OldTools Archive

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266837 Nathan Goodwin <hiscarpentry@g...> 2018‑10‑20 Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
https://youtu.be/5YhdBZ-yXjE

Hi all. Thought a lot of you would enjoy this short video. 

Nathan Goodwin 
H.I.S. Carpentry 
Honesty. Integrity. Service.
(617)347-6744
Blog: https://hiscarpentryblog.wordpress.com/
266841 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑10‑21 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
Thanks for that - boy those guys make it look easy

Ed Minch
266856 Dragon List <dragon01list@g...> 2018‑10‑23 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
love the iron bar crank to move the keel beams(?) into place.  clever as
helll, and simple.

bill
felton, ca
266858 Phil Schempf <philschempf@g...> 2018‑10‑23 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
I was surprised it had enough traction to move the beam and not just spin
between the two.  I wonder if it was toothed.

Phil
266860 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑10‑23 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
There may have been a second one at the other end of the beam, or at least a
pipe as a roller.  I am wondering how they lifted that 3-400 lb keel to get the
bars out - something to pry with?

Ed Minch
266861 Nathan Goodwin <hiscarpentry@g...> 2018‑10‑23 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
That was one of my favorite parts. It's amazing how simple the tools are we come
up with to do heavy tasks!

Nathan Goodwin 
H.I.S. Carpentry 
Honesty. Integrity. Service.
(617)347-6744
Blog: https://hiscarpentryblog.wordpress.com/
266862 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑10‑23 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
Having done the job, I was quite impressed with the guy who was driving trunnels
(tree nails, Jeff) through planks into frames of the hull.  They were a little
lower than waist height and where the hull curved in, so he had to swing up.
Easy motion, stopping to laugh a little, then more swinging.

And watching the guy caulking and how easily the string of oakum just followed
along and made it into the seam ready for the next strike.

Yow

Ed Minch
266863 Erik Levin 2018‑10‑23 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
Ed ruminated:
> I am wondering how they lifted that 3-400 lb keel to get the bars out-
something to pry with?

I should imagine chisel end bars. Easy, and likely many around for prying
boards.



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266865 scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> 2018‑10‑24 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
> Having done the job, I was quite impressed with the guy who was driving
trunnels (tree nails, Jeff) through planks into frames of the hull.  They were a
little lower than waist height and where the hull curved in, so he had to swing
up.  Easy motion, stopping to laugh a little, then more swinging.
>
> And watching the guy caulking and how easily the string of oakum just followed
along and made it into the seam ready for the next strike.
>
> Yow
>
> Ed Minch
>
    I was impressed with these skills too. I was also a little surprised 
to be seeing traditional mallets. Do you think that were doing that for 
ambience, even then? Or just the last of the old crew?

I have an 8' prybar, 400 pounds is nothing. I bet you could lift that 
keel enough to clear with a 36" bar. You would only be lifting one end
  yours scott

-- 
*******************************
    Scott Grandstaff
    Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca  96039
    scottg@s...
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html
266866 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑10‑24 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
I had this discussion with the man who headed the caulking team on the USS
Constitution for her late 90’s rebuild.  He said the traditional mallet shape is
very easy on the wrist and elbow, the head is longer than the handle is long
allowing you to get into hollow areas near the keel and the stern (back-end,
Jeff), the slot makes the mallet into a sort of dead-blow tool where more of the
energy gets into the iron with less bounce back, and the sound of the ring
changes as you drive so you can be consistent with how tightly you have set the
oakum.  But really he said that the slot down the length produces a ringing
noise, each mallet being a little different, so the foreman could lean out the
window and hear who was working.


Ed Minch
266867 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑10‑24 Re: Wooden Shipbuilding: "The Shipbuilders of Essex" circa 1950 United State...
And I forgot to say that there are still at least 2 people making them in the
traditional pattern using Live Oak and Mesquite for the weight - and they can be
$300 with stainless rings


Ed Minch

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