Planking precision and wood filler

[Maid of the Mist]

I understand the principle of tapering planks narrower at the bow and stern so they fit properly, but what I don’t really get is how you achieve the level of precision needed so that each plank sits flush without gaps. Since so much of this process seems to be done freehand with pencil marks and dry-fitting, how do you actually cut the planks with the tiny tolerances needed for a clean fit?

 

When I watch experienced builders on YouTube using a mini plane, the plank just seems to drop into place perfectly but I can’t tell if that’s because they’ve been at it for 20+ years and have the eye and muscle memory or if there’s some method or tool that helps remove the guesswork.  At the moment, every plank for me feels like a painstaking trial-and-error exercise or I have to settle for something scrappy and make up for it with filler. Is that just the nature of planking, or am I missing a trick?

 

Related to this, on my OcCre Beagle I’ve had to use wood filler to smooth out the first layer of planking. Will I run into problems later using PVA glue on that filled surface when it comes time to lay the second layer of veneer planks?

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  PVA craft glue is used in book binding where some flexibility is desired, e.g. the spine of the book.  I tried it experimentally when 'layer caking' a solid basswood hull (from pieces pre-cut along plan view lines), and occasional glue-rich (yet cured) seams didn't sand as well as those glued with wood glue (aka Titebond - aliphatic resin, which dries hard).  I've had good results from wood glue, quick set epoxy, and CA on wood-to-wood bonding or wood over filler. 

  PVA can work when gluing wood decking over a plastic substrate, but this is a special application.

[Knocklouder]

For myself planking is the hardest to learn, I have study Chuck's video on planking for planking a lot, four years now you would think I would get the hang of it by now lol I use a steel 6 inch ruler the taper my planks, never tapper more than half the width of the plank,I don't try to cut the plank right though on the first pass of the scalpel , several pass then apply presser. I beval the top edge a bit so it fit nice, I use a plank bender, a bit of heat and water. 

  Once all the sanding and filling is done I coat the hull with thin down PVA about 30 to 40 %, let that dry overnight and away you go.

  this may not be the right way but it works for me,

 

Knocklouder  

[druxey]

There is the video mentioned and also tutorials on this site:

 

http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/Planking primer.pdf

 

http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/Lining Off your hull for planking.pdf

 

http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/NailPatternJig.pdf

 

http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/plankingfan.pdf

[Desertanimal]

First off PVA won’t cause trouble on the second layer. 
 

Planking is for sure a big stumbling block for many. Including me. You ask how to cut the planks, that’s the easy part. Use a steel ruler and put it on top of TWO planks laid side by side. One you will trim the other is just to hold up the left edge of the ruler, assuming right handed. That keeps the ruler level. 
Then it’s bend and fit, trial and error. Are you edge bending? That’s the key for many. Once you have that figured out it will help a lot. A combination of edge bending and curving the plank will usually get it to sit quite flat. You hear a lot about clamping the planks in place. You should not need a lot of clamping pressure to hold them. They should sit flat so a little finger pressure is all it takes to get the glue to hold then start on the next plank. Usually the matching plank on the other side, so your a step ahead. You’ve already made one just like. Except opposite bend direction. 

In this picture you see the plank edge bent to match the curve. Next I’ll curve it along the length and it should lay very nice. That plank is boxwood. 
I use water and a small quilting iron. No boiling, no ammonia, or any other silly stuff you’ll hear. 
 

 

I’m far from an expert with this but I do think I’ve improved my skills over my earlier boats. 
This boat will not be painted so I’m trying very hard not to use any filler.

 Hope this helps a little and makes sense. 
Chris

[Maid of the Mist]

Thank you everyone for your detailed responses. 

 

Is there anywhere else I can access those PDFs, please?

 

I always get this error:

 

 

[Knocklouder]

https://thenrg.org/resource/articles#

Try here.

Knocklouder 😁 

[Dziadeczek]

7 hours ago, Maid of the Mist said:

...how do you actually cut the planks with the tiny tolerances needed for a clean fit?...

 

 

 

You do not need 20 years of experience to do it properly, but you have to remember to do it with max precision to achieve desired end effect.

Very helpful for spiling is also to use a good quality set of proportional dividers, or a paper strip method instead.

 

Also, in order to precisely shave the edge of a plank, you first should construct a simple plank holding device, a sort of wooden (plywood) vise that will hold the planks vertically and firmly while you shave them (with a small finger plane, the best ones are those for luthiers, called "Ibex"). 

 

You shave the edge of a pair of hardwood planks held in the jaws of this vise (since the corresponding planks should be both identical on each side of your hull). Also, this way the process is faster...

The shaving goes on one side (edge) of a plank only. The other side should be painted black - to show tarring of plank edges sitting tightly on the hull.

 

The shaving process should be delicate and gradual; bring the blade of your plane almost to the pencil line - a mark that delineates the shape of your plank and finish the process exactly to this pencil mark with sandpaper glued to a wooden block - for maximum precision. Remember to give a final angle to the shaved edge for the plank to sit tightly against the edge of a corresponding plank on a curved, barrel-shaped hull.

 

Once you get a hold of this process, it won't be so intimidating anymore!    😀

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Dziadeczek

[barkeater]

Here's a tip I don't think anybody has mentioned. The tapered surface of the plank should always go against an already installed plank. The planks free edge is therefore straight and any gap that needs to be corrected is against an installed plank and readily apparent before glueing. Also, if you use steam bending, let the finished plank sit overnight in place before gluing. Wet wood swells. Degree is minimal but you want to get the tightest fit you can.

Rich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

here's a tip I don't

[palmerit]

It's been interesting watching Olha Batchvarov's build of the Gunboat Philadelphia on YouTube. The planking is different (it's wide sheets of basswood that are too thin to edge bend), so don't use it as a how-to for the kind of planking you're doing. What's been eye-opening for me is how long someone with that much experience takes to get a piece of planking on the hull or the deck just right. It's cutting, checking, sanding, maybe some more cutting, checking, some sanding, checking, sanding, checking, sanding some more, checking, checking again, some more sanding. I know she's more efficient than most people watching her channel. But I could certainly imagine that some who have built that model just glue the pieces in place with a couple cuts and get the model "completed' way more quickly than she does. Expertise makes things quicker. But it's really seemed to me to be a place for lots of patience. Watching her video has helped me realize that I'm not doing something wrong if it takes me a while and sometimes I just need to toss a strip and start over. 

 

The NRG Half Hull model also helped me understand the shapes that pieces of planking have to take. That model uses a different approach in that you cut out the planks from large sheets of basswood to the right size to fit the 3D geometry instead of using long thin strips of wood bent to shape. Edge bending of planks is a different technique. But the Half Hull helped me get a better mental image of what I was trying to achieve by bending planks in two orthogonal directions and the shape I was trying to achieve when fitting a piece onto a 3D hull.