Joinery question

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glynnffc

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I am replacing the topmast sheave in my lovely Collars mast, and guess what.The new sheave is 17mm thick, and the hole is 14.
Any ideas on how to widen the cut out, and still keep it central and lovely.
I am not too accurate with a chisel, and using a stepped drill seems to need a drill stand. The router looks tempting, but how would I keep it level with the hole, and not cut two sides that don't quite match.
I'm not really a defeatist,but....
 
As you are only talking about a couple of mm each side, why not mark it carefully, and take out the excess with a wood rasp, just go slowly and carefully, should do it just fine.
 
If you were doing this in a router you would need to build a jig.

The jig would need to hold the mast and not be able to move. You would attach a relatively thin flat panel above the mast with a hole cut out to the size required plus the collet that you attach to the router to be able to use the hole in the flat sheet as a guide. You then have to ensure that the flat panel is located centrally to the mast.

Sounds more complex than it is, but if you are not familiar with a router or building jigs, I would suggest that this is not a good subject for experimentation.
 
Thanks for all the quick replies.
I got the sheave from Colin Frake, and it suits the new line, so hopefully i won't need to buy another.
The wood rasp sounds my sort of joinery, as long as I dont round over the edges I think I'll go for that. Router jigs always seem too complicated for the impatient part of me. Thanks again. I'll let you know how I get on.
 
It's just a bit of application of the KISS principal, to finish the inside of the slot, stick a bit of 150 grit wet and dry to a suitable sized piece of wood and use it like the rasp, it will clean the slot up nicely, a drop of raw linseed oil and turpentine (50/50) brushed into the slot after, will help keep the watter oot! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I assume we are talking mast off the boat in which case make a jig and do it with a router, it may take time but you will get a better finish, alternatively if its 1.5mm each side and you are not confident with a sharp chisel pay a carpenter, wouldnt be confident you will get perfection with a rasp.
 
It's a sheave he wants to fit, it's like a pulley wheel that is fitted in a slot in the mast, I advised him to use a rasp based on his skill ability, if he takes his time it will be ok.

You or I would probably pare it out with a chisel, only a couple of mil a side, but he said he wasn't very skilled at woodwork.

To those of you that are advising this bloke to get involved with a router, I think you should maybe think again, a router is a lethal perishing thing in unskilled hands, and it takes no prisoners.
 
ahhhh i thought it was the pointy bit inside the sheave that holds it onto the swingy thing /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'll stick to mobos and doors /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
ahhhh i thought it was the pointy bit inside the sheave that holds it onto the swingy thing /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'll stick to mobos and doors /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah! A proper wood butcher! I can tell that by the expert technical jargon you use! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.......

Joking aside, I have seen some of your work that you posted on here some time ago, when I was still just a lurker, so I know you are a damn fine mean chiseling git! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Please do not use a rasp on your lovely wooden mast; if you do not have the patience to make a jig for the router then you will not have the patience to use a rasp to good effect. Whilst it is only a piece of wood and a sheeve the sheeve does need to fit accurately between two FLAT surfaces. Find someone with a nice paring chisel and get then to do it or take the sheeve to someone who can pop them on a lathe and face them of to the 14mm you need, that would be my option and I trained as a joiner. After all you do not want trouble at the top of your mast, halyards ( or more likely ticeing lines) jamming when you need to change a halyard.
Good luck with it and the smallest job can be a pain!
 
Trained as a Joiner did you?.......well now, I worked as a joiner for all of my working life, I am retired now age 76.

He wants to keep the sheave as it is because it suits the rope / halyard he is intending to use.

He has no woodworking skills, so it isn't just a matter of patience in using a router, it's also knowing what you are doing, he could make a big time mess of the mast or himself if he gets it wrong.

Oh yes, he could pay somebody else to do it for him, but I thought this was the PBO forum, like in get on and do it yourself?

A sharp not too course rasp will do the job just fine, and if he does as I suggested, and sticks (double sided tape) some 150 grit wet and dry to a suitably sized piece of timber, he can finish the slot very easily.

Still you are entitled to your opinion, I just don't happen to think it's the right one.
 
OOOOOOOOOOOO and old Joiner , now i understand your posts /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I plead the fith as the OP said hole but was talking about a slot !

This is a real pic of a friends finger when a router snatched / climb cut .....

Very nasty picture of joinery injury!


I would like to know how the OP is going to make a jig if his skills are limited in the wood working area .

To add something constructive i would say buy a new chisel if you cant get your ones sharp . At least the new chisel will give you some kind of edge to work with .
 
Hi Jason,

Yes an old Joiner, and I still have all my fingers! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I don't think many people realise how dangerous a router can be in inexperienced hands, even old hands sometimes get it wrong.

I agree, chiseling the excess out of the slot would be the way I would do it, but the OP said he was non to skilled with a chisel, then of course he would need to keep the thing sharp, although maybe, he could learn or get somebody to sharpen it for him?

A lot of folks reply to people on these forums, with good intent, but often they fail to take peoples skill levels into account, if somebody wants to have a go and do the job themselves, rather than just chuck money at it, I think they should be encouraged to do so, but following bad advice, could result in them buggering up the job or worse.

I sometimes think that for people who own a wooden boat, taking themselves off to night school for a bit of a joinery course would prove quite useful? If they are lucky enough to live near a college that does traditional boat building, even better!

Oh and Jason............Please! No more gory photos first thing in the morning........Put me right orf my breakfast! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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