From: Patrick Pierquet <ppierquet@teltech.com>
To: "'baidarka@lists.intelenet.net'" <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Subject: RE: [baidarka] Bending ribs
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 10:04:16 -0500
The problem I see, is that most stringer material has some "give" to it,
and as you force the steambent ribs down into them, they may have a
tendency to bow outward slightly. That's what happened on my first
boat; it didn't ruin the boat, but I ended up with a slightly wider, and
more rounded hull than I intended.
- Patrick Pierquet
> -----Original Message-----
> From: redcanoe@pangea.ca [SMTP:redcanoe@pangea.ca]
> Sent: Saturday, August 08, 1998 11:29 PM
> To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
> Subject: Re: [baidarka] Bending ribs
>
> Here is a simple type of jig that I have been thinking about:
>
> As you probably have some sort of strongback prepared to work on, that
> is
> step one.
>
> Using plywood, cut out stations for the kayak. Make female molds,
> rater
> than the moe typical male molds. ie: you will be working on the
> inside,
> rather than the outside.
>
> Set your stringers, gunnels, and keel, to their appropriate location
> on the
> inside of the molds.
>
> Use your longitudinal pieces to determine the shape for the ribs.
> Simply
> bend them into position. This is much like the building of lapstrake
> boats,
> except that in that method the planking is all assembled on male
> molds, then
> turned over and then the ribs are bent in.
>
> As the stringers determine the ribs shape along the entire length of
> the
> kayak frame, only a few molds are really neccessary. Perhaps five?
> Midsection and two in each end. Three would be the minimum.
>
> As only a few molds are needed, a full and complete, (read very
> accurate),
> set of plans are not needed, as would be needed if one were building,
> say, a
> stripper kayak or canoe.
>
> Kayak overall shape could be determined and altered very easily by
> adjusting the positions and widths of these few molds, making
> repetition and
> experimentation easily possible.
>
> Setting the ribs to the gunnels would be easy too, as, once they are
> bent
> into place, their actual length is easily determined, and they can be
> trimmed easily to their finished length. As the stingers in the
> female
> molds determine the shape of the ribs everywhere, one does not have to
> do
> any adjusting of the ribs to get them to all line up.
>
> Any thoughts? I haven't built my kayak yet, but I've built and
> restored
> LOTS of wooden canoes.
>
>
> >DrDuktayp wrote:
> >"Instead of eyeballing the rib bending I was thinking of making a
> jig. I
> >can use plywood and have bolts sticking up representing each stringer
> >location then steam the rib and bend it to the inside of the bolts.
> I could
> >have all of the holes predrilled for each station and just move the
> bolts to
> >get the proper shape for eachstation. Is this similar to how others
> are
> >bending their ribs? Is there a better method?"
> Douglas Ingram
> Red River Canoe & Paddle
> P.O. Box 78, GRP 4, RR 2
> Lorette, Manitoba
> Canada
> ROA OYO
> (204)878-2524
> URL: www.wilds.mb.ca/redriver
> e-mail: redcanoe@pangea.ca