Building a Centerboard | creating a perfect foil with a router - Free Range Boat Build Stage. 2
Вставка
- Опубліковано 18 січ 2024
- In this, the second episode of our on-farm boat build, we take a look at using a hand held router to easily shape a Center board as a foil. A router is the next tool on the list of machines I fully respect after a chainsaw. Anything they take, is gone forever!
Starting a boat in the middle may seem strange, but we took on this project to see us through the Christmas and New Year period, when materials and supplies can be hard to buy. Everything required for this project was on hand and a great project for any time I got spare.
This board was made from all recycled material, and we think it came up very well. It added nothing to the cost of the boat, except for some timber glue.
While this board was made from solid timber, glued into a large blank, this technique will work just as well to shape a blank made up from sheets of plywood. We will revisit this board later when it's time to fibreglass everything, but in the meantime we think this video follows some interesting techniques.
Support us and gain early access to videos and other exclusive rewards.
Become a patron of Free Range Living today! / freerangesailing
Some of our fans prefer to make a direct contribution by Paypal: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted...
OUR SOCIALS
Follow us on: Instagram: / freerangehomestead
Facebook: / freerangesailing
Link to Article: www.duckworksmagazine.com/09/...
Link to John Welsford designs Facebook page:
/ jwdesigns
FREE PROVISIONING GUIDE
Pascale has put together a FREE 40 page Provisioning Guide. The Guide explains and provides examples of how we can travel eating a variety of healthy and delicious meals for up to 6 months at a time on our tiny boat with no resupply. There has never been a better time to start learning how to increase the food storage potential of your home. I hope this guide will inspire you to make more informed long term provisioning choices for the future! For more information visit the Provisioning Page on our website ( www.freerangesailing.com/boat-provisioning ) or to grab a copy directly by clicking on the link below.
LINK HERE: Download your FREE Provisioning Guide: bit.ly/3adbloF
Also if you want to find out more about what I am cooking up every week for us at the homestead (and previously aboard SV Mirrool) you should follow my foodie Instagram page! gourmetsailor
Music Credits
Our theme tune (outro and/or intro song) Aquarium by TEVO. You can listen to his music here: soundcloud.app.goo.gl/4MAfa
All music sourced from Epidemic Sound (www.epidemicsound.com)
On the request of one of our patrons we put together a playlist of some of our music on Spotify. Follow along and listen here: open.spotify.com/playlist/4Qe...
I am a retired carpenter - wood worker. When I sold off my shop tools, I kept the favorites for the studio shop at home. The routers I kept - all of them, and I had quite a few. They are now set up for specialty tasks. If I could only have one tool, it would be a router.
Picking up my first router and learning about jigs was a real turning point in my life. No exaggeration. They can do so much, so quickly, to such a high standard.
Maybe I need one
Troy, your ability to teach while stressing attention to detail and safety are very uncommon in today's world of disposable everything. Nearing my fifth decade of (still) learning to be a craftsman from designing/ building furniture, residential trim work in multi-million dollar homes, sailboat refit (fiberglass, SS railings, cabinetry, wiring) I find that there are fewer people who want to work with their hands. Hopefully you will inspire a new generation of craftspersons or re-awaken an interest in an old hobby. The best to you and the family. Cheers.
I do notice that time off the tools, doing gross motor skills has left my fine motor skills a bit shaky. Hopefully, taking a bit of care with this build will see them restored.
I have struggled with routers, not quite understanding how to use them well and get the most out of them. Thanks for the tips
I bolted two pieces of angle iron to a worktable and fastened the rudder and centerboard blank between them, then constructed a platter with bearings that rolled atop the angle iron. The router sat atop the platter and routed the blank below through a hole in the platter.
I taped the shape the desired airfoil to the end of the blank and created "stairs" along the length of the foils. Fifteen minutes of power sanding later and it was smooth.
That is almost the same way I resurfaced a dinged up old work bench, without the refinement of bearings. It came out incredibly square and true.
Thank you Troy for being thorough with your explanations. I'm not a boat builder or a carpenter, but I do small projects and your knowledge with procedures and reasons is valuable to me. Old school knowledge must be kept going especially to the up coming generations.
Thanks for putting together a great tutorial on this technique. It was well paced and commentary and camera work were so easy to listen to and watch. Great to see a Triton Mk3 in the background too.
I used your method to finish a daggerboard for my Farr 3.7 (in Canada). Worked quite well, thanks for the inspiration.
