Determining width of hull planks

[Daedalus21]

How do you determine how wide a plank is at each frame? Is there a way other than using proportional dividers?

 

[Rob444]

Many people use tick strips and divide the distance of the bulkhead by the number of plans to get how wide each plank should be.

This video may be of help

Rob

 

[AllanKP69]

The video is a great tool. Also, the attached paper by David Antscherl will help. There was a post here at SoS not too long ago on making tick strips, maybe you can find it with a search. If nothing else take a string and lay it along a frame at the dead flat from the rabbet to the top of the top timber. Then straighten and measure the total length. Assuming planks are about 10-11 inches broad, divide the number of strakes needed. This number of strakes will be the same from stem to post barring the need of a drop strake or stealer. Then it is just a matter of dividing the frames every few stations by that number of strakes to make the tick strips. There is no need to make one for every frame but too many is better than not enough.
Allan

 

[polydoc]

I find that dividing the hull into planking bands of about 4 planks each works well. Starting at the deck or wale, measure the perimeter of the widest bulkhead down to the keel. If your plank width is say 4mm, mark down the bulkhead in increments of 16 mm. Lay a flexible tick strip through the first mark into a fair curve from bow to stern and mark where it crosses each bulkhead. Check to make sure at the bow the planks will not have to taper to less the 50% of the width. Repeat this process down the hull. For each planking band, measure the perimeter between marks on the bulkheads, divide by four and taper the planks accordingly. Planking should be pre-bent to shape for the best results. I wet the planks and bend them over the barrel of a soldering iron. Planking above deck normally goes very easily since little to no plank taper is usually required.

 

[AllanKP69]

Planking should be pre-bent to shape for the best results. I wet the planks and bend them over the barrel of a soldering iron.

Do you do this just for bending with the breadth or also for edge bending so there is no lift to the planks on the hull?
Allan

 

[Bob Ellis]

How do you determine how wide a plank is at each frame? Is there a way other than using proportional dividers?

You can make this complicated or simplify the process. The easiest is measure up the deepest bulkhead and divide by the nomber of 5mm (?) planks it will take from keel to wale, say 20 planks. That same twenty planks will need to fit at each bulhead and the stem. Measure the length of each bulkhead and divide by your twenty planks. Mark the plank width with a sharp pencil dot...next bulkhead etc...Your dots should of course be at the bulhead distances lengthwise along the plank. You don't need to measure at the stem, when you have joined the dots to get a taper line the taper will extend beyond b'hd 1 to the stem. Planks will need pre bending. They bend downwards so the upper edge of the plank is tapered. If you're building with a 2mm inner and veneer outer (always walnut!) The veneer won't bend, the walnut will splinter. You can get fresh timber, do a 1.5 inner and 1mm outer (Caldercraft and Amati come with these timbers) And get something better that the ubiquitous walnut!! At least cherry!