This is the process of building a wooden whisker pole for the ketch Julia using the bird's mouth construction method. This technique works well for masts, booms, and other spars.
Years ago, I lived in the small Montana town of Twin Bridges. For serious flyfisherman, it is the center of the universe. There was a small artesian company called Sweetgrass Rods, where they handcrafted bamboo flyrods. Each section of the rod were perfectly six-sided, and tapered to mate with the next. So precise were their planed sections, as to tune the rod into a flexible yet sufficiently rigid rod. I wanted one, knowing the painstaking care, and skill it required to make. I’ve watched your journey, North, now South. I love the content, and like the bamboo rod, I dream of sailing a traditional wooden sailboat into waters just over the horizon. Thanks for pursuing your dreams, and including those who long to do likewise.
Wow Rory that’s a sad statement , wood boats are the best , and if you build one they are even more special because you built it , a fantastic boat that will last for many many decades if it’s looked after , wooden boats are the best , keep history alive build a boat yourself. I guess some people are just lazy or don’t have time in to build one and that’s ok to.
Holz - ein herrlicher Werkstoff. Wo Natur und menschliche Kreativität sich treffen. (Wood - a wonderful material. Where nature and human creativity meet.) Tolle Zimmermannsarbeit / Awesome carpentry 👍
Awesome video my friend , loved the construction using bird mouth style fitting it together and the 45 deg cuts , the varnish really makes it pop , looked fantastic ,
When You can already see in the first outside shot of the shop's doors that it is time to relax, lay back and just indulge into watching people obviously knowing what they're doing ....
If you make you first 45 degree cut the same depth as the thickness of the parts you can avoid a bunch of trimming later. I'm stealing the "two halves" idea though!
Imagine how ship carpenters were capable of using hand tools on board a wooden sailing vessel and do this at sea or to make an emergency repair on a deserted island
The algorithm has you....also, I'm almost certain I've seen julia. I think I was doing a high school photography project on old mosquito fleet ferries. 15 years ago or so. Moored in sinclair or dyes inlet in kitsap. Or, because I live on the sound. I just think I recognise random wooden vessels. Lol
I seem to remember an Ingrid in Paulsbo at Liberty Bay Marina, she was a few slips up from my much lesser but still loved classic plastic would have been around 03-08 when I left. Sinclair's isn't a huge leap from there, maybe we're thinking of the same boat, their not common even in Port Townsend with the rather large collection. Of course living near Booth Bay ME like I do now, I haven't seemed to be able to free the grasp of wooden boats.... but why would I want to be?
Really nice job! I hope to make one following your technique for a 36 foot cutter. Not sure of the length I need but 20lbs for 16 feet seems pretty light!
Much easier quicker and dead accurate to make a scarph box and cut them with a router. There are much better glues than epoxy for sparmaking. Turn a sanding belt inside out, make a bobbin of suitable diameter to go in your electric drill glue some rubber around it and sand the mast that way.
These videos are a joy to watch! Can I ask what the black stuff is you put into the drill holes in the mast before installing the hardware? I only use the putty you use in the end to make it watertight but what is the black stuff you put in with the ear thingy? Thank you for making the videos
It is just a homemade brew of linseed oil and turpentine with chimney creosote mixed in to maybe give more rot resistance. The idea is to seal the torn wood grain in the hole and lubricate the screw.
This is Doug fir, Sitka spruce would also be first class. But, every area has a local wood that will work, usually something in the larch, pine, or spruce families.
1. Did you stagger the scarfs so they were not all at the same point in the length of the pole? 2. What did you paint into the hollow core of the pole?
I did stagger the scarfs as much as possible with the stock length I had. The interior is coated with epoxy, and the end plugs are glued in with thickened epoxy.
@@douglasdexheimer1081 It weighs just over 20 lbs and is 16 ft long. The length was constrained more by the available storage space than a specific point of sail, but will work for both wing and wing or broad reaching. I don't have experience with it in strong winds yet, so some learning curve still exists.
Thanx for asking. New to the channel and had the same question about staggering the scarf joints. Kind of hard to do when it is basically one scarf per length. The joints tend to end up all in the middle... More or Less.
@@MadisonBoatworks .... with "just over 20 lbs" being hypothetical 22 lbs we were still shy of 10 kilo grams. That is fantastic. A bit more than the same length'n strength of carbon, but so much nicer to look at and to handle. It cries for not only wing-on-wing but a nice midsize tri-radial spinnacker to make her ghosting through the field while her competition still stands like solidly rooted 😁 .... a spinnaker could help You through the occasional doldrums out in the blue also - would be supposed to be a cruizing one though, same triradial form but heavier. for cruising under spi its top point is supposed to sit where the running backstays land on the mast. Saw Your structural improvement vid: She's a capable beauty.
