Toggles and the Blue Ridge

Not much to report on I'm afraid. We took last weekend off to enjoy a trip to the mountains. Here are a few photos to get the idea of the place.

Before the afternoon snow.

Very effective fireplace. Oak left hardly any ash.

Old cabin window

Old porch.


















Marriage of old & new cabins. Well done.

Kept the fireplace going non-stop. Did some target practice. Ate too much and had a morning hike (too short to offset the good food).










House chores have slowed progress this weekend. I did manage to carve out a pair of toggles for lifting the boat bow & stern. I had laminated scraps from the build thus far with carpenters glue.

Toggles blocked out for planing.

Laminations are of Mahogany, Yellow Pine and western Red Cedar. Holes were drilled on the press prior to any shaping. I've become a great fan of planes. They make quick work, no dust and eliminate sanding for the most part.

Filed recess for the line.

After a slot was chiseled, the round file got us close for a slight recess. Sandpaper wrapped around the file did the rest.

Shaped and ready for varnish.

These are no great design, but are an evolution from the 2 previous sets I did for the SOF yaks. Simple, handy, and functional.

with 2 coats of varnish

These will be the colors in the kayak. Used Petit's Z-Spar gloss varnish. I don't know if it is still true, but I've always thought gloss is harder than satin. I'll let this 2nd coat harden and put a final coat on later.
Otherwise, I hope to try some epoxy & glass on the 2 bulkheads I glued up previously. the temps are not likely to be warm enough for glassing the hull anytime soon. I may consider making some sort of plastic tent over the boat to trap heat from an oil filled radiator heater. I want to get on with this project. Spring and sailing is coming!

PS: yes that is apencil line across one toggle. I don't mind a bit of the hand left in the construction. Like the nail holes, I see it as "character". I'm not looking to have a piece of furniture though I'm sure that 1st scratch will hurt.