Planking Question

[allanyed]

There are a number of books showing the rabbet and how to make it.    It is basically a groove in which the lower edge of the garboard seats as well as the ends of the balance of planking as it rises up the post and stem.   It is dynamic in shape so near impossible to draw for it's entire length, but it really is only a matter of following the shape of the framing.  

 

No offense to others, but I always READ everything I can if only to avoid mistakes others have made and then shared their experiences.  With the cost and scarcity of wood these days, it is something to consider.   If you do a search here on MSW the rabbet is addressed in how others go about cutting it.  Some use scrapers, some chisels.  It really is not very hard to do.  Maybe practice on a piece of scrap and you will gain the confidence you need to move forward on your final piece.   Many builders spend hours, days, weeks researching to avoid making the scrap pile too large.  There will still often be mistakes made, but if nothing else, reading is educational which means it will help avoid trying something others have tried that did not work.  Why waste time making the same mistakes.   A twist on Einstein's quote, Insanity is doing the same thing others have tried that did not work and expect different results.  Allan

 

The dynamics of the shape of the rabbet in the keel moving aft to the stop point:

 

 

Edited November 1, 2021 by allanyed

[Stevinne]

On 10/8/2021 at 9:36 AM, glbarlow said:

Thank you for referencing my log. After the Lady Nelson I’d suggest Speedy, Flirt or Duchess.  Alert is just a better version of Lady Nelson, a small cutter.  You shouldn’t need a rabbet on any of those and running planks the full length of the hull is the best course with all these models. If you wanted a rabbet on the keel you can sand or file the frame former to about half its width, ¼ on each side.  Once you attach the keel, you have a rabbet. The simpler way is just to bevel the plank to match the angle to the keel, same concept at the stem, it works fine on these models.

 

Garboard by the way is nothing more than the plank closest to the keel, it’s a little more challenging to fit, but it’s still just a plank.

 

My advice is to read less and build more, these models don’t have to be complicated or researched.  You can learn as you go or research along the way if that interests you.  As a beginner the best thing to do is build stuff.  There are plenty of logs, post your own and you’ll get the help you need as you need it.

This is the way I've always done it. Not sure if I saw it in Frank Mastini's book or if it is just something I figured out for myself, since cutting a rabbet was always too intimidating. I've been happy with the way things turned out.

[Gregory]

11 minutes ago, Stevinne said:

This is the way I've always done it.

 

This works, but can be a challenge to look nice and clean..  Not that this shouldn't always be your goal.

 

Having a rabbet at least at the stem,  gives you a little wiggle room for shaping the ends of the planks and having a nice clean look and fit.

[Laggard]

Coming back to this as Allans helpful description contained this:

 

“It is basically a groove in the lower edge of the garboard seats as well as the ends of the balance of planking as it rises up the post and stem.”

 

Now as a newbie I have to find out what a garboard is.  It’s often one deep rabbit hole just to understand one word.  The definition for garboard will undoubtedly have some term that I will need to look up.  It never ends. 
 

Hell, I have several glossaries bookmarked and still can’t tell you the difference between seizing and stropping.  

[Jasseji]

13 minutes ago, Laggard said:

Coming back to this as Allans helpful description contained this:

 

“It is basically a groove in the lower edge of the garboard seats as well as the ends of the balance of planking as it rises up the post and stem.”

 

Now as a newbie I have to find out what a garboard is.  It’s often one deep rabbit hole just to understand one word.  The definition for garboard will undoubtedly have some term that I will need to look up.  It never ends. 
 

Hell, I have several glossaries bookmarked and still can’t tell you the difference between seizing and stropping.  

Maybe this will help:

 

The Garboard plank is basically the first 2-3 Planks, some make id from a piece of wood double the width of the normal planks, some just do it from 2-3 normal planks shaped accordinglyso at the bow it's paralell to the keel (Reference pic from https://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/plankingprojectbeginners.pdf).

 

Also regarding rabbets, on some kits you dont have to make the rabbet by yourself, only you glue a thin sheet of wood on the keel and stem which is a bit smaller than the keel itself (usually done for the 2nd planking)

 

Like here on the Vanguard Models Sphinx:

 

 

If your kit doesnt have this option, you could always add some 0.5mm veneer to act as a liner for the keel and stem and this way you would create a Rabbet more easily than cutting into the original keel material