Frame C - first curves

After finishing the straight sections of frame C, it was time to tackle the curved sides on the southwest and southeast corners.

The trick here is to use a flexible rod. If you search long enough, you can find anything in the yard, and sure enough I managed to get one that worked perfectly. I fixed the middle of the rod against the pivot point of the curve with a nail, then bent the extremities to match the endpoints. To keep them steady, I used the lead weights I’ll eventually need for the keel — they’re proving useful already! With the rod held firmly in place, I traced a smooth, fair curve with a pencil.

Using flexible rod to draw curves

The next challenge was figuring out how to cut along that curve. I tried with my jigsaw first, but it quickly became clear that it wasn’t the right tool. It cuts plywood just fine, but thick pine is another matter entirely. I asked someone at the yard for advice, and he introduced me to the bandsaw available there. He cut the first side to show me how it’s done, but when I prepared the opposite side, I gave it a try myself.

Cutting with the bandsaw

As usual, I didn’t want my very first attempt to be on the actual piece, so I marked a practice curve parallel to the real one. That gave me a chance to get used to the new tool without any risk. In the end, it went smoothly, and I had no problem cutting the real curve once I was comfortable with the bandsaw.

Much better than using the jigsaw

With both sides done, I moved on to the bottom joints. Once again, the angle was too steep for my miter saw to handle properly. I tried to make it work anyway, but with the wood awkwardly positioned, the cut wasn’t perfectly square. To fix it, I secured sandpaper to the workbench and rubbed the cut side against it — a neat trick for squaring up a cut. It improved things, but there was still a small gap.

Trouble using the miter saw

So I decided to put my manual sawing skills to the test. I re-cut the joint by hand, and to my satisfaction, it fit perfectly against the adjoining piece. I repeated the process on the other side, and both cuts came out as neat as if I had used a proper miter saw. It feels great to see how much better I’m getting at sawing with each attempt.

Very good results with manual sawing!

The only thing left now is the top curved piece, but that will have to wait for the next post.