Light Schooner mast update!
WoooHooo!!! I built the 16' main mast today and it looks great!
I used a 16' 2x10 which I ripped down into 3/4" wide staves. The plank gave
me 9 staves, 8 of which were useable. The 1 1/2" thickness of the plank was
close enough to the optimal 1 3/8" that I needed, so I left it 1 1/2.
A few dilemmas arose during construction:
When I tried to rip the "V" in the first stave, the board rode the blade up
& off the table of the tablesaw. This resulted in a really ornery cut. I
figured out that if I held a piece of scrap against the side of the stave,
and another over the top, I could alleviate this problem. The rest of the
cutting went without a hitch.
When it came time to glue up the mast, I started with Gorilla Glue, but
grossly underestimated the amount needed. A little quick thinking saved the
day. I had a System Three Epoxy trial kit that hadn't yet been used. It took
all the epoxy in the kit, and all the silica, but I ended up with half of
the staves slathered in Gorilla Glue, and half in epoxy. I alternated these
so that every other joint was the same glue.
The next problem arose when we tried to put it all together. We had three
people, and three sets of hands were definitely necessary to fit everything
together, because of the slight warp in some of the staves.
Then, I found that the hose clamps were not large enough. I compressed the
staves together by hand while my brother wrapped packing tape around to hold
them. Finally, we have something resembling a mast!
I decided it was best not to taper the staves to make the taper in the top
of the mast. Since the Light Schooner requires two well-faired holes through
the truck for the gaff halyards. I decided instead to make the mast the same
thickness all the way up, and thus the same diameter all the way up the
inside, and taper it afterwards with a planer. This way, I can insert a
filler block inside the section where the holes will be.
So far I'm quite happy with the results. I made a mast from $13 worth of SPF
insted of the $144 worth of clear Fir I was contemplating yesterday!
Tomorrow, I get to try my hand at planing it round, and tapering the top.
:-)
I never thought about radar foil inside.... sounds like a great idea!
Stephen Lane
Baltimore, Maryland
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Human beings can always be counted upon to assert, with vigor, their
God-given right to be stupid.
-Dean Koontz
I used a 16' 2x10 which I ripped down into 3/4" wide staves. The plank gave
me 9 staves, 8 of which were useable. The 1 1/2" thickness of the plank was
close enough to the optimal 1 3/8" that I needed, so I left it 1 1/2.
A few dilemmas arose during construction:
When I tried to rip the "V" in the first stave, the board rode the blade up
& off the table of the tablesaw. This resulted in a really ornery cut. I
figured out that if I held a piece of scrap against the side of the stave,
and another over the top, I could alleviate this problem. The rest of the
cutting went without a hitch.
When it came time to glue up the mast, I started with Gorilla Glue, but
grossly underestimated the amount needed. A little quick thinking saved the
day. I had a System Three Epoxy trial kit that hadn't yet been used. It took
all the epoxy in the kit, and all the silica, but I ended up with half of
the staves slathered in Gorilla Glue, and half in epoxy. I alternated these
so that every other joint was the same glue.
The next problem arose when we tried to put it all together. We had three
people, and three sets of hands were definitely necessary to fit everything
together, because of the slight warp in some of the staves.
Then, I found that the hose clamps were not large enough. I compressed the
staves together by hand while my brother wrapped packing tape around to hold
them. Finally, we have something resembling a mast!
I decided it was best not to taper the staves to make the taper in the top
of the mast. Since the Light Schooner requires two well-faired holes through
the truck for the gaff halyards. I decided instead to make the mast the same
thickness all the way up, and thus the same diameter all the way up the
inside, and taper it afterwards with a planer. This way, I can insert a
filler block inside the section where the holes will be.
So far I'm quite happy with the results. I made a mast from $13 worth of SPF
insted of the $144 worth of clear Fir I was contemplating yesterday!
Tomorrow, I get to try my hand at planing it round, and tapering the top.
:-)
I never thought about radar foil inside.... sounds like a great idea!
Stephen Lane
Baltimore, Maryland
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Human beings can always be counted upon to assert, with vigor, their
God-given right to be stupid.
-Dean Koontz
----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Spelling <richard@...>
To: <bolger@egroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2000 1:30 AM
Subject: Re: [bolger] Re: Light Schooner Question #2 (cutting trees for ma
sts)
> I did exactly that for the 20ft mast on my boat.
>
> 3 1/2 inch at the base, wall thickness 1 1/8 inch.
>
> Hollow all the way through, though this winter I'm going to install a
> masthead light, radar foil inside the mast, and plugs for the high stress
> areas.
>
> It's almost impossible to handle all eight birds mouth pieces at the same
> time. Working at the center, holding with extra hands, do two sets of
four.
> Then lift one set of four on top of the other set.
