Making and installing the Masik

Now on to the last deck beam the masik. I choose to
make it from a pine branch which has the riight bend
which allows me to make a thinner but just as strong
beam.


First up finding the right height and curve by making some
batterns and getting in and out and test sitting.


Now to find a nice piece of pine to make the masik
with. Thats my baby in the middle :)


Here is the branch I choose from my father-in-laws
summer home. The template I made from the measurements
I got from the batterns.


Next fleshing it out with a power-planer and sawing
and and chiseling to get the rough form.


Here it is with most of the rough wood removed.


Next a box to get the angles against the gunwhales.


And then adding the marks to the masik.


The finished masik.


And here it is in place fixed in with two trunnels on either
side.

Next up the the deck ridges..

Side project Part 1

I thought would get going with my greenland paddle so I can try and have both
finished at the same time. The planes I am using are from Chuck Holst
and the video at carvegp.


Here is the first part complete, the blades feathered out from the blank.


Next I have cut out the main outline and sanded to the lines.



Next up marking out the bevels and angles for the final shape.
More to come....

Marking deck beams

Now its time for the deck-beams. There are three types of beams
I'll start with two of them first, the main thinner beams and the two
thicker beams above the legs.


All the beams are cut to a rough length and layed in place.


Next up two jigs to help mark out the compound angles
on the tenons on the beams.


One of the jigs in work, this one offsets the angle so that
the tenons sit at the right height.


Here are the two thicker deck-beams roughed out and in
place.


All the beams marked out and ready for me to cut the tenons
out.

Gunwales finished

After finishing the last of the deck-beams mortises the last task on the gunwales was to
bevel the inside edge of the rails.


The bevelling lines were marked out with a simple notched
jig.


The bevel is to keep the top of the rails flat and help when
the cloth is stretched over the top edge.


Here they are in all there beauty.

Now for some forms for shaping the gunwales. These
will help decide the shape and handling of the final
kayak.

Shaping the gunwales

After finishing off the last 30 mortises on the second gunwale its was time to
plane the ends to shape.


A batten is clamped and layed out after measuring
then a line is drawn on the inside.


Marked and ready to go.

I then used a jigsaw to cut close to the line. The next task is to get tight and close to the line with some planing.


A simple planing jig clamped to the block plane to help keep the planing nice and square, it worked a treat.

After planing the first curve I then used the this shape as a template
for the two other cuts gunwale number two, and on the reverse end of this
one.
Then after a lot of planing all that was left were the angled cuts on the under side. This
I done i pairs clamping cutting and finally planing to the line.


Here are they are, the same plane shape at the opposite
end as well.

These slight curves will help give the kayak a nice upper curve when
they are formed into there final forms.

Next in line is either the jigs to hold the gunwales into there proper
shape or I think it will be starting work on the deck beams.

The Start of something long

I hope to keep a building account of my first kayak build. I am mainly
following "Building the Greenland Kayak by Chris Cunningham" and
"Instruction in Kayak Building by H.C. Petersen".
I have been collecting materials on and off for a month, it has been
more of a problem than I thought it would be. Because of my
height, 191cm, I am having to build a long kayak, beams that run
nearly the whole length (Gunwales) will have to be 560cm.

I have tried for a few weeks to get hold of this in one piece
but gave up and have joined two shorted pieces with "scarf joints" and
not so greenlandish, marine epoxy :) It worked really well and this
weekend I got going measuring out the ribs to form the bottom form
and where the deck beams will be placed.
Here are some pictures of my progress:


The gunwales marked out and ready.


The jig for the rib mortices.


One side down, some chiseling to clean the corners
and then there's one to go.