Shop updates 1-12-2015

We are often asked if we have enough work to keep us busy through the winter.  The answer is yes and then some.  We keep very busy year round but winter is usually one of our busiest times of the year - come spring and early summer is when everyone wants their canoes and boats. .

Work continues to go apace in the shop.  The sailing dinghy has moved along nicely, the Peterborough Admiral is finished, and other canoes and boats continue to be progressed forward.  We had several canoes which required inner gunwales to be replaced and lots of outer stems too.

We tore up our dust collection system, updated and moved it, and added some new machines.  The dust collector is now on the shop level and has a dust transfer component to it so we no longer have to handle the dust and shavings.

1930's OLD TOWN DINGHY continued

 

 

The new inner keel was steam bent on a jig. 

Here Emily has the keel removed and is

planning the rolling bevel on the underside.

 

 

More planning

 

 

The slot or mortise for the centerboard trunk is cut out

with a coping saw and finish with a chisel.

 

 

Test fitting the inner keel

 

 

Looks pretty good

 

 

Now that the inner keel is fastened in,

it is time for the inner stem.

First order of business is to make a pattern

so we can make an accurate jig for bending.

 

 

The new stem bent on the jig

 

 

The new blank next to the old stem

 

 

The bevel on the stem is put on completely by hand with a draw knife.

Above Dylan carefully shapes the rolling bevel along the sides

of the stem.

 

 

A view from the operators seat

 



 

Once the bevel has been established

the rib notches are cut with hand saw.....

 

 

......and chisel.

 

 

The new stem and inner keel installed.

 



 

Now that the new inner keel is made and installed

we can shift our attention to a new centerboard trunk.

 

 

Test fitting the trunk.

 

 

Before final assembly the trunk is sealed off on the inside.

 

Next is to make the floor boards.

Above, floor board stock awaiting.

 

 

Floorboards being laid out.

 

The dinghy with new inner gunwales, new inner keel,

new inner stem, replaced ribs and planking,

new centerboard trunk,and new floor boards. 

Ready for the finish room for some varnish.

 

PICTURES FROM AROUND THE SHOP

 

 

 

We tore up part of the shop and updated the dust

collection system.  It looked like a bomb went off

for a few weeks.....

 

 

....but is up and running and working like a charm.

It kind of looks like Dr. Octopus from Spider-Man

 but there is no more handling the dust, shavings, wood chips.

The dust is sucked up at each machine, goes through the cyclone,

and drops through a rotary airlock into a transfer blower

that blows the dust into a huge 14x8x8 bin.

 

 

Two Old Town's getting their inner gunwales replaced.

One with Mahogany, the other spruce.

 



 

Ribs being bent around the hull for replacement.

 

 

A look at the damaged interior of the Brodbeck.

The ribs marked with blue indicate those that

are damaged and will be replaced.

 

 

An Old Town ready for the finish room - new inner gunwales,

a dozen new ribs, some planking, rebuilt ends, etc.

 

 

An interesting project we were commissioned for.

A set of Adirondack chairs built to our own design.

 

 

More on this later, perhaps in its' own post, but for now

here is the new workbench we are working on. 

It will be a traditional cabinet makers bench with tail vise

and front vise.  The top is made from4 inch thick solid maple. 

The base will be solid hard maple mortised and tenoned together.

Here the underside is being flattened by hand.

 

 

The Admiral is finished,wrapped, and in storage for the winter.

We'll put up some finished pictures in the spring.

 



 

Until the next post, if we don't see you through the week

we'll see you through window.

Shop Updates - Old Town, EM White, Penn Yan Swift and more

Yesterday morning it was 50 degrees and raining.  We lost the two feet of snow we had.  This morning it is 20 degrees and it has snowed 3 inches so far.  Typical New England weather.  At least the shop is dry and warm with lots of canoes and boats being restored and built. Here are some of the projects we are working on.

1907 Old Town HW

 

This one required a fair amount of work from the get go. There was not much left of the bow.

 

 

 

 

New ribs to replace some of the old broken ones are bent around the hull to gain the proper shape. 

 

New inner rails, several ribs, a new stem, new decks, planking, etc.

 

Here it is in the finish room being varnished.  All the structural hull work is done.

 

 

New canoe building

 

Here are some pictures of Emily building a new canoe.  One of the first steps is bending the stems.

 

Stems being pulled out of the steamah.

 

The compression strap is set on.

 

The stems are lined up on the bending jig...

 

...and with a little persuasion....

 

....viola!

 

 

 

The ribs have been bent around the form and the planking is started.  Here Emily is finishing up on the garboard, shaping the end with a draw knife.

 

Emily shaping a plank.

 

Emily is about 300 tacks into a total of about 2500.

 

The hull has been planked as much as it can on the form.  It is know lifted off and planking will continue off the form.

 

 

In and around the shop

 

Luckily we have only one canoe that had fiberglass on it.  Thankfully the aliens came down from above and yanked it off in no time!

 

 

Hard at work removing the fiberglass

 

Hey, were did my bow go? This one lost it's bow on the Otoskwin river in Northern ontario

 

The only thing holding on the front 5 feet of this 18' EM White was the canvas and half of an inner gunwale.

 

Another view of the White. Lots of work to do on this one.

 

Here is another 18' EM White on the right being railed.  This one was in better condition than the one above.  On the left is an Old Town OTCA waiting for outer gunwales.

 

 

This was one of a few 20' ash logs we milled up.  This produced some nice clear lumber. 

 

 

14' Penn Yan CUTM Swift

 

This one will need a little bit of work but overall a very nice swift.

 

 

The transom suffered a little storage rot.  This will require almost an entire new back end - transom, ribs, knees, keelson, etc.

 

It will also need a new electrical system to replace the rats nest that was there.

 

This is the first transom rib being shaped.  It tapers in width and thickness....

 

........and has a rolling bevel at the same time.

 

Fits like a glove.

 

 

 

Here is a video we took of stem bending spruce gunwales.

 

Stay tuned for more.....