Cutting the strips for the Kayak

The forms are ready but I need the space to select the timber to use as the strips to plank the kayak and to cut the strips.  The strongback is disassembled and stored in the roof and the forms are neatly packed away.  Now to select the timber from my stack of Myrtle I used for the fit-out of Malua.  I found the two invoices for the timber purchased from AnaGote in Marrickville in Sydney. The first was for 2 inch and the second was for 1.5 inch of lengths about 3.5 to 3.8 meters long and planks 4 to 8 inch wide.  The total was $5,800 for a total of two cubic meters of timber.  I will sell the remaining 58 pieces back to them for a cut rate of only $8,000 at today's prices.

Strips cut

I selected 12 planks, 5 to 6 inches wide, all about 1 inch thick and longer than 3.5 m. The colour is uniform with two beautiful light brown which I will use on the lower hull and two planks with a very interesting grain for the aft deck.

Selected planks with remaining timber

Next was to put the planks through the thicknesser and get them down to the correct thickness or width for the strips.  I had adjusted the thicknesser and sharpened the blades.  All that was needed was a roll-on table for the feed and a receiving structure for the 3.8 meter long planks to come out the other end. Now that required I build a stand for the thicknesser so the feeds would be at the correct heights.  Back into the timber pile but not the Myrtle but the excess of the infrastructure for Malua like the steps up to the deck while building.  I selected two pieces and set about building a stand for the thicknesser.

Next step is to set up the table saw to cut the ¼ inch strips from the 22mm (1 inch) thick planks. I had used a saw blade my Dad used some years ago because it was sharp, thin and small but found it did not quite come up to the current performance of tungsten tipped saw blades so into my store and out with a 3 mm thick modern blade.  Fit it and the trailing divider and a new base and we were spinning ready to cut.  Because I have to cut about 160 strips (each about 3.8 m long) I used some feather boards (finger boards) I made from high-density polyethylene purchased from the local Reject Shop for less than $15.  I needed to cut them to size and then cut the fingers into the board. The finger touch the wood as it enters the saw blade area.  This worked well and stops the timber jumping up when fed into the saw and jumping back as one feeds the timber against the blade.

Table saw with feather boards

All ready to go.  Step one: take a selected board, put it through the thicknesser on one side, adjust the thickness and turn it over, then do the other side.  Continue until you have a plank that is 22 mm thick. Repeat for all 12 planks.

Step two: adjust table saw to cut a strip off the side of the plank at exactly 7 mm thick for the full length of the plank.  Repeat 10 to 15 times depending on the width of the plank.  Number each strip sequentially to keep the order and then bundle the plank strips in order. Repeat for 12 planks.

Next step is to thickness each strip to be exactly 6.25 mm thick which means take four strips from a plank bundle and put them through the thicknesser as the first pass. Turn them over and adjust the thickness to be exactly 6.25 mm thick.  Repeat for the rest of the strips in the plank.  Maintain the order and re-bundle the strips for each plank. Repeat for all 12 planks.

Strips selected for colour

Number each plank bundle and set out on the bench to select the length and colour for each location on the kayak.  Having done that, one needs to remember that the kayak is 4.2 m long and the majority of the strips needed for the bottom, sides and a bit of the deck will be 4.2 m long, so I will have to join the strips with an extra 0.5 m piece.  Another challenge.

Strips bundled

OK, all done which took a good two days work and I am ready to set up the strongback and the frames.