Making frames

[Don Case]

I'm starting to make frames. On the body plan the center 6 stations only differ by 1/4" max. There are 15 frames to fit in that 6 station length. Is it feasible to make one or two patterns to cover the 15 frames and sand them to fit during fairing? Two or three of the stations are only 1/8" or less different and I have to put three frames in there. Even if I made a pattern for each frame I'm sure I wouldn't be able to saw them any closer so i would end up sanding them anyway.

How much would a good(not excellent😉) craftsman have to sand when fairing?

[allanyed]

On one hand, you can always remove material if you left too much wood but you can't add any.  On the other hand, you can cut CLOSE to the line but not quite touch it.   Keep in mind that the LINE is the widest point, taking into account the bevel if any so there is a lot of sanding, especially fore and aft where the bevel is severe. 

 

How are you transferring the lines from the body plan to the wood?  Tracing is not the best way as you can wind up following the grain at times.   Printing the futtocks, floors and top timbers onto paper then gluing to the wood works well as you can have each piece run with the grain.  Even easier is to print the parts (and number each piece) on label paper.  Cut the paper parts out, again, outside the lines, and stick on the pre thicknessed wood then cut them with a scroll saw. 

 

Allan

[Don Case]

I've been using carbon paper(remember that stuff?) and it sorta works. All I have to work with so far is a blurry body plan. if i want to make patterns I would have to loft three frames into an 1/8" space. I could get it closer by just hand drawing two frames into that space. Any way I do it, if, as you say, cut outside the lines, I would actually be cutting the next largest frame.

This is why I asked how much I should expect to be sanding off.

 

A related question, because the inside of the frame has to be considered, how do you fair the inside? The best idea I could come up with is one of those sanding balls. I guess you fair the inside every time you've added 3-5 frames or something.

[allanyed]

Don,

Do you have CAD software?   If you do, and if the station lines on the body plan coincide with a frame,  you can trace each station line then loft each frame in between the stations and print them out on separate pages.  It requires lots of ink and paper, but something to consider for accuracy.     

Allan

[Don Case]

I don't have CAD and I don't really have a big desire to try to learn it  (again)😃. I have this gut feeling that old stuff should be done in old(ish) ways within reason.

I made a scarfed frame today and I can see that with a little practice I could make 2-3 a day. There's 50 of them so a month or two.

That said, I have heard that there is some free CAD software out there that I might try but my computer is quite old. it would make things more precise.

[Don Case]

OK now I'm thinking about it. Does anyone have a recommendation for free CAD? It's got to be pretty easy to learn.  

I used to use Hullform from Blue Peter. I tried Delft but got no where with that. Someone gave me a copy of Rhino and that was worse than Delft

Edited February 24, 2021 by Don Case
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