: Always nice to know something that google doesn't: HMW Poly is High Molecular
: Weight Polyethylene. Think of it as a strong, dense, slippery plastic.
: I'm not sure how Bill is using blocks or pads of this stuff, but it holds a
: woodscrew nicely. Two possibilities spring to mind. First is that he might
: use a long screw, putting it through a predrilled, oversized hole in the
: plastic pad, then driving the screw through the chine and on into the
: frame. That way the head of the screw doesn't maks direct contact with the
: wood. The plastic pad exerts clamping pressure over a larger area and
: prevents marring the surface. With no indentation from the screwhead, the
: screw hole is very small and easily filled or concealed. For many years
: people have use small blocks of wood for the same job. The plastic is
: slightly better than wood for this job. It won't stick to your glue, and
: won't split along grain lines like wood does. On the other hand, wood
: scraps are plentiful, and essentially free. Waxing them, or using a piece
: of wax paper, can keep the from sticking to any glue that might squeeze
: out. Using scraps of thin plywood eliminates splitting problems.
: The HDPE (High Density PolyEthylene) Tom Yost uses for frames is roughly the
: same stuff. If you are making frames with it you'll have lots of oddsized
: scraps.

: BTW, I don't want to sound critical, but now might be a good time to start
: teaching your daughter about proper safety in the shop. Floppy bunny ears
: are cute, but the strap was covering her eyes--and that can be dangerous.
: Why not get her a pair of child-sized overalls and make that her official
: outfit for carpentry?When she is ready to work, she changes into her work
: clothes. From a practical point, it is easier to get sawdust off of denim,
: than out of plush fur, too.
: Hope this helps.
: PGJ

Hi Paul,

You got it. I made my pads from an old cutting board, run it thru the bandsaw and cut it into a bunch of little pieces a little over 1" square. Epoxy won't bond to them, though it's a good idea to soap/wax the screws because epoxy does bond to the screws and they can be a bitch to remove afterwards.

Bill H.