Re: [bolger] Digest Number 668 - TOOLS !!
Ladies and Gentleman;
Tools is tools. Just that and nothing more. Neanderthal had a rock; Norm
Abrams has an electric hammer. 'Mr. Animal Skins' had to build some kind
of craft to fish & eat to survive; 'Mr. Plaid Shirt' needs it to look
good and fit into one or two 30-minute episodes. (re; when he built a
'Clancy' from a KIT).
There are people on this list who are building, or have built, boats
ranging from a 'cement mixing tray' to an 40+ foot Ocean Voyager. The
basic tools they NEED are almost identical; their time and circumstances
aren't.
To illustrate my point, look at my article about building Bolger's 'BEE'
in Chuck's www.duckworksmagazine.com . (Previous to that I had built his
Rubens Nymph, but not taken a 'photographic history'). For both these
projects the only MAJOR power tool I had was a small, old B&D 8" 'table
top' saw. It couldn't saw a straight line if it was hanging like a
plumb-bob. In one of the photo's you can see it all 'jigged up' with
clamps and featherboards. In actuality, it was of VERY LITTLE USE. The
heaviest and thickest part of BEE was her motor mount board - and that I
did by hand with a Jack Plane.
In addition, the first and biggest thing I had to do was make a floor .
. . the 'shop' was simply an extension of our back drive and large
broken stone. Not concrete like Norm, but scrounged pallets covered with
used interior paneling. For a 'level hard spot' a sheet of OSB.
The most IMPORTANT tool ? . . . DESIRE !! Everything else can be
scrounged. Read 'Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding' to 'see' a master of
the technique.
My old, and cheap, Skill 5-1/2 inch circular saw is fine for cutting 1/4
inch ply fairly close to the line. A saber saw - pick the brand you
like - is good for cutting shaped frames from thicker ply. A drill (they
all reverse now) with a clutch will both make holes and fill them with
screws. SPEND the extra money for GOOD BLADES to put on anything you cut
with. Get a good KNIFE (pocket or otherwise) and learn how to keep it
SHARP. Layout lines instead of pencil, scoring ply before cutting,
sharpening your other pencil, or shaving a gunnel to fit are just some
of the uses.
Do I have TOOLS !! ? Absolutely; I'm a 'tool geek'. However, I've
'collected' them over 20-years and more. Plus I have either made them
myself, or they are used for things other than boatbuilding.
I guess it's time to build another 'soap box'; this one's getting a
little worn.
Regards,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
Tools is tools. Just that and nothing more. Neanderthal had a rock; Norm
Abrams has an electric hammer. 'Mr. Animal Skins' had to build some kind
of craft to fish & eat to survive; 'Mr. Plaid Shirt' needs it to look
good and fit into one or two 30-minute episodes. (re; when he built a
'Clancy' from a KIT).
There are people on this list who are building, or have built, boats
ranging from a 'cement mixing tray' to an 40+ foot Ocean Voyager. The
basic tools they NEED are almost identical; their time and circumstances
aren't.
To illustrate my point, look at my article about building Bolger's 'BEE'
in Chuck's www.duckworksmagazine.com . (Previous to that I had built his
Rubens Nymph, but not taken a 'photographic history'). For both these
projects the only MAJOR power tool I had was a small, old B&D 8" 'table
top' saw. It couldn't saw a straight line if it was hanging like a
plumb-bob. In one of the photo's you can see it all 'jigged up' with
clamps and featherboards. In actuality, it was of VERY LITTLE USE. The
heaviest and thickest part of BEE was her motor mount board - and that I
did by hand with a Jack Plane.
In addition, the first and biggest thing I had to do was make a floor .
. . the 'shop' was simply an extension of our back drive and large
broken stone. Not concrete like Norm, but scrounged pallets covered with
used interior paneling. For a 'level hard spot' a sheet of OSB.
The most IMPORTANT tool ? . . . DESIRE !! Everything else can be
scrounged. Read 'Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding' to 'see' a master of
the technique.
My old, and cheap, Skill 5-1/2 inch circular saw is fine for cutting 1/4
inch ply fairly close to the line. A saber saw - pick the brand you
like - is good for cutting shaped frames from thicker ply. A drill (they
all reverse now) with a clutch will both make holes and fill them with
screws. SPEND the extra money for GOOD BLADES to put on anything you cut
with. Get a good KNIFE (pocket or otherwise) and learn how to keep it
SHARP. Layout lines instead of pencil, scoring ply before cutting,
sharpening your other pencil, or shaving a gunnel to fit are just some
of the uses.
Do I have TOOLS !! ? Absolutely; I'm a 'tool geek'. However, I've
'collected' them over 20-years and more. Plus I have either made them
myself, or they are used for things other than boatbuilding.
I guess it's time to build another 'soap box'; this one's getting a
little worn.
Regards,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop