5m timber lengths wanted for keel, chines, etc

[BlinkofanEye]

I'm looking for a location that sells lengths of wood up to 5 meters, 190x19 and some 40x19 all need to be D.A.R. or 200x25 and 50x25 rough. It's my first time building a plywood boat and I'm having a lot of trouble finding anything light and able to take the wet in those sizes. Since I'm a private buyer I only need a couple of pieces of each. Suggested timber types are spruce, fir, mahogany, australian oak, etc. Any help and/or suggestions is greatly appreciated.

[bitingmidge]

BoE,

Saw your post elsewhere and was waiting for a WA person to answer. I can't help you with a local supply, but have bought from Marine Timbers in Melbourne before, get their details from the Boatcraft Pacific (http://www.boatcraft.com.au/) website.

What sort of boat are you building and when do you start posting progress pics??

Cheers,

P

[graemet]

Hi Blinkers,
If you're having trouble finding 5 metre lengths, why not scarph two shorter lengths with epoxy glue. If you are going to build boats, then you will have to learn sometime and it's quite easy particularly with a power plane and a homemade angle jig, and the resultant stick is just as strong as the onepiece.
Have a look at "Practical Yacht Joinery" by Fred Bingham. In fact, if you're serious about boatbuilding, buy it. It will keep you in bedtime reading for months and inspire your efforts! My copy from Boat Books.
Cheers,
Graeme

[Daddles]

Go to your local specialist lumber yard and ask them. Tell them you're building a boat and there's sure to be someone who'll understand.

Don't bother with what American's specify - the names are all different here. Your best bet is to ask for joiner's grade Oregon, but just tell them you're building a boat and want it clear.

Now, why do you need 5m long? You can scarf pieces together you know, and that works very well, even in pieces that are being bent. At TAFE, we didn't have anything near that long yet we're building a 20 footer.

Cheers
Richard
keep tossing the questions mate - if we don't know the answer, someone will make one up :eek:

[Robert WA]

It is the "light" timber that worries me. I think you are looking for an import to WA as I don't know of anything local.
If scarphing to get the length is not possible, then laminate what you want from whatever you can get, even marine plywood strips. That has the advantage that you can build curve into the lengths.
Meranti was the thing to use when I built a 20' boat more than 40 years ago in SA. Is that still available?

[Daddles]

Lots of Meranti around, and it looks nice, but it doesn't rate very well in the rot resistance stakes. It's not considered a boat building timber.
You should bear in mind that I'm a real dunce when it comes to timber so I'm happy to be contradicted, however, a mate has been looking at meranti as an old plan he wants to build suggests it, however, I've found nothing modern that supports it.

Cheers
Richard

[Robert WA]

As I said, meranti was all the rage 40 something years ago. Perhaps all the 40 year old boats have fallen apart?
Another option is Douglas Fir - Oregon from Canada and the US. I understand that there is plenty of it available at the moment. You would need to be selective and would pay a premium price for good quality, knot free lengths. Try salvage places for that, and for dense, premium grade Western Red Cedar. Don't even contemplate using structural grade WRC.
Try - http://www.westerntrade.com.au/timber/timber.htm
I haven't bought anything from them but have been told that they are worth a look. They, apparently, have some furniture grade timber from time to time.
Cheers
Rob

[BlinkofanEye]

Thanks to all that answered. I'll start the website in a few weeks. She's a 14ft ZIP fro Glen-L. I'm just at the frame part now and still waiting for the 19 mm marine grade ply to come into my local yard for the transom. I had thought about scarfing (I'll be scarfing the sides and possibly the bottom) but I didn't realize you could do that with the chines. I've ordered a book about building plywood books so that should help. My fathers visiting from Canada so he's helping me at the moment.

Thanks again!

[Wild Dingo]

Gidday there blinkers!
Now first things first Im movin from Mandurah to Brunswick Junction just up the road from you in a week and a half... gawd thats gonna be GREAT!!... but anyways if you want to catch up and have a yarn about boats give me a hoi!!! email... [email protected]

Now theres another timber that you probably havent considered but if its a light wood your after try Pauliwannia or Kiri.. a fella in Freo build a 30ft proa a few years back with the stuff and swears by it... theres a fella in Rockingham that sells the stuff and several plantations south of Mandurah Ive not been to them as yet but then Ive still not begun building mine yet either!

The advice re the scarfing and using epoxy is good info mate... best way to get the length you need without tryin to find it in one peice... give it a whirl :D

As Richard says forget what the yanks tell you to use as far as timber goes find an aussie boatbuilder and ask them what they use!!! theres also a timber book that tells you the relative information on what timbers stregths etc are from CSIRO or the Forestry Department I think timbercon stock it but am not sure... will be makin a shopping foray up that way in about a month got some spendin money from the sail of the house!! :cool: yeeeha those tool places are gonna get a thrashin!!! :eek:

If you want to contact best to give me an email mate I only come on this board occasionally as Im either out bush workin of flat out like a lizard drinkin doin ***** around this place!! :rolleyes:

[Wild Dingo]

mmm wonder what ever happened to blinky?... I mean here I said I was movin 20 minutes down the road from him 4 months ago... and nothing!... I mean how stunningly unfair of the chap! downright unsociable to by gar here I was willin to spend time with the wee laddie helpin him with his boat and... nothin... no email no pm no response here... no nothin :mad:

I be deeply mortified I do :(

[Daddles]

See Shane, you threatened him and he ran away. Smart chappie :D Mind you, I'd respond by doubling my beer ration ... so you've got something to drink when you came around to help me build my boat, but I know about that thumpin' great big pile of timber you've got air drying somewhere (you didn't loose it in one of your shifts did you?)

