How would you make this?

[Brian Penning]

I'm totally stumped on how to make this. And forget about a handplane! Unless it's the only way.
It's for someone mounting their motor to a boat. All I know.
TIA

Simple 1 solid block of wood 10" X 8.5".
BUT the near corner is flush
Left corner is 1.5" high
Far corner is 2.5" high
Right is 1" high.




Another pic

[David Weaver]

I would get out dial calipers, a steel rule (to measure, and to use as a straight edge) and a hand plane - as long as there aren't any curves on it, and it doesn't look like there are.

I'm sure there are other options, but I would do that - it wouldn't be too difficult if you get a grasp on stop shavings and through shavings, the bottom of the plane would do almost all of the rest for you - making sure your work was flat.

I'm only a novice, but the more I try to do hard things with power tools, the faster things get screwed up. Hand tools give you time to think about what you're doing, and stop right when the mistake starts.

You could do the same thing with a belt sander and some 36 grit sand paper - just use the sander in place of the grain - that's a viable option if you don't like using hand tools and accuracy isn't paramount.

[Doug Shepard]

Make a set of scrap carrier boards and screw your workpiece to them so it projects above the boards at the right angle, then run it through a benchtop planer? Then set it up for the second taper and do the same? I think that would work, but I haven't made anything remotely like that so.....

[Ben Grunow]

Power plane and belt sander. If it is not curved, it probably should be as most boats are not flat anywhere. Might be worth a look at the fit to the boat to avoid making it twice.

[Roy McQuay]

Maybe, if you have a planer, you could turn the wood upside down and then level it using wedges. Take measurements and cut 3 wedges to run corner to corner on the wood. Then make a sled using the wedges and double sided tape to run the new piece of wood through the planer, corner first, and keep running it through till you get the right thickness.

[Ray Dockrey]

Could something like that be rough cut on a band saw and then hand planed and sanded to final shape? I figure adjusting the table angle and then the angle you approach the blade you should be able to come close. At least it looks that way.

[Todd Jensen]

Yes, if it were me I'd see if you might not 'improve' on this design and make something just as functional but much easier to shape/fabricate. If that's not an option, the planer idea that others mentioned is the first that came to mind when I first read your post, and a sled with wedges or spacers and hot glue might be one way to do this and/or the hand power planer and belt sander idea. I think, though, that perhaps the easiest and fastest way might be to make a quick sled for your bandsaw that has a 45 degree wedge to allow you to ride it through like a diamond, on its points. You could rough it our fairly quickly and then belt sand it to clean it up.
Good luck - I love a challenge, and am a little jealous of your challenging project. If all else fails, sub it out to me.
We call some of these sleds and jigs 'homemade space shuttles' - we've got the idea, but lack the technology to launch.

[Michael Schwartz]

Scribe a line arround the edges and one on the top. Using a sharp AX hack away down to about an 1/8-1/4" of the line. Using a large framing chisel or a plane bevel the waste down to where it meets the line. Use the framing chissle to clean up the wast from the ax, and plane it flat from the line in and use strait edge refrence to find any high spots from the edges.

All this should take any more than an hour at the most and is easier than it sounds.

[Ian Abraham]

Router bridge

Hot melt glue some wedges to the bottom to get it on the right angle then just shave off everything thats above the line.

I know it's loud and messy, but it's quick, easy and will give you the right profile. I'm assuming both sides a flat (or close enough) and it's just the weird non parrallel wedge thing you need?

Cheers

Ian

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Router bridge

Hot melt glue some wedges to the bottom to get it on the right angle then just shave off everything thats above the line.

I know it's loud and messy, but it's quick, easy and will give you the right profile. I'm assuming both sides a flat (or close enough) and it's just the weird non parrallel wedge thing you need?

Cheers

Ian

And if using a router bridge it won't get loose in a planer.

[David Epperson]

Maybe y'alls eyes are better than mine. But it looks curved in both directions to me. Which also makes sense since it looks like it's to mount an outboard motor off-center in the back of a sailboat, and most of the SB sterns I've seen were curved both ways. Two methods come to mind. First is to make the board flat on both sides, but tapered from corner to corner as described by others, and cast the viod remaining between board and hull with epoxy. Or use a router bridge and a duplicator stylus and duplicate the exact shape tracing it from either this piece as a master or cast a new master from the hull itsell. But that's just my take on it.

[Nate Folco]

Make a block of wood 10" X 8.5" x 2.5"
Use the old piece to scribe the outer edges.

If the origional piece have some complex curves and you need to be accurate then...

Setup your drill press with a stop block so you are pointing at say 1"x1" in from a corner. Put the old peice against the fence and set your depth stop so the bit just touches the top of the old peice. Remove the old peice and put the new one in making sure the corners match up with the way the old peice was. Drill a hole. Do this process several times around the block, say 1x1, 1x5, 1x9, 4x1, 4x5, 4x9, 7x1, 7x5, 7x9. Measure with the old one and transfer the depth to the new one. You get the idea, the more indexing holes the more accurate your copy will be.

Now take your belt sander and sand until you get close to the bottom of the holes and the scribed lines. You may want to hand sand the last little bit to make everything curve smoothly.

Might be a bit overboard so if you don't have to be so precise then just belt sand down to the edge lines.

[Brian Penning]

Thanks for all the replies -given me some good ideas. I kinda like wedging it up for my planer. Someone else suggested maybe a handsaw could cut it good enough.
David>>Good eyes. It is slightly curved but it might be the warping of the wood. The warping might of even caused the crack for all i know. I'll have to ask.
Thanks again.

[Jim Becker]

Brian, if you choose to use the "wedging in the planer" method, be sure you mechanically fasten the workpiece down to your sled.

[michael tessler]

Use a right angle grinder. Mark the outer dimensions and free hand grind the wood to the desired lines. A spokeshave and/or scrapers should get it smooth before sanding. It shouldn't take very long to do.

Mike