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.
