an infrequent repository of mostly new stuff
In the Stacks of the Local Sawmill
I have a natural tendency to linger in sawmills and lumber yards. Besides the smell of the forest and warm glow of the wood, everywhere you look you see the potential of beautiful things you could make with what’s there. There’s still something very old school about a sawmill, too. Not much has changed about them in hundreds of years. Continue reading “An Interesting Trip to the Sawmill”
Backing Blocks for Hardware
Before installing all the copper grommets, I did a bit more framing. As mentioned before, if you keep thinking ahead you discover other things to do now, before the decks go on, that will make life easier later. This is a good example of that: Continue reading “Cockpit Prep and Backing Blocks”
Copper Grommet Blanks
Predicting an actual launch date seems all but impossible. I’ve given up on guessing, as apparently I have no idea how long it takes to do these things. All I can do is keep working, knowing that one day they’ll be done, and that day is getting closer.
That said, we’re heading to the coast in late August. We’ll spend a week with my folks on one of the sea islands where they live outside Beaufort, South Carolina. As I described in an earlier post, it’s a fascinating place to explore, both by land and by water. Given the unbearably slow pace at which I seem to work, chances are slim one of these boats will be ready in time, but I’m going to try. Continue reading “Picking Up The Pace”
Grommet Attempts, Worst to Best
I keep thinking of more things to do before the decks go on. Which is good – some of these would be a real pain to do later. Even so, putting on the decks will be a huge milestone I’m anxious to pass.
The lines for the centerboards need to run smoothly to the back, without catching on things. Best way to do that is run them through fairleads in the framing, where they’ll be out of the way. A friend gave me a tip on a good way to do that. Last year at St. Michaels, Terri and I went for a sail with Timmo Schlieff in his gorgeous Coquina. Unbelievably, this was the first boat Timm ever built, and it launched his professional career. Here are some photos from that trip: Continue reading “Copper Grommet Fairleads”
South Centerboard Tuning
With the interiors essentially complete and loosely in place, and the centerboard cases locked down, last weekend I could finally test and fine tune the lift mechanisms for the centerboards. Big relief came when I slid the boards in and they actually seem to work as planned. Continue reading “Centerboard Testing”
Double Sheer Clamp Lamination
An odd and disconcerting thing about this sort of project is it takes just as long to make a little piece of wood fit as it does a big one. This means when you make a lot of little pieces it doesn’t look like you’ve accomplished much for the time spent. It makes it hard to gauge how long it will take you to finish, since you tend to overlook the little things when thinking of what’s left, and the little things add up. Continue reading “Sheer Clamps – Second Layer”
Richmond Skyline from Church Hill
Cicadas are synonymous with Southern summers, the air and light simmer with a pulsing, tinny buzz. This morning, at dawn, bagpipes joined the metallic chorus. Played badly, I might add. It’s Fourth of July weekend, and the Scottsville Parade does pre-promenade staging on the road in front of the house. Hay wagons, antique tractors, fire engines, politicians, Shriners in go-carts . . . not much good for sleeping in, but gets me out of bed early. Continue reading “Catching Up”