This morning began with tumultuous claps of thunder and lightning.
But the first project of the day was the modest fixing of the smallest station forms - at the bow and stern - to their respective templates. These diminishing station forms will give the kayak its distinctive sharpness of profile.
The fixing of these forms was achieved with a two-part expoxy, bracing blocks and clamps.
Bill test-fitting the stern section.
Ian advised me that it is traditional to arrange the construction of a boat with its bow facing towards the shed's doorway.
The exception to this superstition is if the doorway leads directly to a slipway -in which case it would be stern-first.
We are only 20 meters from the Cooks River however we are without a slipway so we've chosen to follow tradition and aim the bow towards the doorway.
The bow.
In this image a thin strip of huon pine (at my imdex finger) is sandwiched between a "pusher" (in my hand) and the large wedge-shaped "guider". The result of which is a scarf of 1:8 ratio in the huon pine strip.
Bill and I produced 88 of these scarf faces this morning.
Self-portrait with respirator.
It is advisable to use one rather than inhale fine sawdust.
An image of the micro-landscape,
ie, some of the Aust red cedar and huon pine wood shavings scattered around the workshed from yesterday's planing work.
The unheralded aspect of this kind of kayak construction is the amount of preparation that goes into the forming the woodstrips. This contraption is a purpose-built press for simultaneously forming 40 shorter strips of wood into 20 longer strips.
The press with its lid clamped on on to exert vertical as well as horizontal pressure on to the epoxied scarf joints of the wood strips.
With lengthening shadows and a compelling thirst for a beer or three it was decided to call it a day ...
