The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

230 Hull Construction Methods
however, usually arrives with rough sawn edges, which
must be straightened. Over the years, we have developed
a quick and easy way to work on a number of
pieces of veneer, up to 17' (5m) long, at one time.
We set up our cutting jig on three sawhorses, storing
it when it’s not needed.
Lay four to eight pieces of veneer on a 2" � 12" (38mm
� 286mm) plank so that their rough edges are slightly
inboard from the plank’s edge. Make a straightedge
from a piece of clear 3 ⁄4" � 8" (18mm � 200mm)
stock, carefully dressing the edge for overall straightness.
Position this on top of the veneers to serve as a
guide for a hand-held circular saw. Try to waste as little
wood as possible, but place the straightedge far enough
back from the edges of your veneers to guarantee that
you will be able to transfer a straight line to all your
pieces. Sandwich the veneers between the straightedge
and the plank and hold the assembly with large clamps
at either end. Tighten the clamps so the veneers can’t
shift.
Set your circular saw blade deep enough to cut through
all the veneers. A little overcut into the plank is acceptable.
Run the saw along the stack, as shown in Figure
21-1. When your pieces have one accurate edge, cut
parallel straight edges on their other sides. <strong>The</strong> easiest
way to do this is to run the veneers through a table saw.
Some very long veneers taper significantly from one
end to the other. Truing these up results in a lot of
waste, especially since you can use them for interior
layers of the laminate by alternating the tapered ends
from piece to piece so that there is no angle change.
When we receive tapered veneers, we use our straightening
jig on both sides rather than just on one.
Two factors determine the width of laminating material:
the amount of compound curve in your hull and how
you want your boat to look. You can use much wider
pieces of veneer at the ends of your boat, where there
is less compounding, than in its middle sections, where
curvature is likely to be more severe. Most people
prefer uniform veneer widths on naturally finished
interior and exterior surfaces, but this is not particularly
necessary. Thin pieces or, less commonly, wide pieces,
can be very pleasing to the eye when arranged so that
their colors contrast.
Most commercial veneers are between 5" and 12"
(125mm and 300mm) wide after straightening. Wait
to saw them into thinner strips until you have experimented
enough to know which width will bend and
look best on your hull. It’s a shame to saw 12" (300mm)
wide veneer into three 4" (100mm) strips when two 6"
(150mm) strips may bend just as well with much less
labor. You will find out very quickly if your veneers
are too wide. If they are, the edges will be increasingly
difficult to hold down as the pieces resist bending in
two directions at once.
Sort the veneers into piles according to their quality and
color. Collect your finest pieces and save them for your
first and last laminations, particularly if you plan to
bright-finish your hull. Further sort this pile into dark,
medium and light-toned pieces. Some woods, such as
Douglas fir and Sitka spruce, show very little color
variation, while others, including Western red cedar
and some of the mahoganies, have a great deal. Knotty
veneers can be used on all but the first and last layers.
In most cases, 25% of the material you purchase will
end up as scrap and only 75% will actually become
part of your boat. Most waste is in length because small
cut-off ends are almost useless. It makes sense, therefore,
to try to reduce your scrap rate by ordering veneer
in the most economical lengths for your project. If you
do this, however, you may find that your supplier is
unable to fill your order. He probably doesn’t have
much control over the lengths of wood he purchases.
<strong>The</strong> opposite approach—making decisions based on
what is available—is usually more successful. A typical
boat hull requires a range of veneer lengths, from very
short to very long. <strong>The</strong>se dimensions depend to some
extent on the angle at which you laminate. You may wish
Figure 21-2 A ribband mold for a 1 ⁄2-ton racer showing
alignment markings for various veneer layers.