The 10 individual parts that make up jig2 (BJ2) are glued up, and the centerline is drawn. The curbed piece sitting behind the jig is the keelson press. The keelson in made of 3 pieces of swiss pear, soaked in water and then pressed into shape to define the curve needed.
The jig was screwed to the build board and all the necessary marking were laid out to accommodate the centerboard slot in the keelson. Fashioning the keelson is next
A while back I made a plank soaker out a piece of 1" threaded PVC pipe, with a cap cemented on one end and a screw top on the other. The keelson is made of 3 parts of 1/8" thick stock - I used swiss pear. Two pieces are 3/16" wide, and the center piece is 1/8" wide. After soaking over night I ganged the three side by side, secured with painter's tape and placed them in the press with weights to hold down the top piece. The assembly will sit 24 hours to dry.
The next step is to glue up the keelson blank out of the three parts I just finished bending. The center timber had the centerboard slot removed based on the slot's location drawn on the side timbers. The plans call for gluing the pieces together, then placing them in the press between two sheets of waxed paper. Too much to go wrong there, so I reached for my trusty two-sided tape and laid tape down wider and longer than the blank would be. After the first side timber was fixed on the tape, I glued the center and opposite side timber to each other. I weighted the setup in the press and let it dry overnight. This morning I scraped theblank with a single edged razor blade to remove any glue residue. Now I'll shape the keelson to finished. I've actually built my own gaff-rigged sloop in real life and this is just as much work! That's the Admiral and I sailing her!
I cut the keelson to it's final shape. This was harder than I thought it would be because of the curve in the piece. I probably could have done a better job, but the critical part is how the keelson fits in the notched of the station template, and how it relates to the chines so that the bottom planking is flat. I can live with the keelson as it is!
