I want to move on to the next stage but don't feel very comfortable about the beveling. Am I really supposed to be able to tell the difference between a 45 and 30 degree bevel by eye?
The bevel angles aren't that critical to be perfect, but the main thing is that a little beveling helps stabilize the edges as you wire the longitudinals together; they tend not to slip past each other so easily/get out of alignment as you snug up the wires. A lot of bevel at the correct angles will bring the joints tight with no space. When you round the edges, these tight joints may end up with you sanding through the veneers around these angles. A consistent space looks good at finish, especially if you mask off the joints when you do the final fill after the initial tacking of the joints. Mix some West System graphite powder in the fill mix & you get a very classy black joint that outlines each panel. If you have a couple of small scraps, do a test bevel at the finished angles and see what the finished space looks like wired & epoxied, then round it off. Your finish will then have a nice touch with no mistakes. Hope this helped. There is a book by Ted Moores, I think, that has three kayaks under construction in it's pages: an Endeavor, a Mill Creek, & a Coho. There are lots of tricks & ideas in this book tHat will help give you a very satisfying project. Dirk
RE: Beveling
» Submitted by Dirk - Mon, 6/4/12 » 12:30 AM
The bevel angles aren't that critical to be perfect, but the main thing is that a little beveling helps stabilize the edges as you wire the longitudinals together; they tend not to slip past each other so easily/get out of alignment as you snug up the wires. A lot of bevel at the correct angles will bring the joints tight with no space. When you round the edges, these tight joints may end up with you sanding through the veneers around these angles. A consistent space looks good at finish, especially if you mask off the joints when you do the final fill after the initial tacking of the joints. Mix some West System graphite powder in the fill mix & you get a very classy black joint that outlines each panel. If you have a couple of small scraps, do a test bevel at the finished angles and see what the finished space looks like wired & epoxied, then round it off. Your finish will then have a nice touch with no mistakes. Hope this helped. There is a book by Ted Moores, I think, that has three kayaks under construction in it's pages: an Endeavor, a Mill Creek, & a Coho. There are lots of tricks & ideas in this book tHat will help give you a very satisfying project. Dirk