More Gluing of Frames

I could encapsulate all of the work this week in the title since that is basically all that is being done right now. I am looking forward to completing this phase so that I can do something different. Still, it is a necessary step and part of the "journey" which I stated that I was out to experience.

Frames 2 and 3 have been completed now and Ive started on frame 1. Frame 0, the transom, will require a bit more thinking before starting so I am waiting on that to do separately instead of in tandem as I did the previous two frames. I have also started sanding down any glue squeeze out that occurred. I have been wiping the glue down as I go, but invariably, there is still some squeeze out which has to be attended to. Ive finished three of the frames in this task.

Ive been looking over some photos I have of other builds of this boat and frames 5 and 6 have portions that will be visible in the cabin. I knew this in the back of my mind but hadnt really thought about it much. Basically the upper frame members and the upper gussets will be visible. In order to make these presentable without having to resort to paint, I am considering veneering a thin layer of mahogany over the portion of the gusset that will be visible. Then, that and the visible frame members can be stained a nice color to compliment the other cabin woodwork.

I havent ruled out painting the interior yet, but I like the look of woodwork so its higher on my list of desirable outcomes. But in light of this uncertainty, I have decided to modify the encapsulation process which was to be the next phase of frame assembly.

You might remember that encapsulating the frames means coating them with several coats of epoxy resin as a way to waterproof them. This is a necessary step to insure that the boat will be protected from wood rot caused by water. However, coating the wood with epoxy means that I couldnt stain it later.

Since I am not sure at this point what color stain (if any) I want to use, I need to leave those visible portions uncoated . So, instead, I will be coating all the non-visible areas and leaving the remaining portions til later when the boat hull is complete and I am planning the interior. This way, I have flexibility on the final finish.

So that the reader has something besides my text to look at, I am including a picture of the frames completed so far. There are a few other pictures that are in my latest photos folder in the construction gallery. Frames 2 and 3 are the separate frames by the work bench. Frame 2 has the single piece horizontal bottom member while frame 3 has bottom members connected together by the floor timber and a gusset. The curved piece on the floor, is of course, the stem which hasnt been glued together yet. The other three frames against the wall have had all their glue lines cleaned up since this photo was taken.



So thats it for this week. Its rather difficult to come up with things to write about without resorting to the small details. So if there is a gap between this article and the next, its for precisely that reason. Take care.

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