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If you are the type of workman that blames the quality of their work on the tools then read on to find out what tools you should be using for a high quality boat building project

Most boat builder use wood and some fiberglass as the bulk of their materials which means that you basically need to use woodworking techniques and tools for the most part. However you should not buy a generic woodworking tool set as it will not be cost effect. In this article you will discover some tools and techniques that are essential for your wooden tool box, however keep in mind that your project is unique and might require some tool or technique that is not so generic.

The shave hook and scraper

One of the most inexpensive and ancient tools used are the scraper and shave hook. These have been used for many centuries to make canoes, wooden buildings and is a very cheap vital part of a woodworking tool box. The reason these tools are so vital is the flexibility that they offer as being small and can alter the layers of wood to the imagination of the user. As an example the scraper is commonly used in the preparation of the painting process, the wooden surface is sanded and scraped so that a uniform smooth surface is left onto which the painting can be carried out, in general it is a very important tool of a boats restoration project.

The only drawback the shave hook and scraper posses is that they are very labour intensive and could take a long time if the topside for example is very large in surface area. It is not unexpected to suffer from chafed skin on your fingers from then hours of applying this tool. You can get riveted rosewood handles which in width can be up to 6 inches, this is preferable over some cheaply made plastic handles.

Why you need to turn a handheld saw into a bench saw

The handheld saw will be your primary tool of choice when cutting wood, however it is prone to systematic errors if it is not fixed and turned into a bench saw. Repeated identical cuts can be difficult to carry out because this tool is large in size and very powerful giving off fierce vibrations. Yes your technique and skill level will have a degree of impact but if you want to strive for perfection then you need transform it into a bench saw as it will make systematic errors much less frequent. Anything from mahogany boards to thick plywood can be cut this way with a degree of accuracy that you never knew could be possible by making one simple alteration to the setup. All the big circular saw manufacturers such as Bosch, Makita and DeWalt have components which make this simple transformation possible.

To cut planks of regular size a jig from four bits of plywood was made. This allows the timber to be held in place and acts as a guide for the circular saw. To make the jig you need plywood which is 8ft long and 15inc in width, this was the base. Attached via nails on top was a narrower strip 6inc. Some scarp plywood was nailed at the end of the base and acted as a ledge. Lastly plywood about 8ft by 8inc was added which allowed the circular saw to be guided. This whole setup means that very little can go wrong if you have all the measurements done correctly and the stability of the cutting process is very high meaning deviations from the line are very low.

Sharpening your knife

Boat building tools such as bench grinders can be used to sharpen your knife, however they are not a very resourceful way of going about it and besides you might not own one. Oilstone’s are a very inexpensive way to sharpen your knife, it will require a lot more time and patience but this is a quality all boat builders should have in abundance anyway.

The method is to stroke the blade up and down the oilstone while being held at around 25 degree angle. To begin with you might find that you have no idea what effect your efforts are having, but with experience you will know all the different consideration such as for how long you need to stroke and with what intensity. Sharpening your knife should be done regularly as it is an important boat building tool that is used regularly in all aspects such as tool maintenance and small wood alterations.

The Padsaw should be in your boat building tool box

The Padsaw is made up of a beechwood handle that is turned so that a retractable blade could be fitted. Brass ferule is installed as this allows the blade to be locked at the required length by two cheese head machine screws. This really is a very well designed tool that allows you to get into tight spaces where a coping saw or circular saw just cannot access. Even if you have no intention to use this tool from the outset you should have it anyway in your tool box as you never know what problems and limitations you might encounter during your boat building project. One thing to note is that applying too much pressure onto the Padsaw will result in the blade buckling which is a very undesirable outcome when using this particular tool.

Get advice from experienced boat builders

Rather than going with through the trial and error process of picking your tool set for your woodworking and boat building project you can take a short cut by going to see a professional. Most experienced professionals or hobbyists are really passionate about their area of expertise and are usually very enthusiastic about giving advice to inexperienced newcomers. This method will save you a lot of time and money saved in the errors you will not now make and it is always a good idea to connect with other people in your community that share your hobby. At the end of the day your small boat plans can only take you so far in your boat building project.