Tools

[Rupert]

Put the roll of carpet on the garage floor. Makes kneeling down much more comfey.

I also have to find room for 5 sailing bags, a campervan awning and a chemical toilet. The toilet is for sale if anyone is in need!

[chris]

I have a dremel-type of tool (proxon) but I don't think I've ever used on a boat.
I certainly would second the suggestion of a block plane ( small plane with low angle blade, easy to use in one hand) I have four, two metal and two wooden. The two wooden ones were bought very cheap ( under a fiver) I had to really work on the slightly rusted blades but they are very good to use now, just have to get used to setting them up. I bought a second metail one, a 'Faithfull) I was going to keep this one for boat work and my other for proper jobs but I don't like it much, the worst thing is the poor quality of steel blade. I like the Stanley one better.
Axminster Power Tools has a good catalogue for mail order. But market stalls and junk shops are great too.
As suggested a sharpening set up is essential.

The only other suggestion not mentioned so far: some rasps of various shapes. I bought some (new) very cheap when I needed to clean up epoxy that had squeezed out and found they were brilliant for the job. ( they didn't last long but I thing I bought a pack of six in a pound shop so I got my money's worth)

Keep old blades, from hack saws and Japanese saws, they have a surprising number of uses, from cleaning out splits and old glued joints to making special shaped scrapers. A hacksaw blade with the teeth ground off, thin the end a little and shape it to a hook; wrap some insulation tape round to other end for a handle and it's a very good tool for hooking out rotten glue in an old joint.

[Obscured by clouds]

Keep old blades, from hack saws and Japanese saws, they have a surprising number of uses, from cleaning out splits and old glued joints to making special shaped scrapers. A hacksaw blade with the teeth ground off, thin the end a little and shape it to a hook; wrap some insulation tape round to other end for a handle and it's a very good tool for hooking out rotten glue in an old joint.

Ah now Chris, you are getting into the specialist end of things


an old wiper blade from the car - pull out the s/s strip and make a hook, great for fishing out that haliard you lost into the mast.
keep all the lolly sticks from ice creams - the magnum ones are great since they have a 'variable radius' to the end - perfect or getting that epoxy fillet 'just so'

[Rupert]

Rasps - I thought it was only me, and assumed it was bad craftsmanship to use them...

Glad to hear otherwise!

They are really good for putting the angle on a piece of plywood for the kind of patch Citrene needs.

[tomslade]

For me I think it's a confidence thing. I been around boats long enough to know that it's far too easy to cause a lot of damage with a power tool in the wrong hands
With a jigsaw I could mess up a lot, with a dremmel it would be a lot less.

I already have the garage, although I have a lino floor not carpet! I also have a few of the hand tools mentioned.

[Rupert]

Hand tools are really useful for that very reason, Tom. I'm not sure whether a dremel is going to have the power to do most of the jobs on a boat. A sharp chisel, a hand drill and bits and a small hand saw might be more effective, especially when coupled with a rasp, Surform and a sharp plane. Certainly to do the bailer hole, hand tools would be all you need. Just remember to keep your hands behind the blade...

[neil]

make sure you have plenty of hammers, and a small plane.

[tomslade]

make sure you have plenty of hammers, and a small plane.

Interesting pic, probably a stupid question, but what's the thing in the middle between the hammers?

[Michael Brigg]

Interesting pic, probably a stupid question, but what's the thing in the middle between the hammers?

I'm guessing it is a dolly for squeezing on the roves ad washers of his copper rivets.

PS. How many more millions of lands between the ribs are there for you to strip?

[davidh]

Gosh, that makes me very nostalgic for the days when I had my Saturday job working in the local - and very traditional boatyard! The nippers job was to get in under the hull with the dolly - you were deaf as a post in half an hour (but as I was already going to rock concerts that was less of a problem).

Today my boat working area looks more like a chemists bench, with all the scales, measures, tongue depressers and other tricks of the epoxy working trade. That.... and rolls of harsh grit for the long boarding that you know will follow!

D

[neil]

Interesting pic, probably a stupid question, but what's the thing in the middle between the hammers?

I'm guessing it is a dolly for squeezing on the roves ad washers of his copper rivets.

PS. How many more millions of lands between the ribs are there for you to strip?

Certainly is a dolly, though there's no roves used. The ribs are 3/8" x 1/4" so it's a case of hammering in a 3/4" 16g copper nail through the hull and rib (hence the dolly) and bend over the nail. Think there's 64 ribs to go. Zenith's restoration has stalled though as I'm having to rebuild a engine at the moment. Planning for a 2016 launch. Can't actually see much of the boat as it's been used for engine part storage.

[davidh]

Neil
I'd offer to get in hull the hull (just to re-create those wonderful memories of a mis-spent youth) but you're engine building.....

Will you be 'Hit-ing it at Roadford?

Cheers

D

[neil]

Yep, the Hit is ready to go.

[chris]

David...spare a thought too for the two skeletons of young boys found when they broke up the Great Eastern ( I think it was) a double skinned hull riveted but they didn't leave an escape hatch it seems.

[Michael Brigg]

David...spare a thought too for the two skeletons of young boys found when they broke up the Great Eastern ( I think it was) a double skinned hull riveted but they didn't leave an escape hatch it seems.

Considering that today is the reburial of Richard of York, perhaps we should consider if these might be the Princes in the Tower??