I noticed and mentioned it as well to them. Nearly lost a rig on san Francisco Bay with my capshroud, with part of turnbuckle suddenly being 6 or so ft further to leeward then were I knew It should be. Not easy to catch and reattach while having to stay heeled over with sails full. No autopilot. And an island in front of you.
I generally prefer Interlux schooner, but also use Epifanes on spars as it goes on a touch thicker. The schooner is easier to apply in my opinion. Any good quality marine varnish is more or less the same. I don't use two part systems, I prefer the universal compatibility for touch ups from a traditional varnish.
@@MadisonBoatworks thanks...we had a 63' foot mast spliced many years ago. I was trying to remember what type of wood. It was Citcus Spruce I just learned. Thanks for the video, beautiful
OMG! I watched that with my jaw-on-the-floor! What craftsmanship. A thing of beauty.
You're a skilled craftsman without a doubt..
Years ago, I lived in the small Montana town of Twin Bridges. For serious flyfisherman, it is the center of the universe. There was a small artesian company called Sweetgrass Rods, where they handcrafted bamboo flyrods. Each section of the rod were perfectly six-sided, and tapered to mate with the next. So precise were their planed sections, as to tune the rod into a flexible yet sufficiently rigid rod. I wanted one, knowing the painstaking care, and skill it required to make.
I’ve watched your journey, North, now South. I love the content, and like the bamboo rod, I dream of sailing a traditional wooden sailboat into waters just over the horizon. Thanks for pursuing your dreams, and including those who long to do likewise.
I have never and will never be a wooden boat owner but that was amazing! Thanks!
Wow Rory that’s a sad statement , wood boats are the best , and if you build one they are even more special because you built it , a fantastic boat that will last for many many decades if it’s looked after , wooden boats are the best , keep history alive build a boat yourself. I guess some people are just lazy or don’t have time in to build one and that’s ok to.
Little boats as an option look as beautiful, and these wooden boats never go out of style!
Holz - ein herrlicher Werkstoff. Wo Natur und menschliche Kreativität sich treffen. (Wood - a wonderful material. Where nature and human creativity meet.)
Tolle Zimmermannsarbeit / Awesome carpentry 👍
faith in mankind, beautiful work. thank you.
Awesome video my friend , loved the construction using bird mouth style fitting it together and the 45 deg cuts , the varnish really makes it pop , looked fantastic ,
Pure artistry …
German Carpenter say "WouW", hands down for that piece of art...and work....and handcrafted work. 🙏🤙🍻🌻🕊🇩🇪
This is a joy to watch, thank you.
Just found u guys (Jan 2022) and r amazed at how informative and entertaining your vids r, not an easy achievement. Now back to binging, Thks
When You can already see in the first outside shot of the shop's doors that it is time to relax, lay back and just indulge into watching people obviously knowing what they're doing ....
Clever hack allowing it to be made into two halves until final construction.
Liked the idea of doing in two halves thanks looks beaut
Yes but hollow masts were solid at areas of compression such as cross trees and this would allow that to be possible also.
Fantastic job well explained. Thank you for sharing.
Your skill is inspiring. Thank you
Great job must start again miss it
Nice pole Jonathan, and fun video.
Hey!! Awesome work!! Love it!!
Beautiful.
nice lovley spar work
If you make you first 45 degree cut the same depth as the thickness of the parts you can avoid a bunch of trimming later. I'm stealing the "two halves" idea though!
Excellent… Thanks..!!! 😎👍
Imagine how ship carpenters were capable of using hand tools on board a wooden sailing vessel and do this at sea or to make an emergency repair on a deserted island
And no epoxy
splicing the spars at different lengths along the mast might have been a more sensible option
De toute beauté. Travail parfait
Bang on! 10/10
Well done! Thanks for the video
Very nice. Now all I need is a sailboat.
amazing! keep the videos coming please!
Beautiful work! Although you may have failed Mr. Brown's Shop Class for wearing a wedding ring while running shop tools. 😛
The algorithm has you....also, I'm almost certain I've seen julia. I think I was doing a high school photography project on old mosquito fleet ferries. 15 years ago or so. Moored in sinclair or dyes inlet in kitsap.
Or, because I live on the sound. I just think I recognise random wooden vessels. Lol
I seem to remember an Ingrid in Paulsbo at Liberty Bay Marina, she was a few slips up from my much lesser but still loved classic plastic would have been around 03-08 when I left. Sinclair's isn't a huge leap from there, maybe we're thinking of the same boat, their not common even in Port Townsend with the rather large collection.
