Walter Biles

Hi Walter
 
I wouldn't worry too much.  You've had too much on your plate, lately.
 
Just the fact that you're able to even think about your CAD drawings is a good sign.
 
All the best!
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

I tried to open my latest CAD files for America.  I can't figure out what I was trying to accomplish.  I need to get a printout of the latest Section drawings so I can begin to work again.  DUH!   Only problem is I stopped with something half done, and after months away, I can't figure out if any of the drawings are good or not.  I am going to review my log, and try to pick up my memories of what I was doing at that time.  How can I get so lost from what I was trying to do?

I used my wife's fabric steamer.  I traced the nozzle end and made a cut out in plywood thick enough for the nozzle to be almost completely embedded, then another piece of play with rectangular cut out so only 3 of the nozzles actually would supply steam. I put these together and build a plywood box around it.  The lid fits on top so that there is easy access to laying the strips onto the movable coat hanger wire racks inside.  There are 3 vent holes at the back to allow the steam to pass through.  Careful when opening the lid and steaming your fingers, maybe long tweezers to pull your strips out and start bending.  I usually use the kitchen kettle but it clicks off when boil is reached.  I haven't tried this yet since I caught a finger end in my table saw to my dexterity in bending is much reduced until the stitches are out (stupid me).

Maybe covering the inside walls with aluminum foil to increase and maintain moisture?
I use an old pan that removed the handle lid leaving a hole about 1 cm,very effective..

JBshan,
 
The sandcrabs were making a small dingy with marine plywood outsides.  The stringers were screw strips for the longitudinal edges and corners.  They had to be curved in both directions around about 3 midframes and attached to the fore and aft pieces of plywood (marine) which made the ends of the boat.  The front piece angled downward toward the keel pieces, and was only about half of the width of the transom.  It made the bow blunt but allowed for the water to channel down under the bow.  The dingy was only about 7 feet long and 4' beam.  Each side was bowed fore to aft, and the two bottom sheets were bowed along the keel boards creating a V shape for the bottom.  There were frames across the keel that created a floor in the boat.  It could be either rowed from mid seat, or powered by a small motor on the transom.  It was fairly light overall, and easily handled by two persons which was about all it was designed to hold.  
 
These drawings may not be fair, as drawn from memory over 40 years back.  But you can likely see how the pieces would have curved in several directions.  

 
I'd be interested in the book you were reading about the wooden steam chamber from the 1760 era.

The pressure is definately a big plus in getting the wood softened fairly quickly.  I am looking into an adaption of a small pressure cooker with a 3-4 foot (I work with longer wood) chamber attached with appropriate steam and condensate controls.  I believe that most pressure cookers limit to below 20 psi. It needs to be safe. 

After hearing so many asking about bending wood,I get to thinking, if the pressure cooker was big enough around, I think it might work to just bow the pieces around the outer sides of the cooker and give them a pressure cooking for awhile, say 30 minutes.  I think the jar rack plate for the bottom could be used to keep the wood from getting soaked too much in water. 
 
My wife's is a 16qt.  I think I will try that next time I bend. I checked, it's okay.

He released it  and laid it on the floor, and it held it's shape. I think it would have done more, but he didn't want to chance damage to it because he was putting it on a boat. 

This illustration comes from the steam tank that we used for preparing planks for bending at the Severn River Repair Center when I was in the Navy. 
 
 

 
The steam was regulated to about 30psi.  There was a shelf of expanded metal all the way through the steamer to hold the planks up out of the condensate. 
 
The valve on the upper right of the picture was opened after loading the lumber into the opening hatch on the left end and it was dogged down fully.  The steam was allowed to enter the tank with the bleed valve at the left bottom open for a few minutes, then it was closed for a bit. 
 
After about 5 minutes when the steam pressure was up to it's setting, the condensate valve would be cracked enough open to allow the condensate to dribble.  This allowed the steam to keep entering the tank, It was watched to make sure it did not let the steam to blow out.  Once it was stable, we would leave the wood in it for about an hour, and at that time, the steam was shut off.  
 
