Take whats offered

The first order of business today was to get the saw horses free from under the boat table so that I could use them with the table saw, and so that I could get the table to a lower height.

Boat table (closet doors) with 18" legs

So, remember the 15 foot long plank of wood I found in the river and brought home?  It has been milled and made the chines and both laminations of the gunwales.  Thank you Hudson River.

One found plank becomes 6 pieces of chine and gunwale.

I wasn't sure if it would actually work since the amount I needed was close to what it's dimension were and that didn't include loss from saw cuts.  I was also worried about it not being clear wood.  I cut the bevels on 4 of the pieces(chines and first layer of gunwale) using the table saw set on the 23 degree angle as per the plans.  I realize now that the plans call for the finished pieces to be 3/4" x 1 1/4 ", and I left them at 1 /1/2" of the found wood.  I think I will try and bend them at that size.

 I left the last two pieces for the outer gunwale layer that I found 2 screws in with a scream and sparks from the table saw.  I removed the temporary battens that I had on the chine and I clamped the new and beveled chines on to see how they'd do with the shape.  No breaks or cracks so far.

Beveled chines clamped in place
to get them familiar with their new shape.

station flexing slightly!
Notice the gap between the side cleat and the bottom one.

I did notice that some of the station molds had suffered a little.  Maybe it's because of the thin plywood or maybe I just didn't use enough fasteners but some of them were flexing a little where the side cleat meets the bottom cleat.  I added some fasteners to help it out.  I could just add a cleat to the other side of the station to back it up.  It may not be necessary.

Brass brads as clinch nails on
scarf.

I got out a 6lb. sledge and a peen hammer and the escutcheon nails and put in fasteners on the scarf on the side planks.  I don't know if they are necessary or if they help at all, but it was fun to clinch them over, working as I have seen pictures of real boat builders do on really nice boats.

glue joint on scarf with fasteners.
The glue is pretty smooth and need little sanding.

The glue joint seems really good and filled by the Gorilla glue.  I am not sure how it will hold up so the fasteners are a back up.

I only worked for a few hours and most of that was cutting the new legs for the work table and getting that all set up.  I am very happy about the found wood working for the boat as it was just what I needed. I believe it is a pine, at least it smell like it's pine.  I am enjoying looking at the lines of the boat as they start to take shape.  It is strange how my fondness is growing for this little boat as each step of the construction reveals something that is a little more like a boat, and boats have been so good to me.  I hope that this one and I will get on as well as I have with my other boats.

I guess that it is time to glue and fasten the chines.