You're a genuine craftsman Troy. I'm also a woodworker & jigs are one of the most useful tools in woodworking.
Half the fun is thinking up new jigs but they can lead to clutter if I get too sentimental for the good ones!
That router jig is brilliant. I’ve seen people shaping rudders and center boards many ways, and this seems like the most foolproof way. Glad to see the build coming together.
I've also used a rail jig to re-surface an old work bench. Skimmed about 2mm off and got it very square. It took a little while, but it was a good outcome.
@@FreeRangeLiving I did the same for a redwood slab coffee table, just never thought about it for a foil shape.
It’s not a Free range episode without Pascie !
Well, the last video was pretty much 100% Pascie.
True, but the shed is no place for a baby right now, so no Pascie either :( The farming episodes still are graced by her smile though.
❤@@FreeRangeLiving
great work.
Hi Troy, the care and attention to detail in everything you do is outstanding. Look forward to seeing more instalments of your boat build. All the best to you, Pascale and Constance, from the UK.
Using a Triton M3 with an Hitachi MV12, I suspect. Also the big 2400w Triton power saw, if you can find one, is very good. I have been using these tools for 20+ years. Set up carefully, you can cut to 0.1 - 0.3mm accuracy.
Nice work Troy! Homesteading is cool but it’s nice to see you handling a boat again!
On router boo-boos: Rout in a wee grain-matched graving piece if the router ever betrays you on something that won’t get painted. Only takes a few minutes if everything is at hand. If it ever happens to me, which of course it never does, I play a fun game with my clients called “can you spot the graving piece?” If the fit is tight and the grain match is close, you have to know it’s there to spot it….
I have question about your former life. I’ve been studying your Merool refit videos because I am doing a similar job on a similar boat and I have always admired your seamanship and general competence. I think I’ve come around to the benefits of a dyneema rig. I know you sold the boat, (sigh), but you did whomp across the Bite with that rig and maybe you’re in touch with the new owners? Would you rig a boat like that again? Any learnings or qualifications? There are plenty of dyneema maximalists out there, but you are “my hero” of 30 footer seamanship, and I would value your insights and hindsights above the others.
Big fan,
Greg
PS Another routing tip that was a game changer for me: get your hands on a a suite of spiral up cut bits without bearings and a ‘router guide brush’ set. You have to do the math on the off sets, but they cut much better than the strait cut surfacing bits (they take fewer holidays), and they keep the cutter head slightly away from your jigs, so the jigs don’t get eroded by repeated use. It’s not a replacement for a flush trim bit, but in my opinion it is superior for most other jig-work. They will break when they get blunt… but they last longer than strait bits and they are cheaper where I’m from.
First, I'll have to research the method for doing graving pieces, as that sounds incredibly useful.
Yes, I am a dyneema convert and will be using it extensively in this build. The one thing I would consider doing differently, is to incorporate turnbuckles in the shrouds. I think better precision might result, but I was very happy with the rest. I do wish I had not let myself be persuaded against a solent stay for the emergency inner stay, as running backstays are sub-optimal on a little cruiser. Leave them to racers with plenty of deck crew to keep busy.
I have actually ordered a new spiral cut bit, and do have an offset guide. your point about eroding jigs hadn't occurred to me, but seems obvious now that you have pointed it out. Thanks.
Yeah, i blew up my cheap ryobi power tools on hardwood. All my makita os still going strong though. Nice idea on the routing jig. Strewth, shes a job well done mate ;-)
Far out Troy, you're a great teacher mate! Great to have you here!
They just don't make tools like they used to.
Thanks for sharing.
The electrical smoke still smells the same!
Always great to Sit here on my NEW Free-range Hoody watching my favorite sailing/homestead channel🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😍😍😍😍😍😍,
Parenthood shining through, that baby bounce of your centreboard, you can never get rid of the bounce nor sway, nice tutorial Troy, cheers 👍🍻
I'm still using the decreasing remains of the 4 x 8 sheets of thin MDF the plywood from two projects ago arrived in. Never throw that stuff away! In fact each new project, boat or otherwise, uses less and less new stock as I build up a collection of useful scrap from previous. wood shavings are saved, where possible, for BBQ lighting tinder, sawdust for glue filler or oil spill clean up. I hate throwing stuff away. Very much enjoying the build. Cheers! (From South Australia).
Thanks for bringing back the memory of making mine Troy, you forget how much work there actually is in completing one of those, all good fun though. All the best with it, looking forward to seeing how she progresses Cheers man.
