I'm rereading my copy of Classic American Runabouts:Wood Boats
1915-1965. Drive-by warm fuzzy, got it in a used book store for $6. On
pages 34 and 35, they've got a piece titled: Building The Runabouts.
Page 35 has a picture taken in the Chris-Craft factory, undated, but
prabaly the late 20s, early 30s, described thusly: Chris-Craft boats
were assembled with precut parts. Here, workmen are producing parts
from dressed lumber clamped in patterns and cut on large shapers.

The picture is two workmen and a large shaper, the bit looks about
6" tall and as big around as your fist. The pattern and lumber look to
be at least 10' long, maybe longer, hard to tell.

It looks to me like the pattern in the bottom piece. Then short
cross pieces holding up, or spacing, two pieces of lumber being shapped.
It looks like the pieces being shaped are held by three holes drilled
along the length, then some type of bolt coming thru, passing thru a
crosswise piece of wood, and tightened by what looks like some type of
bolt about 6' high. OK, I can understand all that. I saw someting on
the Lyman Boat company making repairs from patterns of all the types of
boas they ever made - they saved ALL the patterns - and the wood was
held to the patterns with holes drilled, and bolts. But, looking at the
picture, I can't see any sign of a bearing, either top or botto of the
bit, to follow the pattern.

The only possible way I can think of for this to work, would be if
there is a fixed shield around the bit, with a section out on one side,
wo allow the wood to be shaped by the bit. Anyone know if this is the
how it was being done? Or what? I've seen a lot of varied tools, but
never a shaper.



JOAT
I do things I don't know how to do, so that I might learn how to do
them.
- Picasso