1/20/08

We finished reframing the clipper.   The bevels of the frames going into the

keel pockets were fun to make and complex enough to make good practice.
Place a short length of frame stock into the pocket and line it up with the
fastening holes in the plank.  Now trace the keel or stem or stem knee angle
onto the side of the frame stock on both sides.  Next cut this line on the
frame stock.  Then reinsert the stock into the pocket as before, but this
time make the angle of the Rabbet on both sides of the frame stock.  Remove
and cut this angle.  What you are left with is a small blank of frame stock
with two bevels on it.  Take this and transfer to the frame for that frame
bay.  Paint with solvent free linseed oil paint (we started using this and
the frames keep much more paint on them after the frames are in.  It does
dry a bit slower, but not much if you keep it a thin coat and since it has
much more pigment the wood in better protected.  Allbeck paint from

Sweden--- www.solventfreepaints.com).  We placed all the frames in the
steam box.  We were slow in getting to framing so the frames stayed in the
box for five hours.  Well the wood was so noodley that we could have made a
Double Helix DNA model with it and not lost a frame.  Lesson... Black Locust
of this moisture (14%) cannot be over steamed in a day!  In addition a very
cool thing was happening.  When we fitted the steamed frame into the pocket
of the stem we would drill a pilot hole through the frame section in the
pocket to accept a larger/longer deck screw and washer (pork and beans).  This

 fastening was to draw the frame into the pocket and stabilize/strengthen the stem. 

 Well when we drilled the pilot hole a rush of steam would come out in a puff.
These frames were dry to the touch, but inside the steam would
rush out.  These frames also stayed warm for longer......less evaporative cooling?

 This seems to show two things........the moisture in the Black Locust
was very hot and loosening the wood, but also the linseed paint was keeping
in the heat and moisture better than the Rust O Primer was.  I looked back
and this phenomenon happened only with the linseed painted frames!  This
Hypothesis is anecdotal and limited to Black Locust only, but....maybe there
is a dissertation here :-)

We fitted two temporary bulkheads inside the boat to stabilize her shape,
one near the original forward bulkhead and the other two frames forward of
the transom.  We then took out the original bulkhead. Then off came the
transom and fashion frames with removing fastenings and the almighty Sawzall
with a thin flexible blade.  We cleaned up the transom planks with the
Silent Paint Remover thing ( that thing is worth its wait in gold) and
removed all the fastenings, etc, and very lightly joined (on joiner)  the
transom plank edges---worked very well.  We found a good piece of Black
Locust with a grain sweep to match the Fashion Frames and made new ones
(explained below) with correct bevels, and grain run.  We put the transom
all back together with fashion frames and placed it back on the boat with
pork and beans.   Then we lifted and flipped the boat and moved to the other
side of the shop.  All in all a great time!

 In detail:
Regarding the fashion timbers, we traced the original fashion frames to a piece

of good Black Locust with good grain sweep.  Then we  rough cut the
basic larger dimension without bevels.  Next we planed down the Black Locust
to correct dimension.   To get the bevels, we started with one side of the
angle portion (the "corner" touching planks and becoming the outermost face
of the fashion frame facing into the boat) but the angle and its roll that
touches the planks and ends inside the transom to plank interface we did not
have.   We got this NOT as one would with a new stem by taking bevels and
making pockets and then removing the wood between the pockets and fairing
the roiling bevel.  Instead we took the old fashion frame and chalked the edge
line that is formed where the beveled side touches the inner most corner of
the transom/plank seam.  We have one line on our new fashion
frame blank which is the outer face and outer most edge of the fashion frame,

but we do not have the inner line that touched the transom and plank interface.  So by

highlighting that unknown line with chalk on the old fashion
frame, we then cut (90 degrees to fashion frame's face on band saw---make

sure all old fastenings are removed) along that line removing the small strip of the fashion frame
that has the bevel.  We then traced that new cut line from the old fashion
frame to the new fashion frame blank (on its opposite side to the first line).
We are left with a blank with two lines, one being its own already cut edge, and 
another on the opposite side of the blank (new fashion frame) being the traced line

 from the fashion frame "strip". This line is inward from the other side's line and the

distance it varies from the other is the angle of the rolling bevel itself.  Then we

used an electric hand plan to bevel and roll that angle to match the original. 

It worked very well and was 20 times faster than the "making a new stem" way . 

 Also the fit is much better to the original boat.  Clearly this is not done in new

construction, but with restoration its is much more logical.  This technique can

 be done on a stem as well by dividing the stem into halves and doing the same

 things only on two sides.