In the Shop Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Mastering Skills with the WoodenBoat School

WoodenBoat Shorts: Building the Church Mouse  - New Episode Now Available!

Home     •     Articles     •     In the Shop

In the Shop

57 results

14

Building Box-Section Masts with Plywood

by Reuel B. Parker
I have designed several rotating wing masts of plywood, but a few years ago it occurred to me that box-sectioned spars of lighter weight than the usual solid-wood construction could be designed and built of plywood and solid-wood corners.

6

Fairing with Thickened Epoxy

by Andy Giblin
The author believes this method, used on single-planked cedar hulls, yields both a supe­rior finish and the incidental benefit of stabilizing the planking.

11

DIY Mast Hoops

by Greg Rössel (Illustrations by Isaac Robbins)
Mast hoop replacements are hard to find and expensive to purchase. We'll show you how to make your own.

14

How to Design and Make a Spar Gauge

by Harry Bryan (Text, Photographs, and Illustrations)
Here are three variations on making spar gauges. The first two styles are the most common. They are easy to make; nevertheless, accuracy should be a prime concern. The third design is more difficult to construct, but it has significant advantages.

5

Variations on a Seam

by Harry Bryan (Text and Drawings)
hen building a V-bottomed hull, it can be difficult to mate the edges of the two planks that meet at the chine. Aft, where the topsides and bottom meet at...

12

How to Make a Boatbuilding Handsaw

by Harry Bryan (Text, Photographs, and Illustrations)
Western saws have the advantage of being easily resharpened. For boatbuilding work, author Harry Bryan prefers ten- to twelve-point saws 20” long, and he has modified and tuned vintage saws—including the one he is using here—to those specifications.

6

Making Bee Rails

by Reuel B. Parker (Text and Photographs)
Wooden bee rails mounted near the aft ends of booms to organize reefing lines and clew outhauls have a long history in traditional rigging. Before making the rails, experimentation on a calm day can help determine exactly where these fittings should be.

32

Making a Pair of 7′ Oars

by G. Andy Chase (Article and Process Photographs)
To row with a really nice pair of oars in a decent rowboat is good exercise and good therapy. And any modestly skilled woodworker can make their own.

15

Getting a Grip

by Eric Blake
These handrails are complex, but they are also functional, beautiful, and easy to maintain. They are fastened from below, allowing them to be completely prefinished before installation, and they’ll be easy to remove without having to pop out bungs and ruin brightwork.

19

Building Beach Pea, Part 2

by Doug Hylan
In Part 1, Doug Hylan described the preliminary steps in the construction of his Beach Pea peapod: preparing the shop, assembling the tools, making the ladder frame, scarfing the plywood panels, and laminating the stems. Now, we're ready to build the hull.

15

Building Beach Pea, Part 1

by Doug Hylan
At 13' long, Beach Pea is a bit small as peapods go, but she's big enough to retain the good qualities of the type. She has good stability and will carry a big load and row easily.

10

Varnishing Basics

by Matthew P. Murphy
The goal of this article is to interpret the varnish can's instructions, without writing a book. We’ll look at how to "remove all dust," and the other basics of varnishing, leaving aside tangential concepts such as two-pack systems, spray application, wood staining, and stripping of old finishes.

7

A Sliding Tool Tray

by John Pratt
fter fumbling with tools and wood screws when climbing in and out of a Haven 12½ I was building, I remembered a photograph from around 1938 that appeared in Maynard...

Applying Gold Leaf to Lettering

by Tyler Fields
The art of gilding—applying thin sheets of gold leaf onto a surface—has been in practice since the ancient Egyptians and has been used in everything from book bindings to architectural features.

Painting SYMRA

by Mark Haley
Photographs by Nancy Bourne Haley YMRA is a classic wooden sloop designed by John Alden and built by the Edison Vocational School in Seattle, Washington. She was launched in 1941,...

learn from the masters

Become a Member
Begin your boat building journey or sharpen your skills as we take you inside our WoodenBoat School workshops for a virtual experience unlike any other.
Subscribe

Already a member? log in