: I finished the build of my daughter's kayak and I've been playing around in
: my head with deck rigging. I've decided that I want to add perimeter
: lines. The deck rigging would be pretty tight to the deck so I'd like to
: put wood balls on them (ala Brian Nystrom).

: The deck line should come today - I'm trying to figure out where to buy the
: wood balls? Is this something that is typically at craft stores (big box
: places - JoAnn, AC Moore, Michael's, etc.)? Hardware stores? Hobby shops?
: or...?

: Thanks.

: -Doug

Hi Doug,
Like Brian S did with his SoF, I used a branch to make beads.
Sycamore makes fair beads, it doesn't seem to split with wet and dry. (the old common name for it was button wood) Hornbeam is another I used, it's heavy and awkward to work with edged tools but sanding works fine.

Cut a branch a bit thicker than you need. Trim to an easily handled length and drill through the center. Bench vice is very handy, less spinning of wood. Using a bolt as a spindle, you can lathe the branch with coarse sandpaper to make a "lumpy" stick then cut between the "lumps" and you've got the deck beads.

To "speed up" the drying process of fresh cut branches, try steaming the piece for a half hour or so. It works on hornbeam and sycamore, haven't had the need to try it on anything else. It seems to drive out excess moisture quickly without promoting checking/splitting.

Mike Savage
South West Cork