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This is my process for making up the frames . My way of
doing it may not be the best but it works good for me. Step 1. Draft out the frame from the plans on to door skin. Step 2. Cut out the pattern with a sharp blade .Plane the edges to pencil line making it perfect. Step 3. Trace onto the plywood using the pattern you made from the door skin . Step 4. Cut close to the line with a jig saw. Step 5. Plane the edges to the pencil line making it perfect . I use a half round rasp or spoke shave for the inside curves followed by sand paper
Ready for epoxy.................. |
| This shows frame 1 during a dry fit with all the doublers on the forward side. I dry fit all the pieces and the take it apart . I coat all the screws I want to remove with wax After I put glue on both sides I fasten in to the holes that were established during the dry fit so the pieces won't slip and slide, clamp and let the epoxy cure . The screws are removed and the holes filled in with epoxy.......... I am going to cut out the stringer holes after glue up. |  |
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Another week as passed. I was a bit naive
last week when I thought I would be done building the frames this week. I
hope now to finish them next week. I am not complaining mind you, I hate
rushing and enjoy my hours alone in my boat shed listening to talk radio,
sanding, cutting, measuring and even gluing. I feel like I have been
working hard but if you look at my progress at this point it is rather
humbling. I keep telling myself that the point of this isn't making a BOAT
it's MAKING a boat..
I almost finished frame one when disaster struck and broke a piece off the bottom of the frame in a unfortunate jig saw accident .Nothing a little glue and I think a extra doubler won't fix. |
| I finished frame 2 and double checked the
plans and realized I am missing two 20mm x 20mm doublers on the aft side
shown here by the center slot...Just after I took the picture of the
completed frame....
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I haven't added anything to the web site for 2 weeks as I
took a unexpected full time job restoring a 70 ft wooden motor boat . I
am helping replace ribs, and planking ... I appreciate the opportunity but
after spending 6 months diving for urchins and dreaming of building my own
boat , it is hard .......... I have spent a little time on the pathfinder
though . Yesterday I worked 8 hours finishing frames 1 through 5 . John Welsford gave me a piece of advice in a email and I quote.
" Finish everything as far as possible while its on the bench and easy to get at". This seems obvious but sometimes it is easy to want to quickly get to the next step . That is pretty much what I did for 8 hours ,sanding, rounding off sharp corners on the doublers ,cutting out vent holes and stringer locations and filling holes with epoxy. The job I took is temporary so I plan on getting back to her full time in about another month ... I am really hoping to have her finished for the raid in September but only time will tell.
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