>
> Use hose clamps.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Cyber Rebel" <secesh@...>
> To: <bolger@egroups.com>
> Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2000 12:09 AM
> Subject: Re: [bolger] Re: Light Schooner Question #2 (cutting trees for ma
> sts)
>
>
> > After much ruminating today, I've decided a few things:
> > A. I don't want to spend $300-400 dollars on masts.
> > B. I'm not happy about the amount of aloft weight from solid Doug Fir.
> > C. I don't want to use the garbage 2x4s from Home Depot AND make the
masts
> > narrower than is recommended in the plans.
> >
> > Solution? I'm going to try my luck at using the slightly better wood
found
> > in 2x10s and making the masts "bird's eye" style over the weekend. I
> figure
> > even if I screw it up, I'm only out a fraction of the cost of better
> lumber.
> > If it goes well, I have strong, cheap, lightweight masts. For anyone
that
> > hasn't yet seen it, the following page is very informative on the
subject:
> >http://www.vcnet.com/~fhagan/hints.htm
> >
> > Stephen Lane
> > Baltimore, Maryland
> >
>
____________________________________________________________________________
> > __
> > Human beings can always be counted upon to assert, with vigor, their
> > God-given right to be stupid.
> > -Dean Koontz
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Orr, Jamie <jorr@...>
> > To: <bolger@egroups.com>
> > Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 1:32 PM
> > Subject: RE: [bolger] Re: Light Schooner Question #2 (cutting trees for
ma
> > sts)
> >
> >
> > > Seems a shame to go thinner using weaker wood. Why not make a
sandwich
> of
> > a
> > > couple of 2x4's with a 1x4 in the middle? Maybe go with 2x6's and a
1x6
> > to
> > > give yourself some slack -- it'll make it easier when you glue, and
you
> > can
> > > accommodate some bend in the stock.
> > >
> > > Or check out Payson's method of laminating Bobcat's mast, which leaves
a
> > > square hole up the centre. Still a sandwich, but with the "meat" in
two
> > > pieces. I used this method on my 4" mast with no problem. Look up
> "Build
> > > the Instant Catboat" in your library, or dig out the old WoodenBoat
> > building
> > > article (or was it SBJ?)
> > >
> > > Jamie Orr
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Cyber Rebel [mailto:secesh@...]
> > > Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 10:02 AM
> > > To:bolger@egroups.com
> > > Subject: Re: [bolger] Re: Light Schooner Question #2 (cutting trees
for
> > > masts)
> > >
> > >
> > > So are the 2x4s you used actually 2x4s or did you round the masts
> smaller
> > > than the plans call for? Unfortunately, all the good clear timber was
> used
> > > up frivolously a long time ago. I recently built a bathroom in my
house,
> > and
> > > had to install a flush-fit medicine cabinet in an existing wall. When
I
> > cut
> > > the wall open, I found that the studs in my 30 year old townhouse are
> all
> > > made from the prettiest old growth, tight vertical grain, clear
Douglas
> > Fir
> > > 2x4s that you can imagine! Seems a shame to have all of this prime
> > > boatbuilding lumber going to waste just to hold up my house! I found a
9
> > > foot length of similarly beautiful wood for the gaffs of the Schooner,
> and
> > > paid $16.65 for it! If; 30 years ago, this lumber had cost even 1/2
> that,
> > my
> > > house would never have been built. Anyway, I've decided there's no way
> I'm
> > > paying $288 for masts, so I'm going to use the crappy No. 2 SPF from
> Home
> > > Depot. How much difference in strength is there going to be if I make
3"
> > > masts instead of 3 1/2"?
> > >
> >
>
____________________________________________________________________________
> > > __
> > > Human beings can always be counted upon to assert, with vigor, their
> > > God-given right to be stupid.
> > > -Dean
Koontz
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: David Ryan <david@...>
> > > To: <bolger@egroups.com>
> > > Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 12:23 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [bolger] Re: Light Schooner Question #2 (cutting trees
for
> > > masts)
> > >
> > >
> > > > The masts on my recently launched light scooner are laminated lumber
> > > > yard 2x4s. I took a little time to find "complementary" sticks so I
> > > > could put the flaws of one board against a good portion of the
other.
> > > >
> > > > I think their going to be fine, and if they're not, they only cost
> > > > about 3 dollars a foot, including epoxy.
> > > >
> > > > In this day, you've got to take all that "clear lumber" stuff in
with
> > > > a grain of salt. There just isn't that much clear lumber, and what
> > > > there is'll cost you plenty. I'm sure if there was a new addition of
> > > > of "Instant Boats" written today, you'd find plenty of advice on how
> > > > to use all this shitty lumber.
