laminating keel

[tabasco]

Here's the question. In laminating a stem do you epoxy up all the laminations at one time? A trusted friend/boatbuilder sez do all the layers together at one time---period! I get that you make the mess with the clamps/blocks once but is there any reason you couldn't bend in the first three or four strips then in a few days add on? Is it the concern about the epoxy bond being best if all done at same time?? Just wondering
tom

[Tarbaby]

I do a couple of layers at a time....It really depends on how big your clamps are and how comfortable you are with a big glueup. Are you doing it in the jig or on the floor? If it is on the floor, it is easier to do it all at once. Messy but with plastic sheets it can be cleaned up. You can also run it through a thickness planer and then put it in the jig. I would say that it doesn't matter strength wise if you do it all at one or a few layers at a time. What ya building?

[tabasco]

Thanks,
i'm building it on the floor. Drew it up on the floor and will block/bend/laminate it there right on the plan. Then scarf in the aft end and trim it and put it up on the strongback and start the stations. Just thinkin' about the process and maybe best to get everything ready and do it all at one time with one mess. Its gonna be a small skiff--14' 6" X 60"-i put one of the drawings in the thread about post your sketches.

[Tarbaby]

You could draw the whole keel / stem on the floor and laminate it all at once. It would be very strong that way.

[tabasco]

finally ripped all i want. layed it on the plan for a look see. now gotta hit up friends for clamps, lots of clamps

[clt_capt]

Laminating the whole stack in 1 shot will save you a lot of cleanup effort, but your bond is wood to epoxy either way, so you won't have to worry too much about cure times - as long as you prep the wood - if you decide to do it in multiple shots.

Make sure your epoxy has a long enough pot life or that you are mixing very small batches - nothing worse than having your epoxy go off with the stack halfway complete...

[Bligh]

finally ripped all i want. layed it on the plan for a look see. now gotta hit up friends for clamps, lots of clamps

What clt capt said. have a plan and dont work alone on this. one guy with gloves. another for clamping. Dry fit every thing first. Sometimes a couple screws in the beginning help, but dont burry screws keep on outside for removal. Reason screws help is because with all that epoxy wet, it starts slipping and sliding and you dont want to loose your plan because everything is moving around. Also epoxy sitting in a bucket in a big lump kicks a lot faster then epoxy spread out on the wood. I never trusted those new clamps. The old style screw clamps are the only for sure ones.

[Questsportfishing]

whoever the 'clamp tightener' is should wear a dbl set of gloves and carry some extra sets in a pocket... that way they can shed a top set and grab a drill, etc.. small pieces of plastic are great to wrap around the clamp ends.
have fun and remember your white vinegar for clean up when using epoxy! ( it works! and is not bad for your health!)
* epoxy is slippery .. and 1 drop of 5200 can cover the earth!

[clt_capt]

You can coat the threads of the clamp with vaseline (petroleum jelly) - the epoxy will peel off...

[tabasco]

thanks everyone for the tips. no doubt lots of gloves. I think I have a friend coming to help with the clamp up and he's done a lot of them. He's good with advice too (have a backup drill ready/do at LEAST one dry run/an extra strip if one splits/etc). May get all my blocks cut/clamps found and do it sat or sunday.