Acorn to Arabella - Journey of a Wooden Boat - Episode 35: Final Cut of the Keel Timber
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- This is one expensive piece of lumber! We wanted to make sure that we accurately cut the keel timber to shape so our initial cut was only getting us close to the final shape, so that we could see whether it warped/checked/shrank etc. afterwards. Now that we are close to mating the two keels together, we get the wood keel to it's final shape except for the fairing from the rabbet down. This fairing will be done after the rabbet is cut, the deadwood is shaped and the two keels are ready to be bolted together. Which is soon!
Thank you for watching and following this amazing journey we are on!
If you would like to meet us in person, we will have a booth right next to Jamestown Distributors at the 2018 Wooden Boat Show at Mystic Seaport from June 22nd to June 24th. We hope to see you there!
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Acorn to Arabella is a boat building project taking place in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve and Alix started as amateur boat builders building their own 38' wooden boat in their backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and beyond-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project will continue well past launch, when they will travel and learn to cruise aboard the boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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When you mentioned shellac, I had an idea it had something to do with bugs; I was correct. Worth a Google, for someone who doesn’t know. Fascinating.
I just spent last night and this morning watching all episodes up to this point. This is very enjoyable and well produced. Thank you all very much for sharing on TH-cam
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! It's because of the TH-cam interest and the support on Patreon that we are able to keep doing what we are doing so thanks for watching and commenting!
Quick blip addressing all the comments about using the bandsaw (or other methods) to cut the keel timber (we have a computer down at the moment so we are not able to get to people's comments as quickly as usual).
The bandsaw is not an option for cutting the keel timber. First due to the length of the boathouse and the curve of the cut, it would logistically not be practical to cut on the bandsaw. Next, that timber weighs in at about a ton (2000lbs). Imagine trying to pick up a car and passing it through the bandsaw for a cut but with no wheels on the car. Not only is the bandsaw not able to support that amount of weight, it would not be physically possible for us to pick it up and accurately pass it through the bandsaw (it is also not made for this).
And yes, we could have used multiple other ways to accomplish the final product. Many of you may think there were better ways to do this, but they all come to the same end. We chose this way after plenty of planning and weighing of pros and cons which may not match the same views as someone that has differing experience (be it more experience or none...). Our goal is also not speed in this build. We are learning as we go. Part of the enjoyment of this project is taking the time to build her right. Hand tools allow a connection to the work that you do not get from power tools and allow one to take their time and sneak up on cuts and shaping so as to avoid mistakes that can come with large power tools.
We can only hope that you enjoy the process and videos as much as we enjoy the work, learning and sharing of the journey with this community.
Hey guys, part of the fun in watching this build is me thinking of how I would have done something. That has nothing to do with your process, I mean you guys have spent days/weeks planning it out. I've spent 5 mins on the same. The rest of the fun is just watching this boat take shape under your skill.
For example regarding with this cut and my thought process. My thinking after 5 mins was chainsaw. bar length allows full depth cut. Perfect right.
5 mins later I realised that chainsaw would not allow a perpendicular cut to the top.
So basically that would be a bad idea and probably result in a stuffed timber.
Another great video guys.
Exactly. commenting on how (method) i would do it and getting your feedback is half the fun of being a casual viewer. Your replies to comments help me learn as much or more than just watching how you guys chose to accomplish a step in the project.
Thomas Russell I understand your point, but the way your other comment is written seems a little bit arrogant
Thank you all for your comments on this. We do not want to discourage comments or people from expressing their opinions. We love that aspect of this work. As many of you have brought up, there are so many ways this could have been done. We simply request that the comments be left as constructive criticism that allow for discussion and learning. Thank you all!
Giacomo Jack Balma DRUMS no arrogance intended. I know little to nothing about boats or building them. I have worked with wood and some large timbers and was just trying to say that rollers would have made the timber manageable to use the bandsaw. If it came across as anything other than constructive criticism, I apologize.
Tons and tons of work! Very impressed every time! Thank you for quality educational videos!
Thanks! Glad you are enjoying them!
You never cease to amaze with your skills from 1820 to today.
Thanks! The ones from 1820 are the ones I like to use the most!
Was watching Sampson Boat Co. Saw a volunteer write "Acorn2Arabella" on the scaffolding. Was intrigued. Followed up, and voila! After a week of binge watching, I'm up to Ep51. Something instructional in comparing the two builds: Insider vs Outsider. Leo brings years of professional experience and industry connections into play with "Tally Ho." You two bring enthusiasm, yankee determination, and a willingness to learn as you go to the party with "Arabella." I appreciate both approaches. I also understand post-production. Raw video is just that: raw. Creating a "marketable" product from source material is indeed time intensive, as I learned many years ago (declined to follow the film maker career path). I look forward to seeing the rest of the project as it develops.
These videos are incredible!!! I'm upset and thrilled in equal measure; upset that it's taken me a year and a half to find this channel, but excited to binge so many episodes! Keep up the great work. Can wait to see more.
