Trimming Lead Keel

Before fairing my dead-woods any further, I needed to trim my lead keel, so that I could take a pattern from it and reflect this onto the dead-woods to ensure a good fit.

Temperatures rose today sufficiently for me to get my chainsaw fixed, having previously given up in frustration when the tiny tubing became so rigid with the freezing air temperatures that I couldn't reassemble it!

Anyway, thankfully I got it working. So spurned on with Port Na Storm's comment about looking forward to see the lead keel being cut with a chainsaw (from a long distance!) , I took out my video camera to record the process.  John Brooks, Somes Sound designer and ever available to offer sound advice and encouragement, gave me the hint that a  chainsaw was known to be quite a good tool for cutting lead keels.  Initially I was quite dubious, but since I had a very small cheap "Florabest" 40cc saw which I bought in Lidl for less than �100, I thought it was worth a try. Good advice John, it worked a treat!

Off-cut from lead keel

I used heavy polythene to catch most of the flying lead chippings.  Even so I found some chippings quite a bit away, so if you decide that you need to do this, keep all onlookers well away and protected.  I was using full face mask and heavy duty protection.  I didn't use breathing protection but probably should have done so - that said, all the particles seems to have been quite large and I didn't get any impression of lead dust flying about.

Once I had the surplus lead cut off, I set to trimming the lead flat with a hand plane.  I decided against using my electric plane as I had read somewhere that the lead shaving cause the motor to arc and burn out.  However, I was pleasantly surprised at how effective my cheap Anant hand plane was at removing the humps from the lead and leaving a relatively clean surface.  Also I wasn't overly fussy as the side of the keel which I was cutting and trimming is the bottom side of the keel, so it doesn't have to mate to any other component.  I will finish it off with a layer of epoxy to protect it.

Florabest chainsaw - small 16" saw

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