BYYB Forums

I went out and bought my keel wood the other day (finally) and have been waiting for a free minute to get started lofting it to be cut. I think Stevie Wonder stocked the shelves at my local Lowes, because 1x12's were scattered everywhere without any rhyme or reason.

The Triad uses 2 1x12x12 boards for the lower part of the keel and a 1x12x6 is used to make the two front parts at the bow. One dimension on the lower keel is shorter and the difference is made up by matching pieces on the vertical part at the bow -- I assume this adds structural integrity. Anyway, the plans recommend setting the saw to 1/8" deeper than the wood then follow the line.

I'd like to cut the lower keel pieces at the same time, so I would essentially be cutting 2X material. Will the circular saw be able handle that thickness and still make the curve, or will I be looking at too much binding? I can do them separately but I was hoping to insure that they match up properly without having to rely on my ability to cut both pieces exactly the same.

When I cut My 2"x rafters they were curved and all I did was to cut it a 1/4" at a time just set Your saw at 1/4" depth follow the line and make a cut. Then another to 1/2" and so on it works quite well.

Brian.

I hadn't even considered multiple passes. That sounds like a really good solution -- thanks!

Mac I just finished gluing up the keel pieces on my Triad. I cut them separately. I cut the long piece first then used it as a template for marking the second shorter piece so they matched fairly well. I did the same with the stem pieces. I used a band saw to cut the pieces. I have a band saw and enough portable roller stands that I was able to pass the 12' boards thru easily. Then I clamped the 2 longer pieces together and sanded them so they matched fairly well on the top side.

I then primed all the pieces with CPES, glued them with epoxy and screwed them using 1 1/4" stainless steel screws. I did the 2 longer keel pieces and the 2 short stem pieces one day then glued and screwed the stem to the keel the next day. I also filled the depressions from the counter sunk screws with some epoxy/silica/wood flour paste left over from gluing the keel/stem together. I new to epoxy so I wasn't sure how well the epoxy would work to fill (sort of bondo) the srew head holes but it went on easily and after curing was so flat it almost doesn't need any sanding! Beginners luck?

The plans called for 1 1/2" screws but I did a test and ended up with small poke threws everywhere so I used 1 1/4" instead. I took 86 screws.

Mac, I'm surprised you hadn't thought of multiple passes. With the plans for the Weekender I believe it was explained that this would be the way to make curved cuts with the circular saw. If not in the manual, I'm pretty sure it was in the video. It was my experience that this was about the only way to do it. I think that if you try to cut it in one pass, the blade just has way too much material to cut through as you get into a curve. It can get pretty nasty. I would recommend trying a test run on some scrap piece and I think you will quickly see the benefits, or even the necessity of multiple passes. Good luck and good sawdust to ya!!

Tom,

Mac and I are building the Triad. No video just one BIG (about the equivalent of eight normal pages), two sided, page of plans. The plans suggest using a circle saw by setting the depth just 1/8" or so deeper then the material to aid in cutting curves. No mention of multi pass cutting. I had not thought of the multi pass way until reading it here. I am excited to try it myself. My question is on 1/4" or 3/8" plywood do you use multi pass also or just the depth thing?

My experience was that even material that thin went better with a couple or three passes. If you have some scraps to experiment on. I'm sure you'll find that to be true for you too. Once I cut it one time, it was very easy to follow again for the next cut. Much of the decision will hinge upon how thick the piece is and how strong a curve you have to cut. Another thing that I like about this method is that there is very little resistance from the wood and the saw travels easily across the surface.

Yeah Tom I think you are right about that, I cut my ply in one cut but it puts alot of stress on the saw and leaves a lot of room for mistakes I think multiple passes on the thin is a good idea.
Brian.

i used this little makita for my keel and it worked just fine


also you could make a template for the router to follow and put a 2 inch trim bit on it

Thanks for the responses everyone, this is a great place!

Bill, I'm dangerous with a router and I don't have a (working) band saw anymore. The circle saw is it for now -- I don't have the patience or blade supply to try using my sabresaw

Terry, I think a single pass would be OK in the 1/4 inch ply stuff, but I believe I'll plan on multi-pass for everything else. You said you used epoxy for laminating the keel, but I've heard Titebond III is just as good (cheaper and easier to work with). Does anyone know of a problem with using the Titebond?