Then the condensate valve could be opened all the way to let the pressure off.  Once the pressure was down, and the steam had stopped blowing out, the dogs would be cracked and backed off carefully. 
 
One of the sand crabs(civilian shipwrights) showed me a piece of oak that I had helped him put in that was about 1"x2"x8' and I asked him how much bend could it take.  He showed me by tying a loose overhand knot in it with about a foot of the plank sticking out each side of the knot. He then straightened it out, and used it on the boat he was working on.
 
The pressure of the steam drove the moisture into the wood in just a little while.  When the steam was down, ie. not available, they tied some weight to the timber and attached a line to it and dropped it in the basin overnight.  That was not as effective as the steam, and it would not bend to the same degree without damage. 
 
I thought that some of you might find this interesting. 

Thank you for your responses to this topic.  I appreciate the variety of ideas shared here. 
That helps others to get some ideas of HOW TO do things in our hobby.

This illustration comes from the steam tank that we used for preparing planks for bending at the Severn River Repair Center when I was in the Navy. 
 
 

 
The steam was regulated to about 30psi.  There was a shelf of expanded metal all the way through the steamer to hold the planks up out of the condensate. 
 
The valve on the upper right of the picture was opened after loading the lumber into the opening hatch on the left end and it was dogged down fully.  The steam was allowed to enter the tank with the bleed valve at the left bottom open for a few minutes, then it was closed for a bit. 
 
After about 5 minutes when the steam pressure was up to it's setting, the condensate valve would be cracked enough open to allow the condensate to dribble.  This allowed the steam to keep entering the tank, It was watched to make sure it did not let the steam to blow out.  Once it was stable, we would leave the wood in it for about an hour, and at that time, the steam was shut off.  
 
Then the condensate valve could be opened all the way to let the pressure off.  Once the pressure was down, and the steam had stopped blowing out, the dogs would be cracked and backed off carefully. 
 
One of the sand crabs(civilian shipwrights) showed me a piece of oak that I had helped him put in that was about 1"x2"x8' and I asked him how much bend could it take.  He showed me by tying a loose overhand knot in it with about a foot of the plank sticking out each side of the knot. He then straightened it out, and used it on the boat he was working on.
 
The pressure of the steam drove the moisture into the wood in just a little while.  When the steam was down, ie. not available, they tied some weight to the timber and attached a line to it and dropped it in the basin overnight.  That was not as effective as the steam, and it would not bend to the same degree without damage. 
 
I thought that some of you might find this interesting. 

It isn't that she is really doing better, but since we are so far from any home health care, that she has been doing HOSPICE from my daughter's home.  She hated being away from home so much that she was going to dump having dialysis and come home to live or die.  I got the Doctor to agree to have her do dialysis just 2 days a week, which would let her have a weekend at home each week if she wanted.  I really hope that will work for her, because if she stops dialysis, she gets too weak to even set up.  She would not last long that way, and I cannot lift her with my torn arm.

It isn't that she is really doing better, but since we are so far from any home health care, that she has been doing HOSPICE from my daughter's home.  She hated being away from home so much that she was going to dump having dialysis and come home to live or die.  I got the Doctor to agree to have her do dialysis just 2 days a week, which would let her have a weekend at home each week if she wanted.  I really hope that will work for her, because if she stops dialysis, she gets too weak to even set up.  She would not last long that way, and I cannot lift her with my torn arm.

Hello again, finally!
 
I have been all over the state this past 5 months.  After our son's death, my wife's condition went south.  She has been doing dialysis in hospice at our daughter's since December.  She just got cleared to go to twice a week which will allow her to come home at least some of the time.  I'm getting the house all spruced up for her return this next weekend.  I have actually been able to get some work done on the shop to get it towards functional for the first time since we moved here 21 years ago. 
 