Glad you are enjoying them! Be careful, if you catch up then you will have to wait for the new ones, they come out every other week.
Man, I have a lot of trouble fixing my own mistakes. I'm just to lazy, but laziness doesn't work very well when your a blacksmith. So I'm trying to shake the habit of saying "eh, its good enough." Y'all are an inspiration :D
Anuron Ironworks go watch a few Alec Steele videos, hopefully that will help to shake off the 'good enough' attitude.
Love the videos, project and the story - thanks for sharing. I would love the occasional recap on what and where the (boat) parts are l, such as the keel timber. Maybe at the beginning quickly recap on the schematic what the part of the boat is (like you did when you showed the squaring error near the end).
Thanks for the suggestion and glad you are enjoying our journey!
The video up for less than 10 minutes and over 100 views. Bravo future sailors
We all always learn something new every day no exception. Most of the time the mistake has already taught us to correct next time but due to your expensive teak wood must be accurate and it cannot be correct like metal does. Good job Vlog. Keep up good work and be patient.
There is indeed no easy correction for miss-cutting the timber. It is White Oak, not Teak, but in either case something one does not want to mess up!
Glad you are enjoying following and we will do our best to keep up the work and be patient!
Acorn To Arabella oh ok about it isn't teak but white oak. Thanks for correct me. Keep up good work.
You guys are patient SOBs and to also add, hardworking people.
Thanks!
I can't picture you having a dull axe so that really shows how hard the wood is. Quite impressive to see.
Well, that was painful! :) More then one way to skin some oak, I guess.
By the way, you probably know now, but cutting a curve with a circular saw will bind the blade, which is straight in plan view. And heat and warp the blade. I've done this with those 16" saws. It can, if muscled through the cut long and hard enough, permanently warp the blade. Also from personal experience.
The larger the blade diameter and sharper the curve, the more the bind. On outside, convex, curves the set and bind will tend to make the kerf wider to the waste side. On inside, concave, curves the extra kerf tends to be taken on the finished side.
Good progress and thanks for posting. (Complaining about the heat now!!! How quickly we forget!)
Cheers
.. Go wachkum hipster wood working....boys playing with too many toys figuring out what are tools...yeah painful as "artheritis"
patience is definitely a virtue in this kind of work.
nice video.....thanks for making it.
It is! Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video thank you very much! I have found when making a difficult ripping cut with a circular saw a squirt or two of silicone spray on each side of the blade periodically will make all the difference in the world. It's amazing what a difference it makes! Also a squirt or two on the base of the saw makes it a lot easier to push.
Thanks for the tip! Similar to the soap suggestion below. Lubrication almost always helps.
I thoroughly love all the techniques you're employing to get this done. I'm learning a lot. Best of luck for all of the upcoming challenges. Love the series. Wishes from Stochkolm SWE!
Thanks!
Great video. Can't wait to see her sailing!
Haha! You said you were going to wack off your massive wood! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)
Good job guys, was most pleasant watching the axe and adze being used.
A boat is not square and true. You do the best you can but don't sweat the little shit. Good work and glad it was warming up for you. Soon you will be dealing with the Humidity. Lovely!
Awesome job !! Keep following the progress from Down Under
You guys are amazing, one of the best channels on TH-cam, thank you.
Glad you are enjoying it!
Good job guys! its coming together nicely! I love hearing about the station line in squaring from the base line. Then seeing you fixing the issues. I really enjoy following this build
Thanks!
Great job guys. Things are moving forward. Keep up the great work.
Great vlog again guys. Looking fwd to next one
Nice work guys. I thought I'd share a couple questions/ideas with you that may make things easier. I have experience building log homes and regular stick homes, so I know just enough about woodworking to embarrass myself.
1) When developing your first flat face on your timbers, I was thinking you could have gotten a stable piece of flat stock material (something like box section steel, or even would should work) and affixed it with some short screws and shims where needed. Basically a sacrificial straight edge to roll over the planer wheels. Get your first face planed, then remove the sacrificial piece, flip the timber, and remove stock until your screw holes disappear and you hit your finished dimension. I was thinking the planer may have been at max capacity, so that was probably why you didn't use this method. Maybe it'll work on narrower timbers.
2) If you don't already own one, invest in a 'Veritas Log Scribe' when it comes time to adapt your old cabinets and furnishings to the inner hull (I'm not real familiar with nautical terms, forgive my ignorance. Ask around for someone nearby to explain how to use it if you've never used one. It's really easy. It allows differently shaped objects to be scribed and tooled with absolute precision. With a little practice, you can stack hand peeled logs on top on top of each other so tight that you couldn't fit a piece of paper in between them. I'm sure you could also join your interior boat furnishings to the curved inner hull beautifully as well. It's a tool that you definitely should own if you don't already. Here's the cheapest one I found doing a quick google search: www.baileysonline.com/shop.axd/ProductDetails?item_no=15770
And here is one in action to give you an idea of what it's for. This video shows a guy doing a saddle notch, you can also scribe the whole length of the log to get it to match any surface adjacent to it.
th-cam.com/video/i7GHPFIn9Wg/w-d-xo.html
It's a pretty awesome tool, unfortunately nobody on TH-cam really wants to give away their trade secrets. Building log homes is actually quite easy. Building them right is quite difficult and takes years of experience. They all settle and twist over time, and the best builders account for the buildings' movements over time.