> > > >
> > > > I was lucky enough to find a clear 2x10 28 feet long that gave me my
> > > > chine logs and sheer clamps. Right on top of the unit.
> > > >
> > > > -D
> > > >
> > > > >Well, it's a shame Maryland is so far from Oregon! I finally found
a
> > mill
> > > > >able to supply me with 2"x8"x16' clear rough-cut Doug Fir. They can
> rip
> > > this
> > > > >down to the correct dimensions. Unfortunately, they want $9.00 a
> linear
> > > > >foot. That equates to $288.00 total! Arrrggghh!!! I can use
aluminum
> > flag
> > > > >poles; ala Gregg Carlson, for $390.00, but the object is to keep
> costs
> > to
> > > a
> > > > >minimum. I think I'm going to resort to laminating the masts from
> > > standard
> > > > >lumberyard SPF stock, which is probably White Pine. I already used
it
> > for
> > > > >the booms, and it's very lightweight. The piece of clear Doug Fir
> that
> > I
> > > > >managed to find for the gaffs (strength is more of a factor here)
is
> > > > >considerably heavier. I'm thinking of using two 2x4s and a single
> 1x4,
> > > > >making the finished dimensions 3 1/2" x 3 3/4" which can be planed
> down
> > > to 3
> > > > >1/2 x 3 1/2. Of course, the quality of the SPF stock is absolutely
> > > > >repugnant, but at least it's cheap. Hmmm... I wonder how much the
> > freight
> > > > >charges from Oregon would be???
> > > > >
> > > > >Stephen Lane
> > > > >Baltimore, Maryland
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
>___________________________________________________________________________
> > > _
> > > > >__
> > > > >Human beings can always be counted upon to assert, with vigor,
their
> > > > >God-given right to be stupid.
> > > > > -Dean
> > Koontz
> > > > >----- Original Message -----
> > > > >From: <pateson@...>
> > > > >To: <bolger@egroups.com>
> > > > >Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2000 11:18 AM
> > > > >Subject: [bolger] Re: Light Schooner Question #2 (cutting trees for
> > > masts)
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >> --- Inbolger@egroups.com, "Peter Vanderwaart" <pvanderw@o...>
> > wrote:
> > > > >> > > I've often wondered about
> > > > >> > > cutting a few down, drying them (how long is necessary?) and
> > > > >> > > planing/sanding off the bark and an extraneous knobs,
> branches,
> > > > >> > etc.
> > > > >> >
> > > > >> > From Pete Culler's Skiffs & Schooners:
> > > > >> >
> > > > >> > "I'm often asked just how and where to get a wooden spar. The
> > > > >> answer
> > > > >> > is at a lumber yard, unless you are so fortunate to be able to
> go
> > > > >> out
> > > > >> > in the woods, which is more fun. ... Spruce or fir does quite
> > well."
> > > > >> >
> > > > >> >
> > > > >> > Peter
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >> I'm sitting here in NW Oregon looking out my window at several
> > > > >> hundred Douglas Fir "Masts". All sizes.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Anyone in the area building a boat and looking for a mast, get
in
> > > > >> touch. The Price will be a ride on your boat.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Pat Patteson
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Bolger rules!!!
> > > > >> - no cursing
> > > > >> - stay on topic
> > > > >> - use punctuation
> > > > >> - add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts
> > > > >> - add some content: send "thanks!" and "ditto!" posts off-list.
> > > > >>
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >Bolger rules!!!
> > > > >- no cursing
> > > > >- stay on topic
> > > > >- use punctuation
> > > > >- add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts
> > > > >- add some content: send "thanks!" and "ditto!" posts off-list.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > CRUMBLING EMPIRE PRODUCTIONS
> > > > 134 W.26th St. 12th Floor
> > > > New York, NY 10001
> > > > (212) 243-1636
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Bolger rules!!!
> > > > - no cursing
> > > > - stay on topic
> > > > - use punctuation
> > > > - add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts
> > > > - add some content: send "thanks!" and "ditto!" posts off-list.
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Bolger rules!!!
> > > - no cursing
> > > - stay on topic
> > > - use punctuation
> > > - add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts
> > > - add some content: send "thanks!" and "ditto!" posts off-list.
> > >
> > > Bolger rules!!!
> > > - no cursing
> > > - stay on topic
> > > - use punctuation
> > > - add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts
> > > - add some content: send "thanks!" and "ditto!" posts off-list.
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > Bolger rules!!!
> > - no cursing
> > - stay on topic
> > - use punctuation
> > - add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts
> > - add some content: send "thanks!" and "ditto!" posts off-list.
> >
>
>
>
> Bolger rules!!!
> - no cursing
> - stay on topic
> - use punctuation
> - add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts
> - add some content: send "thanks!" and "ditto!" posts off-list.
>