Paul, your advice ALWAYS helps. Even when it's just about dead beetles. :-)

Thanks, that technique seems very reasonable. I feel less terrified now.

I did some planing and sanding last night. Nearly finished one side of the chine panels. Very easy to get them identical. I can see that I'll be wishing I had cut closer to the lines though as I have a lot of planing to do. It's fairly pleasurable work however.

Patsy

: Get a flexible tape measure -- the cloth kind used for seing clothes works
: great -- and measure the edge length of a panel, starting at the left end
: of the panel and ending at the right end. Write down the measured length
: of that edge. Calculate the center point from that measurement, and mark
: it. Then start at the right end and repeat the process, mesuring to the
: left end. You should find that you hit the very same midpoint. If not,
: check your math on figuring the midpoint, and then go back and re-measure
: both directions again.

: Now find the panel that is supposed to be stitched to this one. For many
: designs, but not all, the ends of the panels will line up, so that means
: the length along the edge of this panel had better be exactly the same as
: the edge of the first panel you measured. Measure the edge length on this
: second panel twice, marking the center point each time, and recording the
: overall length. If the panel lengths are within 1/4 inch you'll have
: enough play in the stitching that you can compensate. If the lengths
: differ by more that 1/4 inch then you want tocheck to see if you cut the
: panels to the right size. That means going back over your lofting data and
: rechecking the actual measurements of the panels against the specs.

: It is far better to catch an error here and make a new panel from scratch
: than to get into stitching up panels that won't fit right.

: Every panel has two sides that will match with adjacent panels. Let's assume
: your panels are labeled A, B, C and D, and connect in that order -- so
: that B comes between A and C.

: If you measure panel B and find that the side that matches panel A is good,
: but the side that matches panel C doesn't seen right, then the error is
: probably on panel C. Before you cut either panel, though, measure panel C
: and compare it against D and if you have problems with those two matching,
: then it is almost certain that your problems are in panel C.

: You can make a simple jig for drilling your stitching holes from a scrap of
: wood that is 5 to 6 inches long. Decide how far from the edge of the
: panels your holes are to be. Let's say 1/4 inch in. Drill a 1/16th inch
: hole in your gauge stick that is 1/4 inch from one edge. Now drill a 1/8
: th inch hole 4 inches from that first hole, and also 1/4 inch from the
: same edge as the first hole. Tap a small (4d or 6d) nail into the 1/16th
: inch hole so that it projects about 1/2 inch. Drill your first hole at the
: center point on your panel, sitck in the projecting nail on your gauge,
: and the open 1/8th inch hole will serve as a guide for your drill bit.
: After you drill each hole, move the gauge along putting the nail in the
: most recently drilled hole. After you do a bunch of holes, say a dozen, go
: back to the center hole and start working toward the other end. Then start
: in the middle of the matching panel, and repeat the process.

: You might wnat to doo all the holes at once before stitching, or you might
: want to just do 20 to 30 in the middle to get started, and then finish up
: the ends as you get to them, either by using the gauge, or just drilling
: them by eye.

: Hope this helps

: PGJ