Building the schooner MALABAR IV: Cutting out and bevelling frames EP03

Ben Harris is forging ahead with the MALABAR IV build. Beautiful lengths of seasoned oak were transported from his secret stash in the woods, having been put aside for 'a schooner' for over a decade. He's seen laying patterns, made from lofting the boat's shape on the loft floor, onto the lengths of oak, picking the best shapes for the patterns before rough cutting out the frames with the chainsaw and planing them.

The second part of the video shows Ben marking bevelling angles onto the rough timber frames as they begin to take shape. Jordan and Jacob, who work in the yard, help Ben use a bandsaw with a canting bed to cut the bevels in the frames.

0:16 Overview of oak timbers
0:50 Sourcing the timber
2:10 Laying out patterns / picking timber for frames
2:50 Ben explains the 'doubler' / joining two frames
3:04 Chainsawing / rough cutting frames
3:32 Planing the lengths of oak after rough cutting them out
3:41 Jacob (yard hand) introduces himself
5:03 Ben explains bevelling - marking on angles for the bevels in the frames
6:49 Q/A: Is Ben under pressure?
8:00 How to achieve a rolling bevel / canting the bed of the bandsaw
9:12 Planking in relation to the frame bevel explained with GA (general arrangement drawing)
9:40 Canting bed on the bandsaw in action
11:28 Insight from Jacob (part-time paid hand gaining fresh experience in boatbuilding)

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In December 2024, traditional boat builder Ben Harris announced his most daring project yet – building a John Alden-designed schooner. Subscribe to Classic Yacht TV for more updates!

Apply to volunteer on the build of MALABAR IV via Ben Harris' website: https://bit.ly/MalabarIV-schooner-new...

Shot and edited by Emily Harris / Classic Yacht TV

Credits:
Hart Nautical Collection, Massachusetts Institute of Technology