Progress at Last

The heat is working, all of the frames are cut out (including the stern post) and finally I started to bolt things together. I had ordered a bunch of fasteners from Jamestown Distributors, and I figured I had better start putting them to use. You loyal readers will recall my fear of drilling holes. Well no more. I'm cured of that. I'm full steam ahead, all puns intended.

As I was agonizing over all the things that could go wrong in the build, it occurred to me that I might be over thinking things a bit. It's only wood after all. And this isn't some high speed, high precision craft that will cause people to loose their lives if it pulls slightly to port. There is no leak so big that more caulk won't fill it. So drill away I did.

At this point I'm sure you're all expecting some tale of woe, a ribald tale of regret and remorse. Surely I'd pay for my rashness. Well, not this time. (At least not so far) Frames 4 through 7 are bolted to the keel batten just like in the drawings and the stem and fore keel are bolted to the batten.

As an aside, I have to just say what a handy thing a metal lathe is to have. I'm using threaded rod for a few connections and it always a pain the the *** to get it the right length. You either have to saw it or cut it or snap it and the threads are always f---ed up. I know, run a nut on there before you cut it and then run it off to fis the threads, but it never really works. What really works is chucking in the lathe and turning the front of it off just so, with a slight taper to ease the fit. Man, it was a beautiful thing.

I was going to continue this morning, even firing up the boiler and heating the barn but I was rudely summoned to the office. For those that don't know by now, I've been laid off (starting the end of Feb.) because my job has been outsourced and off-shored, so my motivation to do anything work related is at an all time low. But I still like to collect a pay check while they are willing to send one along, so Hi Ho, etc. Looks like I'll be in the office all week, so you'll have to wait for the weekend to see the finished frame. This time next week, we'll be discussing bending on the chine log and bracing everything for planking.

In the mean time, the only time that will be my own will be at night, when the barn is dark, so I'll be working on the engine drawings. I might, if you're lucky, I just might post some drawings later this week. Until then...