Traditional Woodworking - Part Three
With the main hull breaches
completed Mike was able to turn his hand to the stern which had also
badly deteriorated. It was clear to see that the work once again involved
renewing part of the double planking.
Both sides of the hull required
Mike's attention, the photographs below show the scale of the starboard
(right) side. The first photograph shows the missing wood, whilst
the second shows how badly affected the hull was with a couple of new
laminates in place.
Below the breached section
a new piece of keel timber can be clearly seen, work completed by Dave
Ross.
It is quite surprising how
different the boat looked with the work well underway. The shiny
planking, in the left photograph was one of the layers of 2mm veneer
which was a sliced African mahogany. The other veneers used were Khaya,
rotary cut which Mike tells me was like using a giant pencil sharpening
machine! The photograph to the right shows the clamps removed, the
laminates planed, and hull sanded. It is obviously a step forward,
although it is a shame the shiny effect has been lost,
As well as the hull breaches
the upper whale backs were also in need of work, using a similar process
used on the breaches. Although Mike didn't actually do the work himself
he was involved in instructing trust members on how best to approach
the work lending a hand where needed!
I feel that it is worth adding that the conditions
Mike was working in were far from ideal. The illustrations left would
seem to imply that it was carried out during the summer months, although
the reality is far different. I can recall going up to see Mike's progress
only to find him under a makeshift plastic sheet essential to retain
a degree of heat in order to carry out the complex task. My wife and
I stayed a while, but could not stay too long because of the extreme
cold.
On top of this it was not always as easy
as the photograph to the left indicates. It must have seemed a huge
undertaking given the size of the hull breaches and that scaffold bar
must have become annoying after a while?
Having inspected the completed work I was
extremely impressed, Barry Sneddon, the owner of the Mary Ann Hepworth
had always spoken highly about Mikes calibre of work. It is without
doubt a skilled task and the trust were very pleased with Mike's commitment
to the project and the overall finish, it is easy to see why such jobs
remain a specialist task. Today there are very few people in Whitby
who are able to carry out this work.
Copyright © Colin Brittain 1999 - 2022
|