Cheers
Richard

[Wild Dingo]

No way mate!! Shes had chips while I was away she has! yessiree bob shes had a whole mess of splinters!... the Tuart well of that I have probably about a cube left I keep using the stuff!! Amazing that isnt it? I mean theres this flamin solid hard wood sittin there and I go an use it for something stupid like buildin work benches and such :rolleyes: but anyways she had some wee chips while I was away yep got back and theres this mess of Jarrah Wando Karri and Banksia and a week later she dropped the next lot! A whole heep of Plum Mulberry Pear and some more Jarrah

Its a conspiricy I tell yer!! All this ruddy woods chasin me around the country side! First Mandurah and the invasion of the Tuarts... now Brunswick and the invasion of the species!!

But mostly Im tryin to ignore it all... I glare up at the humpy at the back of the property from time to time and I see this wriggle of a branch of Pear or something and so I roar "gerroudaereyermongrel" and it backs away back inside... I went down there yesty and had a bit of a gander at it all... nicely stacked against the side of the humpy in three rather large piles and muttered "so you gonna drop anymore flamin chippies eh?" an buggar me mate if from within that second pile didnt come the answer "well if you would just sod of back to work yer git Id fill this bloody humpy"... now I think shes over rating herself the humpy I speak so loosely of is 75ft long by 25ft wide and somewhere around 20ft high so I cant see her having that many chippies in a 2 week stint at the mine can you? THAT TEASING LYIN WENCH!! :mad:

So Im goin back to Wiluna on Monday for 2 weeks (well I hope its 2 weeks although ive been warned it could be 3 which wont impress me much) and we will see eh? :rolleyes:

Hey I heard yous fellas have mines over that way? maybe I will have a go at scorein a job on one then I can come annoy ***** outta you while you work on your boat while I drink all yer beer (NO BLOODY SOUTHWARK!!) put yer women in awe of me handsomeness scare yer kids and then come back home to West Aus Best Aus eh? Sound the go or what mate? Then again you could just send me the damned ticket and I will come for a holiday!! HA!!! :p

[BlinkofanEye]

:eek: Hi all - yes I'm still here. Sorry about not replying. I'm so new at this wood working and boat building stuff that I decided to take a basic course at the Tafe down the road. Met a couple of chaps that work at timber mills so that's helping.

My husband says I still can't saw straight. Now he's in for it - I've nagged him into setting up his Triton saw bench for me.

Anyhow, I've completed the form, frames and now I'm cutting the transom, breasthook and stem. As you can tell I jumped the gun looking for the keel and chine timber :o

Wild Dingo I haven't forgotten your offer and I'll keep you informed of how it's progressing. Hope I can still count on your help if I need it (which I probably will!)

[Wild Dingo]

EGADS!!! :eek: A sheila?? HA! :D Thats one in the eye for yours truely :p Man a fella thinks hes yarnin with blokes all the time on this thing its a real charge when its a sheila youve been yarnin to all along!! :cool:

No worries Blinkers... when I finally get me shed up an running :rolleyes: I will be more than happy to help out where I can with jointing thicknessing turning or whatever is needed... and dont mind meetin you an your hubby havin a yarn an talkin boats or woodworkin in general :cool:

As I said Collies just up the road from me now and I think John Saxton is nearby as well... so maybe an elbow bendin session in the local rubbetty first? or a cafe (if we can keep John from the pub! ;) )

I still think if you can get hold of some Kiri for a light timber usable in boat buildin its got to be one of the better options.

Let me know if I can help out :cool:

Triton? :rolleyes: ah well maybe one day they will grow and become real tools! :cool: now watch the tritonites come outta the woodwork and go ballistic! :D

[Daddles]

Cripes Shane, a woman comes on the forum and you start talking english. I think this is the first coherent post you've ever put up :D

I think you'll enjoy the TAFE course Blink - although I did mine here in Adelaide, I enjoyed it so much I went on to do the 12 month course as well. It's great being able the ruin someone else's tools while messing up someone else's boat :D ... though in this case, one of those boats became mine (see avatar). :D

Cheers
Richard

[Wild Dingo]

aaahh me lingo eh? well mate its the power of the sheilas :eek: see they make me do it! :mad: ! I dont do it willingly it just seems to happen :rolleyes: ... a sheila wanders by an I talk all edjoomakated an propalike damnedest thing really no reason for it I guess just the power of a sheila ;) Hows the writin going daddles? :cool:

Hey Blinkers!! You still there? You goin to the auction in Bunbury on Saturday? theres some oregon there if you want it... you can tap ol Johnnos mushy stuff to your hearts content while I just stand there lookin like a stunned mullet... thats between buyin timber sheds utes an all sortsa stuff

I GOTS THE CREDIT CARD!! :eek: YeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeFLAMINhaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! :p

If yer goin Blink give us a hoi as I said I'll be the one with the look of a demented chook on steroids white beard and all :cool: Johnno will the good lookin one with the "I know all there is to know about wood an stuff BUT I dont know this demented galah next to me" look about him :D

I'll lissen for the accent eh! Its Canadian eh! Easy as eh :p