3) Also Google "chainsaw guide for cutting slabs." I believe it will make your life easier.
Keep up the good work!! I hear the second one's always easier! I'll share one of my favorite quotes here with you real quick: "Experience is the cruelest teacher. She always gives the test before the lesson." ~Some Renowned Smartass
Thanks for the tips!
The planer was maxed out, we do know about the rail trick.
I know exactly what you are talking about. I drool over that catalogue regularly, I will look into one.
Thanks, there won't be a second one, gotta get it right the first time! Great quote! Thanks for sharing!
With as crafty and handy around tools as y’all are, I’m surprised you didn’t go with the adjustable chainsaw technique a’la Sampson Boat Co. . . seems right up y’all’s alley
We did not know such a rig existed until after we cut ours. In any event it would not have really been worth buying for cutting just the keel timber.
amazing work lads! I just stumbled on your channel the other day and i am loving the build!! You're doing a great job of both the videos and showing off the work and processes. Subscribed and liked, keep up the fantastic work!
Thanks! Glad you are enjoying it so far!
Super squeaky bum time! Good luck with this years build season guys!
I am seriously holding my breath. Next video please!
Thanks for sharing your story. I have to make similar cuts . Like you I made my 1/8" kurf cuts with the circular saws but then I went to a Recp. saw with a 12" Diablo "pruning saw" blade. As my cut was in used timbers so I changed out the blade a few times to keep it sharp and cutting true. The circular saw cut in the underside kept in tracking true with no binding. Try it out on some scrap and I think you be happy. Billy in Canada
Thanks for the tip!
Making kindling for all that firewood you cut! Seriously though nice work...
Truth
Looking good gentlemen!
Wow she's taking shape. Cheers
Slow but sure!
My uneducated approach would have been to make a series of stopped cuts radiating out from and perpendicular to the curve with a chainsaw, then created a clean shoulder along one or both faces along the curve with a chisel. Finally I'd have followed along the curve using the clean shoulders to index the chainsaw to finish off the cut. Complete final shape and surfacing with a hand plane as need.
Thanks for the video.
What about a coping saw lol, nice job and you got it done which means you used what worked. Hard for some to make he connection to hand tools and craftsmanship. Can't always push a button and wait at the other end!
Other than some real fancy CNC machines complex curves are still best cut by hand. Sometimes the same holds true for big timbers. The ax sure removes a lot of wood quickly! Boat building is nothing but big timbers and complex changing bevels. Using the hand tools is over half the fun! =)
Hey, let us know in your next video zaklikee why you did NOT use the big band saw on the keel timber shaping.
I am TOTALLY impressed about how you two are able to translate all of your previous experience - along with what is no doubt LOTS of research - into such a complex and successful project. What you don't know, you think about and you learn by doing it. I am very impressed with your lofting floor and how you "print" from it directly onto wood. Your videos are all of EXCELLENT QUALITY and content.
You are probably already aware of Leo Simpson, the Brit who is pretty much totally rebuilding the 1910 wooden gaff cutter TALLY-HO out on the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle WA. "The Sampson Boat Company". He has quite a bit of experience sailing and working in UK wooden boat yards. His new just released video shows some very interesting shortcuts to mini-lofting and curve generation and should be worth a quick look to you. Then again, you may already be solid viewers of his channel. BTW he is using Southern Live Oak for all of his new frames. THAT episode alone is worth a view! Cut & past this link, or Google Sampson Boat Co.
th-cam.com/video/3FJdat-GpJU/w-d-xo.html
Keep up the GREAT work!!!
Thanks for the kind words!
The beam weighs at least 1,500 pounds. It would break the table on the band saw and supporting/steering that monster would have been the stuff nightmares are made of. Broken saw, trashed timber, mangled human... Much safer to bring the saw to the timber.
We have been chatting with Leo for sometime now. Hoping to go give him a few days help in the fall.
Love your work guys.
Thanks!
Man, good stuff
I'm sure there are many other congrats in the comments & congratulations ANYWAY on catching the mistake before the error was magnified in a later part of the build.
Thanks!
This is going to be a dream.
There is a portable band saw available that slides on a metal base which sits on top of a timber to be cut. I believe the manufacturer is Mafell tools and of course these are not cheap but Mafell tools are at least worth taking a look at. I do not know the cutting capacity of their bandsaw and these might not be capable of making the depth of cut you require but again, worth looking at.
