need a junk saw and it can engross you for days, especially with working on the set up, making a saw vice and understanding how the tooth geometry helps with different woods, etc.   

In this busy world many will have never considered home based hobbies such as woodworking , but it’s certainly has additional benefits as your confidence grows, especially around the home. Over the next couple of weeks we will try to keep the blog updated as much as possible with interesting ideas and tips to help keep everyone’s spirits up.

We wish all our customers well and hope they can keep on creating nice things. 

I have highlighted in bold, the section that caught my eye. I am certainly not belittling the situation, or the concerns and fears that abound. However, there is too much hysteria and melodramatic pronouncements that can all too readily sap the morale of readers/recipients.

A sense of perspective is needed here: sure, there will be many sad premature deaths, but the majority of us will survive this crisis. And, there is a lot we can do to mitigate the risk to ourselves and our loved ones.

What is most important is that we all do what we can to support each other – practically, emotionally and spiritually. Humour, positivity, kind conversation, good wishes, and expressions of love will do a great deal to help those that are concerned/fearful – far more than negativity and talk of doom and misery.

We are going to see the worst of human nature, not least stock-piling and flouting of public health advice. But, we may also see the best: encouragement, practical support, phone calls to family and friends, and help for vulnerable neighbours.

Yes indeed, “… it’s very easy to become overwhelmed with negative information which causes anxiety and will undoubtedly cause considerable affects on people’s mental health. It doesn’t have to be like this… “

Keep safe and let’s look forward to getting to the other side of this crisis.

After another week at Boathouse 4, we have fitted a few more planks – a total of seven fully fitted now, and the eighth almost ready for roving.

At close of play on Friday, she looked like this:

I have learnt such a lot: tips on how to get good results, and on how to fix problems and mistakes!

The current Corona virus pandemic has led to the attractions and historic dockyard itself being closed to the public. It has been quiet in the College as a result. Indeed, the College is set to close after next week, due to the public health advice.

Chatting to one of the security guards, on Friday, I was warned that the Portsmouth Base Commander could shut the base to non-MoD staff without notice. I decided to bring my tools home, just in case that happened before Monday.

Reflecting on the situation yesterday, I made the decision to stop going in to the College until the situation changes. The need for us all to exercise ‘social distancing’ is being made very clear, and for the benefit of the family, and everyone else, I will stay at home except for essential outings.

My bench is nearly finished, and I hope to start to fit the vice today. There’s a lot to get ready for my boat building project, and lots of jobs to do at home … the gardening is never-ending!!

I would like to finish planking the dinghy with Bob, when the College re-opens. Maybe we can fit the last three sets of planks with another week together … wishful thinking, I know!

To all my followers/blog readers, I give my very best wishes and hopes that you remain well and avoid Covid 19.

I returned to Boathouse 4 on 5th of March, slightly earlier than planned, and have been working with Bob Forsyth to plank up the Paul Gartside dinghy which I am planning to build this year.

Progress has been slower than hoped, for a few reasons. Firstly, because we spent a lot of time and effort to get our first set of planks fully symmetrical. This is in order to “book match” successive planks.

Book Matching is the process of spiling a plank for one side of the boat and then splitting the resulting plank in two, creating a plank for each side. It requires that the sides remain the same, so that the planks are a perfect match.

Another reason for our slower-than-expected progress is the planks splitting at their hood (forward) ends. The unkindest cut of all was when one of the planks that had been fitted by BB15’s students split when our first set of planks was being fitted. Thank goodness for PU Glue!

As a result of this tendency to split, we have decided to give the hood ends a bit of heat to create a bit of “give.” We had not expected to need to steam them, but if steaming reduces splits it will be worth the extra effort.

Finally, I have never been known for speedy working!

Anyway, after seven days, we have fitted only four planks, rather than the two per day we were aiming for. That said, I am sure I/we will get “in the groove” and speed up – our aim is now to finish the remaining 10 planks in the coming week. It has been great to be working with Bob, who has over 50 years’ experience of boatbuilding and a love of clinker builds. I’m getting a real Master Class with lots of tips and suggestions for my own upcoming build.

Fingers crossed that we can catch up with our goal of two planks a day. In the meantime I am now officially a Boathouse 4 Volunteer, and for the next week (at least!!) I can be found there, learning from Bob and getting valuable practice and experience.

Meanwhile, back in my workshop at home – ‘Docs Den’ – I have been making a new workbench for my upcoming joinery projects. Made of three sheets of 18mm birch plywood, this Paul Sellers design is really solid and very heavy. Today, I fixed the aprons to the the leg frames and glued the laminated bench-top to the front apron. I am looking forward to getting the tool well and vice fitted. Then, there are some other extras to add, including a drawer and castors.