My Gentry build

[Trackhappy]

Thought I should add a new topic and start posting some details and piccies of my Gentry build.

The first is a general view of how spoiled I am, with lots of space and some good machinery. We live in a very warm area so working outside is very pleasant for all but a few weeks a year. I am surrounded by native bush with lots of wildlife. This is basically a "lean to" off the huge shed which belongs to one of my Brothers. You can see the 10" sawbench and thicknesser/planer, plus the dust extractor and oscillating spindle sander. If I had my time over, I would buy the bigger dust extractor as it can't really keep up with the thicknesser.

Gentry build workspace

This is the expensive pile. I should have tidied it up before photographing it, but hey, you get what you get with me... I have used about 1/5 of it already to make the frames, chine, keel etc.

$3000 worth of Fijian Mahogany

This is the assembly area, inside to keep it out of the wind, sun and tropical rain storms. You can see I have put down some sheets of 3mm MDF to keep the concrete clean (about $8 per 8 x 4 sheet) and bolted down the main building form beam. I have made all the form parts, and just need to finish the rames members to thread them over before lining it all up.

Gentry assembly area. This pile grows bigger, the stock pile grows smaller.

To date I have made all the frame sides and bottoms, the stem and the breast hook, and started on the transom. The transom is taxing my little brain trying to visualise the bits where they need to be cut away from the plan line at 20 degrees. I am trying to figure out at present whether the bottom lam is cut away at 20 degrees from the line on the plan, then the top lam is cut away at 20 degrees from the outside line of the bottom lam. I think that is right, but boy is it confuusing me...

Next is to finish the transom frame then make all the curved deck frames and glue the frames together.

Lessons so far:

1. Bigger dust extractor
2. Buy the big carbon tracing paper from Glen-L
3. Buy the fastener kit AND the bronze coach bolts all at once from Glen-L (have to work out the lengths before ordering)
4. Read the plans more carefully and then more carefully again, and then again and again
5. Make sure you neighbour is a woodworking guru (mine is) who has expertise, sharpening equipment full setup....

Overall, the only disappointment is that I am back at work today.

The most difficult so far bits are the transom as already indictaed, and working out which bit of stock to cut which bits from without wasting too much.

I will update as I progress.

Glenn.

[DaveLott]

I am jealous. My shop is an obstacle course

[Oyster]

I am jealous. My shop is an obstacle course

His will be , he just doesn't know it yet.

[Trackhappy]

Actually, my biggest problem is that brooms keep disappearing... Mum has a Chocolate Labrador that pinches them and turns them into matchsticks.... only after running past and whacking your shins with them

I am having to learn to be tidy (never have been in my life, why do I have to now??????. If I don't my Wife comes along and cleans up.... and then I can never find anything again.

[Grand Chillin]

I am jealous. My shop is an obstacle course

Dave,

I feel the same way about his shop, but more so about his pile.

[DaveLott]

I am jealous. My shop is an obstacle course

Dave,

I feel the same way about his shop, but more so about his pile.

I had a pile like that once. It is mostly sawdust spread out in the woods now. Tell, me why we have all this beautiful ( and expensive) wood and most of it lands on the floor in sawdust and not on the boat? . But on 2nd thought it does land on the boat as well - in the form of sawdust.

Trackhappy - so you now have yourself a living sawdust and chip creator with the lab. It goes with the territory.

[Trackhappy]

It's nice to know people appreciate my piles... . My Doctor will be pleased. And yes, I have made a mess, but my Wife moves in and cleans it up if I don't. .... I kid you not Being outside helps, after I sweep up I just get out the leaf blower and blow away the rest. Had to move a trail bike last week and managed to drop it and break the brake handle. It dropped on my pile, but luckily no timber damage ensued.

Progress has slowed somewhat, being back at work and Uni. Still, we have progress.

Gentry framing and building form

Next frame (2 I think) on the board.

Gentry frame 2 on the board

I am getting better, learning not to cut myself on very sharp chisels . Figured out I am better with a handsaw than trying to control a power saw. Decided I like my spokeshave, very therapeutic. Can feelmy shoulder muscles today though.

A little stress with inaccuracies on the full szied plans. Makes it difficult when you are a newbie at timber. I think it was frame 2, the setup level and the vertcial line were not square, like 1/8" over 6-8". Took me a while to figure it out and allow for it. Breast hook drawing lam was way off being straight as well. Probably printing errors I guess. Just have to check everything and devise sneaky ways to be sure and correct if necessary.

The stringers are test-levelled, and the frames just sitting there temporarily to look good. I am worried about getting it all lined up straight, but one step at a time I guess. I can't wait to start wrapping the chine and sheer, then it will look like a real boat frame.

