Preview: Laminating Wooden Boat Frames on the 68′ Sloop ISOBEL

18 Responses So Far to “Laminating Wooden Boat Frames on the 68′ Sloop ISOBEL”

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  Kyle Lamb says:

  I’m currently looking into laminating large frames from sapele have you ever worked with laminating sapele before and is there a ratio for frame size to how much spring back you get ? Or is this some if you gauge in the moment, The frame size is 5in x 6in.

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    Kyle Lamb says:

    *Or is this something you gauge in the moment ? *

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  Dan Yuhas says:

  I’d echo Harry Hammond’s appreciation for the info passed to all of us far inland!

  A question about the clamping braces that are screwed directly through the mylar sheets on the lofting floor: are they screwed to the floor through their bases both on the inside of the curve of the frame as well as the outside of the curve? I couldn’t tell even by freezing the video.

  Also, it looked as if the backing board was screwed onto the clamping braces before clamping the glued up laminated frame.Also, any idea how many times the clamping braces are re-used? Looks like many re-cycles.

  Thanks for the education!

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    Eric Blake says:

    Hey Dan,
    The brackets are typically screwed to the floor so that the vertical clamping surface is in line with the inside finished surface of the frame less the thickness of the backing board. Screws are driven through the base to the floor on either side of the upright. The backing board is screwed to the uprights to help reduce hard spots at each upright in the finished laminate. We use these to laminate any number of things including deck beams. The ones shown in the video are responsible for building the last 4 boats at BBY.
    Best, Eric

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  Glenn Meadows says:

  Has white oak ever been used to laminate frames in your shop?

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    Eric Blake says:

    Hey Glen,
    We have laminated White Oak. I have never had an issue but have been sure to have a bit of a rough surface vs one that it sanded smooth as a precaution on the glue surfaces. West System epoxy came our with a glue that they promote for laminating green oak and other hard to bond tropical woods and materials called Gflex. We have used this with great success.
    Best, Eric

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  J.D. Bondy says:

  What wood is the veneer made of? I keep waiting for someone to say…perhaps they did and I missed it!

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    Rick Owens says:

    J.D.
    Yea, I wondered what wood was to be used, and did not catch a mention.
    From the video shots , however, I am fairly sure it is Douglas Fir; a favorite with the WWS design crew.

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    Eric Blake says:

    Sorry I missed this one JD
    The wood used was clear vertical grain Douglas Fir
    Eric

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  David Johnson says:

  When applying the epoxy I have been advised to apply a thin coat first and then a thickened coat using a high density filler such as West System 404. The video looked like a one step process. Do you thicken your epoxy?

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  William Theurkauf says:

  I will add my thanks for a very informative video. I have a question about scarfing the stock. I was intrigued by your use of quick-set epoxy. I’ve always used epoxy that has to set at least overnight (MAS with fast hardener, usually). The quick set I’ve seen isn’t recommended when there will be exposure to moisture. What brand of quick-set do you use, and what do you use to scarf planking? I’d love to speed up the process.

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    Eric Blake says:

    Hey William, We have in the past used a five minute epoxy by West Systems which we use on scarfing veneers for ring frames. This is only to hold the wood together so it can be laminated with a more water tight, structural adhesive. Be sure to stagger your scarfs and the laminate will be strong like bull. Other adhesives that set quick enough to work with later in the day are wood glues like Tite Bond 3. We use a lot of it at the boatyard and have with good results. It sets so you can work with it in about a half an hour.

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  Dennis Dunn says:

  I agree with Harry. It’s amazing just how much useful information that’s contained in just a short video – incidental things that might be obvious to the professional but so helpful to he amateur.

  I’d certainly like to see more of this sort of thing.

  If I might ask a question … was any compensation made for springback in these laminations?

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    Eric Blake says:

    Hey Dennis, We typically lay up right on our lofted lines for a couple of reasons. First, the amount of spring back in any lamination is based on how much stress is in the frame based on how thick the laminates are that you use. We usually laminate frames with 1/8″ veneer so as a whole they bend around the trap easily, and once the glue sets they are there. A little spring back is inevitable but this is always corrected by screwing a cross spall to the frame in the set up/ leg up process which brings them back on their marks. The thinner your laminates, the less spring back you will have and the stronger the laminate will be. That being said we typically laminate deck beams out of 1/2″ laminates in that the curves are much more gentle. Hope this helps.

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      Dennis Dunn says:

      Yes, it’s quite clear now. As a followup … I can see how you might resaw your own veneers when they are 1/4″ to 1/2″, but do you resaw your own for 1/8″? With so much waste (material and time), I wondered if you had them sliced from the log by a veneer supplier? Thanks.

      -Denny

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        Eric Blake says:

        On a project the size of Isobel we order the veneer to do the job. It is resawn by our supplier from lumber with a resaw that minimizes waste.

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  David Slater says:

  Wow. Thank you. That was great.

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  Harry Hammond says:

  This is just the type of video that is incredibly useful for those of us who build our own boats. The individual processes that make up the building of theses frames are chock full of incidental tips, great for those of us with no local practitioners to learn from, having to rely solely on books, illustrations, etc.,

  Wonderful. Keep ’em coming.