Creating the Shear Line

Next the shear line had to be determined and cut. A cedar strip was clamped to the bottommost cedar strip.

Randy transferred the shear line marks from the molds to the outside of the cedar planking and then bent the strip to follow the marks which go from the level of the last cedar strip to the level of the top of the stem. Using a cedar strip to form the line guaranteed a perfect curve.

The shear line was cut out using a utility knife with a sharp 1" blade. The cut was made about 1/4" from the drawn line and will be cut to the exact fit later in the build. The staples holding the planking on were removed and the extra lifted off.

Sanding and Filling the Body

Once the glue was dry and all the staples were carefully removed, I began to sand. I used 100 grit paper because that's what we had. The book calls for 80 grit, but I am more comfortable with the 100 grit as it is a bit more forgiving. I can always sand more, but I can't unsand.

We attached a shop vacuum to the sander to keep down the cedar dust, but also to collect it to be used in fillling any cracks. It is important to fill any cracks in the body so no airlock is created to stop the fiber glass from adhereing to the body.

Randy mixed Fairing Compound with the correctly measured amounts of epoxy and hardner. Then he added the cedar dust until he reached a good colour for filling. The cedar dust from the sander is as fine as flour.

Once the filler is dry, it will be sanded and any missed flaws will be filled.

Dry Fitting the Stems

The stems were dry fitted. The bow and stern of the body had to be sanded and trimmed with a chisel in order to obtain the perfect fit for the stems.
Randy counter sunk screws and attached the stems. When the stems are to be permanently attached, the holes will be plugged. The body will be sanded to blend with the line of the stems.

Stripping-Part 4

The angles were carefully marked to follow the center line. Randy butted the straight edge up to the point of the previous angle, and marked the strip to be cut following the angle of the previous joint.
The strips were roughly cut to the angle with the flush cutting saw.

A sharp chisel was used to make the angle perfect. The piece was fit and cut, sometimes with several passes of the chisel, until it fit exactly.

We are getting down to the last strips. Randy's buddy Paul has been a great help.

Paul is wondering how in the world we are going to get the last piece in.

Stripping-Part 3

The strips on the other side are carefully cut to fit and stapled on. Details of the measuring and cutting will be in Part 4.
One of the most important jobs of all was removing all the excess glue with a damp cloth before it dried. It makes my sanding job to come much easier.

The angles of the meeting pieces were carefully matched.

Randy marked the angle on the strip and finally let me cut one with the flush cutting (flesh eating) saw.

I even got to glue when I could finally reach over the canoe.

Stripping-Part 2

The stripping continued up the side just past the center line, which was marked previously on the molds.

Note how all the staples are sticking out for easy pulling. We stapled in careful lines because traces of the staple holes will show on the finished canoe.

We ran a string line from stem to stern and marked the center line on the strips and cut them with a sharp chisel.

Stripping-Part 1

First we laid the strips out on the floor according to colour. Using light, reddish, and dark cedar, laid out a pattern, counting out the strips so the pattern would be the same for both sides of the canoe. The first strip was tacked at the shear line and leveled across to the other side. The strips were attached using air stapler making sure the bead side was down. We ran a bead of glue in the coves to hold the strips together once the staples are removed for fiberglassing. We had to play with the compressor pressure so the the staples would stick out about 1/8".

As you can see, you get what you pay for in help these days. Laying down on the job, again!

We continued stripping up each side of the canoe, following the pattern of light and dark we had set out.

Here is where the fun begins. The strips need to be shaped and tapered to meet each other.

Making the Stems

To make the inner and outer stems, 1/4" strips of cedar and ash 3/4" wide of the required length were cut, and then soaked in hot water (bath tub) for several hours.

To make the shape of the stem, the 3 pieces of cedar and 3 of ash were clamped to the stem mold, with the cedar as the inner layer.

The pieces were carefully bent and tightly clamped following the form.

Once the strips were fully around the mold, they were left to dry for 24 hours. The ash strips were glued together into 2 outer stems, 3 pieces each. Three cedar strips form each inner stem. The ash outer stems were put away to be used later. The cedar stems were clamped to the form and shaped with a spokeshave into a rolling bevel so that the each cedar strip can lie flat against it when the strips are attached to the canoe mold.