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  1. #91
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    Jul 2008
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    Florida USA
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrianMCarney View Post
    Simon, I note from your blog that you used Home Depot 1x2s for your staves. Did you allow any pieces with knots? How hard did you find it to find reasonably clear lumber in those dimensions?
    Home Depot carries clear Douglas Fir in various sizes so knots are not a problem. I picked through the pile to find the lightest and straightest grain ones. Several boat builders have told me that a somewhat lighter mast could be built using the lightest 2x4s but you have to pick through a ton to find good knot free ones.

    Simon
    Simon
    My building and messing about blog:
    http://planingaround.blogspot.com/
    The folks I sail with:
    West Coast Trailer Sailing Squadron

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  3. #92
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
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    United States
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    86

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    Simon,
    The stuff my Home Depot has is this
    Much of it is fairly clear. Could certainly find enough clear ones for a mast.

    But it's listed as premium pine. The Doug fir in small dimensions is pretty horrible.

  4. #93
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Florida USA
    Posts
    337

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    The pine will be plenty strong enough and you'll likely end up with a lighter mast. I used doug fir because the stuff at our HD was very nice. I it's availability varies from store to store. The HD website does not list the sizes of doug fir lumber that are in stock at three of our local stores.
    Simon
    My building and messing about blog:
    http://planingaround.blogspot.com/
    The folks I sail with:
    West Coast Trailer Sailing Squadron

  5. #94
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
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    United States
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    86

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    thanks Simon.As I mentioned in my build thread, I decided the 1x2s at another local HD were Doug fir and loaded up on them. Now waiting for my scarfs to cure before I cut the birdsmouths.

  6. #95
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
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    United States
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    Quote Originally Posted by CCBB View Post
    The simplest way to cut tapers on a non=production basis is to clamp 4 together and plane to the taper per the plans. Then do the other four.

    Clint
    Quote Originally Posted by PAR View Post
    I should add that oval masts need to be stayed and shouldn't be used as a free standing stick.

    I've found most doing birdsmouth spars, make more work for themselves then they need. Custom ground router bits, tapering jigs, etc. most of this isn't necessary.

    I taper all the staves at once on small spars, what ever I feel comfortable with really. I set up an inclined ramp on each side of the staves, usually a couple of 2x4's wedged to position. Then the staves are solidly wedged in position, between the two ramps. One of the ramps always has the in feed shoe of the power plane or hand plane riding on it. This keeps the taper angle correct and the plane square with the work. A few passes with a power plane, followed with several swipes by hand, I don't spend a lot of time on them. Good setup always make your job easy and short.
    .
    You guys always make this stuff sound so easy--"just taper per the plans"!--when we're talking about ~6mm of taper over a 15' spar. This seems non-trivial to an amateur like me. I realize that the 0.2mm sections just kind of have to be eyed in along the greater run of the taper, but even setting up an accurate jig over that length is merely pushing the problem back a step. I still have to figure out how to taper my _jig_ a tiny, but accurate and fair, amount over about 15'. And I can't see getting that right really, much less transferring it consistently to 8 staves. Maybe I should have stuck with the box mast... .

    Maybe I should try tapering before thicknessing. Then I could get two bites of the apple. But I can't thickness on the planer after tapering, so I'd have to rip to width on the table saw, which seems fraught with potential for error too.

    So perhaps I should go back to trying to glass my foils. Seems less stressful in comparison.


  7. #96
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Gothenburg, Sweden
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    100

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    PAR's method sounds really good. With a 2x4 on each side there is no risk of taking off too much and if you use a hand plane everything will happen slow enough for you to feel in control (or set the power plane if you use one to take of just a little bit at a time). Good luck!

    Pontus

  8. #97
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    United States
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    Thanks Scooter. But getting the 2x4 shaped and positioned right seems like the challenge... Maybe I'm overthinking it. Wouldn't be the first time....

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