I'm a latecomer to your channel and I have not watched all the previous episodes. When you described the slippage of the router bit while flattening the keel timber, it reminded me that my router did something almost identical when I was cutting some dadoes in a project. It turned out that the lever that tightens the base around the router motor had gotten a bit loose. I tightened it up and no more issues. I was wondering why you did not fill in the "over-routed" slot as well as the cracks in the keel timber with epoxy.
Just found you're channel. I'm so impressed with your initiative and the skill. Do you have a friend or relative that taught you wood working. I guess you work by day and read boat building books by night. Great job! I look forward to seeing the launch.
I grew up around carpentry, building barns, houses, home remolding... that kind of stuff. All the skills and knowledge past that has been all self taught, mostly from lots and lots of reading.
Glad you are enjoying our journey!
When cutting curves with a circular (Skil) saw try using an old fashioned steel blade, not a carbide tipped one. Now that you've got all the Belsaw equipment you can easily sharpen and set them yourself. A steel blade with a large or heavy set ( clearance angle bent into the teeth) will give you a wider kerf allowing you to cut tighter curves without the blade binding. A carbide tipped blade leaves a kerf the same width as the teeth and binds when cutting curves. Another option for cutting curves in timbers is something like a Prazi Beam Saw which is a chainsaw attachment for a worm drive skilsaw.
I've also cut a few keel timbers with an Alaskan chainsaw mill by cutting plywood templates for the mill to follow and temporarily screwing them to the timber. It probably wouldn't work on that large a timber without modifications though. I think the mill has a 13" max. depth of cut and you need to allow for the amount of curve in the templates. There are many ways to reach your goal and any one that gets you there is ok. I've got a 40" shipsaw and would never even consider cutting your keel on it. I'm pretty confident that anyone suggesting the bandsaw method has never cut a large keel timber.
You bring the saw to big timber, not the timber to the saw!
We borrowed the beam saw so it came with the blade it came with. We do intend to set some steel blades for different uses now that we have those machines. Just got to find the time to get them set up!
Never used the Prazi, how accurate are they?
With all that saw dust on the floor looks like a hamsters paradise. Keep in mind the fire hazard. Perhaps when welding or grinding make sure your have some kind of fire fighting plan.
Good luck great work A2A
When we have to weld in the boathouse, we put down wet flannel sheets to put out any sparks, and we have lots of fire extinguishers at hand.
Alix,with that buzz cut you now sport. If I was still a bouncer at a night club I'd card you so fast! ;)
I feel like Akiva needs to make more appearances
Great work.
In my experience Teak Sealer seems to last much longer if you use teak cleaner first.
Thanks for the tip!
Why didn't i get notified of this when it came out >:(
I like how he abandoned his safety glasses when he starts using the biggest saw
They were fogging up and since it was so deep in the kerf it was not throwing shavings as bad.
Just wondering if a largish handsaw and frequent applications of beer would have been easier for the last bit!!
There was 4" left to rip off, that's over 50' of 4" thick oak to hand saw though! The chainsaw, axe and adz was way faster and easier.
What a pleasure watching your work! A question, though, regarding the lead keel design: what is your reasoning for the positioning of the fore and aft "wings" down verses up?. The wooden boat "Emma" has a similarly shaped lead keel, but its positioned bottom side up in relationship to yours, like the "wings" hang in the bow and stern wood, while yours clamps the fore and aft wood to the keel timber. I'm thinking if the keel were to fall away for any reason, it would take fore and aft wood with it if configured as in Emma. Not sure if it would matter, poor Arabella might be on her side without a keel.
That's how the designer, William Atkin drew the ballast keel so we followed his lead. It will get bolted on with 10 1" diameter silicon bronze bolts. It won't go anywhere =)
very sharp tools are less damaging and more predictable
True
Would y’all have use for a No. 7 Stanley hand planer? Would love to see it used on this project at some point.
Hi guys, The big bandsaw you have is not a true ship saw. A ship saw you are able to dial in the angle of the cut. When you are feeding the timber through. I have made some of these cuts on a saw like yours. But mainly doing it free hand with shims & strong helpers. It takes a lot of muscle & guts to be able to cut these pieces. Looking forward to seeing lots more videos.
We are aware but thanks for clarification!
Cool cool vid! In the day when this type of building was common how long would a boat yard take to build arrabella?
A couple months at most but you would have a crew of guys working full time on her. The yards would crank out numerous vessels every year.
Acorn To Arabella wow
I have circular saw envy.
Always a *saw* topic
Wrong tool for the job, but, hey. Gets the job done.
How did the clear Plastic Boat House covering hold up to your winter storms? Will you have to replace it this coming fall before winter?
So far so good, it's thick UV treated greenhouse plastic so it should last several years provided none of the trees poke a hole in it.
Around the 17 minute mark is there a large check in the keel timber running nearly the full length?
Too late for you guys but I find the corbel saw works well for that and doesn’t burn out your saw. I have used it on purple heat with no problem. If you have to use saw there is a blade made for fire fighters the goes around bends better.
