Basswood mini simmons getting closer

Well I got the itch and in 2 weeks when my wood gets out of the kiln it begins. My plan is a mini simmons about 5’11". I’ll be using Basswood since it was free and I like free. The first objective is a making a rocker profile stick and a outline template since my cants are 4"x6"x6’ I think its nessary to remove as much stock as a possiable. Seeing as I have zero experience I will be asking for a ton of advice. 

 Any advice on making a rocker template cheaply?

 Thanks

If you ALREADY have a Simmon’s type of board, make a rocker profile from the deck and bottom using door skin ply, it will take sevearal tracings off each side before it will come into full contact nose to tail.

Now you have a profile that you can use to set up how thick you want it to be, draw this on your stock and bandsaw it out.

When this is done, line up the sticks and draw an outline on them, now you can start to spot glue the sticks together, keeping the last spots of glue about 4-6 inches from the ends of the outline, this way when you break it apart you won’t snap the ends off.

Glue 2 or 3 sticks together at a time with clamp blocks to keep from having the clamps mar the faces of the sticks, keep the glue spots about 16-20 inches apart.

When the entire blank is glued, cut the outline and clean it up, true the deck and crown it as much as you feel comfortable, clean up the bottom, adding any features you want, get everything as true as possible.

Turn the bottom rails, then the deck, tuning them with the razor or really sharp block plane to the point of being ready to start the sand out.

Now is the time to break it apart, using a block of wood to spread out the impact as you smack the crap out of it with a hammer, if you get into a trouble spot that isn’t cooperating, use thin taper wedges to drive into the seam and force it apart.

Once the blank is back to sections, plot it all out on how big you want the chambers, stagger them on each side of the planks, scribe the skin thickness and get to work, remember slow and steady wins the race, multible shallow cuts is better than an OH FUCK any day


Hey Dmanny, Take this info TO THE BANK!!!!  In fact, take it to the bank and put it in a safe deposit box. This is the guy you want to learn from! Very good of Jim the G to drop this on you. This is a lifetime of learning the real deal. You will not go wrong if you listen to him. Cherish it for what it is. This doesn't happen too often if ever, having a true master giving advice to a self titled "Noob". You just grabbed (or had it handed to you) the brass ring....RUN WITH IT !!! This is not an easy first board. Hope you have some woodworking experience to do the chamber work. Good luck and ride Jim's coat tail all you can. This is like learning to make your first violin from Stradavarious himself!

 

ps. I like to use a few dots of hot melt glue to align the pieces. This makes it easier to pull apart to chamber. Wood glue is more agressive.

Jim that boards looks awesome! (Take this info TO THE BANK!!!  In fact, take it to the bank and put it
in a safe deposit box. This is the guy you want to learn from! Very good
of Jim the G to drop this on you.) ALSO <– THIS!

 

Dmanuel my grandfather had a saying; Cheap is good, but Free is Always Better!

If you can, buy Jim Phillips DVD’s. There are 3 volumes and one of them teaches plenty about wood blanks. Watching someone with so much experience take you through the steps is a great advantage and you can rewind and watch again many times. Believe me it is money well spent. http://www.damascusproductions.com/MasterSeries.php?ID=Shaper2

Why not try the router the rocker/foil method.
http://www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3172

Thanks Jim as a matter of fact I DO have a mini that is currently on its way to me in Florida, and when it arrives my girl is going to be doubly jealous wanting one for herself and wanting me to pay attention to her instead of my new board. I’m crossing my fingers and burning fatty thigh bones to Neptune for swell next week. Thanks again.

 Will I have to change anything for your rocker to work since my stock is only 6’ ?

 I know that this is by no means a simple project but any valid attempt is a success in my book, maybe not a great success but I will still count it a lesson. Besides is always more basswood, the mills here don’t have any use for it other than cants for pallets and even then they don’t really care much for it.

So using tightbond is not a good idea? How many spots or how far apart should the glue spots be?

