Good hand tool tests for an apprentice.

[clark_fork]

As a kid in high school, I worked at Graves Boat Yard, Marblehead, Massachusetts. That is where the last wood 12 meter (Easterner) was built. I watched world class boat builders in action. So all that is the basis for my opinion/advice.

My advice is simple. Take an old dingy,  row boat, or small sail boat, preferably planked.  Rebuild it with hand tools only. Bring it up to sellable condition with your apprentice participating in the proceeds. The basis of boat building is handling curves. That can only be taught by five sensing the experience and working to keep the water from leaking into the finished product. Don't forget the vocabulary of boat building: scarf, chine, scupper, etc. By working on an actual boat, these will fall into place. I would also add that drawing is an important part of learning to use hand tools.

Steven Coyey famously said, "Begin with the end in mind." By working on an actual boat, there is an end to the learning process that will make for meaningful learning.

I worked next to a skilled shipwright. He chewed and I had to learn quickly to stay clear. That was my first learning event. Hopefully you will spare your apprentice that learning feature.

 

[Lemwise]

My advice is simple. Take an old dingy,  row boat, or small sail boat, preferably planked.

She's not there yet. First we have to make her comfortable with hand tools.

 

[ART at WORK]

I have spent years learning how to use a Hand saw and now at 54 I am slowly getting the hang of cutting straight and true and not weaing myself out in the process. I wish someone had taught me better earlier. But I think its something you get from trying. In Germany they taught us to use a bow saw. A lovely tool. Though when the Japanise pull saws came on the market, it was suddenly a whole new pleasuse to cut dovetails etc. As others have mentioed sharpening of the tools is so important. Also cutting cheep pine or ply wood is a whole different ball game to cutting hard woods. I wish I had cut more hard wood to practice when younger.

And if you can imagin it you can build it. So train the imagination and the love of good design.

As apprentices we used to play guess the length of a tape measure. One would pull out and hold up the tape so we would see the back. We were extreemly accurate in a very short time. Train the eye to see.

 

[tiralie]

She's not there yet. First we have to make her comfortable with hand tools.

I am curious, (always about everything) how did you choose her as an apprentice?
Tim

 

[Lemwise]

We chose her as a group but in the end my employer had the final say. She goes to a school were you work 4 days a week at a company and the 5th day your in the school benches for the theoretical side of things. The school contacted my employer to ask if he has a place for a student and that's how it started. It wasn't long until we all saw something in her. The way she matches drawer fronts without anyone having to tell her, or how she makes a full scale drawing when it's too difficult for her to see the end product in her minds eye was the first sign for us that she has what it takes. She's also very precise and she won a prize for a chair she designed. She has a keen eye. But most importantly, she wants to learn everything we have to teach her and she's not afraid to ask us for help.

 

[Holmz]

It is hard to not go forward when one has a good attitude.

 

[tiralie]

She has a keen eye. But most importantly, she wants to learn everything we have to teach her and she's not afraid to ask us for help.

Cool story, good to hear and I think it's great you guys took her on.
Tim

 

[junk731]

"Secondly, we know what she has to learn and the skills she must have if she wants to be a good shipwright. My employer told her right from the start she's welcome to do her apprenticeship with us but it's our way or the highway. She might not like every assignment she's given but she has to trust that we know what we're doing and that we're working towards a larger goal. When we're done with her she will be the best shipwright she can be. I will even say that when we're done with her she will run circles around all of you."

I hope you teach her well enough to run circles around you, don't worry about us, you can also leave out teaching the arrogance.

John

 

[Lemwise]

I hope you teach her well enough to run circles around you, don't worry about us, you can also leave out teaching the arrogance.

That's the plan. She belongs to the new generation of shipwrights so she has to carry the torch one we're retired. And we Frisian shipwrights have earned the right to be arrogant because we're the best shipwrights in the world.

She also signed a 2 year contract today and my employer offered to buy her some good tools as a loan so she won't have to use the crappy stuff the school supplied. She can pay back the tools during the next 2 years so she immediately accepted the offer. He ordered her the Quangsheng low angle block plane, 102 and no4, the 8 piece Stanley Sweetheart chisel set, a Starrett square and some other quality stuff. She's a very lucky apprentice to get such nice tools.

 

[chris s]

I question the statement "when you are done with her". This is not boot camp. Sounds like the arrogance level is a tad high.Remember you are teaching her.
I don't mean to sound disrespectful. However you don't want to turn her off. I am sure the school, altho we might not think so,knows what they are doing. As you said she belongs to the new generation. The operative word there is NEW. Hence they might not do things the way we did, which is not a bad thing.

 

[chris s]

Could you please elaborate on Frisian Shipwrights. Sounds kind of interesting.

 

[Lemwise]

I question the statement "when you are done with her". This is not boot camp.

Do you really think we don't know that? It's not the first time for any of us that we're working with an apprentice.

Could you please elaborate on Frisian Shipwrights. Sounds kind of interesting.

It's a shipwright from the province of Friesland in the north of The Netherlands.

 

[peter halle]

I for one am glad that there are still apprentice programs in parts of the world that encourage passing on practical knowledge and skills to those willing to work, toil, learn and try!

Well done!

Peter

 

[bertv]

I question the statement "when you are done with her". This is not boot camp.

Do you really think we don't know that? It's not the first time for any of us that we're working with an apprentice.

Could you please elaborate on Frisian Shipwrights. Sounds kind of interesting.

It's a shipwright from the province of Friesland in the north of The Netherlands.

Although shipwrights from the province of North Holland consider themselves to be (West) Friesians too…

Fact is that in the luxury boat/shop business a few handful of firms in the area together hold a mayor share in the worldwide business, on a par with the Italians.

 

[Lemwise]

And there's a good reason for this. Dutch yacht builders, together with the Italians, are the best yacht builders in the world. Take Feadship for example, no other company anywhere in the world delivers the quality they do. A good friend of mine and one of the finest shipwrights I know used to work for Royal de Vries in Makkum (one of the Feadship yards) and he and a couple of his fellow shipwrights went to the US some years ago for a re-fit on a yacht that was built at de Vries. This was at Christensen Yachts if I remember correctly, and the shipwrights over there thought they were pretty good but after a few days the saying was: "If it aint Dutch, it aint much."

 

[derekcohen]

[big grin]

Best wishes for the Festive Season

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[chris s]

wishing you the best in this holiday season.