Posted by Kirk Bellamy on November 05, 2003 at 05:05:04:
In Reply to: Re: Nails for planking? posted by Graham Knight on November 04, 2003 at 10:28:32:
I used stainless screws to fasten my planking. I had no clogging problems when I was pre-drilling/counter-sinking the screw holes. I also left them in place after the epoxy set, for the extra cost, having the screws in there is cheap of mind... in my opinion. They also make it easier to install the plywood panels as the screws draw the panel in as you go, I found this especially useful at the bow. I tend to agree with the earlier post and placing faith in the quality of plywood. Best of luck whichever way you go.
Kirk
: Should you choose to use boat nails, you might be well advised to use very small pilot holes. Even in 1" thick fir those boat nails tried to cause a longitudinal rent in the grain of my chines. They are fairly blunt.
: Good advice, when I tried them (into Sapele) I found they not only split the wood but they also bent easily, bronze is a rather soft metal. The bent nails are not easy to remove as they grip too well!
: Trouble is, drilling dozens of pilot holes along a chine for instance, while the glue is curing, and your drill bit is clogging with resin and dust...
: You'd have to pre-drill all the holes before glueing, then make sure the skin is repositioned accurately so the holes line up. If you have to use fasteners screws are much quicker and easier, at least if you use the kind that don't need pre-drilling otherwise you're back where you started.