Preview: How to Build a Beautiful Skiff, Part 4 – Cutting & Planing Planks

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In the fourth video in our series, Eric Blake takes us to the Brooklin Boat Yard to begin work on cutting and planing planks for the skiff.

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9 Responses So Far to “How to Build a Beautiful Skiff, Part 4 – Cutting & Planing Planks

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    Paul Cronin says:

    Nicely done, really enjoy the videos and great on screen talent.

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    Ken Logsdon says:

    Enjoyed the videos so far. Having built a flat bottom skiff in the past from plywood, I’m watching with anticipation.

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    Walter Connolly says:

    Great teaching video,us amatures love learing from
    professionals like you.
    Cheers, Walter

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    Neil Moomey says:

    Nice video. I rushed to my shop to see what skill saw I had and to my relief it’s a lefty. You have a nice shop.

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    Gregory Corning says:

    I guess that without the power tools, especially the jointer and thickness planer, this will take hours and hours of work with hand planes.

    • Steve Stone

      Steve Stone says:

      Hi Gregory.

      Good question, I’m glad you pointed this out. I can hear Harry Bryan asking you to “calculate how long it really takes to knock out the planing with a hand tool vs. the setup, driving to your friend’s shop, or whatever, to use a power plane… and isn’t the task of using a hand plane pretty enjoyable?”

      Here are a couple good videos to watch that dispel the myth of needing high end expensive stationary power tools. Geoff Kerr and Harry Bryan show less expensive portable power tools are suitable for this work, and the need for lots of planing only comes in brief moments so borrowing a friend or neighbor’s planer for an hour is usually pretty welcome as well:

      How to Build a Caledonia Yawl, Part 3 – Essential Boat Building Tools

      Boat Building Hand Tools, The Basic Tool Kit – with Harry Bryan

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        Gregory Corning says:

        Yes indeed it is. And you are right — the time it takes to set up power tools is not insignificant.

        Thank you. I will enjoy those videos.

        • Steve Stone

          Steve Stone says:

          Not having much experience with this myself, I have the very same thoughts when I see that sort of thing, and I was surprised how quick Eric planed down the transom blank by hand — maybe ten minutes, with about the same area as a plank.

          Here’s one of OCH’s best Guide Posts on just this subject:

          My Thoughts on Power Tools

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