August 22, 2015 – Fitting The First New Floor Timber

August 22, 2015

After an overnight curing of the epoxy, I unclamped the floor timber and I proceeded to remove the excess glue from its surfaces.

Once that was done, using a “Sharpie”, I traced out the perimeter of the original floor timber on to the new floor timber blank.

Using my Shopsmith bandsaw, I “rough cut” the new timber to shape.

Before I could fit the new floor timber into the hull, I had to level up the boat. I did this by adjusting the “jackstands” on the port and starboard side of the hull and also underneath the stem as well.

I held my four foot level against the original head bulkhead that I left inside the hull. Doing this gave me references in the athwartship plane, along with fore and aft too; as I adjusted the “jackstands”.

I also double checked other surfaces as well. Here is one of the original floor timbers that I left in the hull.

I “split the difference” between everything that I checked. Here is the same floor timber again.

Once the boat was leveled in both axis, I could then fit the new floor timber in place. I used a level and a pair of scribes to do this.

When I had my marks on the new timber, I used the old timber to set the angle of the bandsaw. (Why reinvent the wheel?).

I knew that I needed to “tune” the end cuts of the floor timber. Lacking a piece of chalk, I grabbed a piece of Kingsford Charcoal out of the bag I keep near my BBQ grill.

I rubbed the charcoal on to the interior surface of the hull…….

…….then I “rubbed” the floor timber into the charcoal.

The coal left “black marks” on the ends of the floor timber. I needed to remove these “high spots” so that the timber would sit “tight” against the skin of the hull.

I removed the “high spots” with my grinder.

Not too bad a fit!

I decided that I wanted slightly larger limber holes in these new floor timbers. So, using my bandsaw and my grinder, I cut larger limber holes.

Next, I used my router to put a 1/4″ radius on the fore and aft top edges of the timber.

Finally, I glued up a second timber using the same process that I did on the first floor timber!