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First canoe build

I hope you have more Jimmy clamps than what's shown😜. I started with 25 on my stripper. On day 2, I paused long enough to make 25 more. I don't know I ever had all 50 in use, but close to it.
 
Be sure you Skilsaw, is rated for at leas 13 AMPs. Most now days are 15 AMP.

The Skilsaw method is night and day better than a Band saw, or a Table saw !
Me, some 30+ years ago, cutting strips with a 13 AMP. Makita. That saw is still capable !
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My saws have evolved, over the years. A Vise grip for a handle, and a bucket to keep the saw handy, and off the ground.
This Old craftsman has done a lot of cutting !

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Jim: Can't help but notice the PPE. Wish I had seen that (and heeded it) when I was cutting strips. I have no known allergies, and have been working with wood a very long time. After cutting strips in shorts & no shirt for a couple hours, covered in cedar dust, I learned the hard way cedar contains chemicals that can cause nasty side affects. I felt like I had Covid for 2-3 days.
 
I had no troubles with skin reaction. but yes, Cedar can be detrimental to your lungs !!! I picked up a full face mask, that I will try the next time cutting strips. There is one out there that has an air pump and fastens to your waist. Definitely worth it if you plan to cut a lot of cedar !
 
Was able to Finally put some time towards the build. I finished up routering the strips and have a few strips installed. Issues I ran into; I couldn't find a big enough featherboard, so i had to improvise. Second issue was, the flute router bit was taking some chunks out of the strips. I noticed it was due to the wood grain. I'm guessing that after sanding and a little fill, it won't even be noticeable.20250101_145349.jpg20250110_112650.jpg
 
Funny !
Just today I was setting up a router, to bead and cove !
Your set up looks good.
Sometimes you can't avoid tear out, If you take a quick look at the grain of the strip, before running it through the router, you can avoid that.
Yes that strip is usable.
 
If I didn't know better ?
I'd say I was in the shop working With You !
You are on the right road Travis !
Keep it up !
 
As Jim said, taking a peak at the grain before running it will reduce the tearing out. (the strip shown above should be pushed through from left to right so that the blade can't lift the grain but, instead, pushes it into the strip- hope that makes sense)

Stick with it. I was coving strips (White Pine & Cherry this time) for my 3rd build today. It's incredible how much more smoothly it goes with each subsequent hull.
 
I completely understand what you are saying about the bit lifting the wood grain and didn't even consider that.
I could only imagine how much smoother it gets, I'm learning so much, and figuring out different ways to do things.
 
Travis: I almost always make my own feather boards. I have a half dozen store bought, but I still make my own. By changing the length and thickness of the "feathers" you can change the force the feather board applies. I almost always have an ample supply of 1 by 4-6-8 pine. A couple times a year, I'll crank out a variety, and have them on hand. Then I simply cut to length and angle for what I'm doing. Tear out is caused by: Grain direction, chatter (vibrations) in the wood being cut, or dull cutters, excessive feed rate. Your cutter looks good, so minimize chatter the best you can. Try to feed the strips at a consistent pace. With long strips, you'll inevitably have to pause to adjust grip. When you pause, back the strip up just a bit (1/4-1") to help eliminate jamming the strip into the cutter when starting again.

I'm jealous. Haven't had time to get back to my next build. I've got a wood-canvas restoration barely started, and a set of Kipawa forms ready to go. Guess I should just retire.
 
I only had blow outs on a few of the strips, and it didn't seem to help by changing the feed rate. And all the router bits are new, so i can't blame it on dull bits. I'm assuming it was most likely the grain direction because I didn't even think that would matter.
and thanks @Kliff , for suggesting I make more Jimmy clamps. I made double tge amount i had, and I've been using them all. Lol

Retirement would be nice, I am a long ways off of that however.
 
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