Anyway, just thought I'd put something up here since othermake an effort and their work looks so great.

Cheers.
Glenn

[DaveLott]

Glen - There is a boat in your shop!!!- How did that happen?

Looking good - it is amazing how those little pencil lines can throw you off. Be careful and get the frames right. Anything now will telegraph all the way thru and up to the top when you flip. Conversely, get it right now and when you sit back with the finished hull you will be astonished how all the pieces just line up so nicely.

Keep it up'

dave

[Trackhappy]

Not much happened over the weekend.... chores got in the way. Frame 2 was glued and screwed, and frame 1 is ready to be glued. I am also going back and carefully marking and cutting the keel slot in each frame since I now have the keel timbers machined. Once these are done, I will cut the limbers and attack it all with epoxy sealer. Need to mark the engine stringers for the frames next, then slip them all back on and align and fix the srtingers to the building form I guess.

I am thinking ahead about the planking though. Mahogany is difficult to get, and there is a limited amount left where I got the original pile. Question is what size to use. Plans are a little vague in this area. From experience, what is the best width and thickness? I was thinking 4" width and about 11/64" thickness. That would make it easy to get a bandsaw big to cut the thin strips from planks. Will that be easy enough to get around the curves?

The plan is to get 2" timber and cut at least 3/16" strips from it, then plane them down to the right thickness. My thicknesser seems to get down that size easy enough. A normal rip saw will waste too much so find a bandsaw that will do the job so as to waste less.

Any comments or experience is most happily received.

[DaveLott]

Glen - The width is really up to you. I have 2" wide material on my boat but I have seen guys use up to 6" wide. I bought rough cut 8/4 planks and planed them to an exact clean 2" and then using a thin kerf blade (.10) on the table saw I ripped the planks down into 3/16" strips. The thin kerf blade wastes just about the same as my bandsaw and I was able to get clean straight cuts. At this width I did not have to angle any side edges due to the angles of the hull. I understand some guys using thicker or wide planks have the plane the edges to get the fits. I was fortunate in that regard

If I were to make any recommendation, just buy a thin kerf blade and use you table saw. Unless you have experience resawing on the bandsaw you can waste some wood in a hurry with wondering blades. Don't ask how I know.

[Trackhappy]

Thanks Dave.

I was concerned that anything less than 4" would mean a LOT of work unnecessarily. 3" would be easier to rip as I only have a 10" table saw (damn I wish I had got the 12"). I will heartily take your advice about the bandsaw, was wondering if it would be difficult... .

Looks like another $2200 for Mahogany for the planking, assuming I don't use ply on the bottom. The plans allow for the aft bottom layers to be sheet plywood, but I just can't stand the thought of going to all the effort of building a Mahogany runabout and taking a major shortcut like that... just call me a sucker for punishment... .

[jamundsen]

I used a band saw to cut my planks. A few of the bow planks were 8" in order to make the curve properly. Most of my planks I cut to 5 Inches so I could hand plane them to the correct shape. the band saw took a little work to get it to cut correctly. use some other wood (cheaper) to get it set up. i bought a book on ebay for band saws that helped.

[Oyster]

Just a quick word regarding cutting the foward planks that has the greater curves,,,, Its not necessary to use wide planks with a lot of waste if you use a type of steps scarves to make the turn. A normal 10 inch table saw will do almost six inch planks in the rough and then cut your sections. Resaw your rough planks by running the plank sections and flipping over the planks which gives you the wide ones to then use templates from luan and place them on the rough cut ones and then cut the good stuff. But them wider a bit and fit the joints and then refine the edges. If you need pictures let me know.

[Trackhappy]

Thanks Oyster.. never thought of flipping the planks over. Dumb really... Who is Luan??? Pics would be good. I think I understand, but I am only a computer nerd after all....

8" planks huh? That is just plain scary. So where do I start? The sides seem to call for 3 layers at about 3/16", and 45 deg. seems to be the angle, but you want longtitudinal on the outside for show. So the inside you see the 45 deg. and cover it up with paint??? Then another at 90 deg. and then a "pretty" layer on top longtitudinal? Same on the bottom but two extra layers, or can you make the bottom inner layer full length to look nice as well since there are two extra layers????

Need to buy a thin kerf 10" blade. Looks like the guilt factor has worn off the Wife BTW, need to justify my timber purchases now. Oh well, it was too good to last. Still, she cleaned up the shavings around the building form today... Life is sweet.

[Oyster]

Luan is the 1/4" sheets of plywood for around ten bucks that I use for pattern making, fitting all my bits and pieces with it before cutting good stuff.