: Hi, this is my first posting on this forum so be gentle. I am currently in
: the process of building a Guillemont from the plans in the book. I found a
: source of Western Red Cedar locally and have enough to build an aircraft
: carrier just in case I make a few mistakes. I have already cut the strips
: on my table saw (they look like they came out really well). My next
: project is to route the beads and coves which I think I can handle as
: cutting the stips worked out so well (almost no waste, the wood I got was
: great, I can count the number of knots on one hand).

: I also purchased a plank of black walnut which I intended to use for some
: minor accent strips (maybe on the shear line as well as a couple on the
: deck). I have two questions, the first is, should I try and do a bead and
: cove on the walnut or is the stuff too hard and brittle? My second
: question is, how wide should I cut the strips (since the wood is hard I
: assume it will not bend nearly as well as the cedar)?

: Thanks in advance for the help as I am a major newbe and plan on asking some
: really dumb questions.

The shear strip on the Guillemot is not too bad - I got a 3/4" mahogany strip to follow that line, and I didn't even use nails.

I use bead and cove strips, but it can be a pain. You have to be really careful with your router table setup, and you can easily waste strips if your setup is not bulletproof. I have a cheap router and small table, and it's no picnic. I do think that it saves time and helps with stripping though.

You might consider listening to Etienne - he's got years more experience than me and builds very good looking boats.