a bit confused about spars

[DanaDCole]

Some fairly good news about lumber for the mast (for those who want to avoid scarfing). I screwed up one of the side staves (forgot it was not supposed to be tapered aft) and ordered a couple 16' 1x4's from Timber Products Inc. (via Lowe's). I ordered an extra just in case. Anyway, the two 1x4's look very nice--one small knot, but it will be cut off with the taper, and the extra one is totally clear.

These 1x4's are about $17 each, so four would be $68 vs. $88 for a 1x12. And, if you make a mistake it is a $17 mistake, not an $88 mistake.

It's a lot easier to find clear 1x4's than clear 1x12's. Why didn't I think of this to start with?! Getting stupider with age I guess.

[chaertl]

Hi Dana,

I'm coming in a little late here but one important thing to keep in mind is to stager your scarf joints. If the scarf is on the top on one side it should be at the bottom on the other. Helps even out the stresses on the spars.

Chris

[DanaDCole]

Thanks for that--makes sense. However, if people are able to find four clear 16' 1x4s either in a local lumber yard or through one of the big firms (Lowe's or Home Depot), then they can avoid the scarf altogether. lIke I said, Lowe's ordered the boards from Timber Products Inc, and they look very nice--one small knot on one of the boards, but it was cut off when I cut the taper.

I admit I have been thinking about learning to create a good scarf joint, but I don't want to learn on the mast!

[chaertl]

For scarfing a 1x4 I rough cut it on a band saw then finish up with a belt sander. Check the CLC tips page for tricks, it's not as bad as you'd think. I had to use 10' and 8' boards since anything longer wouldn't fit in my Jeep. Haven't had any problems with the scarf joints but have had a few of the rabbit joints open up. Make sure to use plenty of glue to fill the joints. It's best to clean up a bunch of squeeze out then have a starved joint that can fail.

Chris