Saturday, December 22, 2012

Bending Keel Strips.

After trimming the bow & stern keel end with a plane, I found the bends to be more extreme than I thought. 1/4" strips of pine and cedar would not make the bend without snapping. I went to 1/8" strips, and yellow cedar almost made the turn, but not without brute force.
I decided to try heat bending. After some advice, practice,trial, and error, got some results with 1/8" pine.
 It seems as though the  wood won't begin to bend until it is also about ready to burn. With some practice I got the stern keel strips done.
A typical barrage of tapes, staples, and brads to get it in place.
Happily the bow strips go down without any need for heat bending.
I'm glad I had a chance to practice this technique on the bottom, before I start the deck. 

I laid up 3 1/8"x3/4" strips, and one 1/8"x3/8" strip on each end. 
After some planing & sanding, I think that the 3/8" strip may not have even been necessary. I'm trying to sand the keel strips to blend into the 1/4" pine keel strip. 


 

 

1 comment:

  1. Have you any thoughts as to steaming the wood to make it more pliable?

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