The great step forward, though, was that we have now sealed the inside with epoxy: deep joy, breathtaking beauty.
Monday, January 30, 2012
What have we done for the Romans?
Apart from the tholes (rowlocks), we've pretty much made everything. Well, we also have to fashion a few knees and the slots for the foot stretcher. And the oars. The rudder, we'll get to... but apart from those trifling things, we are about ready to fit all the inside components.
The great step forward, though, was that we have now sealed the inside with epoxy: deep joy, breathtaking beauty.
The great step forward, though, was that we have now sealed the inside with epoxy: deep joy, breathtaking beauty.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Before and After again...
So, I think Chris mentioned that we were into the fabrication of the "bits".
Let me explain something, when we ordered the "kit" for this boat, I fully expected it to be a little like the airfix or balsa wood kits I made as a kid, ie, with everything you need in the box barring glue and paint. But no, the kit actually only includes the blanks for the hull and some templates for shaping it. Everything else, every last splinter, you have to source and fabricate yourself. Although it was a bit of a surprise at first, we quickly realised that this was to our advantage, why pay to have the raw materials sent across from the suppliers in Oz when we can cut down our own trees, and why get someone else to cut a seat 10 mm too short, when we can do it ourselves.
Anyway, we are well into the fabrication process, and this in turn has forced us into buying yet another cool new tool. A bandsaw. Not only that, but after some slightly odd cuts with strange curves, we've now even read the instructions and learned to set the stupid thing up. So, with our new tool, we have just completed the first of our thwart cleats (look it up!).
And here are the inevitable before and after photos.
So - take a "bit of wood", apply the following.
And hey presto, here's one I prepared earlier.
The band saw has been a huge boost to productivity, and we actually have all the thwart cleats (look it up) cut to fit the boat, with a liberal application of "the plane" to get the angles right. Tomorrow we might even glue some of these bits into the boat, who knows.
Oh, and Happy New Year to our 17 followers.
Let me explain something, when we ordered the "kit" for this boat, I fully expected it to be a little like the airfix or balsa wood kits I made as a kid, ie, with everything you need in the box barring glue and paint. But no, the kit actually only includes the blanks for the hull and some templates for shaping it. Everything else, every last splinter, you have to source and fabricate yourself. Although it was a bit of a surprise at first, we quickly realised that this was to our advantage, why pay to have the raw materials sent across from the suppliers in Oz when we can cut down our own trees, and why get someone else to cut a seat 10 mm too short, when we can do it ourselves.
Anyway, we are well into the fabrication process, and this in turn has forced us into buying yet another cool new tool. A bandsaw. Not only that, but after some slightly odd cuts with strange curves, we've now even read the instructions and learned to set the stupid thing up. So, with our new tool, we have just completed the first of our thwart cleats (look it up!).
And here are the inevitable before and after photos.
 |
| The raw materials - ok, this is actually just a bit of wood I found in the garden, but you get the idea. |
 |
| The new bandsaw, a plane and various sanders. |
 |
| Ta-da. A Thwart cleat (look it up). |
Oh, and Happy New Year to our 17 followers.
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