The first of the side panels was glued and nailed on today. It was a more difficult job than the bottom panels because I had to hold, bend and manipulate a G - cramp without letting go of the panel. So it was all strategically placed knees and hands while I attempted to get a few furtive stabilising whacks with a hammer and nails.
Except for the smallest wood plane at the bottom of the picture (which is used for cross grain planing) I have recently completed full restoration work on these planes. Now they are coming into their own planing, trimming and finishing the boats stringers and plywood panels. The top plane which is the longest one really showed its usefulness today when I was planing the excess off the long overlapping plywood panels. Tomorrow I will put the last side panel on and fill all the countersunk screws and gripfast nails with 'Epifill'. Then she will be ready for sheathing in fiberglass before being turned upright for the deck to go on.
6 comments:
Wow, how many planes does one man need? Aren't they delicious though!
I'm enjoying the story of your rebuild project. I'm facing a similar task with an old Moth Boat:
http://mid-atlanticmusings.blogspot.com/search/label/PEGASUS
This boat is in very sorry shape and the only good reason to attempt a restoration is because she's a World Champion. Unlike your Starling I may have to first construct a building jig to stabilize the skeleton of this yacht to keep things from twisting after removing the dilapidated 1/8" ply skins. Summer is approaching here in Maryland and like you I'm an outdoors boat tinker.
How many planes does a man need? Some would answer - How long is a piece of string? - My answer is: As many as he thinks he wants - (not needs).
You use the word 'delicious'. When the photo first popped up on my blog the word 'edible' came to mind. I should have painted them all different bright colours - That would have made them look like a row of jelly beans sitting on the upturned boat - delicious and edible indeed.
Hello George. Kia ora - greetings from New Zealand.
I have also been reading your blog with interest and will continue to do so. It looks like you are taking on a pretty challenging restoration indeed. But I say these old beauties are worth it!
I wonder if there is some way of cutting completely around the hull of this moth at intervals and laminating in some temporary (or possibly permanent) ribs to hold the boats shape. It would be fiddly and time consuming work but it would make the re-laminating of the outside shell a lot easier....... or you could consider removing the shell small sections at a time as you re-laminate (although that my be problematic if the laminations are laid diagonally) -- Good luck, I will watch your blog with interest!!
Quite a beautiful array of planes you have. I own only number 3 from the top. Great help to make things meet in a not always rectangular world.
Ben, number three from the top is the same length as the next two down except that the body is a bit wider. This is a good sized general use plane.
I think wood planes are very cleverly engineered and are a pleasure to use if the blade is kept really sharp and adjusted optimally.
And yes, extremely useful in a not always rectangular world - something that boat are NOT! with all their complex curves and rounded forms.
Another useful planing device is the spokeshave which is good for rounding edges.
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