How to set up room for (mostly) sewing sails

[JPA Cate]

^^^^^^^^
I just read Jim's post. Oh, yes, show us pics of the sail in action! Super! Good on ya!

PS. If you're proud of it, show us the finish work!

Ann

[Boulter]

Originally Posted by Boulter

started the storm job which is a princely 50 SF or so.

I'll report back in a few days with pictures.

I lied, more like 25 SF storm sail. I was thinking in terms of my Tanzer 22, but the sail is actually for my Sandpiper 565, which is 18-1/2 feet LOA.

The sail is mostly done, just needs the leather patches and Sailrite Logo. Won't have an action shot for a number of months LOL, the water is hard around here.

I started the next sail today, a 75% jib. I learned today to check the stitching after changing anything like say the bobbin. I had to rip out an hours work as the lower thread was tangled underneath somehow, thus fouling the lower tension. Looked good from the topside ...

Not liking all the hand work with the waxed twine. There are literally blood stains on the sail from the damage done to my little finger in pulling the the twine tight. Trying to get the hand palm to take most of the force now, but it is a bit awkward.

Here are some shots of the setup to give the general idea. These shots were taken a few days ago. Since then I have set up the 3rd table too, and shuffled things around a bit. Still not entirely happy, as the arrangement cuts off my path to the wood stove. I can get to it if I go under the table, but that is getting old. I may get a 6 foot portable table to leave a path through to the wood stove.

I have also dragged in a second piece of 5x5 Baltic Birch and placed it on the pool table. So far The only work I have had to do on the floor is hammering the grommets in with the die tool, just because nothing is rigid enough to take hammer blows. I expect somewhere around Tanzer Jib sized sail, I'll need to do some basting and sewing work on the floor upstairs, but even here, I'll be able to work a 1/3 or 1/2 sail subassembly on this setup.

All in all pretty satisfactory.

Boulter

[Jim Cate]

Hey Boulter, lots of ingenuity shown there! Hell of a lot better than what I had, and I'm sure that as you go along, you will figger out ways to improve it further.

Jim

[Boulter]

Hi:

Well, I have the 3 jibs done. No catastrophic blunders as far as I can tell.

I thought the machine sewing would be the part that would most make the air blue, but no it was all the hand work that I found more frustrating. Actually, not frustrating so much as tedious, about half the time was hand stitching. Maybe that would change on a larger sail as the biggest I did here was about 15 feet luff/80 square feet. Took a while to catch on to doing eye splices in the 3 strand luff rope too - sometimes I wish for a visual brain.

I was surprised how much force was needed at times to punch through the hand needle with the sewing palm. I would think that small stature and older people would have real difficulty at times.

One of the handiest tools I had was my assorted spring clamp set, ostensibly purchased for my wood working activities, though I don't believe ever called to service in that capacity. Roll up a piece and clamp it from unrolling. Clamp a large piece hanging over over the table edge such that the edge being basted was in a more comfortable position. Clamp down the edge tapes at a vertex, unroll, and cut to length. Clamp down the luff rope to measure and cut to length.

I refined my aft table by putting it on wheels. Now I can roll it flush to the sewing machine and get a path to the wood stove.

On to the mainsail next.

I will likely be ordering some Tanzer 22 sails for next winter's activities.

Boulter