Some things I've made

This will probably be a quick post as I have to run out the door to meet Ananda, but I wanted to post a quick picture of some of the things I've made in class recently. A hammer, a bevel board (the piece with the diagonal lines), and two bevel gauges. Bevel gauges simply measure angles while the board lets you put your gauge against it  and will let you know what the angle is. 

The hammer is the most recent project. It took a while, and while there are things I'm disappointed in myself about, I think it came out well and will serve me. Today we got to go out on a boat from the 1930's that belongs to the school. We didn't go anywhere, but it was just nice to be aboard, on the water. It was a beautiful old wooden boat too, so it was nice to get a sense of some of the things we may be able to make. I also signed up for rowing classes, as there are several small row boats that we can take out in the bay if we take a how-to class. Its been beautiful out, and its been frustrating not being able to get out on the water not having regular access to kayaks or paddleboards. I was just sitting with one of my classmates, Josh, and saying how nice it would be if we could get out on the water, so it was nice to have this show up. I'll be trained next Friday, and will be able to get out after that, which will be great. Should make for some wonderful photos. 

Also I've filed for unemployment and the Washington State Training Assistance Program. It appears that I have been approved for both, so I should receive support for the duration of my schooling. Which will be wonderful.

Anyhows, I hope all is well back home, and just know that I am doing well and enjoying my time in school. Be well.

Love,

Jamie

Carlin joint

Last couple of days have been rough. Spent two days trying to make something called a carlin joint.

Per the Community Boat Project : Carlins are structural members that run fore and aft in a ship wherever the deck structure calls for an opening that cuts across deck beams, such as for hatches or cabins. They are notched into deck beams on either end, and supported athwartships by spur beams notched into the carlin.

My goal these days at the boat school is try and get one thing done per day. Its a very low expectation, but its what I seem to be able to manage reasonably. Today I'll be making a bevel board, a board that shows degree of angles. We'll see how it goes. 

Gus

Gus is the outdoor cat who lives here, and has become something of an indoor cat. She is very sweet, has a very strong motor, loves to love and be loved and especially loves tuna. She is very good company.

Boat School, week 1

So everything seems to be going fine with boat school. Its been an adjustment. Having to be up early, having to actually be on time (go figure). All challenges on top of the fact that I've never done any real woodworking, so learning the tools and understanding what the instructor means when he says things like preserve the line and blowing corners out. All the work is in detail and I don't consider myself a perfectionist. Everything for me is making do as best as you can with the tools, materials, people and animals you have at any given time. And this is the same, just drilling down to a different degree of precision, which I'm beginning to feel like I'm getting to get the hang of. I have no idea whether I'll be a boat builder or luthier, but I'm enjoying the foray into unknown territory. Even my landlord has been skeptical of this little jaunt, but she seems to be coming around, which is good, considering how much I like living here.

Most of the days right now we are practicing making joins using two pieces of wood, say two by two. We then carve a small square out of both pieces, but only halfway through the wood, so there is a backing to it. The two pieces should fit together well, with the edges lining up to each other and flat across the plane. As simple as this sounds, its not that easy at first. You have to draw out lines using a ruler (tri-square), then cut along those lines with a japanese cut saw. This looks like a small machete with teeth. If the lines don't match, or the cut is off, the pieces won't fit together cleanly. If it hasn't been cut enough, you have to work at it with a sharp chisel to plane it down so it does fit. If you've cut too much, you start again.

With each project, it takes me usually about three tries to get it close to correct. As I do more, I pick up more on what the instructor was talking about, what he was looking for, how it makes things work. Its funny, I've done the same thing when training people for work, and they often don't do the things I've told them to do, which may seem arbitrary, but really does make a difference. Now I'm that guy. The learning curve feels steep, but I'm determined to get it and I am seeming to get it. I've gotten through most of the joins, and the class is now moving on to making our own tools. One is a small device which looks like a small wooden pocket knife, but is actually known as a bevel tool, used for measuring angles. Another is a bevel board, which is kind of like an alphabet for boatbuilders, a flat piece of wood with notches and lines indicating the plane of an angle, from 0 to 50 degrees. You can imagine how this might be challenging for someone with my inclinations, but I'm getting my head around it. Soon we will be making hammers and a toolbox.

Anyhow, that's all for now. I'll try to get some pictures of the things I've mentioned. For now words will have to do.

Hope all is well.

Love,
Jamie