When I posted about making strips, I mentioned I like to stabilize knots with epoxy and then decide later what to use and what not to use. That decision is often made by the strips falling apart during cutting or handling, when they aren't stabilized.
This pic is a strip made from one of those knots, you can see it is quite viable and I think it will add a little interest to the side landscape (and it is quite solid).
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I also mentioned, but didn't show, how the vertical setup of the forms was done, I used a top rail to vertical align the forms, but that was going to be in the way for the hold down system, I replaced the top rail by installing these on all forms. It works quite well and is completely out of the way.
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As I turned the bilge, I swapped up the strip hold down system, there gets to be quite a bit of torque on the strips as they curve, likely made more so by the width. I have stopped stripping on one side at this point, it is a good idea to make marks (on the strips) where the inner stem ends and where you want the outer stem to end (you can see the bow marking in the pic).
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It is also a good idea to draw a rough center line as you add strips, I find this easier than trying to mark it up when everything is hidden. This is a rough line, so it gets drawn so that it leaves lots of room to later mark the actual line, gives you some safety margin for cutting the rough line later.
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Closing in on the center line, the bottom accent strips are in
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The rough center line also gives you confirmation that you have passed center, all the way down the canoe
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The rough cut for the center line is done with a chisel, by hand, to sneak up on the center.
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I take an eraser and completely rub out any of the rough cut line, then remark the center line using this tool little jig (from Canoecraft) and redraw the line, check it by sighting. Double check by putting up a string between the bow/stern, nailed to the stem centers ... site down this and check the line .... adjust/investigate as required.
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Once the final line is established, use a chisel, working from amidships to each end, carefully sneak up on the line until you get close (somewhere just less than 1/32" to 1/16"). Now we will use a couple of sanding boards to finish this up
The rough sanding board is used to smooth the cut line and get close to the final line
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I made this sanding board with 60 grit paper for my last build and it works well
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In practice, just pull it tight to the bottom with your hand and sand back forth to get to the line. This straightens like a jointer/jack plane and lets you get to the line perfectly and gives a perpendicular edge.
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Here the center line is cut and it looks pretty good. I always sweat this step and it always seem to work out.
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Now on to getting set up to make the push to close in the bottom. Have to figure out how I want to setup the hold downs, it shouldn't take too long, I do like the shape so far though.
Second thought, pictures of how much glue I use ... to answer a question asked ... this is about how much glue I am using
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and when clamped, this about what I expect for squeeze out
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When I add a strip, the channel is inspected for "stuff" in the cove, which seems to be inevitable
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Also, a word on what glue to use, I keep several on hand and they all different properties and uses ... it is worth it to take the time to select the right glue for the job. Disclaimer ... these are all my "generalized" opinions based on reading and shop experience, not treatise on glues.
Any of the Titebond and Lepages wood glues, from a strength perspective are overkill for gluing Cedar or pretty much any of the softwoods. So strength will not be a big factor in your glue selection, other than as the glue strength rises, so does the job of trying to remove the glue you leave on and allow to dry. This can include tearing hulks of the strips out as you try and remove it. The higher the bond strength the harder the glue is to remove.
The glue does not need to be waterproof, so that also isn't a factor.
Chalk temperature may be important depending on where and when you are building, most of the regular wood glues do not like to get chilly, if you use them below the minimum temperature, they will crystallize instead of setting up and the joint will fail. So I try to stay well above the minimum recommended temp, well above. When I built my first boat in the winter, the shop temp would get down to 12C (54F) and that was too close to the min working temp for most of the "regular" wood glues, so I swapped to the express glue that is usable to 3C (38F). This worked out well as the chilly temps extended the working/assembly time. So if you are working in a chilly shop, make sure you know the chalk temp of your glue and stay above that by a reasonable margin ... or you risk a nasty surprise.
The last thing is colour, the express glues (LePages Express, there are others as well) are almost translucent and have a faint colour, as the strength rises on the regular wood glues, the colour moves through yellow (Titebond Original, LePages), amber (TB II, LePages Pro) and on to brown (TB III). So depending on the colour of your build, you may want to look at glues that are closer to the wood tones you have, which will help blend the colours and make any glue less noticeable.
So after all this, it appears that glue selection for me comes down to 1) assembly time 2) colour and 3) working temp , as the most important factors in selection. The Express glue I am using is a translucent, light yellow .... the strips are going on the boat pretty fast, just within the assembly time, I reduced shop temp to extend it a bit.
However, this next part of stripping is more finicky and it will take more time to fit and apply strips, so I will be switching glue to a "Pro" or "Premium" to get a longer assembly time. The colour shouldn't be noticeable and I just need to keep the shop up to room temp and I am good.
I included this bit on glues because I find it useful in building and I am not sure most people actually think about the fact that you can use the characteristics of the various glues to your advantage when you are building.
Brian