I use titebond or any other wood glue, go re-read my first post on how much gluing is needed, as little as possible, I’ve had them come apart while shaping and just re-glued

 

Another great thing about this post is the guy who started the topic is the owner of the boad, on it’s way via Fed Ex, with the orange center stick in the image Jim posted. Plus he sent Jim the Cuban mahogany for the fins.  What a country.

I decided on a outline

I finally got my wood back from the kiln it was free so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much. The first profile cuts where attempted on the band saw in the first pic…really didn’t work out so well, then I switched to a borrowed table saw but now I have a lot more stock to remove. I have to thank Jim Phillips, Jimmy Lewis and Ricky Carroll they have all stepped in and helped me with and given me great advice. 


https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/IMG_1343.jpg

first question, did you solid glue ALL the planks topgether, if chambering is in the plan, you’ve gone past the point of no return.

Secondly, if it is spot glued, I draw the outline as I go, this way I can keep the glue spots way from the edge of the outline.

either you are scared of the bandsaw or the blade has lost its set, that is what the waver in the cuts tells me, try to cut spot on to the rocker profile, so much less work over all.

 

Yesterday, I started a 9’9" balsa gun, 8’5" balsa gun, 7’6" C2 hull Cooper balsa

 Who you callin’ chicken!!! :wink: I messed with that bandsaw for a few hours trying to true it but it was so rusty and jacked up that it never would run quite right, all the rollers where either stuck or had been previously abused.  We dug that thing out of a barn where it had sat for 15 years. Did you check out the old TV console its built into? It sucks that I have more stock to remove but it will give me more time to get comfortable with a planer. I glued it up solid and I plan on sawing it apart and chambering then truing up mycuts taking up the kerf with a very thin stringer out of cedar ( I have a mess of it around )

 Jim, I absolutely love my JR Jimmons. It just works!

were the blades old or did you get new ones ? once the set is knocked out of a blade it becomes usless, even if it is still sharp, it will wander like a drunken sailor.

Super Cut bandsaw blades are the Chit man, 1/2" x 3 teeth per inch, micro grain carbide, got about 200-300 thousand feet of ripping on my last one, bought a new one about 3-4 months ago in anticipation I would have to put it on soon.

Have used Olsen blades, felt like they were used from the first inch of cutting.

Trying to run down the glue line will be a bitch, the blade will ride left or right of center, but not on the glue its self

Hi, just stumbled onto this thread as im planning on doing my first chamber project with some Balsa this summer.
Hi dmanuel, I saw your paper template on the last page, I think you want to transfer that outline onto some thin cover sheet material, i use Mdf as its free from my local cabinetmaker… You can then make a half side template and true up the edges with a block plane and then a sanding block, makes a much straighter and long lasting template in my opinion…

Jim, really helpful info on the previous page, staggering the chambers makes so much sense! Im assuming the best way to chamber is with a router right? I had thought about drilling the corners of the chamber through and using a jig saw to remove the center. Using a router means you can stagger the chambers and ribs as pictured and also use wider pieces of wood? Do you use a guide to run along the length of the sections if using a router?
Thanks for any information/help with this!

Jim, It was a brand new blade and we made a point of trying to get the machine as close to correct as we could. As for following the glue line I have access to a saw (hopefully) that will make that process very easy, its some sort of massine saw table with the blade suspended above, my friend said we could just tac glue it to a piece of plywood squarely and push it thru. The blade I got for that band saw was like 11$ so I had a bad feeling when I bought it but I was having trouble finding blades and I also didn’t want to invest in one that was pricey if the machine wasn’t going to function properly. 

Nocean, I have to redo my template since the wood checked on the ends a bit and i need to adapt or scrap and I plan on finishing no matter what. :wink:

spent the morning truing up my blank and cutting the outline. Planers are interesting creatures but a lot of fun. I found some checking that I am unsure about but I refuse to let it discourage me. Pics soon 

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Dmanuel my grandfather had a saying; Cheap is good, but Free is Always Better!

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 Grandma used to say " if its for free, its for me, and I'll have 3!"