Boat building tools question

[TheChillPrince]

Hi guys, I had a thread posted in the boat design section of this forum that asked this question, among others. I partly got my other question answered but not this one, so i thought i would try in the wooden boat building section.

to the mods: i am not trying to spam and this will be my last post about it on this forum.

my question is, i ordered the 13' sissy do flat bottom row boat plans from glen l, but i am unsure of the tools i need, i know i need something to cut the wood, would you guys recommend http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-...=UTF8&qid=1462849359&sr=8-9&keywords=wood+saw if not, what should i get?

also, i know i need clamps but i do not know their specific names or any other tool i may need, should i buy a nail gun?

thanks for your answers

 

[whitepointer23]

Hi guys, I had a thread posted in the boat design section of this forum that asked this question, among others. I partly got my other question answered but not this one, so i thought i would try in the wooden boat building section.

to the mods: i am not trying to spam and this will be my last post about it on this forum.

my question is, i ordered the 13' sissy do flat bottom row boat plans from glen l, but i am unsure of the tools i need, i know i need something to cut the wood, would you guys recommend http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-...=UTF8&qid=1462849359&sr=8-9&keywords=wood+saw if not, what should i get?

also, i know i need clamps but i do not know their specific names or any other tool i may need, should i buy a nail gun?

thanks for your answers

you are on the right track. a jigsaw will do most of your cutting but spend more money and buy a professional quality saw which will last forever. i have bought cheap jigsaws which burnt out after a few cuts.

 

[The Q]

Is this the only thing you are going to build out of wood? if it is then the B+D would probably survive that long. If you intend to make other things from would then My favourite power tools are Makita.

My Makita Jigsaw has built an 18ft mini keelboat and a 54ft *16ft wooden shed (no other power saws used), with much other stuff made between and it's still going strong.
It's the predecessor to this one
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-4350FC...rds=makita+jigsaw&refinements=p_36:1253531011.

Nailguns have no part in making boats and certainly not in such a small boat. I don't know the boat you are building but I would have thought gluing and screwing the panels to frames would be much better.

The two main types of clamp are:
F type like this http://www.amazon.com/Ratcheting-F-...8&qid=1463984642&sr=1-6&keywords=F+type+clamp

or this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004YOBQ?ref_=ams_ad_dp_asin_2

or G type clamps
Like this http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-91809-...e=UTF8&qid=1463984763&sr=1-1&keywords=g+clamp.

Note none of the clamps am I recommending they are just examples of the type of clamp available.
I normally use the second type of F clamp shown of which I have a variety of different lengths from different makers.
For long items like masts and booms I have a large collection of the first type of F clamp. There are a few G clamps hanging up in the shed but not often used.

You will need a electric drill, variable speed with clutch if you are going to use it as a screwdriver as well, again a cheap B+D will build just that boat, but for longevity I'd go for a Makita.

 

[Richard Woods]

I have home built many boats with the following: jigsaw, 4in grinder, orbital sander, cordless drill, powerfile, 3 clamps. Powerplane, but I don't like using it. I sold my router - not enough use. Hammer. Hand plane (blunt) chisel (also used for opening paint cans) But I am a boat bodger, not a boatbuilder

Richard Woods

 

[TheChillPrince]

The two main types of clamp are:
F type like this http://www.amazon.com/Ratcheting-F-...8&qid=1463984642&sr=1-6&keywords=F+type+clamp

or this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004YOBQ?ref_=ams_ad_dp_asin_2

or G type clamps
Like this http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-91809-...e=UTF8&qid=1463984763&sr=1-1&keywords=g+clamp.

they all honestly look the same to me, could you explain the differences? and reading the second type of f type clamp it says ''C-clamps'' , what are those?

thanks for all your responses guys.

 

[Steve W]

Do you have any pawn shops in your area? I buy most of my tools these days there, I own multiples of most of my commonly used tools so find I can get quality tools for short money buying this way, as an example I have 5 bosch jigsaws because I only pay about $60 for them.

 

[whitepointer23]

Do you have any pawn shops in your area? I buy most of my tools these days there, I own multiples of most of my commonly used tools so find I can get quality tools for short money buying this way, as an example I have 5 bosch jigsaws because I only pay about $60 for them.

i have a bosch jigsaw handed down from my father , i think he bought it about 1975, its built 1/2 a dozen boats and all sorts of other jobs and it is as good as the day it was made.

 

[The Q]

they all honestly look the same to me, could you explain the differences? and reading the second type of f type clamp it says ''C-clamps'' , what are those?

thanks for all your responses guys.

