Sniper
Well-Known Member
This tip may be well known to many who have trodden the path of old wooden boat ownership but in case anyone hasn't come across it I offer it here.
I've recently been replacing a mixture of through plank fastenings; planking is larch so fairly soft. Some of the fastening holes have become a bit soft and ragged around the edges so putting a new fastening through the old hole runs the risk of pulling the fastening too far into the plank. The traditional way is to insert a graving piece or 'dutchman' - effective but quite time consuming. I have had good results using a 30mm tapered plug cutter and Forstner bit. The plugs are a good fit in the hole and once epoxied in place provide a 'good as new' setting for the fastening. A small spline set in to the original hole provides a firm base for the forstner bit to centre on and thus a perfect 30mm hole.
The plug cutter and bit are not expensive when bought judiciously through the Internet and can be bought in many different sizes?
I've recently been replacing a mixture of through plank fastenings; planking is larch so fairly soft. Some of the fastening holes have become a bit soft and ragged around the edges so putting a new fastening through the old hole runs the risk of pulling the fastening too far into the plank. The traditional way is to insert a graving piece or 'dutchman' - effective but quite time consuming. I have had good results using a 30mm tapered plug cutter and Forstner bit. The plugs are a good fit in the hole and once epoxied in place provide a 'good as new' setting for the fastening. A small spline set in to the original hole provides a firm base for the forstner bit to centre on and thus a perfect 30mm hole.
The plug cutter and bit are not expensive when bought judiciously through the Internet and can be bought in many different sizes?