Reflecting on the length of this project, planning takes the most time. I started cutting the actual frames today and planning, measuring thrice and then cutting of the first frame took hours. A lot of that time was spent maximizing the space on my boards to try and get as many frame members on a board as possible so I don’t have to spend more money on mahogany boards which cost $$$. I also wanted to make my frames look uniform and of the same color, and to do this I had to make sure my frames were made from the same board if possible, which meant I had to measure, measure and measure more in order to see how many frame members could fit on the board I was cutting from.

Looking at the plans, the transom and stem looked the most complicated. Frame 4 looked the next most complicated. I thus wanted to get a little more experience before cutting those frames and started at the bottom with Frame 1. I started with the circular saw and realized I was going to have some difficulty because my board was too narrow and I crammed two frame members on it, which meant that the sides of the frame member could’ve been ripped off if I used the circular saw. Circular saws aren’t meant for precision fine cuts of less than a 1/8″. I switched to the bandsaw and man is this my favorite tool for this work now. I didn’t think my 9″ bandsaw would cut Mahogany like butter, but it did, and it did it extremely well.

The first frame took a while but I finally got it down and I feel more confident with attempting the other frames now. Below are the photos of my attempts and the completed cut of the first frame. You’ll notice that the frame is uneven at the joints and at the sides. I haven’t sanded it yet and when I do and make it level, it’ll be ready for epoxy to join the joints, and then for epoxy for the gussets. Life is good.