I'm Having Fun

There is not much new to report today. I am continuing to work on the rudder. It is a somewhat slow process, but progress is being made!

I really like this small block plane. It is a fascinating experience to see these paper thin bits of wood coming off the rudder. None of those bits, individually, really makes a difference to the overall shape and outcome of the rudder, but collectively - wow, those little bits and pieces certainly add up!

Looking forward to the centerboard, I know I would like to have a bench plane to make that project a bit easier. The centerboard is about 60% longer than the rudder, so there is that much more to be shaped. A larger plane would facilitate that process.

I saw a link today to another router jig designed to cut the foil shapes for a centerboard or rudder. The time spent calculating the correct dimensions, the building of the jig, and finally the cutting of the foil looked to me to take as much or more time and effort to just do the job by hand. Of course, that jig was set up to shape a centerboard about twice as big (in all dimensions) as mine. That is a bit more wood to remove, so it may be worth the effort to set up a jig.

Apparently, routers can be very versatile with the help of custom jigs. I have seen two router jigs in the last two days...

I am seriously thinking about building the scarfing jig I posted yesterday. A review of the plans and the materials available to me - and factoring in the costs - I do believe it would be worth it, in terms of time, money, and effort, to make the jig. There are up to 38 scarfed joins in the GIS (could be zero, but to purchase lumber in 17' or 18' lengths is more expensive than purchasing shorter boards for scarfing - to say nothing of transporting 18' long pieces of lumber...) so cutting them by hand would be very tedious and difficult to do accurately. Fortunately I am not anywhere near that stage of the build. I have time to sort this all out.

Meanwhile, I am having fun!