I now hope to be mentally able to work on my new ship for a change.  I am leaving Meridea for now until I can get some framing done on this America Schooner.  I am fairing the stations to fit the 1/4" scale and then I will measure the points for a fair frame at each frame position using strips at each elevation line.  That will give me an edge of frame line which I can use to develop each frame.  I will use CAD to develop my frame patterns, but only in 2D, since I could not get my mind around using 3D.  Thank you anyway, Ron, for trying to help me.  I couldn't retain the "how-to" even though I managed to get the stations positioned fairly close in a straight time run.   Once I got that far, when I tried to go back to it, I could not even remember how I got it to where it was.  I guess I'm stuck with using 2D.

Hello again, finally!
 
I have been all over the state this past 5 months.  After our son's death, my wife's condition went south.  She has been doing dialysis in hospice at our daughter's since December.  She just got cleared to go to twice a week which will allow her to come home at least some of the time.  I'm getting the house all spruced up for her return this next weekend.  I have actually been able to get some work done on the shop to get it towards functional for the first time since we moved here 21 years ago. 
 
I now hope to be mentally able to work on my new ship for a change.  I am leaving Meridea for now until I can get some framing done on this America Schooner.  I am fairing the stations to fit the 1/4" scale and then I will measure the points for a fair frame at each frame position using strips at each elevation line.  That will give me an edge of frame line which I can use to develop each frame.  I will use CAD to develop my frame patterns, but only in 2D, since I could not get my mind around using 3D.  Thank you anyway, Ron, for trying to help me.  I couldn't retain the "how-to" even though I managed to get the stations positioned fairly close in a straight time run.   Once I got that far, when I tried to go back to it, I could not even remember how I got it to where it was.  I guess I'm stuck with using 2D.

Hello again, finally!
 
I have been all over the state this past 5 months.  After our son's death, my wife's condition went south.  She has been doing dialysis in hospice at our daughter's since December.  She just got cleared to go to twice a week which will allow her to come home at least some of the time.  I'm getting the house all spruced up for her return this next weekend.  I have actually been able to get some work done on the shop to get it towards functional for the first time since we moved here 21 years ago. 
 
I now hope to be mentally able to work on my new ship for a change.  I am leaving Meridea for now until I can get some framing done on this America Schooner.  I am fairing the stations to fit the 1/4" scale and then I will measure the points for a fair frame at each frame position using strips at each elevation line.  That will give me an edge of frame line which I can use to develop each frame.  I will use CAD to develop my frame patterns, but only in 2D, since I could not get my mind around using 3D.  Thank you anyway, Ron, for trying to help me.  I couldn't retain the "how-to" even though I managed to get the stations positioned fairly close in a straight time run.   Once I got that far, when I tried to go back to it, I could not even remember how I got it to where it was.  I guess I'm stuck with using 2D.

Thank you Mark.
 
I know you have also had a lot of similar concerns in your life.
 
My past experience in the Naval Yard shop only goes so far, because we seldom did new structures of boats.  Usually we spliced in broken framework, and I understood how to do that.  I have done pretty well with that, but if possible it would be nice to be able to take the tables to loft the frames.  This is one area that would make it easier in the future to find out how to derive the shapes and dimensions using them.  Since I mostly do my own plans, It would help to know what the expected parts do and how they are shaped.  Previously, I worked only with how a patch must overlap, and how to maintain the strength of the frame being repaired.  That way I will understand better how the CAD helps to show what should be there.  I hope that I can learn it.  Practicing the learning helps me renew the mental links that have been damaged.  

Thank you Mark.
 
I know you have also had a lot of similar concerns in your life.
 
My past experience in the Naval Yard shop only goes so far, because we seldom did new structures of boats.  Usually we spliced in broken framework, and I understood how to do that.  I have done pretty well with that, but if possible it would be nice to be able to take the tables to loft the frames.  This is one area that would make it easier in the future to find out how to derive the shapes and dimensions using them.  Since I mostly do my own plans, It would help to know what the expected parts do and how they are shaped.  Previously, I worked only with how a patch must overlap, and how to maintain the strength of the frame being repaired.  That way I will understand better how the CAD helps to show what should be there.  I hope that I can learn it.  Practicing the learning helps me renew the mental links that have been damaged.  

