Speaking of keels - advice/comments sought

[Ed Harrow]

I've been working (albeit rather slowly, LOL) on replacing a keel. I have the original keel lying on top of the new hunk of wood, using it as a pattern. Using a 1/8" shim as a spacer, I've periodically drilled holes alongside the original keel. My plan is to spring a batten along finish nails tapped into those holes. Drawing a line on the inside of the batten will give me a +1/8" cushion. Additionally, I've run a chaulk line the length of the keel, as close as I could get to being on center (the keel is 60+ years old, and neither top nor bottom surface is a flat as it might be, and every 12" have measured to edge of rabbet (or keel, as the case may be) on each side. (I've marked the new stick (at the ends of the keel) with that same centerline.)

Next step is to lift original off the new, snap the line, and lay out the measurements for the rabbet line.

Comments? Thank you!

[PAR]

Sounds like you have a good handle on the job. I don't know if I would bother with the battens, I'd just trace the old (pattern) on the new and if something looked out of fair, then I'd spring a batten and smooth things out.

I measure the vertical distance from the top of the keel to the bearding (inside face of the planking hitting the keel's outer face) line (sounds like you've done this on 12" centers) and drive a nail. Spring a batten through the nails and get the bearding line drawn on the work.

I set a circular saw or router to the flattest angle in the rabbit and at the depth it needs and plow out the rabbit. This is the rough rabbit that will need tuning to get the angles correct and I use chisels and planes for this.

If you have a rolling bevel that changes a lot through it's length, then you'd be better just chiseling out the rabbit at each station mark (your 12" marks) and connecting the dots so to speak.

[Ed Harrow]

Thank you. Something close to 50% of the rabbet is "perpendicular" to the width of the keel, and then rolls out as it moves forward. The aft portion looks like "Dumpster Sally" (81/4 Skill wormdrive I rescued from the town's scap metal dumpster!!) work. Forward portion I'll be approaching by chiseling as you suggest. Thank you again for your advice.

[PAR]

If you're the brave type you can remove the guard and try a datto blade in there and plow out a bunch of wood in a single pass. I've had great luck "steering" a circular saw through curves by using a set of pliers and putting some additional set in the blade teeth. Work slow and careful and you can get surprisingly close to the line. Set your depth to the "ghost" line at the bottom of the rabbit and let the rabbit line run out where it will after the beveling is done, it'll get filled and faired with the planking and caulk.

I know a guy who uses a "Roto Zip" to work his rabbits. He tacks a metal banding strap to the rabbit line and using a custom cut bit (tip broken off to the depth of the rabbit so the shank rides on the banding) he plows out down to his first cut made with a circular saw. He does rolling bevels this way, though he does have a bunch of dressing up to do after this task is done. It seems to be faster then hacking at it with chisels and planes, but I can't bring myself to try to freehand the roll in the bevels he does. He pulls the bit up and out of the cut every foot or so to insure he's on the ghost line. He removes a bunch of wood in his first pass and refines it with additional passes all the time floating along on the banding strap. Clever, but I'm not sure enough with the tool to try it on expensive lumber.

I'd think you could engineer a finger to ride in the cut from the saw to give you a guide towards the bevel roll, but the tool is able to remove too much wood too fast for my liking.

I generally get close with the chisel and clean up with the plane. Hope your keel works out okay. Let us know how you're getting along from time to time.

[Ed Harrow]

LOL, I'm a chicken at heart...

We've tweaked the blade to increase its kerf by probably 1.75 x (I've not measured the test cuts). Spitting out chainsaw-sized wood chips didn't seem to bother Dumpster Sally a whit, either. Ain't nothin like a wormdrive! Thanks again!