Discussion: Boat Building Board

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Rockabye74	Boat Building Board Dec 22 2008, 1:45 PM EST I have been debating trying to build a "Universal" boat building board. Here is what I am thinking so far. I was thinking of using the INCRA T-Tracks from Woodcraft. I would either have 2 or 3 tracks mounted about 4-6 inches apart, then build clamps that would be perpendicular to the table surface so that you could position the clamps at the frame locations and then lock them down. For the skipjack build, the clamps could be as simple as 3/4" pine or oak with 1/4" holes drilled in them for the T-Track bolts and nuts. The tracks would give you infinite adjustments for most boats. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions as I pursue this. Also any pictures of building boards would be appreciated as it may help me to understand the different frame mountings. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you? Keyword tags: Building Board
SIMBC	1. RE: Boat Building <NOBR><A class=GVAdLink id=GVLINK_1_0_1 href="#">Board</A></NOBR> Dec 22 2008, 3:02 PM EST Your approach sounds promising. My Skipjack building board is tucked away in the far reaches of a bitter cold shed in the rafters. I probably will not be able to get a picture. However, if you look unter the Skipjack category of the slideshow for Skipjack #90 you should find some good pictures.. Also look under the Schooner category and find two slide shows of Dave Querins boat build and that may give you additional ideas. Your enthusiasm is welcomed and contagious. Keep it going. Keep us posted on your design. Also talk to Tommy, Richard and Al, Those three together have probably seen more building boards than any other trio on earth. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
Rockabye74	2. RE: Boat Building <NOBR><A class=GVAdLink id=GVLINK_1_0_1 href="#">Board</A></NOBR> Dec 22 2008, 5:43 PM EST I have decided against the 3 T-Track design because we need to have the center line. So I am leaning towards a 2 track design. I will probably use the T-Track plus as one of the tracks and the T-Track as the other. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
Rockabye74	3. RE: Boat Building Board Dec 29 2008, 8:39 AM EST I was also talking with a friend this weekend who does furniture building and we discussed the building board some more. We thought about laminate as a top because using a v-groove bit (cutting very shallow) we could effectively engrave 1" grid squares onto the board to assist with alignment of the frames and the center line. T-Track frame brackets for the skipjack could be as simple as a 2" strip of 1/2" plywood with a 3/4" x 3/4" pine board attached for the frames, then a 2" strip of plywood for the stem. The stern block and gauge blocks could also be mounted to a strip of 1/2" plywood. When done with the bottom, loosen all of the T-nuts and the whole boat would slide out of the T-Tracks. I am hoping to buy the T-Tracks this week, but before I did I wanted to check and see whether the 50" Sharpie is built on a 50" board? I don't want to start with a board that is too small for the larger boats being built here. I am currently debating 2 potential sizes. 18" x 64" (tracks 14" apart), OR 16" X 48" (tracks 12" apart). With smaller boats like the JIF, you could actually build multiples (up to 4) on a single board. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
SIMBC	4. RE: Boat Building Board Dec 29 2008, 9:45 AM EST "I was also talking with a friend this weekend who does furniture building and we discussed the building board some more. We thought about laminate as a top because using a v-groove bit (cutting very shallow) we could effectively engrave 1" grid squares onto the board to assist with alignment of the frames and the center line. T-Track frame brackets for the skipjack could be as simple as a 2" strip of 1/2" plywood with a 3/4" x 3/4" pine board attached for the frames, then a 2" strip of plywood for the stem. The stern block and gauge blocks could also be mounted to a strip of 1/2" plywood. When done with the bottom, loosen all of the T-nuts and the whole boat would slide out of the T-Tracks. I am hoping to buy the T-Tracks this week, but before I did I wanted to check and see whether the 50" Sharpie is built on a 50" board? I don't want to start with a board that is too small for the larger boats being built here. I am currently debating 2 potential sizes. 18" x 64" (tracks 14" apart), OR 16" X 48" (tracks 12" apart). With smaller boats like the JIF, you could actually build multiples (up to 4) on a single board." Ron, my sharpie hull is 50". I would suggest that you would want the board to be at least over 50". The other thing you might want to do is to look into the crystal ball and determine what boats are waiting for you to build in the future. Since most materials might be abailable in 48", I suggest you consider an adjustable extension at one end that you could slide in and out as necessary to handle either the bow or stern that might go over the 48". The extension would not have to be as wide as it would be needed to support only the bow for example. Sounds like your building board is going to be nicer than any of our boats. Have a good day. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
sailman58	5. RE: Boat Building Board Dec 31 2008, 11:02 AM EST Mike, I like your idea since I already have two building boards but foresee a problem. My Marblehead board is so encrusted with Titebond drips that it will need a belt sander to be usable for a boat with a different frame spacing. My Skipjack board will only need a touchup with a RO Sander or possibly a Dremel tool, but I think that the frams supports are glued to the base.. Unfortunately, those drips are mostly epoxy. How do you propose to protect the board and aracks from glue drips? Ron Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Rockabye74	6. RE: Boat Building Board Dec 31 2008, 1:27 PM EST Once the frames are positioned, we could just cover the tracks with 1-1/2" or 2" masking tape for the duration of the build, and my assumption is that most epoxy drops will just pluck right off of the laminate once the epoxy dries. I will have to try this on some laminate I have at home to see if my assumption is correct. I guess the worst case would be sacrificial newspaper, cardboard or poster board glue catchers tacked or taped to the building board, but if the laminate works, then we don't have to scrounge for sacrificial material. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Rockabye74	7. RE: Boat Building Board Nov 11 2009, 9:32 PM EST I built a prototype of my Boat Building board. Here are the details of this board. It is built using a 3/4" Melamine board with 2x3 Frames around the board. I then cut the grooves for my T-Tracks using a tablesaw with a dado blade. I would not do this again as my dado blade caused some chipping. I think the next time around I would use a router and a clampable straight edge to cut the grooves. I have my Marblehead on the board now and I really like it. So far epoxy doesn't seem to attach itself to the Melamine. I do not like the "Particle Board" core of the Melamine board, but it did allow me to quickly test my idea for the building board. When I to do this again, I will laminate 2 sheets of 1/2 inch plywood together and then laminate with a sheet of formica before framing and cutting the t-track grooves. Post reply Do you find this valuable?