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.

The Mold

The pattern pieces are numbered with zero being the centre, and six being the bow and stern pieces. The two number six pieces were attached to the strongback first. The centerline of the mold had to line up with the centerline of the strongback.
The mold pieces were attached to the strongback at 12" intervals which were previously carefully marked out. The stem molds were attached at the bow and stern and will form the shape of the front and back of the canoe. A string line was run between the stem molds, up high, to line up the center of the tops of the mold pieces. Again, it is crucial that all markings be perfectly matched up.

All the pieces were attached to the strongback.

A strip of wood was attached to the top of the molds to hold them perfectly horizontal to the strongback. Parawax was applied to the edges of the molds so glue would not stick to them during construction. The form is now complete and the next step will be to apply the cedar strips.

Marking Out the Strongback for the Molds

The center point of each end of the strongback was carefully measured and marked. Fishing line was stretched taut end to end between the marks. Pencil marks were made 12" apart along the length of the line. The marks were joined to make a perfect centre line down the strongback.

Starting from the centre of the strongback lengthwise, 12" centre marks were made for positioning the molds.

It is imperative that this marking be square to the centre line, and all measurements be exact, as these are where the forms for the canoe will be placed. Marks that are off centre, etc, will result in a canoe that is not perfect in shape.

The Strongback

The strongback is the backbone of this operation. The molds are attached to it and the canoe is built on the molds. It is 170" long and 12" wide and about 28'' high. It is constructed of 3/4" plywood.


This is the underside of the strongback.
It is crucial that the strongback be level end to end and side to side. Once it was leveled with shims, it was attached to the concrete floor with Tapcon screws.

Cutting the Pattern

The paper templates were made by photocopying the supplied pattern 13 times, for each of the 7 mold pieces. The halves were taped together and taped to 1/4 hardboard to make permanent patterns.
Since our last post, we got a new helper in the shop. She is a 6 month old lab puppy named Ebby. She helps clean up by eating the sawdust!

The hardboard pieces were cut out on the bandsaw. These are now permanent patterns for the mold stations which can be used over and over.

This is just one of the patterns. Once these were cut out, they were transferred to 5/8' MDF and routered out.