Rob

Member

From: England

Registered: 29 Jun 2021

Posts: 65

Scarf before or after cutting out planks.

Hi,

I'm building a skerry from plans not the kit (it's my first build), and wonder if anyone could recommend the best order in which to cut the hull scarfs/planks?

The instructions say to rip out the rectangular blanks from 6mm plywood, which I've done, then cut the scarf, glue, then loft and cut to shape. But I was wondering if it's easier to loft the planks first, cut the scarf, then glue? My thoughts were that as each plank would be lighter and narrower once cut to shape, it would be easier to handle than the long rectangular blanks, and pose less risk of breaking during handling.

I'd be interested to hear what other builders, who've already gone through that process, feel are the pros and cons of each method.

Cheers
Rob

Last edited by Rob (20 Jul 2021 10:25 am)

spclark

Member

From: "Driftless" Wisconsin USA

Registered: 19 Mar 2020

Posts: 465

Re: Scarf before or after cutting out planks.

Rob you need to weight the difference between scarfing (mostly) rectangular panels together compared to panels that have already been cut to the shapes determined by lofting.

With a long, straight edge on each piece scarfing's easier to align properly. Scarfing panels that have been trimmed, even if trimmed 'generously', the risks of misalignment leading to incorrect panel shape once everything's cured becomes much larger.

If space and your experience permit, often it's best to do the scarfs on the raw panel stock then loft and cut final panels from this assembly. But that's not always possible, so next best would be to rough out your panel sections then carefully scarf them together with the aid of a centerline of some kind on each to aid in keeping things properly oriented.

Rob

Member

From: England

Registered: 29 Jun 2021

Posts: 65

Re: Scarf before or after cutting out planks.

Thank you, yes that makes sense. I’d rather ensure I get accurate panel shapes to avoid problems later. I’ve already cut out the rectangular blanks, so I will scarf those, then chalk a line, loft and cut out.