The Jig is Up....Well, Not Quite

I began today by leveling the base. My garage slants about 1.5" over 8'. This was corrected by placing a "1 x 2" under the low end of the base in addition to adding several shims. I cut the jig components from scrap 2" x 4" and 1" x 4" poplar from RE. I intended to build the jig, but am waiting to purchase mounting brackets for the legs.

The bulk of my day was spent tracing frame components onto the marine plywood. Before I started the project, I thought that the patterns would have to be cut out from the large pattern sheet, and then traced on wood. THIS IS WRONG. No pattern should be cut out. This will make life not fun.

Because only half of several symmetric components are printed on the pattern sheet, I had to find a method of turning the half into a whole. After reading the Glen-L protocol and reviewing the forum, I concluded on a method that works well.

Tracing Protocol:

1. Lay 5' x 4' marine plywood (excess from transom cut) flat on the floor.
2. Place carbon sheet face up on top of the plywood. (Because I could only find 8.5" x 11" carbon paper, I had to tape multiple sheets together to make up a large sheet. Tape was placed on the back of the sheets, and the pages were overlapped about an inch to ensure the image was fully imprinted.)
3. Place pattern sheet on top of carbon paper and weigh down with bricks. It is important that the pattern sheet does not moving during the tracing.
4. Using a mechanical pencil, carefully trace the desired pattern. Straight lines were traced with the help of a 5' metal ruler.

Once traced, the pattern is on both sides of the sheet. For example, the front of the pattern sheet shows the left half, while the back shows the right half. Next, the image must be transferred to the wood. When transferring patterns that are only given as half-images, the following protocol must be used. If full size patterns are present, no reference lines are needed, and the image can traced anywhere on the wood.

Transfer Protocol:

1. Draw a straight line in the center of the plywood. This will be the mirror line. When I was cutting the transom, I drew this line 90 degrees from the edge of the plywood. This line will mark the center of the boat. To keep the line perfectly straight, I used a carpenter triangle and a metal ruler. 
2. Draw a line perpendicular to the straight line. The transom pattern has a line which corresponds to this line. Because I was using the edge of the Marine plywood as the top of the transom, I positioned this line the appropriate distance away from the edge. 
3. Using an Exact-O knife ($3.99), cut small squares (1cm x 1cm) through the pattern sheet along the mirror line and the perpendicular line. These cuts allow the pattern sheet to be aligned perfectly over the plywood. 
4. Place carbon sheet face down over the Marine plywood. Writing on top will press the image into the plywood
5. Lay pattern sheet face up over the carbon paper, and carefully align over the perpendicular lines that were drawn on the ply wood. 
6. Once in place, anchor the pattern sheet by using bricks. 
7. Carefully trace the shapes. 
8. Now that the front of the page is traced, one side of the image is complete. Now, flip the pattern sheet over (the backside has the pattern that was traced earlier), and repeat the process for the other side. In the case of the transom, the front of the pattern sheet showed the left, while the traced image on the back revealed the right side. 

I was pleasantly surprised by how accurately the form copied over. Everything was ALMOST perfectly square. I almost lost my sanity (if there was any at the start), and briefly accused my carpenter square of being un-square (91 degrees). After checking with two other squares and triangles, I found that the mirror line of the pattern board is actually 89 degrees. Loathing compromises in quality, I had to trace outside the lines to ensure that the transom would be straight. 

Word to the wise, the Glen-L pattern sheets are fantastic and have more information than what first meets the eye. If you can't find what you need on the pattern sheet...LOOK AGAIN. A good portion of my day was spent trying to figure out how to fit all the pieces on a 3' x 4' board, while minimizing the amount of straight freehand cuts I had to make. About the time I finally solved the puzzle was the moment I noticed the diagram (describing what I had just done) displayed on the corner of the pattern sheet. My hairline did not appreciate that!

I finished the day by cutting out the motor mount, breasthook, transom knee, and #1 floor timber. I used a ryobi jigsaw with a reverse cutting blade. Prior to cutting, I secured the plywood to the base I made the other day usingusing Jorgensen 10" clamps. These guys are great and allow the wood to be moved and secured very rapidly. I clipped spotlights to the tops of each to provide me with the needed light. It was my first time using the tool, and I was content with the quality of my cuts. Although the straight cuts came out acceptably when performed  freehand, I will use a guide in the future.

Time: 7:20 (Total 12:30)
Cost: $3.99 (Total: $896.06)