I have added an innovation to my plank cutting bench out on the "boatyard" deck. The bench itself is just over 2 feet wide. To be able to cut a 4 ft wide ply sheet down the middle and also provide support for cutting curved planks, I have added a set of 5 "rudders plus T swivel" to the bench. The T swivels are wider on one end to allow the full 4ft sheet support and shorter on the other end to allow space for cutting in the middle of the sheet. The swivel allows elongated support for the off cut curved plank being cut off the sheet. Clamping the sheet to the bench at one end and along the length to the edge of the T sections gives a stable platform for jig sawing planks and reduces stress on the scarf joint in planking sheets.
The hinges on the rudders are open ended so I can remove them from the bench when not doing planking work.
So I am finally getting around to cutting planks for the Charlotte canoe. I will make patterns for the 6 planks required first. Here I am marking up the riband edge for the garboard plank pattern.