Thank you Mark.
 
I know you have also had a lot of similar concerns in your life.
 
My past experience in the Naval Yard shop only goes so far, because we seldom did new structures of boats.  Usually we spliced in broken framework, and I understood how to do that.  I have done pretty well with that, but if possible it would be nice to be able to take the tables to loft the frames.  This is one area that would make it easier in the future to find out how to derive the shapes and dimensions using them.  Since I mostly do my own plans, It would help to know what the expected parts do and how they are shaped.  Previously, I worked only with how a patch must overlap, and how to maintain the strength of the frame being repaired.  That way I will understand better how the CAD helps to show what should be there.  I hope that I can learn it.  Practicing the learning helps me renew the mental links that have been damaged.  

Thank you Mark.
 
I know you have also had a lot of similar concerns in your life.
 
My past experience in the Naval Yard shop only goes so far, because we seldom did new structures of boats.  Usually we spliced in broken framework, and I understood how to do that.  I have done pretty well with that, but if possible it would be nice to be able to take the tables to loft the frames.  This is one area that would make it easier in the future to find out how to derive the shapes and dimensions using them.  Since I mostly do my own plans, It would help to know what the expected parts do and how they are shaped.  Previously, I worked only with how a patch must overlap, and how to maintain the strength of the frame being repaired.  That way I will understand better how the CAD helps to show what should be there.  I hope that I can learn it.  Practicing the learning helps me renew the mental links that have been damaged.  

Thanks for all the likes, Mark and others.  I have been reading through the lofting book, and putting some cross referencing on some things to learn more about.  It has some terms for parts like HOG, for a part of the keel relating to the rabbet that I had never heard before except in referencing the distortion of the keel and hull.  It relates to a special board to make it so the planking along the keel has twice it's thickness to seat up against.  That would be a good thing to have for stronger and more water-tightness in the attachment of the planking.  It only seems relative in smaller craft with not large keels, although I will have to follow up to learn more.  The amount of work to get the table data is one of the things that my CAD program has been helpful with, however I can see that it would be very helpful to know how to use the table data when things just don't quite fit, although most of my scratch building did not have lofted drawings of any quality.  I certainly feel that knowing how to do lofting could help me in the future.  

Thanks for all the likes, Mark and others.  I have been reading through the lofting book, and putting some cross referencing on some things to learn more about.  It has some terms for parts like HOG, for a part of the keel relating to the rabbet that I had never heard before except in referencing the distortion of the keel and hull.  It relates to a special board to make it so the planking along the keel has twice it's thickness to seat up against.  That would be a good thing to have for stronger and more water-tightness in the attachment of the planking.  It only seems relative in smaller craft with not large keels, although I will have to follow up to learn more.  The amount of work to get the table data is one of the things that my CAD program has been helpful with, however I can see that it would be very helpful to know how to use the table data when things just don't quite fit, although most of my scratch building did not have lofted drawings of any quality.  I certainly feel that knowing how to do lofting could help me in the future.  

Thanks, Bob & Popeye
I have been too disturbed and upset to concentrate most of this year.  Now they are starting to find things they can do to help her, I hope to be better able to concentrate on something for a while at a time.  

This past half year has been tough.  My son died in July, and since then, my wife has been in bad shape.  Everywhere from 75-180 miles away.  She is now on dialysis.  I have put over 4000 miles on my vehicle trying to keep up with her.  She could not even get to my daughter's for Christmas, because of weakness.  Finally I am back home and the dialysis is helping her strength return a bit.  She is still in nursing care. 
 
I am hoping she can come home sometime soon on home dialysis.  Meanwhile I am "Home Alone".  Maybe Now I can concentrate enough to get some work done on my model. 

Thanks, Bob & Popeye
I have been too disturbed and upset to concentrate most of this year.  Now they are starting to find things they can do to help her, I hope to be better able to concentrate on something for a while at a time.