The Plane(r) Truth

The new 11', laminated yellow pine yoke is coming along.  Current totals on time for each step:

Layout and cutting 3 center laminations: 1.5 hours 

Handplaning, sanding and glue up of center 3 laminations: 1.5 hours

Drilling bow holes on drill press: 1 hour (probably less, but I started them on the drill press and finished them using a corded hand drill and a forstner bit with an extension. It actually worked pretty well.

Layout and cutting of the outer 2 laminations: .5 hours.

Planing and glue up of outer laminations: 1 hour.

Flattening and smoothing the yellow pine 2 by 12's is by far the hardest part of the job.  Using a jack plane on each works, but I wasn't as happy with my glue lines as I'd like. I'm sure they are plenty strong, just not as nice as I would like, so I pondered other options.

I decided to run the outer 2 by's through my 13' thickness planer, taking 3-4 skim cuts off of the "glue" side. That worked quite well, as I'd just changed the blades. Spurred by that success, I decided to run the beam itself through the planer to flatten and smooth it as well. How did it work? Surprisingly well.

I have a shop-made outfeed table on the planer, so the beam was supported as it came out and it caused a little snipe (uneven cutting) on the end, but overall it worked well with about three light passes per side.  

Hindsight being 20/20, I should have started by running each 2 by 12 through the planer, but that will have to wait for next time.  

Now on to the fun work: shaping and carving.  

Or it didn't happen

 

The standard disclaimer I make to people is: "pictures or it didn't happen." If you spot the alien landing craft, you better have a photo.  So, let's just assume this is a work of fiction. That, or at least it all happened so fast that getting a camera out would have been a level or two above "foolhardy."

Zeus and Cassius were working - and not all that well- yesterday. They just aren't as crisp on turns and sidestepping as Cassius is with Brutus. But, working a span is preferable to a single for me and I like to keep Zeus doing a little something so. . .

I walked them up facing the stoneboat and dropped the chain off the front of the yoke, hooking it to the front of the stoneboat.  This had us facing the stoneboat.  A quick pivot where Cassius steps over the chain (he's the off ox) would have us moving forward. Except the memo didn't make it to Zeus, as he sidestepped out rather than stepping in and back.  

The result was that, while Cassius got three feet over the chain, he had one that didn't make it. His left front foot was up pretty high with the chain between his toes. Zeus, remember Zeus? Zeus who doesn't sidestep well? He was staying put, but coming no closer. 

Cassius started shaking his foot, but it was clear that he wasn't able to move it, step in, or take the tension off the chain. 

Pop quiz time: What do you do?

A. Unhook the chain from the yoke (nope, the aforementioned tension.)

B. Unhook the chain from the stoneboat. (Maybe. I didn't think of that, but it requires moving to the back, unhooking a tensioned chain, then hoping the slack allows him to get his toes off of it)

C. Drop somebody's bow.

Smart money's on "C." I was already in front of them, so I pulled Cassius's bow pin and he was suddenly free. Zeus stayed put when the yoke dropped, which was mighty nice of him.

Cassius backed up to stoneboat and tried to get a nibble of grass next to it. In spite of what just happened, he allowed me to pick up his end of the yoke and drive him under it. Cassius got a lot of praise and brushing when we were all back together.  

Of course, without photo or video documentation, this could all be made up.