Preliminary Setup...

According to the Senior Project outline, I should have all my materials assembled for a picture, however, my project is an exception. Not being a oil painting, or stain glass window my project is a multi-stepped, in which, one phase must be completely finished before moving on. Therefore, obtaining  all the materials for all the phases is not recommended due to the fact that procuring my materials now will mean higher probability of being damaged and lost (especially with the fiberglass). Also, since I do not like to purchase items without thorough research, it would not be wise to start buying items and then realizing they were the wrong size. (I felt bad for the worker at Home Depot who waited for a good ten minutes to restock the wood glues as I debated with myself which wood glue to buy) The next items to purchase are the ones with fiberglassing. Doing research on the internet, I found the best source of West System Epoxy to be from http://www.jamestowndistributors.com, I have decided to buy my materials from them. Yet, seeing that my advisor has not been home, I have not been able to talk with him for his advice on fiberglassing and which hardener to use 205, 206, or 207? After I come to final decision and my advisor approves it, then I will place my order in. If you can't tell already, I am hesitant on fiberglassing, seeing that my expertise is in watching "How to" videos on Youtube and reading "How to Fiberglass Boats." Not the true expert... Also two more pieces of white oak have to be purchased from Rockler, but that step is needed after the interior has been glassed, which is not for a few weeks. The final step would be to buy medium cane for the seats, but that can be bought at Hobby Lobby and Varnish which can be bought from either Lowes or Home Depot. Not wanting to drop a few hundred dollars just yet, I have decided to further research as I start and continue to strip the canoe giving me a bit more time to think. However, I have reached a point in which I am almost ready to glue my first strip, all that needs to be accomplished is fine carving on the bow and stern and making small adjustments with the mould. I am so excited for my project even though I am beginning to grow nervous hoping I have not messed up and have to redo a section. However, that is my preliminary setup and action plan. Also included are the 62 finished 17'-18' cedar strips... and the wood glue.... =)

Routing the Strips

 After ripping the strips, the next step in the process was routing the cove and bead into the strips. The cove and bead can be accomplished by either a router or a sharpener, and since my dad only owned a router I was not going to complain. The difference between using a router and a shaper is the bead on the router is done with two pulls through, while only one pull is needed for the shaper. This process was time consuming and tedious, yet it was exciting actually envisioning how the planks will fit together. However, this step also produced a lot a of saw dust, so again out came all the equipment as pictured below. When routing the cove and bead, we used a feather board to help assist the applied pressure on the router bit, which was purchased from Rockler. The next step was scarfing and gluing the strips together to have 17 ft long board that I will need for stripping the hull of the canoe.

Ripping the Cedar Strips

It seems like a reoccurring theme to always be writing late, so I may as well keep with it. Over the past week I have converted 5 (1in x 12in x 12ft) Western Red Cedar boards into strips (the picture only shows four...) , routed both edges, and cut the scarf joint. I have decided to save the reader from one giant blog post, so I have decided to split it into three: ripping the cedar strips, routing the strips, scarfing the strips. The first step produced a lot of sawdust, and therefore the respirator mask came in handy. Each strip ideally was cut to 1/4in. by 7/8in. I originally had wished that the strips were 3/4 in, but since they came from McCabe Lumber that way, I did not want to sand and plane them down an eighth of an inch. Since we do not live in a perfect world, no piece of wood was perfect, and by this I mean... full of knots. Knots, as interesting as they may look on the cedar plank, made having 12 ft. strips a little harder, since they had to be removed due to weakening the frame. However, I would not have been able to have rip the boards were it not for the help my dad. He was in charge of placing the weight against the guider board on the table saw, and I was to pull the board through the saw and place them on the table. I eventually after watching his position was able to stand next to the table saw and switch jobs for some good minutes. It was very helpful for not only using a table saw for one of my first times, but learning how it worked as well. At the end, the knot-filled strips were strewed across the table, and I spent a couple hours chop sawing them out. and thus I moved to the next part...

Building the Stem Part 1

 The next step after assembling the mould stations to the strongback is to build the stems at the bow and stern. Following the rough plans of a Simple Steam Box from the website: http://americanwoodworker.com, I was able to build a steam box so I could bend the white oak for the stems. Having cut the plank of white oak into 16 1/4" x 3/4" strips the day before, I was then able to steam the stems to be able to bend around the stern and the bow. As Ted Moores in Canoecraft says, "The stems... are a vital link in the skeleton of a canoe. Inside stems support the ends of the strips, improving control during planking. Outside stems originally sealed the exposed end-grain of cedar planking." Building the steam box took a lot longer than I expected but I considered it to be a better option than the wood steaming in a cardboard tube. Once the strips of white oak were clamped into place, they have to dry for 24 hours on the form and 24 hours off, until they can be epoxied together. I don't think I will be able to work tonight but I will start ripping the cedar boards and coving and beading their edges...

Setting up the Mould

For this post, I am combining two days of work into one. Yesterday, I finished assembling the bow and stern, as pictured on the right. Yet, today was the exciting day, in which, I was to set up the moulds and finally see the cedar strip canoe take shape. Ted Moore's in Canoecraft states, "As you set up the mould, prepare for a thrill as the first skeletal image of your canoe emerges." Now it may have seemed that all canoes for centuries were built on mould forms because it seems like a "no brainer," but that was not the case. Up until around 1857, the most advanced canoes were still dugouts, like the native american craft. For in 1857, John Stephenson is credited for being the first person to think of building a canoe off of a form. In this case the form was a dugout canoe called the Shooting Star. As John Jennings writes in The Canoe- A Living Tradition, "the building method was deceptively simple and used basic well known technology: a combination of techniques that would be familiar to builders of boats, carriages, wagons, sleighs, furniture and containers." (or basically everyone in that era) I am not sure where the idea of sectional forms came from, but I will find out. However, focusing back on my construction of the forms, the bottom of each mould was screwed to 2 x 4's in the strongback. With a sight line, as seen in the picture at left, the tops of each station, which were grooved at their center, were lined up almost perfectly. And thus the mould stations are complete and the next phase is bending the white oak at the bow and stern to form the stem.

Attaching the Bow and Stern

 The next stage was to attach the bow and stern to the strongback. The form pictured to the right I think will be the bow, since I feel like it is more square than the other form. However, before I attached the bow, I drilled seven holes in it with a drill press. These holes will help the clamps attach the inside stem to the bow in order that they can be bent. I worked at a slower pace because I was learning more about what I needed to do as I worked, which often led to me re-drilling screws. (and remember... every screwed must be pre-drilled with a drill bit to ensure that is flush) This is a very informative post, in which I am just recounting what I did. Yesterday, I worked on attaching the bow and stern and station #6 and #7, but more information about that will be in the next post....

Building the Strongback Part 2

 Writing this blog update a couple days late, I should have written this on friday, but worked on the project instead. Finally, I have moved into the garage, which means I am making progress. (I just wish it didn't have to snow the day I started to work in the garage. It's freezing.) To compensate for the weather, I took the dusty heater from the basement to warm me up. The next step in building the strongback was to attach the legs with 2in. x 10in boards to form not only to strengthen the strongback, but ensure that it does not twist in the change of weather. Since I did not want to buy a 16 ft. 2 x 10, I screwed the board together connecting it with a 2 x 4. The length of the strongback is 15 ft, so stripping the bow and stern will be easier, not to mention removing the canoe from the strongback. The next step was to screw down the 2 x 10 on the top of the strongback, making sure that is was even and level. I have to say, I like working in the garage better because of the additional room. The next step is attaching the bow and stern to the strongback, which I did over the next days, Saturday and Monday.