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Step 11Scarf the Keel
I used up all the good sticks making the gunwales and stringers. I don't have anything long enough for the keel. So I'm going to "scarf" some good sections together. That means cutting them off at an angle to make a splice and epoxying the sections together. A scarf joint is as strong as the wood it's made from and flexes almost as well. People argue about how long to make the scarf. I usually do it by eyeball then check it so I have something to agonize over. I wasn't sure how thick to make the keel, so made two of them. The other stick will come in handy.
Cut the scarf on the tablesaw. You can also do it with handsaw, power planer, beltsander, disk sander, etc. etc.
Then I cleaned it up with my little wooden plane. I got it in Japan for $10 or so at a "Cainz Home" superstore. High quality tools are really cheap in Japan. This one came with a sticker showing how to adjust the blade and keep the plane in your shirt pocket.
Cut a plastic bag flat and lay it on a scrap board. That will be the backing board to keep the scarf straight. The plastic bag keeps your scarf from getting glued to the backing board.
Paint thickened epoxy glue (step six) on the mating surfaces.
Mate them.
Pound one nail in to keep them from sliding. Clamp the hell out of them. Actually with epoxy you're supposed to avoid getting a "starved joint" from overclamping. In reality nothing is flat enough to do this. With other types of glue you want a perfect wood-to-wood fit.
That's it. The Scarf Joint. This is the magic that makes modern crap wood from our pillaged forests into something you can make boats out of.
Cut the scarf on the tablesaw. You can also do it with handsaw, power planer, beltsander, disk sander, etc. etc.
Then I cleaned it up with my little wooden plane. I got it in Japan for $10 or so at a "Cainz Home" superstore. High quality tools are really cheap in Japan. This one came with a sticker showing how to adjust the blade and keep the plane in your shirt pocket.
Cut a plastic bag flat and lay it on a scrap board. That will be the backing board to keep the scarf straight. The plastic bag keeps your scarf from getting glued to the backing board.
Paint thickened epoxy glue (step six) on the mating surfaces.
Mate them.
Pound one nail in to keep them from sliding. Clamp the hell out of them. Actually with epoxy you're supposed to avoid getting a "starved joint" from overclamping. In reality nothing is flat enough to do this. With other types of glue you want a perfect wood-to-wood fit.
That's it. The Scarf Joint. This is the magic that makes modern crap wood from our pillaged forests into something you can make boats out of.
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