Phase 1 Complete!

The jig is complete!

Over the past week, I've slowly finished the rest of the flare forms, and then this morning I added some final bracing.

Having never done this before, I have no idea if this thing is strong enough for what's coming, but if its not, I'm not sure how to make it any stronger. Its a brick house as it is. I climbed on top of it today (thank goodness no one was around to take pictures) and it is solid as a rock.

So, I went ahead and got out the ShopVac, cleaned things up a bit, and declared victory. Actually, there are two small tasks left, but those have to wait. First, I have to bevel off the ends of the flare forms to allow the chines to curve around. That will have to wait until I start fitting the chines so I have an idea how far I need to go. I also need to get some new belts for my belt sander. Second, there are flare form extensions that are needed to bump out the sides. Again, those will need to wait until I get started on the chines, so I know precisely how wide to make them.

What did it take? For materials, here's the list so far:

• 2x4x84" 22 @ 2.19 $48.18
• 2x6x8' 5 @ 4.48 $22.40
• 2x6x12' 3 @ 7.22 $21.66
• 2x12x16' 1 @ 20.54 $20.54

Little over a hundred bucks, not counting screws and odds and ends. Not too bad. As far as time goes, I didn't keep track. First time, you could build this in a couple of days if you could work straight through. Having built one (and learning all the tricks along the way), I could probably build another in a day or so.

Oh, and I just remembered that some of those 2x4's were for my new sawhorses, so subtract five from the list.

Here are a bunch of photos of the final jig:

That's my daughter, Hannah. She's a sophomore at the University of Nebraska (as you may have noted from the shirt).

If you look behind the jig, there's Duke. He's been my constant companion during this build.

My only concern is right there. See how the angle on the first flare form seems quite a bit off compared to the second? I assume that's right, since I triple checked the plans, but it strikes my eye as iffy. I'll need to ask Lou about that one.

Thought the fisheye lens would give a cool shot...

And who is "Lou" you ask? That's Lou Brochetti. Lou is the guy who sells the Pacific Pelican plans, and he has been an invaluable help to me as I get started on this project. I am amazed at how generous Lou is with his time. I've spent quite a bit of it with him on the phone asking questions, getting advice, etc. He is a treasure. Thanks, Lou!

I am left wondering what I am going to do with this jig when I don't need it anymore. Just tearing it down seems out of the question. I have a really tall ceiling in my garage. I may try hanging it from there. Alternatively, if anyone in the midwest is considering a Pacific Pelican build, let me know. I'd be happy to loan it to you if you want to come (to Omaha) to get it.