Tag: breasthook

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Breasthooks Part 2–Fit and Finish

New breasthook of African Mahogany provides a nice contrast to the Fir gunwales.
New breasthook of African Mahogany provides a nice contrast to the Fir gunwales.

When we left off, we had fabricated new breasthook pieces, but they didn’t quite fit as well as I’d like.  Check out the previous post if you’ve forgotten.

Rub chalk on the inside faces of the gunwales you're trying to fit to.
Rub chalk on the inside faces of the gunwales you’re trying to fit to.

The trick is to chalk the inside edge of the inwales, fit the breasthook in place, and then see where the chalk transfers to the high spots on the breasthook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The chalk transfers to the high spots on your workpiece.
The chalk transfers to the high spots on your workpiece.

Shave the high spots off with your favorite block plane, and repeat until you get a fit you’re happy with the fit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final fitted breasthook with registration marks ready to be screwed and glued in.
Final fitted breasthook with registration marks ready to be screwed and glued in.

You can really dial in a fine fit this way.   Not too hard if you know the trick!  The last step was to glue it in and coat it with special clear epoxy to seal against water.  Then several coats of spar varnish will provide necessary UV protection.

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Breasthooks Part 1–Fabrication

New breasthook pieces glued up and rough cut, ready for fine fitting.
New breasthook pieces glued up and rough cut, ready for fine fitting.

A breasthook is a sturdy piece of wood that marries the sides of the boat together at the stem.  It’s a structurally important piece, and can be tricky to fit.  So I did what I usually do when I have a tricky piece to fit, I made a pattern. Continue reading “Breasthooks Part 1–Fabrication”