An unexpected way of shaping this form makes me think about how I could include a router, while still downsizing 😆
Excellent and very interesting video Troy. I have made a dagger board for a small boat out of wood using similar techniques but the centerboard I made for my 27 foot fiberglass boat I made from fiberglass and the centerboard for my Hartley is glass covered steel. You are a very patient man because you didn't allow wanting to speed up the process to ruin the project. I applaud you for that. It's beneficial to know when you can cut corners and when you can't and it's obvious that you have a handle on that. I'm looking forward to the next episode.
hoping to build a welsford design in a year or two so thanks for the preview.
fuckin' Awesome explanation - much respect 😊
Thoroughly enjoyed watching you and your meticulous precision!! You'll make a great boatbuilder yet!! You asked for comments, tips, etc. The Jarrah on the centreboard top is great. But the glue will struggle to hold long term on the endgrain of the pine. The glass will help to a degree, but
I'd put the screws back in. Big long ones! Or dowels.
Yes! I have been waiting, so excited!
Hi that was grate to see other uses for a router. Hi from Ireland 🇮🇪
I always admire your practical skills, (sailing, construction, and farming). Reminds me of when I designed and built a custom 18' cat, modeled after a picture of a 20' Tornado cat in my first year at college. Now retired from teaching, I design and build custom jazz guitars. Love your channel.
It sounds like you're not wanting for practical ability either!
I'll take that as high praise from the Master.
@@FreeRangeLiving
Great job the recent set of foils I made were significantly lighter and less contoured so I shaped mine with a belt sander it actually wasn't so bad as a task but your method would be more appropriate for those foils for sure.
May I ask, do you save belt dust for an epoxy additive? some people do use it for fillets and glue.
@@FreeRangeLiving Yes I do though I find belt sander dust a bit fibrous which is great for filleting applications but can be harder to get a nice fine finish. Generally its the orbital sander dust for finer applications where I am not glassing over the fillet.. I have a theory that the wood flour makes a stronger fillet compound due to the fibers but not having access to an Angstrom test machine anymore its hard for me to test.
Hi Troy, thank you for the upload. It's already been alluded to, but your teaching skills are phenomenal. If you ever needed a cash injection, you couldn't go wrong taking on a night school position in wood working. I'm in the process of going through the Marool episodes, but keep getting interrupted, by the need to eat. It's fascinating reliving those early days of your channel. In the meantime take care and atb from across the ditch here in Nz.
A little extra cash would be most welcome but I'm too busy to get another job! Thanks as always Bryan
Nice work! I'm intrigued, when I've thought on doing this in the past I've assumed I'd template routing lines of equal depth vertically to get the profile I wanted continuously along the length, then use a rasp-disk to take off the excess and round it, followed by plane and sand. I can see the way you've done it is a fair bit quicker. Looking forward to seeing it finished up with ballast installed. Are you going to armour the leading edge with a metal strip?
Enjoying the variation of projects. Sail-on!
Nice work, thank you for the video.
Really gel with your instruction style, thanks!
Very nice work Troy, I think the hard wood additions will pay off. The foil is constant top to bottom without taper or did I miss something?
Nicely done... 👍
Inspirational video again Troy, good to see you in the shop
Thanks 👍
Excellent work Troy!!!
Incredible talent sailor, one can only dream of your learned experience. The channel is only taking shape as you ARE BEYOND MOST. Love the family congratulations on your child So heartwarming. Once again amazing talent kind human. : through the roof episode chief.
Greetings again from the PNW Trailer Sailor. Sorry my suggestion comes a little late. A heads up on what your next project or two on the boat at the end of each video would help everyone’s suggestions be more timely. Hopefully saving you some time, improving the build and avoiding any rework.
Rest assured that there are some of us out here that would consider it a privilege to be able to help you along in your build. In today's lingo, crowdsourcing your build plan. Seems like a good idea providing you don't get overwhelmed with input.
I see your centerboard is pivoting on the leading edge. I can only assume the pivot is only accessible from under the boat as it would be below the waterline. If it is accessible from inside the boat, I would think it's a leak waiting to happen. If it's accessed from under the boat I have no idea how simple or complicated that assembly is.
Look over the plans and consider a pivot at the following edge. The pivot point would then be above the waterline and simply a hole through the trunk with a rubber bonded washer on the pivot bolt or possibly a couple o-rings to stop any seepage from splashing. I like using silicon bronze hat bushings for such things always thinking of future serviceability.
