Fiddley bits

To quote Mrs. Hughes of Downton Abbey, "you just stand around getting nibbley bits stuck in your teeth, like posh people do." So not exactly the same thing but I always laugh a little when I hear her say it.

Any way I started out today by tidying up a bit out in the garage, no pictures because I don't believe you need to see how cluttered and nasty my work area has to get before I can't stand it myself and clean up. However I did get a few shots of some of the fiddley bits I was starting to work on.

Doublers for the bulkhead where the stringers pass through.

I cut out a dozen of these 9mm doublers for the bulkheads at the places where the stringers need some strengthening. Got a bit carried away with one of them though.

That's one sharp hole saw, right through the work table! Easy there fella.

After the cutout party, I ran them through the table saw and cut them in half, 24 of them now. Then I brought out both #1 and #2 bulkheads and marked out where the stringer notch was to go and numbered their individual location for each bulkhead.

Bulkhead #1, and #2 just like it.

Next I decided to have a closer look at the way the stem and #1 & #2 bulkheads line up. I had read at least two blogs where the bulkhead #1 was too low and then was modified to relieve the difference. My concern was that I didn't want to find out until it had already been glued in place and the stringers were installed.

The king plank rest nicely in the cut outs for it in both bulkheads,

and lines up just like the plan drawing even with the top of the stem.

The next thing I checked into was the mast box that is to be screwed and glued to the forward side of the bulkhead #2 and contains both the mast step and the doubler for under the king plank.

Partial mock up of the mast box.

The mast step is to be 140 mm x 140 mm and 70 mm thick. There are two 20 mm x 140 mm that rise from the keel batton to the underneath the king plank. These are glued to the mast step, the king plank doubler, and the for'd face of the #2 bulkhead. There are two 9mm box sides that are glued and screwed to all the others and the king plank.

Top view of the mast box. (sorry, not enough clamps at the moment)

Mast box, dry fit of course, at this point.

Then I set about to create some 20 x 20 battons for the stringers.

Fiddley bits for gluing to the frames and bulkheads.

These will hopefully be suitable for stringers.

Also wider pieces for the transom doublers and such.

Then I thought that I should clean up a bit before calling it a day.

It's not spotless but it sure is better than it was before I started this morning. I can even see the floor in several places, much improved.

Until next time,

Geoff