I've always used the strike an arc method to copy a curve to the next piece in decorative home trim work, and have always found it quite accurate. This bent leg system looks pretty good too. I am not in the finish wood working game any longer, but will have to find a project to try this triangulation method. I can't believe I never thought of this method before, I've used bent leg and square to scribe/line-out cabinet work to meet irregular walls in home remodels many times. I like your locking dividers/compass, I may just have to make one myself. Edit: forgive my manners... Thanks for sharing all three methods with us.
Bob, thank you for the excellent video. I have seen several videos on spiling but this is the most thorough. Your artistic background definitely shows in the detail of your explanations as well as the tools you make. I hope you had a fantastic holiday season and my best wishes for a productive and prosperous New Year in 2020. Take care and have a great week ahead.
I learned something today, I had never seen the bent leg compass. Good explanation of spiling techniques. I generally use a spiling block with a v notch opposite the beveled end and trace all three sides of the block. In the cluttered hood end I know where the block goes even when my block positions overlap.
Very nice. I began building the Haven 12.5 some years ago, then got busy restoring an old Beetle Catboat, now nearly complete. So, back to building the Haven. I like your setup. As illustrated in the Haven building manual, I made a form for every frame. There are advantages to this, but problems as well. Using fewer molds and battens as you do, surely helps to fair up the frames. So, I've decided to eliminate nearly half the molds, trim them down a half-inch, employ battens, etc. I do, though, plan to keep all four of the most forward molds. Seems this might better capture some of the hollow flowing into the stem. Thanks for your fine splining illustration. Best I've seen. (I used the "block" method to cut new planks for the Beetle.) Now, as I look at the Haven plans, I do have a concern. Except for the keel rabbet next to the center board bed logs and the stem, there is no landing for the garboard plank. The half-inch plank merely abuts the keel. To my mind, this presents a problem. Now, if you are really expert at cutting such a rabbet and the plank as well, I you could get a good fit. But I worry that I'm not that expert and that the garboard seam will always leak a bit. Also, with a glued up keel --- I too am having trouble sourcing a large piece of air-dried white oak --- you will not get much if any swelling across the keel. So, the fit will all depend on the swelling of the plank. To remedy this, I'm thinking of modifying the keel such that I will have a landing for the entire garboard plank. So, I'm trying to figure out how I might do this. Any comments on this? One final comment. Damn, I love building boats! And the Haven, if you have eyes to see, is a piece of art. Oh, I meant sculpture!
I have not even thought about altering Joel Whites plan. I do understand what you are thinking about. If you are going to carvel plank all of your plank edges need to fit. So the seam between the garboard and the keel are just like the rest, all cotton caulked. If your worried about the seams perhaps you might consider cold molding? Best wishes on your build. Keep me informed on your process. Love Beetle Cats!
Nice explanation, thanks... however, I think your compass method is off by the thickness of the spiling batton. As batten scantling increases, this error increases. Way to eliminate this is to drill holes through the marked points and use the opposite side of the batten (the side that laid against the frame when you measured) to transfer your measurements to the planking stock. See the very good explanation by Alan Taube in his book on Wooden Boat Repair from the 70s... Fair winds!
I wonder how many degrees of the arc would effectively change the measurement. If the batten is 1/4" thick, and the transfer is from the batten to the final board to be used (thus measured with the batten with the reference point being that same 1/4" away from "true" wouldn't the measurement be just as accurate without the extra step? In the bigger picture, I'd be willing to bet at some point a plane is used to true up any discrepancies, which makes any "exactness of measurements" a moot point. This is my humble opinion, and I'm nobody in this type of building. I'm just guessing.
There are many ways to plank a boat like this. Carvel planking, that I used, is a traditional method. The end use and storage of the boat would dictate what method is best.
I’m just a curious ukulele maker watching this because I love wooden boats. Can you please explain why you feel the bent pointer method is superior? There are many more steps involved as compared with the first method ( creating two marks, drawing a line to indicate the frame location, etc.) and each step can introduce error. I don’t understand what the second indentation does for you . You have the radius, the station line and center point? Maybe it just shows what the radius is (important because you have to press so hard on the dividers the radius is likely to change).
Looks like it's going to be a beautiful boat! Thanks for the video. I would have liked to know what part of that mold is going to be part of the hull and what won't. Is this going to be a monocoque hull with fiberglass?
Always a good idea to draw a reference arc, with its center marked clearly, on the batten at the start so you can always reset the compass if it moves.
+The Art of Boatbuilding Out of curiosity, why not just scribe two arcs onto the batten, one with reference points from the keel and one from the top edge of the desired garboard? then by using a batten or cutting the curve created and then translating the curve to the planking stock, you could directly copy the curvature. Is there a reason this technique is not used?
Yes, It's a very common way of spiling. I just like the divider method better, just personal preference. This is why I showed several method. I've seen and read about 8-9 different ways of spiling. It's really up to the shipwright which one they use or invent! Thanks!
And here I thought "umm's and ahh's" was a millenial way of talking. Guess it is not confined to a specific generation. At east he is not always saying "like" all through is oration.
@@thomasarussellsr Frenchs are always adding eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and it seem ok for them. (also : Holala ! la la la la la la !) :)