Of course living near Booth Bay ME like I do now, I haven't seemed to be able to free the grasp of wooden boats.... but why would I want to be?
Nice work
Really nice job! I hope to make one following your technique for a 36 foot cutter. Not sure of the length I need but 20lbs for 16 feet seems pretty light!
Seems like a lathe could be employed
Nice workshop you got there! Also, beautiful job done on that whisker pole.
Why is a solid piece of wood not used?
Just curious why you didn't do two coats of clear epoxy before the varnish. I have done that and found the varnish last a lot longer
Much easier quicker and dead accurate to make a scarph box and cut them with a router.
There are much better glues than epoxy for sparmaking.
Turn a sanding belt inside out, make a bobbin of suitable diameter to go in your electric drill glue some rubber around it and sand the mast that way.
These videos are a joy to watch! Can I ask what the black stuff is you put into the drill holes in the mast before installing the hardware? I only use the putty you use in the end to make it watertight but what is the black stuff you put in with the ear thingy? Thank you for making the videos
It is just a homemade brew of linseed oil and turpentine with chimney creosote mixed in to maybe give more rot resistance. The idea is to seal the torn wood grain in the hole and lubricate the screw.
Where did you get your bronze pole fittings?
Podrías tener un poco de respeto por quienes te seguimos un contestar alguna pregunta.
Fantastic work, Curious on the use of creosote in the screw holes drilled into the mast?
wood preservative - soaks way in!
Nice job. What kind of wood did you use? What was the grease-like stuff you put on the wood when you tapped the ends on? Thanks. BTW, love your shed!
looked like some prime cvg doug fir!
Good morning Sr. Which wood did you use to make this mast? I'm building a dinghy I'll need to build a mast. Tks
This is Doug fir, Sitka spruce would also be first class. But, every area has a local wood that will work, usually something in the larch, pine, or spruce families.
1. Did you stagger the scarfs so they were not all at the same point in the length of the pole?
2. What did you paint into the hollow core of the pole?
I did stagger the scarfs as much as possible with the stock length I had. The interior is coated with epoxy, and the end plugs are glued in with thickened epoxy.
What does the whisker pole weigh? Is the length designed for sailing "wing-a-wing"? How about a shorter version for broad reaches?
@@douglasdexheimer1081 It weighs just over 20 lbs and is 16 ft long. The length was constrained more by the available storage space than a specific point of sail, but will work for both wing and wing or broad reaching. I don't have experience with it in strong winds yet, so some learning curve still exists.
Thanx for asking. New to the channel and had the same question about staggering the scarf joints. Kind of hard to do when it is basically one scarf per length. The joints tend to end up all in the middle... More or Less.
@@MadisonBoatworks .... with "just over 20 lbs" being hypothetical 22 lbs we were still shy of 10 kilo grams. That is fantastic. A bit more than the same length'n strength of carbon, but so much nicer to look at and to handle. It cries for not only wing-on-wing but a nice midsize tri-radial spinnacker to make her ghosting through the field while her competition still stands like solidly rooted 😁 .... a spinnaker could help You through the occasional doldrums out in the blue also - would be supposed to be a cruizing one though, same triradial form but heavier. for cruising under spi its top point is supposed to sit where the running backstays land on the mast.
Saw Your structural improvement vid: She's a capable beauty.
Well done! I noticed you don't have any cotter pins in your turn buckles?? Seems scary to me, I have had one spin off and we almost lost the rig. .02
I noticed and mentioned it as well to them. Nearly lost a rig on san Francisco Bay with my capshroud, with part of turnbuckle suddenly being 6 or so ft further to leeward then were I knew It should be. Not easy to catch and reattach while having to stay heeled over with sails full. No autopilot. And an island in front of you.
Which varnish do you use?
I generally prefer Interlux schooner, but also use Epifanes on spars as it goes on a touch thicker. The schooner is easier to apply in my opinion. Any good quality marine varnish is more or less the same. I don't use two part systems, I prefer the universal compatibility for touch ups from a traditional varnish.
Is this ketch an Eric or an Ingrid?
Hmm.
What kind of wood are you using?
Doug Fir
@@MadisonBoatworks thanks...we had a 63' foot mast spliced many years ago. I was trying to remember what type of wood. It was Citcus Spruce I just learned. Thanks for the video, beautiful
@@annhartley1847 - That would be 'Sitka Spruce'...
@@annhartley1847 I've never heard of Citcus Spruce could it be an error from Sitka Spruce?!Just saw the other post!
Woodglut Blueprints has some very useful blueprints with all the details you need.