Those corbel saws are not cheap either. You have expensive taste in tools my friend! =)
Acorn To Arabella just like the Festool vac I saw under a bench there, it only hurts for a while but is then forgotten. As I’m watching you weld that axe, I can’t help think about how I would do it, l have a Lancelot with a depth gauge that would have taken that piece out, I have a couple of adze but don’t use them much, I sharpened up a tile removal chisel and use it in a jack hammer, works well, like a big power chisel.
Acorn To Arabella you seem to want to do a traditional job, dolphinite has become very expensive, it is mostly bees wax, traditionally you would use Irish felt and Stockholm tar, which they don’t make any more because of the EU. Roofing tar will work and would be cheaper than 5200 but not as good. Last time I got some red lead putty there was a note on the can that said, contains no lead. We make a sauce, boiled linseed oil, tar, oil based wood preservative, good for timber on timber. Now that I am retired I plan on cooking up my own Stockholm tar. Never heat up the roofing patch tar, it is thinned with naphtha or perifin or something and will burst into flame.
The plan is roofing tar and felt paper between the deadwoods, ballast keel and keel timber, basically all the joints outside the rabbet. All the joinery inside the planking and stuff on deck will get bedded in dolphinite. It ain't cheap but if we get it as we need it, it won't be too big a pill to swallow.
why didn't you use the BIG band saw? Great work guys!
cos they have no way of lifting the keel that high, or moving and maneuvering it once it's on the saw. plus, i don't think they could expose enough of the blade to cut such a tall piece on it.
Chey Hosie is spot on. The timber is too heavy and too long to wrestle through the bandsaw.
Great vid as ever, is there a reason you don't sharpen that axe ?
That axe was sharp the timber was hard
Both of you are correct.
The timber is very hard, the ax fairly sharp but not as sharp as the adz.
I was splitting it along the grain, some spots were thin, some were thick. The axe needed to split the grain but if it split surprisingly easily (which it does sometimes when cutting with the grain) I did not want the ax to dig too deeply into the good timber below. Sharp enough to split, not sharp enough to cut across the grain.
A ax used for splitting does not need to be sharp to be effective, i.e. a splitting maul.
Across the grain is a whole different animal.
Summary of the suggested alternative techniques for making the cut.(there might be some more, my apologies if I missed yours)
1. Use the giant band saw you have with roller tables and several guys (numerous people suggested this idea)
2. Use a Prazi brand chain saw beam cutter
3. Use a section of a band saw blade and kludge a two man saw to cut it from above and below.
4. Use a portable band saw (might be expensive if a specialized one is required)
5. Use a wood hand saw (my suggestion and maybe the worst of them all)
6. Use circular saw to cut from both sides of beam (the host's proposed alternative)
ETA
7. Use a normal chainsaw with a fixture that turns it into a beam cutter (by coincidence I happened on the idea here: th-cam.com/video/KpXaBHcA3oY/w-d-xo.html)
8. Is a reciprocating saw a possibility?
Perhaps this is a video opportunity? With so many ideas from the peanut gallery there might be interest in what you have to say about the ideas.
Summary of answers
1- Timbers too long, and too heavy. It would break the table on the band saw, require resources we don't have to set up for and trying to steer a 1,500+ pound timber through the band saw would be the stuff nightmares are made of.
2- Could work, we don't own one, have doubts on the accuracy of one cutting 10" of oak but have not actually used one.
3- HAHAHA!!! That would have taken so much longer! Find a hunk of 4" oak (what was left after the beam saw) and rip it in half, no imagine over 50' of that.
4- Don't own one, the ones that are big enough are around $6,000. Wanna buy us one? =)
5- See 3 and factor in rotator cuff surgery.
6- Risky, quick but risky. Off by a smidge and we are out a very expensive timber.
7- The link does not seem to work. But in any event we don't own one and chainsaws can be unwieldy beasts. Those chains are not designed for precision cutting.
8- Maybe, I'd rather swing the ax and adz then be vibrating behind one of those things. I think I have some mental trauma after cutting up the fiberglass boat with one.
It could be, but we would rather focus our energy on showing the progress we are making on the build.
Thank you very much for the interesting reply. I smiled at your suggestions about trying one of the hand saw ideas in real oak timber. Maybe that is what those of us that suggested that idea should be sentenced to. More than anything thanks for taking the suggestions in the way I thought they were intended, with respect and with appreciation for the videos you are making.
I wish I could have loaned you my grandfather's 2-man handsaw for that cut once the big circular saw had done its work. Could have done it sort of like the old builders used a pit saw. Maybe not as speedy as a power saw, but workable. Were you concerned with deflection/wavering line when using a handsaw, or was it just faster/easier on the back to chop away the remaining 4" of the wood?
