More 'Bolger on Wood'
More quotes from Phil Bolger
with his thoughts about wood,
glue, more...
Once again, he gives the builder
as much liberty as possible.
He likes fir, approves of cheap
plywood, and likes Aerolite glue.
==============================
PCB from Different Boats 1980:
==============================
"MATERIALS: I endorse what Payson
has to say; specifically, I agree
that plywood should be either true
premium marine grade, so warranted,
or else the cheapest A-C grade.
Exterior-grade A-A seems to be
a bad buy.
"Fir seems to be about the best species
for the natural wood parts, with
mahogany second. I think the very
hard and stiff woods, and especially
oak, should be avoided. Soft pine
or cedar seems to work well enough
the gluing is good. Anchorfast and
other barbed nails seem perfectly
satisfactory in these hulls;
galvanized nails would be good if the
galvanizing were good, which is now
unusual. Any waterproof glue (and
some not supposed to be waterproof)
seems to be fine when used with
skill; most now seem to think epoxy
is easiest and best. I've had good
luck with Aerolite contact glue,
available from light-aircraft supply
houses.
"Notes on Timber
"This design is intended throughout
to make use of the most readily
available timber; type and species
are not named to avoid inhibitions
about using local or other handy
wood. As noted, the masts should not
use spruce or similar brittle wood.
"For strip planking, generally
speaking, hardwoods like the mahog-
anies are to be avoided on account
of the stresses set up when they swell.
For keel and frame timber, hardness
is desirable, but good gluing
characteristics are more so; mahogany
and fir are much to be preferred
over oak and teak, for instance.
However, the tabernacle structure for
the mainmast, and the post for the
main halyard winch, should be of
the hardest and strongest wood that
can be found, regardless of gluing
qualities, and if these members are
not oak or something similarly hard
and strong, they should be reinforced
with steel straps or angles; stress
on the tabernacle is less than might
be supposed on account of the
relatively small initial stability
of the boat and the flexibility of
the mast, but nevertheless this
structure can hardly be too strong.
Resorcinol glues have long proven
adequate for this type of structure,
but I think that epoxy glues have
developed well enough to be con-
sidered preferable. I consider
galvanized steel wire nails preferable to
nonferrous types for edge fastenings;
for other fastenings, I think silicon
bronze screws are preferable to
barbed nails on account of their
better sheer strength. "
with his thoughts about wood,
glue, more...
Once again, he gives the builder
as much liberty as possible.
He likes fir, approves of cheap
plywood, and likes Aerolite glue.
==============================
PCB from Different Boats 1980:
==============================
"MATERIALS: I endorse what Payson
has to say; specifically, I agree
that plywood should be either true
premium marine grade, so warranted,
or else the cheapest A-C grade.
Exterior-grade A-A seems to be
a bad buy.
"Fir seems to be about the best species
for the natural wood parts, with
mahogany second. I think the very
hard and stiff woods, and especially
oak, should be avoided. Soft pine
or cedar seems to work well enough
the gluing is good. Anchorfast and
other barbed nails seem perfectly
satisfactory in these hulls;
galvanized nails would be good if the
galvanizing were good, which is now
unusual. Any waterproof glue (and
some not supposed to be waterproof)
seems to be fine when used with
skill; most now seem to think epoxy
is easiest and best. I've had good
luck with Aerolite contact glue,
available from light-aircraft supply
houses.
"Notes on Timber
"This design is intended throughout
to make use of the most readily
available timber; type and species
are not named to avoid inhibitions
about using local or other handy
wood. As noted, the masts should not
use spruce or similar brittle wood.
"For strip planking, generally
speaking, hardwoods like the mahog-
anies are to be avoided on account
of the stresses set up when they swell.
For keel and frame timber, hardness
is desirable, but good gluing
characteristics are more so; mahogany
and fir are much to be preferred
over oak and teak, for instance.
However, the tabernacle structure for
the mainmast, and the post for the
main halyard winch, should be of
the hardest and strongest wood that
can be found, regardless of gluing
qualities, and if these members are
not oak or something similarly hard
and strong, they should be reinforced
with steel straps or angles; stress
on the tabernacle is less than might
be supposed on account of the
relatively small initial stability
of the boat and the flexibility of
the mast, but nevertheless this
structure can hardly be too strong.
Resorcinol glues have long proven
adequate for this type of structure,
but I think that epoxy glues have
developed well enough to be con-
sidered preferable. I consider
galvanized steel wire nails preferable to
nonferrous types for edge fastenings;
for other fastenings, I think silicon
bronze screws are preferable to
barbed nails on account of their
better sheer strength. "