Dave P's Page

"I made these 10 ft ash oars last year with the help of WBP. It just so happens that I tore into the 'spare' set yesterday to lighten them up. I really like the leathers and the smoothness in the lock. I had concerns that they might slip…"

"Rick is right about the voids problem . In bending one of my "pattern" planks to check the fit it snapped up near the stem.-There was a  void and the exterior skins were barely able to hold the pattern in one piece.  I…"

"Mike, you pointed out another mistake I was making. I assumed (yeah I know the acronym) it would be just cut a few angles on the saw and be done with it. Hummmmm... I don't know where my brain went to, but thanks to you and Rick and others,…"

"Just checked it. You are right. The outer layers are just veneers. Fine for my pram but probably not suitable for anything bigger."

"Frank:  Check the number of plys.  Good PW will have 5 plys of equal thickness.  If it has "inner" thicker plys and an outer "skin" of thin veneer- forget it. I bought some stuff from them called…"

"Ultraply XL is recommended. Only available as 4x8 and slightly less than 1/4 inch. No inner voids and waterproof glue. Available at Lowe's for $20 a sheet.      "

"First of all is stamped with the British seal BS 1088? This will certify the qulaity of the glues and that there are no voids within the sheet goods. Do a quick Google search on Superply and see if you find the same things I did. Some people had…"

"Hey Dave, Notching the frames is how I build too, but it does get a bit tricky at the transom. One note, when you get to the frames with a larger angle you will need to go a bit bigger then the 1-1/2" width to get the true 1-1/2" gap.…"

"Instead of cutting the inside of the side frame at the proper angle all the way (as the photo above shows) I was going to notch the side frame so the inner rail sits flush with the outer. Isn't that the old school way of doing it? I thought I…"

"Dave, I am not sure if I understand your comment correctly about notching the inner gunwale into the frame. My concern is the gunwales form a rigid structure at the shear line or top of the hull. It would seem that notching the gunwale would…"

"Good tip Mike, that's what I was concerned about, the gap wasn't enough. Plus I was going to notch the inner rail into the frame. I think I got her figured out. Thanks!!"

"Hey Dave, The bottom width is not critical. I taper mine pretty much as wide as the piece is to 1-1/2" at the top. By the way, the top measurement is 1-1/2" where the top of the hull side is on the rib not on the top of the rib. This way…"

"So the measurement is right angle to the side and not across at the cut? Boy I was way off. Your pics helped! Thanks Rick!"

"The angle is short to long."