Cedar Strip Canoe Build...

March05 -- Wednesday evening.

Just a few shots tonight, things progressing well. We were able to completely dispense with the end frames tonight.



I lost count, but I think we put on another five strips on the top, and also two short lengths on each side at each end on the bottom -- see the duct tape in the photo.


One nice thing is that we were able to go back to two-at-a-time for the last set of strips on top.


Oh yeah... if you look towards the bottom of the previous photo, you see the centreline. So the other strips above it in the photo are all extending past the center and we will need to trim them back to centre once that side is completely stripped.


NOTE: we're taking a one-week hiatus due to spring break next week here in Ontario. So no more updates for about 10 days.
 
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Looks like a great start. I couldn't do a project with so many people, unless it was construction.

I built a stripper about 8 years ago per one of Nick Schade's (Maine) designs.

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Awesome. MAN that canoe is looking great - for a canoe.

LOVE watching this build come together.

I also have Nick Schade's book and have a Kayak build on my bucket list.

YES - I love the curves - even in the rough - it looks sleek.

Enjoy the time off.
 
Wednesday March 19th…

Tonight we hit a mini-milestone, as we finished gluing strips to one side of the canoe — that is to say, we reached the centreline with our cedar strips.

Next time things will start getting fiddly, as we will have to start fitting the strips in from the other side.

We had too many hands actually, so one guy was interested in how we were going to smooth the outside. So my buddy handed him my block plane and put him to work…



Here we are partway the evening, having just finished clamping into place the second pair of strips. We are gluing in two at a time, since it is flat enough for that.


We also added one more strip at the top (which is upside down still…) of each end.


Here you can just see the pencil line which is roughly indicating the centre line. Next time we will be cutting the other strips back to that. We’ll stay roughly 1/8” from the centre and then plane/chisel it flush.


And here it begins. We’re forcing the last two strips into place for that side.


Lots of hands makes this quick work.


There was actually a fair bit of standing around tonight. We glued in a total of six strips on top, and one on each side of the end (so four at the ends). But each time we had to wait for the glue to set up for 20-25 minutes before unclamping and getting the next set into place.

Yeah, maybe staples next time…
 
March 22 - Part One

On the one hand, we didn’t get much done this Saturday, only 3 strips.
But on the other hand, we made huge progress!

Using a long straightedge, we marked the centre line of the canoe. This showed us how much waste had to be cut off of the strips already installed on the finished side of the canoe.


Nothing fancy here, just using a jigsaw to cut off the waste. He is staying between a sixteenth and an eighth inch off of the line.


The end result (almost). After this, we used block planes to plane back to the line all the way along the centre, and resorted to chisels at the ends where the planes would not fit.



Each strip now has to be fitted carefully at each end. We start with one end and plane a sharp point on the strip. Then we fit the strip, and plane the other end to fit. Then we test fit, and hopefully we have not planed off too much. More likely we need to plane a bit more. (then repeat again and again…)


The ends usually had to be held in place with duct tape, which you can see in some of the other shots.

Here we are at the end of the day, sweeping up, and the third strip is in place.
You can see how straight the centre line is after being planed back to the pencil line.
 
March 22 - Part Two


We also worked on the stems. We used a belt sander to smooth and curve the ends.


The outer stems are laminated strips of cherry. These were made WAY back on the FIRST day of the build, at the same time, and on the same form, as the inner pine stems. Finally we take them out of storage and see how they fit on the ends.


Here is what the end looks like after belt sanding and before the cherry stem is in place. It is pretty wide, since it needs to match the width of the cherry stem.


We also had to trim back the strips a bit, to make a bit of a pocket for where the cherry stem comes to an end.


Once it fit close enough, we slathered on the Titebond II glue, placed it in place, and fastened it with 2 inch screws. We pre-drilled all the holes in the cherry about 3 inches apart. The screws are serving as the clamp here. Next week these will be removed and cherry plugs fitted into place to fill the holes.


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We also marked the shear line at the ends and roughly cut off some of the excess strips at those four locations.



Here is one place where we took out the Random Orbit Sander with some 40 grit and smoothed things, to get a feel for what that part of the job is going to be like. The smoothed part is the central oval-shaped lighter section in the middle of the photo.



One Last Look:
 
Just wow! That is really coming along! Looks fantastic!

Must be kind of fun to have a big crew like that helping along as well.
 
March 26 - Wednesday evening

My buddy (the one who actually knows what he is doing… I’m just winging it!) couldn’t make it tonight. It was just me and my #2 son. I was actually okay with that, as I’m still a bit unsure of things, so I was happy to have just two of us to keep track of.

Wednesday’s are short days, just 90 minutes of work.

We got two more strips installed. Doesn’t seem like much, but with all the fiddling it is a good 15 minutes to fit each one, and then wait 30 minutes for the glue to set before unclamping and starting on the next one… that means things do not go quickly at this stage!


While waiting for the glue to set on the first strip we got going on shaping the outer stems



Here is a sort of before picture of the one end. The outer stem (laminations of cherry) is in a rectangular cross section. We need to take that down to be more V-shaped so that the sides blend in to the stem.


Here is a sort of after picture of the other end, after there has been a fair bit of shaping. It’s not done by any stretch, but better!


These were the three tools of choice for this:
Chisel - used a bit to pare down the ends, where the other two could not easily reach
Spokeshave - used a TON for shaping the stems
Block plane - used a fair bit, until I realized the spokeshave worked much better. Still used it afterwards for more cleanups


Close up of the spokeshave at work. You can see a bit over my shoulder how it is shaping.
I worked just on the upper half of the stem. The part that curves around to the bottom I left alone tonight.


Selfie Alert! Yours truly and my helper for the evening, #2 son.


Final shot of one of the stems. Oh yeah, pulled out all the screws first, but did not plug any of the holes. Forgot to bring some cherry to make plugs! As well we really want to get the stems shaped before we worry about plugging them.
 
Coming together. I'm curious, and keep in mind, I have never built one, but I watched a demo once on building one and they would glue a strip, clamp, add another and move the clamp, they didn't wait for the glue to set. Was that because it was a demo, or can you just keep stacking the strips?
 
Great progress Art. I still think its worth the way you doing it without staples. Just look at the great finish without the pock marks. It will be super when done. Cant wait. Great father son project. Time that will be remembered for a lifetime. Very cool all round. Color me green with envy.
 
Mar 29 - Saturday

Other commitments meant that we could only spare a bit over an hour this morning.
We got two more strips installed, and some more work on shaping the stems.
We measured and it seems like 5-6 more strips and we will close in the hull.

Here is how we fit a strip. First we place a strip at one end, make pencil marks, cut 1/8” off the line, and then plane to the line and fit it into place (dry). We then put one clamp in the middle to hold it there…



Over at the other end we bend it into position, take marks off the canoe and again rough cut it to shape, leaving the other end in position.


Again we plane to the line. Here I am pulling with the block plane, as that is the easiest way to do this with the plank half-clamped into position.


After a few test fits and adjustments we decide it is good and then pull it out and run a bead of wood glue in the cove where the plank is fitted. We run our finger along to make sure the glue is in the cove and there is 100% coverage:


Then we force in the plank and clamp it, as has been shown in other photos.

While the glue is setting, we could get started with the spokeshave on shaping the lower part of the two stems where it needs to blend into the hull. I set the gap on the shave quite wide and ripped away at the wood as near the end we had well over a half inch of stock to remove.


With the bulk of it gone we continued finessing the shape with the block plane.
(in this photo I have put in an arrow to indicate where the end of the stem is located, just near the leading edge of the plane.


And one more shot:
 
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