A line to the leading edge could then be used to secure the center board in the down position with the auto-release cam cleat discussed previously (again with the line through a hole above the waterline). Moving the pivot point to the rear would however require a longer trunk for the center board to swing up into so there is much to consider.
Regardless of where you choose to put your pivot point I am a big believer in making things serviceable. For bushing the pivot point on the centerboard consider using the top hat shaped bushings made for leaf springs available at your local four-wheel drive shop. They are available in many diameters from around 20 to 40 mm in size. They would provide a quality bearing surface for the pivot as well as on the sides.
For those of you unaware of the precision required for some of Troy’s work, an error of just one half of a degree in the angle of the hole drilled for the pivot in the center board of 1200mm in length will result in the end of the center board being just over 20mm off center when stowed in the trunk possibly causing it to hit the sides of the trunk preventing it from stowing. The same precision is required on locating the points on the side of the trunk that the centerboard pivots on.
On the final drilling of the pivot hole in the centerboard I suggest drilling the hole in a scrap board first on your drill press setup and incerting a dowel or rod so you can check square over a larger distance for greatly increased accuracy. If you opt for the pivot on the trailing edge I have thoughts on how to accurately locate those holes in the trunk we can discuss another day.
For stowing the center board better leverage is had the lower you go on it with the line. If the rear of your trunk is square ending just past the center board and you go too low on the board with the line, the hydrologic pressure at the rear of the slot can send water through the hole in the top of the trunk that your line goes through even though this is above the water line.
Fixes are to move the line further up the board (making it more difficult to lift) or angle the rear of the trunk. Fresh water sailers will run a line down one side of the board through a low friction ring and up through the top of the trunk for a 2:1 but in the salt you should have a single line as kelp and such can foul the line where it goes through the ring making it impossible to stow. Sorry Troy for any extra work the late suggestions may have caused.
While I’ve watched everything you two have put out. My previous post was the first time I have written. After learning so much from the two of you over the years it's nice to finally have something worthwhile to contribute.
Till next time: TimSharkey_LensN2shutter
Great video Troy.....you can make any task interesting.....whether it is boat repair.....building something from scratch......or shoveling poop........
Nice one! It will be interesting to follow your boat build.
Love the shorts❤,. So my style 😂
That piece is worthy of epoxy and varnish! Instead of fiberglass.
I'll try and find the link but someone did drag analysis on centreboard foils and a nice thin but square trailing edge was the best. It's also the most "ding proof" shape. You'd think that a knife edge would be best but apparently not.
Yes I see JW specifies a finished edge of 5mm on the trailing edge. Mine is a little thinner, but I will be double-glassing my board and will leave it square at the rear.
Hi Troy, Maybe its been mentioned below already. The aspect ratio of the foil will not be de same top to bottom. Also glueing that cap piece on might lead to cracking, although due to the soft wood, small pieces and you using epoxy & fibreglass you probably get away with it. Neither are big issues.
I was aware of the aspect ratio, though it seems it won't matter much based on what I have seen discussed on the builders forum. The cracking potential hadn't occurred to me though. I was going to re-install stainless screws into the cap and epoxy them so perhaps that and the glass might prevent this issue. Do you think the cracking will be due to expansion/ contraction differentials with no breadboard end treatment to allow for movement?
@@FreeRangeLiving That's what I was thinking. From what I've seen its not so much the risk of the cappiece coming off if its glue line is strong enough, but the longitudinal pieces cracking at the weakest point along their length. But be surprised if the glass you are planning to lay over the top will not sufficiently reinforce & stabilize any movement.
Try Bondo for filling, it sands more like timber. Because epoxy is so hard when sanding pine which is much softer it strpis away the pine much quicker
I have got some fairing filler to add to the epoxy so it will sand easy. I have seen people try to sand epoxy with glue filler and that is like working on diamond.
Love your new project can't wait to see the progress David Newcastle Australia 🦘
Hi Troy What are those work glasses and where would i buy them in aust cheers
My local hardware is a mitre 10 and stocked prescription safety glasses up to +3.50
Cheers @@FreeRangeLiving
Hi Troy & Pascale, greetings from 42 degrees South. I have had trouble with my Patreon account , it still lists you guys as an account but I haven’t seen any money coming out of my account. Can you confirm that is the case?
Kind Regards
Alistair McRae