Rebuild stand for BBSB

Dave Diefenderfer

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Friday I need to build a set of saw horses or some kind of stand to cradle the boat for restoration. I want/need to be able to flip the boat and work on the bottom, but also need to climb inside and work. What works? Will 2 saw horses work? Will I need 3 or more if I need to get inside? Optimal height? Prefered design? Thanks, Dave
 
Dave, I am using a strong-tie shelving brackets,I got them at Home depot,they were in the lumber dept. very strong,and you can build your cradle any heigth you want, hope this helps Brian Rippelmeyer
 
I have built these a few times. Restored a heavy Old Town wood and canvas sailing canoe (and now store it on them ) and a smaller hunting canoe. You can top them with what ever cradle you need. Cheap and easy to build - very solid and stackable

I even expanded the dimensions (much wider and a little higher) on a set to store two boats. There is a Keuka trout boat beneath on the stretchers and a Penn Yan cartopper on the top waiting for attention

http://woodworking.about.com/od/shopequipmentsupplies/ss/woodSawhorses.htm#step1
 
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Good morning, Dave~

I have 3 sets of sawhorses - all conventional design. They are 19, 28 and 44 inches (I should make a 36" set some day). I am using my "standard size" horses - 28 inches off the floor for my Sneakbox. It gives me a convenient height - I hate to stoop over for long - for almost any task on the decks or inside the hull before I put the decks on. As you know, I scribed a padded frame that I screwed to my horses for this boat (I will save them - labeled - in the loft when done with this project):


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For some interior work - when I need to be inside the boat - I use a step ladder next to the boat so I can get in and out safely and without disturbing the boat too much.

If you think you might need to support the middle of the hull, rather than add a 3rd horse, I would run 2 or 3 exterior "stringers" from one horse to the other. Use a thickness of wood that bends enough to follow the hull contours but distributes your weight over the hull. I would tack the stringers to the scribed frames.

BTW: These horses were built by my Dad - 1960s ? He put a 4x4 cross piece on top - and I later added a flat 2x6. The edges of the 2x6 act as "lips" to which I can clamp when needed.

BTW2: IMO, any shop should have sets of horses (and benches) at different heights. In the ideal world, the sets would nest to minimize storage space.

Hope this helps.

SJS

 
Not sure how this thread was dredged up after some 7 years? I managed to restore several boats now on the set of low horses I built for the BBSB back in 2009. I did build a rolling frame and set the horses into it so I can roll my work around and into the sun to cure paint and such....
 
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