Just way faster and easier to use the axe and adze. It really did not take that much time and I really enjoy working with those tools.
this is nice, you uploaded just as i got out the bath :D
I'm really interested in this build and I love following along, but I wish I could see an explanation of what is what. I'm not familiar with the parts of a boat and you're talking about keefs kerfs keels heels helms herfs. Maybe make a video explaining the process start to finish, where you are currently in the build, milestone dates...
Glad you are enjoying and thanks for the feedback!
Walking one through the entire build would be a long and complicated explanation. But we can certainly try to do a better job of explaining the parts and the lingo.
Some of the terms you listed are real, others I am not so sure about =)
Kerfs:
Are cuts into a timber to make removing a lot of timber faster. You cut kerfs across the grain with a saw then use an ax, adz,chisel... to knock out the pieces following the grain. I kerfed with the chainsaw then removed the waste with the ax and smoothed it with the adz.
Keels:
Either the lead keel or keel timber, both are keels and both are part of the final keel assembly. The lead keel (also called ballast keel) goes below the wood keel (also called keel timber). The wood keel is the main structural timber of the boat and the ballast keel keeps her upright when the wind pushes on the sails.
Heels:
Don't recall using this one but it is the bottom or back edge of a timber, usually carrying/supporting some weight. Just like the heel of your foot. Heel can also refer to when a boat tips to one side because of the wind on the sails, a strong wind came and the boat heeled to starboard (the right side of the boat looking forward)
Helms:
Where a boat is steered or controlled from. Our helm would be the cockpit and the tiller handle. Other boats are arranged differently.
Hope that helps!
Haha yea, I may have went a little ham with the terms, but it was to prove a point. I'd still be interested in getting an overview of the process and how far along you are. Thanks!
Also, is that band saw single because she's beautiful...
Where did you get the image for the acorn sapling in the opener? I really like aesthetic and would like to find more if it is not an original piece. Thank you, great video.
We worked with a friend who is a graphic artist to design it. So it is very much a original piece.
Man that is a SAW !
Yup!
Question. Why is it that you haven't done much sealing to the end grain? Doesn't checking tend to start in the ends?
We have sealed them with various things depending on when/how the lumber is being used and how close it is to it's final size and shape. Checking does usually start at the ends and is a concern.
bet you are jealous of leos boat saw :p
Not really, chainsaws can be tricky beasts, a wrong move could really mess up the timber. We are happy to go slow and carefully.
@@AcornToArabella Doubtless someone has already said this in the last 11 months, but Leo's Boat Saw is a gigantic bandsaw with an adjustable angle of cut. It is not a chainsaw. If you haven't done so, check out his channel just to see the boat saw in action. It is truly a beast. That said, you still couldn't cut the keel timber on it, but it was very helpful in cutting the frames. You steamed and fitted. Leo sawed from slabs.
Love your channel. Love watching you work and solve problems. You gents are incredibly talented and have more intestinal fortitude than most.
Just curious, why not cut the keel with the ships saw? It looks like it would fit in that giant band saw no problem....
Notso Fresh ... not an expert by any means, but from my point of view and limited experience seems like a rolling infeed and outfeed table would be needed that would a) support that much weight, and b) would need to be longer than the Boat Shed. And of course then there is the problem of steering that beast thru the cut, not to mention getting it UP an additional 2+feet elevation and on to the roller track ! The prefered option I would think would be to have a track that the Shipsaw could be drawn on the length of the Keel and the SAW would need to turn left and right in the horizontal axis....they did the job much easier compared to all that...and Steve caught a MAJOR error on his Plotting of the station line...way to go dude. Just my humble opinion...but a good question.
Maurice is correct about the saw. The table is not meant to support that much weight, the timber is just over 25' and the boathouse is 50' so aligned perfectly it might just fit. The timber weighs at least 1,500 pounds, lifting and maneuvering it would have been a lot of prep and a lot of work to most likely break the band saw table.
Stephen, I completely understand why you did the cut that way. It's counter intuitive to use a circular saw that way and, frankly, I was looking for curls of smoke to rise from the cut. When you got to the ax all I could think was: adze. (Your choice though, you know your tools and you know your hands.) Doesn't matter; every careful blow was painful to watch. A sigh of relief, then, when the plane work began.
I'm not trying to make you a hero, it's not explosives you are working with, but i tire of you saying you are a rookie. That implies a lack of experience and untested skills and neither of those pertain to you.
You're an artisan, a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand. You are skilled (I cannot hear that modest protest), you are using your hands, and you are building a wooden boat with a sweet name. You are an artisan boat builder. Good catch on the measurement error, professionals routinely do exactly that kind of mid-course correction and that is why the things they produce function as they were designed and intended to do. An artisan and professional may sometimes scrap a work entirely and then start over. Their mark is not that it happened but that they knew it was necessary. Enough!
I know you hear that singing in the air: it's the wind's sweet tune as Arabella runs before a squall... it's why a stoic Yankee works so damn hard.
