Placing the Keel

With the slabs back at the shop, the morning of the keel laying, Capt John with the help of Alexander, cut the stems into shape and cut the scarf joints to join them

Capt John cutting the stems

 

Stems being shaped

The rough shaped pieces were then transported to the site and with a group of volunteers they were muscled into place and guyed and braced for the ceremony. A “Record” reporter and photographer were in attendance to record the process.  See the March 23 edition for details.

Keel and stems on site

 

Keel pieces in place on the stiff back

 

Keel with stems ready to be inaugurated

 

At the sawmill

At the mill, using a Wood Mizer bandsaw, David,the operator of the Ashe Mill in Orangedale, cut the big tree and the curved limbs into the slabs that would become the keel and the stems.

The massive trunk cut into slabs

Capt John and David carefully positioned curved limbs to be cut into the stem pieces.

See if the pattern fits; It did.

 

The slabs were cut to rough shape and loaded with the 18×16 inch stiffback cants onto the trailer for the trip back to Capt John’s shop in St Augustine for further shaping

Keel pieces at the shop

 

Preparing and gathering

The volunteer crew pushed hard to get the boat shed ready for the keel laying, now only three days away. Two cross beams needed to be shaped and lifted into place on top of the wall posts to be able to support the bow and stern stems which would be attached at each end of the keel.

Patrick and Gordon working a cross beam

Patrick cutting a mortise

The cross beams were lifted into place using 2 gin-poles and block and tackles.  This lifting process was captured by “Pedro Menendez” and posted as a You Tube video. Click the You Tube link on this web site to see it

Cross beam and crew ready to lift it into place

After a great morning’s work the crew posed for a group shot

The cross beam crew

Immediately after Capt John and Alexander drove over to the Island and pruned a live oak limb that had the right curve to cut into the stem pieces

Capt John dropping the stem stock into the trailer

 

 

 

 

From the woods to the sawmill

With the help of a donated truck and driver from Phil Genovar and Dixie Custom Auto, we moved 3 large heavy pieces of live oak from tyhe woodlot to the sawmill outside of Green Cove Springs.

The 20 foot tip bed truck

Using the heavy cable system of the truck, we hauled massive live oak logs up onto the bed of the truck

The keel log loaded on the truck

Paul, the driver, a long-time St Augustine resident and 20 year employee of Dixie Custom Auto, capably with chains and cable dragged the timbers up onto the bed of the truck.

Paul hooking onto an 800 pound live oak log

This substantial load of live oak was then driven to the sawmill where it was unloaded using the heavy bob-cat run by the mill operator

Paul binding down the load

 

Off-loading the logs at the sawmill

 

After the logs were on the ground at the sawmill Capt John and the mill operator carefully considered the best ways to cut them into useable sized slabs.

Considering the cuts

 

Progress at the Astillero

Peeling rafter poles

We have had two work days cleaning up the poles we brought in from the woods last week
The last session saw us moving forward on the next layer of the boatshed structure. We have begun to shape the heavy poles that will form the cross beams and the top plate for the roof itself.

Patrick and George shaping the end of a cross beam

To lift the beams that will form the roof base we made tall gin poles to which we will attach the block and tackle to lift them into place.

The gin-pole crew: Patrick, Stan, George C, and John

 

 

Into the woods

Greg, Patrick, and Bob heading into the Bay Laurel thicket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday morning three stalwart volunteers: Bob, Greg, and Patrick went with Alexander to the woodlot and cut 15 rafter poles.

 

Patrick and Greg carrying a pole out to the road

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob dropping another pole

 

The team and the harvest

 

First Volunteer Work Day

The woodworking volunteer group peeling pine logs for the boatshed

Ona a beautiful Spring morning  a congenial and capable group of Maritime Heritage Foundation members  came out to the Astillero site at the Park and using drawknives stripped the bark off of 15 pine logs that Alexander and Capt John had brought in the week before. They were so efficient that we have to go back to the wood lot for more trees.

Peeling pine logs for the boatshed roof structure. Notice the finished logs in the background.

For the entire sequence of photos taken this morning at the work site go to our You Tube button at the bottom of each vertical navigation bar and click the icon and then click the thumbnail views that open up.

Bob and Greg working the heavy timbers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing for the Roof

Tenon cut at the top of each of the wall posts

At the top of each of the wall poles, we have cut a tenon on which we will mount the top plate and the cross beams that will support the roof.  Each of the tenons must be trimmed to size and position to accept the pine stock which is now being cut and moved to the site

 

 

Tenon marked for trimming to size and orientation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tenon trimed square and straight

Boatshed Phase 1: 10 posts standing

All the wall posts are now in place

 

On Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, Alexander  installed the last three poles that form the walls of the boatshed at the 16th century Astillero at the Fountain of Youth Archeological Park on the edge of Hospital Creek in St Augustine, Florida site of the original Spanish settlement in the nation’s oldest city.  Records and archeological evidence indicate that 450 years ago there may have been a boatyard at or near the very site we are developing..

Using patterns to cut curved ribs

Capt. John checking a curved oak limb with a pattern from his lofting table

Out in the wood lot, Alexander and John have been measurung and cutting the oak stock for the Chalupa frames. These will be sent to a sawmill to be sliced into the stock pieces from which the Chalupa ribs will be carved to shape.

 

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