Next up are the mast wedges. I will be setting the rake as well. I was surprised to learn that the front mast has an angle of 90' with respect to the keel and 87' relative to the waterline. Careful measurement of the Boudriot plans indicate that the front set of mast wedges has a 3' pitch for the hole which is drilled through them.
I did not have any swiss pear in the proper thickness but I figure I can glue two pieces of thinner wood together. The seam will be cut out of the center.
I did not have any swiss pear in the proper thickness but I figure I can glue two pieces of thinner wood together. The seam will be cut out of the center.
The boards have been chopped up and cut to 30' angles. The sections were assembled three at a time to make a 90 degree angle. This was far from perfect but the sander helped.
The first set of mast wedges was carefully cut on the lathe. Quite painstaking work, made even more difficult when my wood block came out of the chuck half way through. I persisted and it came out looking nice.
The first set of mast wedges was carefully cut on the lathe. Quite painstaking work, made even more difficult when my wood block came out of the chuck half way through. I persisted and it came out looking nice.
I should point out that the decision to make these mast wedges should be made much earlier. The pieces with a hole to accept the mast (that sit underneath the deck) had been glued in place two years prior and it is not possible to drill them larger (I broke one trying). Perhaps a sanding drum on a Dremel tool would work however.
That rudder was a lot of work. It's still a bit lighter than the rest of the wood... I wonder if I need to let a freshly sanded surface age for a bit before applying tung oil, or if it will naturally darken over time even if the oil is applied?
Pardon the dust in this photo.
Pardon the dust in this photo.
Attached the hinges to the sternpost today. That was only my second time. While I still found it quite difficult, the end result was much better looking than my first ship.
My tiny drill bits kept breaking... I went through 10 of them while trying to get the nails installed. Several times, the broken drill bit broke off below the surface of the hinge, requiring me to remove it to extract the bit. One of the hinges broke while doing this but I was able to glue it back with the break undetectable.
My tiny drill bits kept breaking... I went through 10 of them while trying to get the nails installed. Several times, the broken drill bit broke off below the surface of the hinge, requiring me to remove it to extract the bit. One of the hinges broke while doing this but I was able to glue it back with the break undetectable.