A change of venue:
I was working on replacing the main propulsion shaft seal. It was an ingenious design involving two semicircular halves in a matched pair, mated at the factory of manufacture. One pair was made of Stellite, a Cobalt hardened metal alloy, and the other mated ring was made of carbon (it has amazing low friction qualities). I had installed the metal ring and the carbon one was on a nearby workbench, just un-packaged and about to be installed. My new Division Officer, nearly fresh from the academy stopped by and said he thought the ring to be amazingly smooth and reached out and stroked the perfectly smooth carbon surface with his bare forefinger. I quickly reached across the workbench and grabbed a handy ball peen hammer. With four decisive blows of the hammer I reduced the perfectly smooth carbon surface to gravel.
Astonished, he asked why I had destroyed the carbon seal ring. (I have abridged this conversation.) I told him to go ask the Engineer (his boss) about the corrrosive action fingerprints have on a finely polished carbon surface.
As I recall it, that young officer (interestingly, first in his class at Annapolis) became an outstanding crew member. He went on to be selected to be a Navy liaison to the Nixon White House beginning in July, 1974. I don't know where his non-naval career went after that.
Haha, if you go real slow the saw will open up the kerf on the back end to help make the curve, just have to be careful on the inside curves doing that!
The adze is more of a finishing tool, for rough removal the ax is much faster and more efficient. I have been swinging an axe since I could walk so for me it was enjoyable and close to carefree. I am getting there with the adz, by launch time my adz work might match my ax work.
I think you misinterpret me. When I say rookie or newbie or beginner I am referring to boat building and things like pouring a ballast keel, because in those venues I am a rookie and newbie. I have never built a boat or poured a keel.
When it comes to actual wood working, joinery, tool sharpening, usage... I am by no means a rookie. I have over 20 years under my belt, several of those as a working professional. Those skills and experiences certainly help make the rookie learning curve much shorter.
I do hear the wind and feel the deck under my feet. She's out there in the piles of oak and pine, just gotta dig her out. Someone once said "You Yankees will dig a pond in the middle of winter with a spoon but come spring by golly you will have a pond". All it takes is work and time, just have to be willing to put both in, in this case the reward is worth whatever it takes to get there times 10. We would both never forgive ourselves if we quit.
That's a pretty great story, thanks for sharing!
So you are goint to put antfouling on the bedding surface? Or did i not understand you correctly.
I don't really get this either. From what I understand, anti-fouling paint is designed to flake off, so things like barnacles don't get permanently stuck to your hull, so in essence, using anti-fouling paint on the bedding surface is not going to make for a firm connection between the keel and the timber. It will basically be a parting surface, where as the tar, would actually be a bond between. Anti-fouling paint is only a TOP coat for below the waterline.
Not necessarily flake off but the surface degrades and washes off with the boat moving or rubbed off by a diver. Just had a problem wirh my bosses viking 58. A surface mounted underwater light came off. The bedded it with 5200 right to bottom paint.
Antifouling comes in two varieties, ablative and hard. Ablative is made to wash away and would be used as the outer coat of paint below the water line. Hard is like regular paint except with the addition of copper to make it antifouling.
The faying surfaces as well as the hull below the water line will get Pettit Unepoxy which is a hard bottom paint and should never wash off. On the hull the Pettit will be covered in Total Boat Spartan, an ablative antifouling paint. The base will be red and the ablative will be blue. That way when we haul we can remove the old ablative until we see mostly red and then re-coat with a different color. After we do that several times she will be ready to be sanded to bare wood and the process repeated.
Ripping blade chain chainsaw!
With a jig like Leo's it could have worked well, we found out about that thing after we cut our keel. Never knew such a device existed.
Curious as to why did not use a circular saw to cut off excess you had already cut rather that the ax and wedges?
The thickness varied from 1/2"-2" and was anything but consistent, so a circular saw would have been very tricky to use since the depth of cut would constantly be changing. The ax let me split down the grain and I could vary the force of each swing depending on the thickness.
I notice the green anti-weathering paint is gone from the underside of the keel. Did you have to remove it to fair the bottom?
It got painted over.
@9:47 What stops you from putting the adze right into your toes, where you need to cut far (like more than an inch or two), but not too far. I know you've had a lot of practice, but even when building up all that practice have you had any close calls where the adze cut into your boot, or worse where the adze bounced off the wood into your shin?
I love your videos and how they are an example of how much two guys can accomplish.
I can honestly say I have had blades from both ax's and adz hit my foot, but they have never left anything more than a scratch on the leather or rubber, I would not use them without closed toed shoes.
I have never in over 25 years of swinging an ax hit my shin.
I apply very little force when I am swinging them, the up stroke and controlling the angle of the edge/direction of the cut take the most energy. Unless I am cutting a big log with an ax or splitting fire wood the down stroke has very little muscle behind it. The weight of the tool and the sharp edge do the work. So by the time it contacts the wood there is not a lot of energy left to drive it into my foot or shin. That is why there is the saying "a sharp tool is a safer tool"
Glad you enjoy them!
