Seb vanden Bogaerde, Boatbuilder and Designer maker. Portfolio.

The final compulsory part of joinery. Incorporating the use of homelets and half dovetails, this is an incredibly useful exercise. Soon after hitting the shop floor I was to use what I’d learned. The vessel pictured here is ‘Katie’, a carvel built folkboat which is having a full deck and cabin refit. A colleague and I fitted the beam shelves and began fitting deck beams, these were made more interesting, but ultimately simpler because we had to consider tumblehome as opposed to flare. The pictures are of my first beam, I eventually fitted three of twelve before my tutors dragged me off protesting, I would have cheerfully done the lot.

I never thought I’d be required to make my own spirit level but this course is full of surprises. Made of sapele and surprisingly accurate, I used it in setting up the final assembly of the stepladders and have used it since many times on boats, usually for setting out deck beams.

When I was doing Joinery these were considered optional. I was keen to make them as they are a good introduction to marine joinery and working subtly ‘out of square’, the steps taper as they rise.

The first part was the top step which is devised as a miniature deck grating, the rest of the steps follow. Sapele throughout.

In order to make my first spoon oar, I first needed to make a bollow plane. These tools are made from beech with a plane iron being ground to a curve. I also made a spar gauge from sapele, a simple device that helps mark the oar loom, the stick bit, from square section to octagonal at the beginning of the rounding process.

The first oar I made is known as a spoon oar, and was made from douglas fir, selected for it’s lightness and strength. I really enjoyed the ‘feel’ of this exercise, the use of touch being equal or more to the use of sight. Consideration of symmetry was of course paramount.

In a future post you will see that I have since made another oar for a specific vessel, one which is larger and has a hollowed loom.

This project was a major component of my joinery foundation. Now it’s full of all my favourite handtools and is a much treasured thing indeed. It may not be so practical in the real world as it is made of solid oak and thus rather um, static. The trays and smaller box are of spruce. Cutting fine dovetails in this fragile material was a very satisfying education. I learned a huge amount regarding accuracy and patience in putting this baby together..

I completed the joinery foundation in twelve weeks and a day. And I loved every minute of it. No power tools were allowed with the exception of a bench grinder for sharpening and a pillar drill. Pictured here, my oilstone box, made from a single piece of american walnut, with beech stone wedges. The rebates were ploughed out with the use of a hand router. Also pictured, early dovetail practise and basic scarf joint exercises. These jobs were undertaken in the first three weeks.

More pictures in the next post..