C clamp and G clamp are the same thing, it's just the letter they look like, the same as an F clamp looks like the letter F.

The cheaper F clamp ( the first one) normally requires two hands to adjust and fit, difficult if you are already holding the parts together with the other hand. The second more expensive F clamp is a single handed device you can tighten just by squeezing the trigger, so that is the type I use most.

But if there are several clamps needed, I'll often use the single handed type at each end and then clamp along the pieces with the cheaper type.

The same as Richard says, I found I didn't get on with a power plane, but have found a properly sharpened manual plane more accurate and just as quick.
I have quite a few manual planes of different sizes and types bought at car boot sales, along with many chisels , mallets and other manual tools.
.

 

[TheChillPrince]

thanks for all the reply's everyone, i have little experience with boating and absolutely none with building a boat so i was abit lost as to the tooling required.

 

[hoytedow]

A so-called Japanese hand saw is a useful tool to have around. You can't own too many clamps, be they c, f or spring clamps. I sometimes use ratcheting cargo straps to clamp across very large areas.

 

[TheChillPrince]

But I am a boat bodger, not a boatbuilder

Richard Woods

I just gotta ask, what is the definition of a bodger ? google leads me nowhere.

 

[PAR]

The most important tool is, the innate ability to problem solve on the fly. Regardless of your shop's equipment or the deftness with something in your hand, you have to "see it" in your head and improvise with what you have. This isn't tool dependant, but literally mind set and problem solving skill.

 

[SukiSolo]

A so-called Japanese hand saw is a useful tool to have around. You can't own too many clamps, be they c, f or spring clamps. I sometimes use ratcheting cargo straps to clamp across very large areas.

Seconded - you cannot have too many clamps. But note even tapes especially masking can be used as a clamp!. I prefer F clamps to DIN 5117 standard, there's a lot of cheap rubbish ou there.... but that type will last a lifetime. The one hand squeeze type can be useful and even the plastic ones if loads are low. Sometimes a Spanish Windlass may be required...

A good quality No 4 Plane will again last a lifetime, I've had mine (English made Record) 35 years... but you need to set it up right. The expensive ones Veritas, Lie Nielsen are already set up right, hence one reason for the (big) price difference. I had to modify a Stanley No 5 a LOT to get it to work - like file out the jaw near 3mm and get surfaces properly flat, plus a lot of other stuff on it. Well it was going to work, or go in the bin...
This will allow you to plane perfect scarf joints, and finish edgings etc fast. Also near finish shape foils and prepare good glue faces.

Chisels are useful sometimes and can be used on their back edges as glue scrapers!. Again the steel quality is important, I have some Marples ones which are OK, though Bahco and Japanese made ones are good too. At a basic level a couple will do a 25mm and a 6mm.

A decent drill with good quality drills and countersink(s) - a three flute or 'snail' type are best. If you want to get a bit 'flash', a couple of plug cutters can allow you to counterbore screw heads and get a professional finish.

I threw out all my tenon saws as the Japanese Pull saws are so much better IMHO, bu don't suit everyone.

Half the problem is, as PAR says working out how to do something 'on the fly'. Best advice is to think about a solution, then dry run it before any glue is involved. Sometimes the solution is obvious, other times much less so and there is more than one way to skin a cat...

FWIW in the UK the term 'bodger' is applied to someone doing a job in a less than preferred or perfect way ie making a bit of a lashup. Hope that makes sense. I know Richards boats are far from that, he's being a bit self depricating, but he also knows just how high the standard is of some of the wood builders around.

 

[TheChillPrince]

A good quality No 4 Plane will again last a lifetime, I've had mine (English made Record) 35 years... but you need to set it up right. The expensive ones Veritas, Lie Nielsen are already set up right, hence one reason for the (big) price difference. .

The shock of the price was a nice laugh but I agree, I believe in order to make something of quality you have to start with quality,not setting it up is nice also. I am looking at the Veritas website and they say they have 3 different models, a A2,O1 and a PM-V11® , What one would work best for me? I would like to build a bigger boat after this.

Links :

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/Page.aspx?p=46294&cat=1,41182,41187,46294

 

[The Q]

Since Richard is obviously detained at his bodging may be I can Help .

The proper meaning of a bodger was as a skilled man in the days before factories and power tools, making turned chair legs and spindles using a pole lathe in a forrest surrounded by his materials.

Obviously some. were not as good as others because it came to mean someone who while they could make something, it was not as good as a professional or even good amateur could make.

Sadly many of us will do a bodged job, because for instance if we were making dovetail joints, and got one wrong We wouldn't throw away the piece of wood and start again but we would fill the joint with a bit more glue.