I figured it had something to do with the controlled application of power so thanks for explaining the details.
Good job guys! One question; Why is the oils from tar bad for the keel timber?
im guessing its to stop the bedding compound drying out and cracking more than anything.
looking forward to their answer cause i dunno eother
just better to keep it in the tar, so it can move a little, not turn to carbon dust.
The oils in the tar are what keep the tar pliable. If the oils got sucked up by the keel timber, the tar would dry out and stop being pliable.
The folks who said to keep the bedding compound pliable are correct. The oils won't hurt the timber but loosing the oil will hurt the bedding compound.
Do those big cracks not matter?
They are not as bad as they look, they will be covered by the deadwood and lead keel and should swell shut a few months after launch. So although a concern they are not a major one.
This is probably a stupid question, but what exactly is the purpose of the station line?
Reference marks for the hull during construction. Boat plans are drawn with multiple reference points so you can accurately find a spot out in space. Basically X,Y and Z axis, houses are just X and Y because everything is square and plum, level floors, vertical walls. Curvy boats like ours have vertical station lines, horizontal water lines and diagonals that go at (you guessed it) diagonals to the water and station lines to plot the boats shape.
Measure “ “ cut once! (5xs?)
could make a perfect template with the one side and transferred to other side
I would have filled that 1/8 scallop in the Keel with lead before assembly.
I would have had a go with a simple hand held ripsaw for the remaining few inches.
Grab a 4" thick block of oak and rip 50+' worth of it with a hand saw and let us know how long that takes and what the rotator cuff surgery costs =)
that tough eh?
It's used for the framing on boats for a reason =) It's very hard and tough stuff!
This is a better idea? This will work better than sawing the other side? Must you always do it the hard way?
I must do it the best way I see to do it. We could have sawn from the other side but if we were off by a little bit we would do horribly damage to the keel timber. By kerfing and using the ax/adz it might have been slower but the chances of messing up a very large and expensive timber was lessened at least in my view. Others may see it differently.
So, roller tables and the shipwhrite's bandsaw were out of the question for sawing the keel? Just seems like you guys made it harder than it had to be with the tools you have. Of course roller tables would cost to build, but I'm sure you would use them again.
My thoughts exactly. Seems to me that bandsaw would've been the way to go.
First tool I'd look into would be a portable band saw. If the opening is large enough, you're golden. Also have an extra set of eyeballs on site to ensure proper cut angle.
You beat me to it. I didn't know that large portable band saws for wood working existed a week ago or so until I saw one on This old house episode. That saw was different than most of the portable band saws I saw for sale on the internet. I wasn't sure the ones commonly available would do the job but I found a Falberg saw for $6500 that would work for sure but I think the $6500 would make it a non starter for this purpose. I wondered about using a hand saw to complete the cut. It would have been a lot of work but Maybe not as much work as the approach they used. I also liked the idea of using the big band saw. It might have taken 3 or 4 guys to make that idea work though.
Dave Kirkeby
I think a hand saw of some type would have been the best....but then again I have no idea what it's like to be these guys!
hand saw all over it
Clean the wood dust from ground. It can easily catch fire.
Can you number each episode?
We did and then TH-cam kept flagging the videos as not suitable for advertisers, a friend suggested we pull the numbers from the title and when we did we stopped getting flagged. We will have to figure something out.
If you go here th-cam.com/channels/AiDWnTP0WB1xCp6uuUo0VA.htmlvideos they are all in order, newest at the top, oldest at the bottom. Hope that helps!
Pizza or Salad. Which one do you think Im having for dinner tonight? Neither. Douche sandwich! Thats what Im having.
U seem to be pretty good at using a chainsaw...so why didnt u use it?😊But its not about the destination,its about the journey,right?☺
Also about the finished product, chainsaws remove a lot of wood real quick but they also make big mistakes real quick. The keel timber is too valuable to risk messing up.
Your next boat will go so much faster. But take your time on this one, OK
There won't be a second boat, we only have one shot at this, gotta get it right the first time.
next time it might be faster to cut it with sandpaper, perhaps try using a kitchen knife
What grit would you recommend?
You know if you wanted to sell bags of Arrabella sawdust people will buy them? SVSeeker does it! Ill buy one one!
At least his are cedar and smell good!
Acorn To Arabella hell! Id buy some lead shavings lol
Soap dust the blade every 30 CMs. Makes cutting easier.
Thanks for the tip!
Maybe you can explain why you guys have cut this timber over and over and over again?
They have explained it over and over and over again! They shouldn't have to answer the same questions over and over and over again. We, as viewers, should at least give them the courtesy of researching a little of this stuff on our own.
Use an old bandsaw blade, or new and cut to short length for both of you. Add a couple handles and it should follow the cut along your exiting cut lines.
Thanks for the suggestion but there was 50+' of 4" thick oak to saw through. We will never know for sure but I would bet my bottom dollar the way we did it was faster and less effort.
My father called this task "hew to the line".
That is precisely what you do!